The girls (including Tokul) were dropped at Amy's parents' place in Kirkland on Friday night and as they were sitting down to dinner we headed north. Traffic was light, except in Everett, until we passed the last exit before the border. Still half a mile from customs the road was packed with U.S. vehicles going north.

We read and listened/watched the iPod, but generally were really, really bored. Occasionally a car would blast past us in the Nexus lane making me increasingly jealous of their privileged status. In spite of the $50US per person fee it does seem like a good deal if we were frequent border crossers. Hmmm... maybe some day.

Instead we sat and sat and sat and didn't roll into Dan and Serina's neighborhood until after 10pm. They welcomed us with open arms, an open bottle of wine, and a cheese platter never before seen by the likes of us. We settled into our bed just after midnight with the promise of a long, quiet night ahead.

It's amazing what a difference having no baby monitors, no dog, no nothing disturbing your sleep makes. We woke refreshed and thrilled at the sunlight streamining in the windows. After breakfast we started on a round of touring that included fancy outlet stores (Roots and Arc'teryx), views of the mountains, and of course a Starbucks. The day sped by and soon it was time for dinner.

As usual, our Canadian hosts found a spectacular little hole-in-the-wall that had great wine and splendid food. All four of us opted for steaks of various sizes that married well with the two (or was it three... or four...) bottles of wine we had. By the time we (I) jauntily strolled out to the car we were in high spirits. We stayed up for another couple of hours playing games and talking as though we had no kids.

Oh, yeah. The kids.

Since our cell phones were now on another network that charged us high rates we had instructed Carl and Judy to call only when necessary and to try IM or email first. The girls were, by all accounts, pretty well-behaved. They made a trip to the Aquarium and Clara toured the neighborhood on Amy's old tricycle. They ate nearly as well as we did and slept well enough that upon our return we were assured there could be additional kid-free weekends in the future.

But enough about the bugs. This was supposed to be me and Amy as us not parents. Sunday morning came and we did little. We lounged around and had breakfast while talking about international politics (seriously) and all manner of topics that only rarely included our girls. (The Bump growing in Serina's belly was fair game and rightly so since it could come in just a few days.)

All too soon we had to head home. We waved good bye before heading east, then south, then north, then west, then finally, finally south. Just like I'm horrible driving around Seattle the tight streets in Vancouver made me long for dirt roads with mud holes and the freedom to swerve. Soon enough... but not before waiting at the border. Again.

Like Friday night, the line up was mostly Washington cars proving that we like to go to their country more than they like to come to ours. The line heading north was tiny by comparison. Still, we spent under an hour in line before it was our turn to be seen as terrorists.

Politely, "What were you doing in Canada?"

Relaxed, "Visiting friends."

Suspiciously, "Where did you meet these friends?" (Translation: Were you at a terrorist training camp?)

Concerned, "In Europe."

Preparing to fire, "Where were you?" (Afghanistan, maybe?)

Freaking out, "Uh... in Europe? In Italy near--"

Exasperated by the ineptness of his fellow countrymen, "No. In Canada."

Relieved, "Oh. Vancouver."

Back to business, "Did you buy anything?" (Unspoken but really what he wanted to know: Do you have any ganja in the car?)

"T-shirts and a jacket."

Like the storm trooper in Mos Eisly, "Move along. Move along."

We stopped for a shopping break at yet more outlets (featuring the least-well-run Adidas ever) on the way home and arrived in Kirkland to the sound of feet streaking to the front door and the smell of dinner on the table. The girls were sound asleep when we tucked them into their beds way out in North Bend and we weren't far behind.

Now it's back to work and laundry and dishes and being responsible. For a while, anyway.