Last year, we rented this amazing house on Lake Sammamish. We loved it so much, we reserved it for this year as soon as we got home. This image pretty much sums up why:

The next morning, while waiting for some family to visit, we lazed about with our books.

And here they are! Tony and Debbie, along with their cadre of short people (Max, Ryan, Jase, and teensy Evelyn) submitted themselves to Becky’s photographic prowess for a few minutes, then jumped directly into the lake.

The house comes with a flotilla of floaty boats.

Not the big one, though. That’s the neighbors’.

This family of ducks patrolled up and down our shore of the lake, passing us multiple times each day. You could almost set your watch by them.

Learning how to skip rocks is a big moment in any kid’s life.

The lake wasnot too warm, though, so after a while we dried the munchkins off and had some landlubber fun.

Once the relatives had gone to their softball game, Will and Lucy wanted to go back in.

Becky took the kids on a photo walk, so I could get a bit of work done on my book.

The next day, Vanessa and Tim came over for brunch and more fun on the lake.

Then they left, and the kids could focus on the water again. They practiced being brave when they couldn’t reach the bottom.

…eventually making friends with the girl next door.

We finished our last evening here with cold beverages on the dock.

The next morning, it was time to say goodbye once again.

Pretty sure we’ll be back here next year.