To Vashon, to Vashon

We're staying on Vashon this week while Frost attends camp here. I booked a house place online and it has turned out to be the most gorgeous waterfront cottage imaginable. Its right on the water - we can walk down some steps to the water which is now high and within yards of our living room window.

Its cosy and quaint, not the usual sterile ikea stuff you often get in rentals, and there is a hot-tub, past a sprawling pink blossomed rose-bush and our 'own' beach at low tide.

We have been taking some joy in ship spotting - watching the huge container ships as they pass on their way to Tacoma harbor. They are close enough to read their names and we have learned that one particularly vast white one [picture tomorrow, if Josh brings my USB camera cable] called the Cronus Leader, was carrying cars.

The view from our numerous windows is like a postcard, or rather, a series of postcards since you would need a super wide angle lens to capture any sense of the 180 degree vista in mauves, pinks and blushes of blue.

Frost brought his metal detector which was a birthday present, and we tried metal detecting on the beach. We found some pieces of metal, some brackets and some rocks that seemed to register. However, in the garden at home Frost found a 1943 nickel which is listed as being one quarter silver. Frost is quite excited and we hope to try some more sites this week.

It is also fun to scan Wren and find the metal staples in his chest from his last OHS. He suggested we scan Joshua and was gratified that Joshua's hip beeped (because of his keys).

Wren is very excited about digging holes when the detector beeps. However, he tends to fling the sand around a lot rather than digging strategically so Frost and I hover anxiously trying to see what 'we' have found. I also bought Wren a small kids metal detector which has located some large lumps of metal (a sinker, a bracket) but does not have the sensitivity of Frosts.

If anyone is interested, I read many reviews before choosing this detector: Tesuro Campadre. It is very light, has a fully adjustable handle (making a nice short pole for kids), is relatively cheap (compared to the better ones which are all $250+) and has a good level of accuracy. Frost is very happy with it so far and says "I have already had fun with it."

Frost says "the ferries look awesome at night." He is on the sixth book in The Last Apprentice Series and has been very quiet this evening.