Day 3- A Jolly Trolley Ride!

 Our first wedding activity was such a fun one- a tour around the island on a trolley!  

It was the perfect way to see the island and enjoy catching up with family. 

We made three stops- first Lime Kiln point, one of the best places to view orcas from land.  

It was so hazy, even the sun's reflection in the ocean was sparkling red. 

I knew I would burst into joyful tears if we actually saw any whales, but alas, there were none to be found. 

It was still a beautiful stop though!

Our second stop was a lavender farm that was about two weeks past its prime, so no fields of purple, but it still looked and smelled amazing! 

I tried to copy the smoldering selfies of Auntie Jenny and Zeke- nailed it!

Leah and Adam are the big grandkids in this family.  They took care of each other. 

Emma and Noah are big grandkids too! All of our kids seem so old and capable compared to their three sweet little cousins. 

Such a beautiful place!

Off to our third stop! 

Thank you Harry Potter World and our epic road trip 1.0 in New England and now the tasty PNW for teaching us that fish and chips are ah-mazing!  We sat on the flowerbed ledges and burned our fingers on the piping hot cod and it was the best meal we had all day. 

The sun was setting as the trolley made its way back to the resort- it was cooling down and the red sun was setting but our day of fun wasn't over just yet! 

We had time to explore the beautiful resort some more- we committed to attending the wedding back on a cold, dark day in February and we have spent many months looking at pictures of this hotel.  It was just as idyllic in person!

The view from our patio was classic PNW- tall pines and boats in the harbor.

As the sun went down we heard the retiring of the flags and the national anthem (and had a discussion about what it means to be a patriotic American who pauses to honor their country and those who fought for our freedom). 

And then Mom and Dad were off for an adults only ghost walk!

I'm not generally interested in anything remotely scary or creepy, but the views of the resort and harbor alone made this event worth it!

And because we came to be with Sarah and Collin and our family, we showed up when we were invited to show up! The group was giggly and chatty and jumpy and fun, and the walk would have been much, much creepier without the many jokes and laughs that kept erupting along the way. 

We ended up at the very impressive Afterglow Vista mausoleum, a final resting place for the founder and family of the island's lime kiln.  So spooky!  But also so beautiful and a sweet reminder of the importance of family in this life and in the next.