A Week of Chocolate (Beach)

 Remember the beginning of last week's post when I said there wasn't anything dramatic enough happening to build a climactic arc into the post? This week even less happened. That's not a bad thing though. I'd take boring and relaxing over chaotic and dangerous any day. 

We originally set out on this trip with some lofty stretch goals (Alaska) and some slightly less lofty medium goals (Vancouver) but we realized the cliche is true. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Or, at least in our situation it is. (If you're headed to the bathroom however, it definitely is about the destination. Hurry! Go!) 

We could still make it to these exotic places, but at this point, the scales have tipped and we have more reasons to go south and north. I'm sure there are incredible things up north, and I know there amazing sights that we would love to see, but when our kids are 3 and 4, the sights aren't that important. They don't care about majestic views and sweeping vistas. They care about playgrounds and ice cream, and most importantly, getting back to their friends. 

And so instead of pushing farther north into Canada, we made it to a nice anchorage near Ganges on Saltspring Island and stayed here all week. 

Let's do this!

Once we anchored, the kids were antsy to go play somewhere. I looked outside and could see a short ways off an island with a beach. On this trip I have learned a very simple formula for success: kids + beach = tired kids at bedtime. 

My child is a mountain goat snail. 

The island was called Third Sister Island, and the beach specifically called Chocolate Beach. The third sister part made sense; it was the third of three islands in a row. The chocolate part? I have no idea. I could look it up, but I'm busy writing a blog post. You can do it yourself. 

This island was perfect. It had rocks for the kids to climb on.

Not included in this video: Several scraped knees and thighs. 

It had woods with a trail for the kids to hike on.

I don't even try to keep up anymore. 

It had a swing to play on.

Easiest way to dry off. 

I can't wait until these kids can pump for themselves.

And best of all, it had crystal clear water to swim in! 

The kids took advantage of the "it's okay to pee in the ocean rule."

The beach was more shells than sand, but it was bright and the water was so clear, you could see straight to the bottom. There was no yucky seaweed, lots of fun shells, and the water was a crystalline blue. 

Of course, it was still Canada and the water was freezing. But for a few days that week, the temperature just barely snuck up into into the 80s (Farenheit, I still haven't figured out the Metric system. Yes, I'm that American.) And it was just warm enough that for a few seconds the icy water felt nice. 

Children don't feel cold. It's fine. 

Almost every day we piled in Little Boat and made the short trip to Chocolate Beach. Some days we explored the woods. 

Only with preschoolers does a half-mile hike take an hour each way. 

Some days we played on the rocks. 

Any shoes can be water shoes if you're okay with getting them wet. 

And we did our best to avoid the drunk party boats that would dump scantily clad twenty-somethings on the island for an hour or two. 

Really, the island had everything we needed. It even had an outhouse for the few times the kids didn't want to just go in the ocean. 

Abigail's poop shall remain on the island forever. 

On the few days we weren't at Chocolate Beach, we took Little Boat to the nearby town of Ganges. Ganges is a lot like all the other little coastal towns we visited. It wasn't ostentatiously rich like Roche Harbor, and being attached to the largish Salt Spring Island, it had more year round residents and the resources to support a full-time population. 

The first time we went there to check out the playground, we stumbled into a Pride Parade, which was pretty cool. Loud, but cool. 

We got some sweet bracelets. 

Ganges is definitely an art town. There are dozens of little galleries with paintings and sculptures in every style imaginable. With strict instructions to the kids to not touch ANYTHING we checked out a few of them. Sometimes I don't realize how big the kids are getting until we try new things like this. A year ago, the kids would have been bouncing off the walls and I would have been wiped out paying for the art they inevitably destroyed. But other than a quick exit to use the potty, the excursion went really well and they had fun looking at the art. 

I thought the body hanging from the ceiling was creepy too. 

I found the only restaurant that semi-affordably offered chicken and french fries to fuel up. Luckily, we were seated outside because while the kids are older and more capable, they still managed to dump a full glass of water on the ground within 30 seconds of being seated. 

My children are in the "only beige foods" stage.

After lunch we set off to explore a nearby park with easy walking paths and woods to lose the kids in. The paths were clear and convenient for the kids to tire themselves out on, and they circled around a disc golf course. Abigail and Morgan decided the disc gold platforms were stages made specifically for their improvised performances. 

Coming soon to a theater near you!

Again, a short hike was made much longer than it needed to be as the kids detoured off the track to clamber onto stumps and balance on logs. But I didn't mind. It was my day off work, the sun was shining, and we had time to kill. On our meandering travels, we discovered some strange stumps with faces carved in them. I'm not sure who carved them or why, but we certainly enjoyed them. 

How does he brush his teeth? 

In the evenings, we would come back to Mischief Managed and enjoy quick bedtimes and incredible sunsets. 

Red skies at night, sailors delight, right?

Of course, not every day was perfect. There were a couple days this week that were rainy and cool. The kids could probably still have fun at the beach in a hurricane, but I didn't want to sit on a log on the rain. So we still had to tire the kids out somehow. Some days it was good old fashioned cardio.

We both loved this game. She got to run around, I got to sit on a chair. 

We had a day that wasn't quite rainy enough to stay on the boat, but wasn't quite clear enough to play on the beach, so I took the kids in to town again. This time, we ate lunch at the first Jewish deli I've been able to find since moving out west. 

Morgan's face always looks like that. 

Then we made our way to the local library. I've always loved going to libraries, and when we're in Port Orchard, we go to play at our tiny local library a few times a month. The kids were skeptical at first visiting a library that wasn't the one they were used to, and they were a little disappointed they couldn't take any books home, but they still managed to have a great time. When it comes for a free place to go where kids can have fun when the weather isn't great, you can't beat a library. 

Don't worry, we found the Elephant and Piggy books. 

This week may not have been the most action-packed, but sometimes I like it that way. Everyone had fun and there were no devastating disasters. Hopefully I'm not jinxing us for next week. 

Hi Little Boat!

Tl;dr: We spent a week at Chocolate Beach and nearby town of Ganges.