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Just a portion of my husband's family - such great memories. That's me with the long hair (front right) with my two boys in front of me and my husband to my left. Sponsored

Just a portion of my husband’s family – such great memories. That’s me with the long hair (front right) with my two boys in front of me and my husband to my left.

My husband and I took the dogs for a walk tonight. It was a lovely summer evening here in Seattle and bats were flying overhead. I giggled as I reminded my husband that many years ago, on a night just like this, we’d taken a walk through an apple orchard in Eastern Washington. As I remarked at how strange it was that birds were present after dark, he’d laughed and tried to convince me that the birds flying overhead were “night” birds.

We were there on the annual family summer vacation where my husband’s 8 brother and sisters and their families as well as his parents and assorted random friends and relatives squeezed into one summer rental for a week. We were new parents and my mother-in-law kindly offered to watch our son so we could have some much needed alone time and thus the reason the walk was so memorable. Well that and the fact that I RAN back to the house, screaming all the way, when he came clean and confessed that those “birds” that were dive bombing our heads were actually bats.

Summer Family Boating Trips  - Sponsored #discoverboating

That was just one of many  family vacations were we took advantage of the opportunity to have  some fun on the nearby lake and to do that, we’d bring our boat along. That little 16’ Bayliner was the center of activity for all kinds of watersports as well as fishing and lake exploration for so very many years. We bonded over countless hours on that beautiful lake and grew closer as a family.

Another summer vacation on the lake - the kids are 3 years older and much more daring!

Another summer vacation on the lake, 2002 – the kids are 3 years older and much more daring!

Making Summer Memories

My husband’s family is still close and many of them still do the annual summer vacation. We haven’t gone in years because my husband and I both worked full time and for quite awhile each had second jobs. We protected the little free time we had with our boys to enjoy our little family and passed on the larger group vacations; but we have very many fond memories of lazy days on the lake and evenings strolling the orchards learning about life and becoming a family.

We sold our boat a few years ago after owning it over 20 years. This summer the weather has been outstanding here in Seattle and I would be lying if I said we didn’t miss it. I loved the hours I spent reading next to my husband who was fishing. It’s a quite kind of peacefulness that only comes from being gently rocked by the water. We had so many amazing conversations about our kids, our life, and retirement. I miss those lazy afternoons spent on a lake.

Got a worm! - Brian fishing at age 3  - a different lake, but the same fun

Got a worm! – Brian fishing at age 3 – a different lake, but the same fun

It looks like Brian has a fish! Look at the pure joy on his face!

This little boy who grew up on the boat is now 27. It’s amazing how fast it goes but oh the memories we made.

My husband and I decided tonight it’s time to institute our own family summer vacation. Sure, the boat is gone and we’ll have to come up with some new ways to have fun, or maybe we’ll rent a houseboat. One thing’s for sure, this time we’ll have more room to stretch out- we have just two boys and their partners and no grandchildren yet. The days of squeezing 28-30 people in one house are gone – goodness how I miss them!

You don’t have to be rich to own a boat. We certainly weren’t. Get unbiased boating assistance from DiscoverBoating.com. There’s a boat selector guide to be sure you choose a boat that fits your lifestyle and budget. There are also interactive features to help you become more comfortable on the water.

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