Deception Pass--as I see it...

Hello everyone! This is Stephanie of the Balladone Bunch. My dad (the Kayak Bandit) has been telling you all about our family camping trip to Deception Pass State Park. I thought I'd give you my side of the story. You know how those ol' folks with dementia setting in get...they can't remember anything correctly...or maybe it's the loss of hearing and/or seeing that prevents them from gettting the real story in the 1st place.


So about the near fatal accident. It is true that we were talking boxing (letterboxing that is), but what he failed to mention was that I'd almost single handedly got my family packed, loaded, and transported accross two states to get to our camping spot that day. I was flat out beat! But...I couldn't resisit dragging out my letterboxing stuff to show off my latest efforts (carvings, finds, trading cards, etc.) and when I couldn't keep my eyes open another second, I gathered my stuff and headed off to bed. I remembered that I needed to step over a huge log, but forgot about the big rock. Oops...that was one painful mistake. To add insult to injury, it was the same leg that had a skinned knee from when I dropped my cell phone in our swimming pool, and the same leg that I scrapped the side calf when hooking up the trailer. Needless to say, I've been wearing long pants ever since. I mean really, what grown woman can show her face with pathetic injuries like that. Worse yet, a few days later, I ran into some stinging nettles. And yep, the same darn leg again! I guess it must be cursed or something.


There's another thing that probably should be set straight and I'm the perfect person to do the job. You see, I'm impartial and a true & fair judge when it comes to animals. Now my dad might say that his dog, Bandit, is the best dog in the whole wide world, but then there's my sister and her husband who might say that their dog, Bailey, is the best. They are great dogs, that is certain, but the best dog is the imaginary dog that I hope to have someday. He never knocks over innocent kids, barks unnecessarily, whines about wanting a ball being thrown, shakes out stinky lake water onto logbooks, needs his poop scooped, or does other unmentionable acts. He is the perfect dog, at least he is until he actually comes into existance.


I love letterboxing, that is a known fact. My kids even love letterboxing, although not as much as me. I managed to convert my dad and now he's in as deep as me, but my brother-in-law thinks I'm absolutely crazy. He just doesn't get it. This wouldn't be a problem, except for the teeny-weeny fact that I've got his son hooked. He is the best letterboxing companion ever and I really wished he lived closer to me. I'd take him out "treasure hunting" any day. His latest obsession (and that's putting it mildly) is Indiana Jones. He doesn't go anywhere without his hat and bag, complete with a whip, notebook, and other important things. You can always tell where he is...just follow the humming. What is it that he's humming?...well, the Indiana Jones theme song, of course. Back in January, when I first introduced him to letterboxing, I carved him a stamp and made him a logbook. His trail name was DJ. But, when I learned that he had changed identities (if you ask him, he'd tell you he IS Indiana Jones) I realized he needed a new signature stamp and trail name. His new trail name is Indiana Jones of WA. I am SO proud.



Well, my time here is limited (time on the computer that is), because the camping-Nazi (aka Gregg--the city slicker) might accuse ME of being a computer geek/city slicker, so I best get to the highlights of my family vacation:

*Hiking at Fort Ebey with my dad and four kids. It was a beautiful day and we found 4 boxes.

*Watching my kids laugh and playing at the lake. They can build some awesome sand creations, swim like fish, and still have energy left for kayaking.

*Sitting around the campfire with my family...

*Learning that telling someone that he/she has "stinky" in their "winky" is the worst kind of insult.

*Seeing Gregg FREAK out over a stolen hat and the ruckus that insued.

*Snuggling with my kids in the dark during a raining night in the tent.

*Eating Aunt Jenny's to-die-for chili.

*Letterboxing on my own for an hour or so, while my dad watched my kids

*Creating and Planting an Indiana Jones series of letterboxes for my family.

AND last but most definitely not least

*Spending time with the best family in the world.



I'm already counting the days until next year's campout...Fort Stevens, here we come!

P.S. The highlights according to my kids, my niece, and my nephew:

Kaitlyn--"singing around the campfire and walking the dogs"

Sophia--"not bringing a toothbrush"

Lillyanna--"playing at the beach"

Nicholas--"getting to roast marshmallows"

Dylan--"well, let's see...uh...playing with Nick"

Claire--"Popcorn!!!!"