5 Days of Pure Bliss

WARNING...THIS IS THE LENGTHIEST POST EVER SEEN ON MILE HIGH VOGELS, EVER. 

Imagine this...you arrive in Seattle on a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day.  The mountains are majestic, the water is glistening and you have 5 days ahead of you to worry about nothing but what time you'll go to sleep and what you'll wear for the day.  (Your 18 month old is staying with friends back home, making this all a reality).  Your 5 year old is in chipper spirits and can't wait for his special trip to San Juan Islands with Mom and Dad.  After all, he gets to be transported by car, train, bus and boat all in one day of "reventures." 

You get in your rental car and drive 2 hours through peaceful green fields to Anacortes, where your extended family (30+ of them) awaits you in the ferry line with open arms and genuine love and affection.  The ferry boat takes the entire family, Scout the dog and their vehicles on an hour long cruise to the beautiful island of San Juan.  The views are breathtaking as pirate ships sail by, mountains stand tall in the background and Vog family members chatter and catch up on too much time spent away from one another.

 Dude colored a picture for Grandma Di as a congratulations for battling cancer and officially kicking it in the ass.  I know, I said ass.  But it's only fitting. 

 Dude had been soooo looking forward to this ferry ride.  He called it a "passenger liner" and thought it was awesome that he and Dad could run around where all the cars were parked. 

Upon arriving at San Juan, everyone caravans to a 13 acre property, "Bakker's Acres," where memories will be made for the next 5 days.  This wonderful Dutch family has opened their home and property to the family as a gesture of pure kindness and generosity.  There are multiple lovely homes on the property in which to rest our heads, a dove house, a massive chicken coop, Adirondack and lounge chairs in every beautifully wooded nuck and cranny, 2 piers inviting you to explore the bay bordering the property, rocks that exude calming music as you roam, a row boat waiting to be occupied, a pond with a charming swing, inviting children to take advantage, a barn housing fun and alluring vehicles and tools (which we did not dare touch), a chef's area where the most lovely and talented women of Chimacum are hired to prepare 3 gourmet meals per day using nothing but fresh and savory local foods, a dining deck overlooking the bay with enough square footage to hold all 40+ of us for meal time.....I'm starting to get a bit verklemped, so I'm going to stop with my overly romantic narrative of our trip.  I could have just said, "It was awesome and I cried like a hungry baby when we had to leave," but you wouldn't have walked away with a clear picture of the pure bliss we experienced. 

Uncle Phil (see below with Scouty) went to bat organizing this reunion and boy did pay off.  We ate our hearts content (one of my favorite aspects of the trip as we didn't lift a finger in the prep or clean up), we kayaked (if you can call it that given the fact that almost all the 15 couples threatened divorce at one point of the trip), we lounged, we hiked, we ooohhed and aaaaahed at the views, we row boated, we read, we whale watched, we sang, we did a little tootie tahing, we biked, we napped, we reminisced, we bache balled, we hula hooped, we chased chickens, we de-shelled crab, we made ice cream, we threw rocks, we sat by the camp fire, we drank wine and more wine and drank beer and more beer, we laughed at the kiddos and we inhaled fresh Washington air.  I know I've said this over and over, but it was as I imagine heaven to be.  Hymns and all.

Let's take a moment of silence to admire the culinary creations from the  miracle foodie women at Bakker's Acres.  They camped on the property in order to keep up with our stomachs.

 

Ok, moving on.  In no particular order. 

 This is where the edible magic happened. 

 Evenings/nights were spent in one of the cabins.  We sang, we sang, we laughed, we sang, we entertained and sang some more.  Grandpa Vog would have devoured this time together and was singing down on us from the realms above.   

 

We try our very best to see the Vog family (Tim's dad and his 6 siblings and their families) whenever possible.  Simply because they are a riot and there's never a dull moment around this group of talkers and doers and storytellers and photographers and organizers and musicians and kids at heart.  It's rare to find a family this large that craves togetherness and truly enjoys every second of said togetherness.  We're blessed to be a part of it and we can't wait for the next go round.  Love to all the Vogs - those who reunioned with us and those who weren't able to. 

If you have time, enjoy the remainder of the 548 photos below.  Slight exaggeration.  Between Bob, Mike and myself, we managed to capture every waking minute of the time spent together. 

Our kayaking trip was one we'll talk about with the kind of laughter that only comes as a result of conquering a battle.  At one point, an uncle to remain unnamed said, "Getting in this frickin thing is like putting a freakin' condom on my legs!"  Another couple chose to remain completely silent so as to avoid screaming at each other.  Another cried silently in her front seat position.  You could hear an underlining mumble throughout the waters as each boat attempted to navigate the choppy, strong current and white capped waves.  Yet another couple (aka my dear husband and I) said, "I do love you deep down but there's nothing I like about you at this point in time."  And that sums up the trip quite well.  We laugh.  Now. Thank you Uncle Phil.  It really was a kind gesture and one that was ultimately worth every penny.       

Obviously before the kyaking adventure.

More shots from our evening time and the priceless talent show.  The talents ranged from poetry to guitar playing to human pyramids to children's songs to story telling to jazz renditions to knock knock jokes to Dutch hymns to ice cream churning.  See below for a video which includes our entertainer's (Dude) talent, which stole the show.  I've never seen a group of 40+ adults look more endearing in my life. 

 Lovely Janet and her family own Bakker's Acres and was the most gracious host you could possibly imagine.  She lost her loving husband last year, who would have loved to see his friends, the Vogs, enjoying life at Bakker's Acres. 

 Happy hour on the lawn took place every afternoon from 5-7pm.  Home made dips with veggies, chips, beer, wine....and of course there were white wedding chairs available for our sitting leisure.

Dude and his com padre, Bailey, kept each other occupied throughout the week.  We took a nature hike down the driveway and found tons of unicorns  It was really quite something. 

 The alpaca farm was a hit.  Accept for the fact that Dude and I both now want an alpaca. 

And then there were the chickens.  I would safely estimate that 50% of Dude's time was spent bonding with, chasing, torchering, marveling at, running away from and talking baby talk to the 20+ chickens, one rooster and one duck on the property.  He hasn't stopped talking about these creatures since, causing us to seriously wonder if we should get chickens of our own.  Check back in a month for any forward progress. 

 Little Amelia is our Squirt look alike.  So darling and so much resemblance to our little girl!

Good night San Juan.  We might just have to retire near you some day.  We sure do love God's handiwork out there.  Thanks Uncle Phil and Aunt Kathy for all the work that went into an amazing 5 days away.  And SPECIAL thanks to Mike and Stacy for caring for our Squirt like she was your own.  We didn't worry about her for one single second, which made the trip the wonderful trip it was!