Hi Gram,
Howard and I started our road trip today! I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a while now, and I’m really glad that we’re making it happen. Howard, being a typical teenager, likes video games, YouTube, tv series, and books. I wanted to get him out in nature and a little outside his comfort zone so he could see there’s a whole world outside of video games and social media.

We packed up the car, double checked that we hadn’t forgotten anything (spoiler alert – we forgot a few things, but nothing critical), and headed out. We talked about our expectations for the trip, discussed the difference between “I KNOW I don’t like that” and “I don’t THINK I’d like that”, and trying some new things. I pointed out some cool things that I saw along our drive and he feigned interest in a couple of them, then we arrived safely at Bay Shore, our first stop.

Bay Shore is a community of homes on the shore of a bay near Shelton, WA where my friends Jesse and Karla vacation every year with their extended family. The area was settled by Jesse’s great-great(I don’t know how many generations)-grandfather and the family has lived here ever since. Over the years, parts have been developed and sold off, but the family retains some cabins and houses and return there every year for a family reunion. Jesse and his uncle (cousin? there were so many family members, I had a hard time remembering how everyone was related) Chris came out to joyfully welcome us. Chris told us a little of the history and cracked jokes while Jesse welcomed us in, showed us around, and introduced us to everyone. We felt like guests of honor and everyone we met the whole time made us feel just as welcome. It was unreal and heartwarming!

We quickly set up our tent, which was much larger than I was expecting, and got our sleeping mats and bags, pillows, and our luggage all situated. Howard wanted to try a canoe, so he and I changed into our swim trunks and water shoes then carried the canoe the short distance to the water. I gave him some basic instructions, we put on our life jackets, and pushed off. We got to see clam and oyster beds set up by the farm operation across the bay as we paddled out in an arch away from shore and towards a house on the other shore. Howard worked on his paddling technique as I steered the boat around the bay. When we got back and secured the canoe, Howard ran off to play games with the other kids while I went for a walk.

There used to be a golf course across the street, but as the game’s popularity has waned the course lost revenue. A few years ago, a conservancy bought the land and converted it to a nature trail, along with some marshland. It was really cool walking along the paths and seeing man-made landscape being reclaimed by nature. I got to walk out on a peninsula where a creek flowed into the bay and see the contrast between man and nature, planned pruning and natural flow.

When I got back, Chris asked us if we wanted some tennis lessons. I decided to hold off while Howard learned a few things and got some practice. Chris had brought a ball server, and the two of them took turns hitting balls and learning swing technique. Chris is an engineer and has learned the mechanics of a proper swing and did a good job explaining the reasons behind why you hold the racket a certain way, swing methods, and follow through. They practiced their swings for a while, then I walked around and picked up the balls while Chris explained the next step. After a while, Howard’s head was full and his arms were tired, so we headed back to the house to meet more people and hear stories out on the deck.

After dinner, one of Jesse’s other cousins offered to let Howard be the first to use his remote controlled boat that evening. I went and grabbed him from a game he was playing with the other kids and we took turns playing with it for a little bit. He was more interested in playing games than operating the boat, so he soon returned to his newfound friends. We spent the rest of the evening chatting, snacking, and having a wonderful time before it got late and we headed to our tent for a good night’s sleep.