Leavenworth, WA 2014 - Day 2

Awkward Family Photos

The marching band’s hard work in yesterday’s parade really paid off. They received first place in the 3A division, and it was a well-deserved success. Ali and Jackson were so exhausted they slept for thirteen hours, but Chad and I were up before six to enjoy our privacy and eventually we wandered over to the hotel lobby for breakfast.

We brought our food and coffee to the heated patio and ate breakfast surrounded by overflowing flower boxes and tree covered hills. And, for just a few minutes, we wished Leavenworth had a shipyard. I could work in a gift shop selling beer steins and key chains and life would be so simple. The kids joined us for breakfast and as soon as they were finished they headed to the pool. Chad and I lounged for a while longer before joining the kids.

While getting ready to check out of our condo, Jackson and Chad put on the bathrobes they found in the closet and had a wrestling match on our bed. You know, what most people do in hotels. The shenanigans continued when they stuffed the bathrobes with pillows and formed them into sleeping human shapes on the beds to “have a little fun with the housekeepers” as they put it.

The popular sport of bathrobe wrestling

It looks like a sleeping person in real life

The Icicle Resort has an 18-hole miniature golf course and our family has never played putt-putt golf together, so we gave it try. An hour and fifteen minutes later, we had successfully completed the entire course with minimal cheating, a single hole-in-one (made by Jackson), and only one near death experience from swinging a golf club above waist-height (which was in direct violation of the stated rules on the score card. Oops.) We played on a par 40 course and I don’t mean to brag, but I kicked my whole family’s collective butt. I received a near-perfect score of 99. Chad only scored a 74 which in college is like a “C." Too bad so sad, loser. I won all the golf today and I feel pretty good about it.

Chipping the ball out of the rocks.
Can you spot it? It's yellow

A quick break for a sword fight/baton twirling match
See all the balls in the sand trap?
Apparently that's not where they're supposed to be

We spent a couple hours perusing the shops and then took the kids to Munchen Haus for lunch. We sat on the roof eating our lunch, trying to decide how we could stay one more night because Mary Poppins is playing in the park at dusk and it seems like an obvious gift from Jesus, but we have these pleasure-interrupters called “school” and “responsibilities," "commitments" and a “job” and so we made the difficult decision to return home. But it wasn't really that difficult because I miss my Ashley.

We drove to the Wenatchee River and the kids jumped in and disappeared around a bend. They waded and explored for over an hour. Chad and I sat on the river bank and watched eight mallards bathe. Watching ducks clean themselves in a river might seem like a silly waste of time but it was relaxing, peaceful, and re-energizing. Nature and wildlife are therapeutic. Also, I got to make up stories about the ducks and determine which ones were the abusive, chauvinistic males and which females were suffering from low self-esteem and depression. I psychoanalyze animals so technically, I'm therapeutic to wildlife. It's a symbiotic relationship, you see.

We got our baby back!

We picked up Ashley from Leah’s house at 6:30 this evening. Ashley ran to us, jumped into our arms, and told us how much she missed us and how happy she was to see us. She and Leah baked cookies for us and I savored every single minute of her love and affection. Next she started telling us about her weekend at the ocean and it was nearly 9:00 when she finally stopped. This little trip was a fantastic break in our busy lives and we cannot wait for the next one.

So long, Farewell, Aufwiedersehn, Goodnight,

- The Niemeyers