When I finally did arrive at 8:30pm I found Martin working and the girls and kids still at the Chelan Rodeo. We considered joining them, but figured the cost of admission would be wasted on what would probably be a short-term outing given the late hour. Instead we waited patiently for the ladies to stop ogling the cowboys and the kids to decide they really weren't destined for careers in the FFA. (Well, maybe Molly is, but the rest of the kids aren't.)

We helped shuttle the kids straight to bed when they returned, then stayed up too late playing games. Martin and I were due to get up early (he even earlier than I) to go fishing at Tiffany Lake with Grandpa Jack the next morning so we all turned in and I expect I snored and otherwise kept Amy up. (When I left I hear Lilly took over. Thank goodness there's someone who can take care of Amy while I'm not there.)

While we were off chasing fish, mosquitoes, and peaks everybody else was doing the Chelan thing. Of course, it's harder to do that thing when the weather isn't quite ideal. Apparently, it was one of the few imperfect days of the summer so there was less beach time and more house time. Martin and I didn't get back until about 8pm, about half an hour after the kids went down. I snuck in and gave kisses, but neither of the girls were moving.

Sunday I had to head home, but not until the evening. We generally lounged around before lunch and naps and then headed to the beach. And so did everyone else. Who knew there were so many people in Chelan? (Well, duh, anyone who opened their eyes and saw thousands of no-vacancy signs on the hotels and full campgrounds around the lake.) We skipped the first beach when we couldn't get a place to park. We skipped the second park when the ranger turned us away. The third park, though, was far enough away (it's called 25 Mile State Park, after all) that it was only moderately full, but most of those folks were either camping or boating. As a bonus, this park had a little kids' swim area that was protected from the open lake so it was warmer and calmer. Needless to say, the kids were all about the water.

Before I headed home we had dinner at the old-timey drive-in above the lake. It was hard for me to leave knowing Amy and the kids were going to be there for another couple of days, but without a comfy vacation balance it's the way it had to be. (And of course I made the most of the time with Tokul by working in the yard and adventuring at least a little bit.)

Over the next couple of days I heard about more trips to the beach, more hot weather, and finally fires on the hills above Chelan. No real threat, but Amy did joke about evacuating on one late night call. When everyone was back in the Puget Sound it was just getting to be as hot as it could possibly be so we wound up mooching off folks with A/C. Sweet...