 |
| In Leavenworth |
This morning, after cleaning up the house and packing our
things, we parted ways with my family and the five of us went to the
lake. Because my mom had to return the
keys to the rental house, along with the passes to the private beach, we went
to Lakeside Park, which is a public beach on the south shore of the lake. Let me explain the difference between
swimming at a private beach and swimming at a public beach. I will use everyone’s favorite 1982 family
classic Annie to help illustrate:
Today we realized that swimming at a private beach is
similar to what Annie experienced when she left Ms. Hannigan and all her orphan-friends
to move into Daddy Warbucks’s mansion on 5th Avenue. His mansion was stunning, immaculate, and filled
with servants; exactly like the private
beach we enjoyed these past two days (except by servants I mean Mexican maintenance boys). Swimming at a public beach is similar to
living in that dirty orphanage Annie was rescued from. First of all, the grass was covered in soft,
wet goose poop. But sun-bathing among red
Solo cups and dirty socks, while children shrieked at full volume is what
really gave it that orphanage-y atmosphere I don’t always enjoy. But just as little Annie turned her Hard
Knock Life into a remarkable song and dance number, we were able to turn today’s
grody public beach experience into our own form of entertainment.
At noon we left the orphanage and drove an hour to
Leavenworth. Choosing where to eat
quickly turned into an adult vs. child struggle, so we decided to let the kids
eat at Fresh Burger Café. They serve all
natural, hormone-free, American Kobe hamburgers and old fashioned milkshakes. What kid wouldn’t
want to eat there? We waited until they ordered and paid, and then Chad and I walked to another restaurant for
lunch. If you’re concerned about our
children being in Leavenworth on their own, I assure you—no town in America
with that many hanging baskets and nutcrackers has a hint of crime. Trust me.
Chad and I ate at Munchen Haus on Front Street. It’s a Bavarian grill and beer garden, where
they serve Bavarian sausages cooked over an open grill, German potato salad,
pretzels, and beer. We sat in the
family-friendly beer garden surrounded by flowers and grapevines growing on the
eaves of the covered patio. We listened
to accordion music while we ate the most delicious brats imaginable and
pretended we were in Germany. I had a Curt’s
Currywurst and potato salad, Chad had a Hans’ Jalepeno and Cheddar and a half-stein
of locally brewed Hefeweizen. The food
was so good that I think it actually added
years on to our lives. And improved our
marriage. And healed my heart from childhood pain.
 |
| Surprisingly, that is not an actual accordion player behind Chad |
After lunch, the kids met us and we perused the shops for a
couple hours. We showed them the famous
Hat Shop, where for some unknown reason, every time Chad and I are there, we
try on hats, and laugh, and then probably contract lice and other hair fungus that I
don’t want to think about. But it’s a
tradition.
 |
| My Mad Hatters |
We popped into a Danish bakery and bought some treats: raspberry cream cheese strudel, walnut squares, and a Bavarian waffle. The crust of my strudel was so flaky that
when I was finished, the table looked like Cookie Monster just had lunch. How embarrassing!
 |
| My frantic effort to get one picture of my family in Leavenworth |
When everyone had their fill of all things Bavarian, we
headed towards home, first stopping at Smallwood’s Harvest in Peshastin. It’s a fruit stand/country mercantile that
sells locally grown fruit, jams, honey, wines and other items that I wanted to
buy, but knew if I did, I’d get it home and be like, “what the heck am I gonna
do with this?”
We had a lovely drive home and, as always, Chad and I couldn’t
help but notice how much profound beauty our state has to offer. The kids watched The Goonies and slept,
probably not even glancing out the window once.
I know we can’t force them to appreciate nature at this age, but we
try. It’s a tedious job making sure they
don’t get swallowed up by electronics and entertainment. On the first day of our road trip, they kept declaring
how bored they were after only being in the car for thirty minutes.
“Can we watch a movie instead of looking at trees?” Jackson
asked.
“No. I want you to see what Washington State looks like,”
said Chad.
“I’ve seen
it! We’ve been everywhere!” Jackson groaned.
Chad pointed his finger out the window, “You haven’t see that tree,” he said.
And we’ll keep on pointing to the trees, and the rivers, and
the mountains, requiring that the kids look up and take it all in. They may not like it now, but one day they’ll
be happy we did it.
No one cares
for you a smidge
When you're in an orphanage!
When you're in an orphanage!
It’s a Hard Knock Life!
-The Niemeyers
No comments:
Post a Comment