Making Me Laugh

The other day I was folding the washing while watching the twins play with toys in Kianna's room.
I went downstairs to get something, came back to the room and had to laugh at what I saw. In the time I had been gone they had flipped over the washing basket and all the neatly folded clothes and strewn toys all over the floor. When I came in I found the two of them on the bed throwing a soft toy monkey at each other. Maybe I was in a particularly good mood, but honestly I found it so hilarious I just had to post a photo.

(they did a good job of picking it all up too!)

The Bike and the Tree

I have been wanting to visit Vashon Island ever since I heard this legend:

The legend goes that in the 50's a little boy propped his bicycle up on a tree, then went off to do something and forgot about it and never returned. Over the years, the tree trunk grew around the bike, swallowing parts of it up and lifting it off the ground. And it exists, on Vashon Island!!

The other weekend it was beautiful weather and I was taking one of the au pair girls out on a surprise day trip to Alki beach in west Seattle for her last weekend in Seattle (she didn't get along with her host family and is relocating to the East side of America). On the spur of the moment I suggested that we take the car ferry across and check out this fabled tree! We left from Fauntleroy in West Seattle and after a short ride we arrived on Vashon Island!

It was like being in another world, it was so buzzy! The island community was vibrant and full of life. There was a bustling farmers market and a quaint little village with little shops. We continued through the town and stopped on the fringes to find the bike, although it was in the woods, it was not hard to find, internet instructions helped us locate it, and in the end it was literally just a few steps away from a car park. When I saw it I was so shocked because the bike was so high up on the trunk, it really was floating in the air! The tree had swallowed it big time! The pressure of the tree growth had bent the wheel rim and spokes, even the bike's seat had been bent and crushed from the trunk's power. It was definitely all natural, no special effects here, just plain tree growth!

"I'm sad because my bike was eaten by a tree"

I later found a newspaper article about the bike, saying that the little boy who left the bike lived only 200 yards away. It was his bike, a present after the family's house had been damaged by fire and all their possessions lost. However, the little boy hated the bike, it was not big enough for his liking, so he was glad to lose it, and never went looking for it after forgetting it at the tree. 

It was spectacular, so worth the visit. After the bike-tree we enjoyed a glimpse of island life, strolling through the farmer's market and grabbing a sandwich from the grocery store.

On our way back to the car ferry we stopped at a sign for a labyrinth, we were both very excited to walk through it and see what it was like! (especially after we heard that it was free!). So, we parked and went to the entrance of the labyrinth, I even warned Teddy about our time restriction because of the ferry, we would have to be quick in the labyrinth!

Well, what a laugh we had when we finally saw the "labyrinth", it consisted of tiny little ridges in the ground arranged into circular patterns... we walked through it just to 'experience' it, laughing and laughing over the hilarity of the whole thing! I guess it was 'Vashon Island sized' not the huge hedge-walled labyrinth we were imaging in our minds! 

Gee, I'm so glad we didn't get lost in this labyrinth!

me, bravely walking the labyrinth

We drove straight on the car ferry and headed back to Seattle, but what a wonderful day it was!

The Saga of Tyler

For a long time now my host family have been debating and debating about whether to get a dog or not. When my dad was here in August the discussion was just beginning, and my dad made a guinea pig house which was so big it could convert into a dog kennel, if they chose to get a dog. A couple of months down the track and on Luca's 9th birthday they gave him the news that yes, they would get him a dog! They explained that it could take awhile to find the right dog for the family.

After that excited night, the whole family would crowd around the computer screen, scrolling through page after page of rescue dogs and specially bred dogs alike.

Then, one afternoon my host mum told me that they had expressed interest in two rescued dogs and they had been flown (yes, flown) in from California for them to have a look at! So we carted the entire family down to a local animal hospital where the dogs had been transported to. There was another family there looking at some other dogs, there were about 8 dogs in total. We got to mill around the dogs, look at them, play with them, assess if they were the right dog or not. That was when we met Tyler. He was a very gentle dog, a poodle-bichon cross (very smart, no shedding, small stature). He got along well with the kids and was very calm and tolerant. He was not as cute as some of the other dogs but he had his own charm. The family decided to bring him home for a 1 week trial.

He is a good dog, likes to go on walks and sleep a lot, very low maintenance. He's the dog you have when you don't have a dog, a bit like a cat mixed with a sheep (sleeps, eats, white and woolly). He is content with being left alone in the house, he is very easy going.

Only thing is, he is not so playful with the kids, he doesn't like to play catch etc. After some discussion, the parents broke it to Luca that they would return the dog.

Luca wailed and sobbed for about 4 hours straight. Not kidding. That boy cried with so much pain and yearning we thought it never would end! He was crying in the shower, crying in his room, crying walking down the street.

Tyler is still with us at the moment, and it is up in the air as to what his future will be - Vanessa my host mum (and I) loves Tyler because he is low maintenance (who can blame her, she doesn't want a 6th child to look after!), but at the same time, Tyler is not the active playful family dog that the family dreamed of.

What will happen in this saga? Will Tyler go or will he stay? I'll keep you posted!

A Poem

Upon Moving into my Van

Joy. Pure Joy. 
I am what I always wanted to grow up & be. 
Things are becoming more of a dream with each waking day. 
The heavy blows of daily life are becoming encrusted with glitter & the shaking finger 
of consequence is beginning to giggle. Grumpy old men have wings. 
Bums sport halos & everyday dullness has begun to breathe 
as I remember the incredible lightness of living.


written by Jewel Kilcher

Follow the Columbia River Gorge

My host family had decided to go camping one last time for the summer, so they left on Thursday night and gave me Friday and Saturday off as a free weekend. So of course I began pondering whereabouts I would go! The travel bug has bitten me hard and despite all the travel I have done this year, I have not tired of it at all.

The Columbia River Gorge has been somewhere I've been wanting to go for a while, and it's not too far away so definitely do-able in 1 and a half days, which is precisely what we did!

My au pair friend Teddy and I took off on Friday evening at 5.30, after she had finished work. We tore down I-5 freeway, stopping on the way to buy the biggest sandwich the world has ever seen from Safeway for a grand total of $5.00. Using all the strength I could muster, I ripped the sandwich into two for us to eat. There was so much stuff in that sandwich, it was incredible! It was so big that Teddy actually lost a piece of her tooth while eating it. It was the story of the night!

The plan was to go to Portland, check out some of the nightclubs (my first time doing so in the USA!) and then sleep in the Stallion at a truck stop and spend Saturday cruising through the Columbia River Gorge, which lies east of Portland. By and large we stuck to this plan, we got to Portland at around 10.20pm, parked the car and had a wonderful time walking around the central city, seeing the buildings, looking for interesting bars with good music and no cover charge. There were street performers and all sorts of things to feast our eyes upon. We ended up going to two different nightclubs but we were not impressed with the music at either of them. Despite the lack of good music, we had a great time in Portland.

We left around 12.30am, drove to our truck stop and were walking through the convenience store going to the bathroom when we stumbled upon a little local bar, filled with 10 rather drunk older people singing karaoke. The music was good, the surroundings hilarious - now this was my type of place! We danced the night away, we even sang a duet on the karaoke, then joined the locals for a soaring (if not out-of-key) rendition of 'total eclipse of the heart'. It was fabulous! We were there until just after 2am, until a waitress asked us for ID - which we did not have - I literally only had toothpaste, a toothbrush and car keys! We were not drinking, but fair enough that they ask for ID. We left to get it, the locals begged us to return, but by the time we got to the car, I looked at the time and realised that we needed to get to bed to have a good rest for the next day! So we did not return to the bar (they probably thought that we were underage since we did not return! haha!). We set up our car bed and snuggled down for a good nights sleep.

The next morning we got up and freshened up then headed on the road to the gorge! The gorge stretches a long way, we only visited a small portion of it - but oh how beautiful it was! All in autumn colours, we visited 5 stunning waterfalls and the Vista house - perched atop a large cliff with spectacular views. My favourite place was the Oneonta gorge, where we were able to walk in between large rocky cliffs, over logs and through rivers and saw some amazing scenery. It will forever stand out in my mind, partially because of my frozen cold bare feet, sore from the river rocks and cold water; and partially because of the sheer beauty of the place and that 'I can do anything' feeling! We stopped along the way at a quaint little roadside hamburger stall where they made the largest soft serve ice creams I have ever seen in my life - so big that when a man ordered a large one, they had to re-do it three times because it was so big it kept toppling over onto their floor before they could even pass it to the customer! 

Our Oregon leg of the journey ended in Hood River - a cute and extremely windy section of the gorge. We stopped at the riverside and watched windsurfers and kiteboarders flying across the water in the immense winds. Driving through there, the wind was so strong I thought it would blow my car off the road! It was so powerful!

We crossed over a bridge back to the Washington side and passed through Vancouver Washington on our way back to the interstate to Seattle. The views were so special. It was absolutely beautiful and we had perfect weather. It was amazing! I arrived home so happy and rejuvenated!! Boy I love travelling :)

Fairs and Concerts!!

The other month for our Au pair cluster meeting we trucked down to Puyallup for the famous Puyallup Fair.
You might remember that I went there once before, I took my host boys and we had a grand time - going on rides, eating fair food, going to the car demolition derby "smashfest" and seeing cars being set on fire.

I was a little unsure about going for a second time, since I felt like I had done everything with the boys, but I knew it would be different because it would be hanging out with the girlies, which is always fun!

We got to the fair and as we walked in the gate, we were each handed a coupon for 2-for-1 tickets to see Enrique Iglesias who happened to be performing at the fair that very night! I was very excited because with the coupon the tickets would be only $25 each, which is such a good deal. I have not been to concerts since arriving in the States because I am either working the night they are on, or else too poor (or stingy) to afford tickets. I can't say that I am the greatest Enrique Iglesias fan, but I remember his songs from the late 90's when he was a huge pop star, and I was so keen to take advantage of the opportunity.

I discussed it with the other girls and gave them a chance to think it over. In the meantime, we split off into groups of 3 or 4 and went around the fair, going on rides, taking in everything, seeing the different displays. Our group went off and explored pretty much the whole fairground, although we ran out of time to do any rides. We all met back up again after an hour or so and we had famous fair scones, served with jam and milk. It was so delicious!

My friend Emi was also keen to go to the concert, although none of the other girls were. Since Emi and I were carpooling with 3 other girls, we had to drive the other girls all the way back to Seattle and then drive all the way back to the fair in order to get to the concert. It was so worth it in the end, we got there in perfect time and had an incredible night. The atmosphere was vibrant and happy, Enrique himself was so nice and he even let people up on stage and let them speak about their lives. It was just a great concert! I was so glad that I was able to go!

The face of concerts today: a sea of digital cameras and phones trying to get a picture