Washburn Island

We had an absolutely beautiful weekend for our paddling trip to Washburn Island. We could not have asked for better weather! We were all on our toes driving down to the Cape, because we didn't really know what to expect. We had no idea how long it would take us to paddle out, no idea how much gear would fit in the canoe, and no sense of the facilities on the island. All the unknowns made it seem all the more of an adventure, and at the end of the day I think we were happier for the primitive setting. We had the island pretty much to ourselves, which might have been a little unsettling if it hadn't been for the steady boat traffic in the bay. At least we had a sense of civilization just out of our reach and earshot. It was lovely.

When we first arrived, the kids set to work pitching the tent, and Dave went back for a second boat full of gear. We sat on the beach watching for him and eventually spotted him on the horizon. We got a little nervous when he started to drift way off course, but soon enough he managed to get himself back on track. Phew! The kids ran down the coast to meet him and walked back as he paddled along the shore. By the time he made it to camp, we were all ready for dinner! Not long after, we were treated to that beautiful moon rising up from behind the houses on the other side of the bay. Wow! How did we get to be so lucky?

The next day was filled with a lot of hanging around basking in the sunlight and the sound of gentle waves, puncuated by a nice ramble around the island. The kids spent a good amount of time in the water on the other side of the island, technically in the Child's River, but very much like the ocean beaches they are used to. They were being very silly and made up a routine they did over and over that bascially sounded like an army training drill. I have no idea where it came from, but the way they excecuted it was so funny. They were really cracking us up!

After another peaceful night at the campsite, we were ready to pack up and head back to civilization totally rested and relaxed. Dave paddled back with a big load of gear and the kids sketched in their journals until it was time to meet him on the other side of the island for our departure. The whole trip had such a peaceful feeling to it, it was a little difficult to walk away, but at the same time, we were eager to load up the gear and the canoe and know that we weren't going to run out of daylight.

We headed straight to a seafood restaurant where we thoroughly enjoyed a meal prepared by someone else, made even better by the chance to eat it al fresco. Theo enjoyed his first lobster--inhaled it really. Fish and chips never tasted so good, in my humble opinion. For the rest of the afternoon, we strolled downtown Falmouth, where we enjoyed browsing the Farmers Market and many lovely boutiques. The perfect ending for our trip was a decadent two hours at Eight Cousins, the wonderful children's bookstore. After a slight detour for cupcakes, I think I can say that the trip was as close to perfect as I could ever hope for!