July 15 - 22, 2003

Our Swedish cousins are very organized and throw a fabulous family reunion every 3 years.  I went to the 1997 one in Estes Park, CO and this year it was on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands.  GORGEOUS site and it gave us a chance to visit my dear cousins, Dick and Shirley. 

Day 1:  We had an easy flight out so we were rested and ready to do the tourist stuff.  Space Needle, then Pike Place Market, where we feasted on $5 lobsters in a park on Puget Sound in the heart of downtown Seattle.  Quinn was eager to buy a souvenir.  We'd told him that he could buy one toy, and he found the perfect Seattle souvenir:  a plastic samurai sword from Pike Place Market.

Day 2:  We take the ferry to Vashon Island to visit Shirley and Bill.  I love ferries.  I don't have to ride them every day to commute, so I love them.  The wind, the sea, everything.   

Shirley took us beachcombing, walking in her labyrinth trail in the rainforest behind her house, we visited her neighbor's awesome gardens.  Then, a great meal of fresh food, Scrabble, endless talking and sleeping with the windows open.  I love the Northwest.  And I love Shirley.  Her "Liberal and Proud of It" bumper sticker doesn't capture the nuance of her principles.  She's unique, there's just something ethereal and brilliant about her loving, thoughtful, joyous nature.  It's like being near a waterfall.  She's one of those people I feel lucky to know.

Shirley's husband, Bill, is a retired teacher and woodworker.  I had never seen his creative stuff, though, so I was stunned to see these inventive, evocative masks in his wood shop.

Day 3:  Back to Seattle via ferry, then we played in town for awhile.  Went to REI and bought some hikers, then went by Swanson's Nursery, founded by my great grandparents (August and Selma Swanson) in 1922.  This was at a time when they should have been retiring, since they had run a florist business from 1888 - 1920 or so in St Paul, MN.  They might have had a bad investment or something, not sure what happened, but today Swanson's is renowned and a perennial Best of Seattle pick.  Here, Quinn is pictured next to two sequoias they planted in the 1920s.

Then, on to Anacortes to catch the ferry to Orcas Island, site of the 2003 Young Reunion.  These folks are descended from August Swanson's uncle, August Holmberg, so they're my 4th cousins and their kids are Quinn's 5th cousins.  Most of them are descended from August Holmberg's daughter, Belle Holmberg Young.  (Pics from the 1997 Young Reunion in Estes Park here.)

Here's Quinn with Alex Mears, his 5th cousin.  Alex was adopted just 2 months earlier after spending the first 7 years of his life in Russia.  Next, we see Quinn with Summer and Drew Cerny.  He goes crazy for kids his age :)

Day 4:  Thanks to David and Linda McNeil, the whole reunion was very organized and was a perfect mix of free time and fun activities.  This morning, we boarded a whale-watching cruise.  I barely thought about the whales and was just happy to be on a boat on a perfect day in the San Juans.  At the end of the cruise, though, we all got excited when 3 pods of Orcas swam past our bow and directly under the boat!

We had lunch at Cascade Lake in Moran State Park on Orcas Island.  We were lucky to get the shelter on a busy weekend at such a popular vacation destination, and it made a great place to eat, talk and watch the little ones swim in the pristine water.  I swam, too, and felt very grateful to be in that beautiful place as I gazed up at the sun and forested hills around me.

That evening, we drove up Mt Constitution for a breathtaking panoramic view of the San Juans, Victoria, BC, Bellingham, WA and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Absolutely stunning, Grand-Canyon-like vista.  Tracey ran into someone she knew from high school in Sioux City while we were at the top!

Day 5:  Next morning, we went sea kayaking along the coast.  Saw only one sea otter, but saw lots of bald eagles and Gene Hackman's island.  Perfect weather, but a bit of an upper body workout.

In the afternoon, we hiked to Cascade Falls.  Back at our hotel, the Outlook Inn, Quinn climbed a tree and we got a group picture before our final banquet dinner.

Day 6 and 7:  The Young Reunion was over, so we boarded the ferry for Anacortes and drove to Seattle to catch the Bainbridge Island ferry to visit my mom's cousin, Dick Swanson.  Dick's one of those people I love to be around.  He's one of my role models.  All my memories of him and his father, Ted, are of warm, caring men who are good listeners.  You can just feel the calm strength of his values when you're around him.  We had a great time, walking and talking on the beach, soaking in the hot tub, making and eating meals, playing on the rope swing, talking about the workings of the tides and whether sea anemones reproduce sexually or asexually (it's both, Dick looked it up).  Can't get all that at Disney World.

Day 8:  We took the ferry back to Seattle.  Puget Sound bade us farewell with a stunning view of Mt Rainier and we had easy connections back home to Des Moines.  I love visiting family on vacations.  It was great to see smiling, welcoming faces wherever we went and add chapters to our long-distance relationships.