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The Drive

You have no idea of the meaning of eternity until you have driven across endless brown dirt dirt and more dirt of Wyoming and Idaho at 65 miles per hour. The miles upon miles of dirt were only broken up by my white Toyota with two colorful kayaks on top. My mom and I both shared driving chores. Along the way I read the Harry Potter book Prisoner of Azkaban and my mom was reading The Notebook. Every once in a while my mom would look up from reading and tell me, “Steven the guy in this book is exactly like you. I can’t believe how much this guy reminds me of you. He even kayaks Steven. When I’m done reading it you really need to read it.” I told her I would read it but I doubt he is like me.

Boise was our resting stop to split the drive in half. We stayed the night in a nice Hampton Inn which my cousin got us really good rates at because he works for one in New Mexico.

We had a fabulous breakfast there with eggs, ham, and all the other nice stuff the Hampton gives you. Then we started out for the trip to Martha’s Cabin in Puget Sound near Gig Harbor. I had finished the Harry Potter book and started The Notebook. Mothers know a lot and she was right, Noah is a lot like me. All I need is an Allie and I need to read some poetry. I recommend this novel. I was immediately captivated by the story, reliving it, feeling it and savoring each and every emotion. I especially thought that the way love will endure all is a great message and the way it endures towards the end of the book is amazing. I won’t give anything away. Tears are sure to be shed, and you will long for a love like the one Noah and Allie share.

Slow Up

I started driving again after Portland, Oregon and when we got near Tacoma, Washington it was bumper to bumper traffic. Traffic even stopped at times. We were so anxious to get there and being stuck in traffic was killing us both. Up a few feet…stop…. Pull up an inch….screech stop.. Read this a few hundred times and you will know what I went through. Finally! we got through and the slow up was caused by an accident but it was entirely in the other lanes going South and our lanes were only slowing down because of people goggling at the accident. Once over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge we were on the final stretch to the cabin. This is a challenge. Nothing is marked, and it would be almost impossible to find at night.

We reached the tunnel of trees which is my favorite road ending at Martha’s Cabin.

The road to Martha’s Cabin

Now picture the most beautiful setting. Martha’s cabin sits on the Puget Sound facing Mt. Rainier. It is so beautiful that words can’t describe. This is why I took fabulous pictures.

The backside of the cabin

The view from the window

Martha’s Cabin

Trees frame the view across Puget Sound towards the floating Mt. Rainier

Next on the shelves of the Sea of Steve, Puget Sound Vacation Vol. II.

I just arrived home from the most slendid, fantastic, marvelous, magnificent vacation. My mom and I enjoyed our stay in a friend’s cabin right on the waters of Puget Sound. Only my mom and I made the trek because my little brother said he couldn’t stand the long two day drive, since in another week our family is going to Minnesota (a 3 day drive blah…) for my cousin’s wedding and my dad had to work.
I took a whooping 168 pictures while there! I couldn’t believe it myself, being someone that hardly took pictures to this is more then a great leap it’s quite frankly unheard of. I have a lot to tell you and show you, but it will have to happen another day. You should probably be glad I could muster this little bit before I go to sleep. The drive back here wore me out. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come.

We arrive to find a floating Mt. Rainier

The globe sat in the corner of my bedroom. I put my hand on the glossy surface sliding down the tip of Africa and back down to the floor. “Where should I go,” I muttered to myself? I spun the globe around. All the colors mixed and the globe became one purple murky color.

I’ve always dreamt of traveling overseas to a distant land, coming face to face with a different culture. Now I have that chance I’m going to study abroad but where? Where O’ where?

Faced with such an un’earth’ly decision my attention turned to the globe again, now spinning slower. I lightly held my fingertip to the surface and watched as North America inched its way across and then my fingertip rested quite nicely upon the Atlantic Ocean. Checking to make sure there weren’t any islands under my fingertips I give the globe a hard thrust. This time I jabbed my finger into the redish color swirling by. Immediately the globe stopped and my fingertip pointed to none other than the Middle East, Saudi Arabia. Hmmm…. Best out of three spins I thought.

The globe swirled again. Colors danced by. The spinning came to an end as my finger screeched across Asia and finally stopped in Europe. Yes! Now I’m getting somewhere. Austria. Hey not too bad.

Before spinning the globe I have been meandering through a list of places in my head. Europe is always on my mind as I keep thinking of places to go. Italy, France, Germany, England…. I don’t speak any language other than English though. I have taken two years of Spanish, one year of French and I know how to say I love you in German but I don’t think any of that will help me much. Ich liebe dich can only get you a smile from a German girl and a slap from an American girl. I don’t know what to do. So won’t you help me decide? Why yes you will!

Where in the world should Steve be? Vote! If you have a suggestion of another place, please leave a comment.

Where Shall I Go?
	England
	Germany
	France
	Italy
	Australia
	Russia
	Japan
	China
Free polls from Pollhost.com

“Okay I’m jumping in!”

WaSPLASH! “Burr it’s a lot colder then I thought it was going to be.”

“Steven I can’t get the camera to turn on! What button do you push?”

Shivering, “Mom the one on top you’ll hear it start up and you should see Canon on the display.”

“Okay it’s on, now what button do I press to take pictures?”

Argg… “Mom just like any ‘normal’ camera it’s on the top.”

“This big button here?”

“Yes!”

“Eric throw your brother a ski.”

Swish…. The ski comes sailing over to me. I grab it and fiddle with the bindings to get my foot in. “Okay I’m ready now!” I scream. My dad pulls the boat around me so that I can grab the rope. I slowly get into position by doing a little dance with my feet to get the ski to point up.

I yell “Hit it!” Suddenly the boat lurches forward. I strain with all my might. Arrrrrrrrr……… Swallowing gallon after gallon, my ski flailing this way and that. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr…… SNAP! The rope pulls away. I tumble over sideways.

“Steve you have to stay tucked down longer!” Yells my dad.

“I know I tried.”

He pulls the boat around again and I line up. “Hit it!”

This time I clenched me teeth, held my breath, and tucked like an armadillo. Arrrrr ahhhhhh! I’m up, no I’m still down, no I’m standing up. “Whoooooo!” Such exhilaration, I haven’t skied yet this summer and now I’m gliding across the water. I absolutely love this. I’m flying.

I swished right bounced off the wake and whipped right alongside the boat.

I had to sneak a picture of my brother from the cabin of our boat, he doesn’t like his picture taken.

Then idling out in the middle of the lake my dad surprises my mom with a strawberry cheesecake! We sang Happy Birthday to her and enjoy the strawberry deliciousness as we all bask in the sun on such a lovely day.

Back in the 1990’s, I often played a game called Lemmings. It’s a puzzle type game that requires your almighty knowledge to lead the green-headed dimwitted Lemmings to their home amidst dangers, toils and sometimes even your own frustration with the nuke all button. Now you can play DHTML Lemmings with only your web browser. Enjoy!

Next week I’ll be vacationing in the grand state of Washington on the waters of Puget Sound. I can’t wait to see the ocean again! What an amazing site! Hopefully I will be able to view Mount Rainer from the cabin. It is usually overcast and you can only see it from the cabin on a clear day. We will be up there for a week and might even go into Canada for a day. Last time, we took a ferry across from Seattle to Victoria City, Canada. The ferry was over crowded with people and there were no seats, I didn’t mind though because I was hanging over the ledge, peering out to sea. Back then I was really into dolphins and stared out into the ocean hoping to see one. When I saw some killer whales I screamed, “Whale!” Once I said that the whole ferry dipped to one-side as all the tourists on board crowded over to my side in a mad attempt to see the whales. This opened up a lot of seats and my mom could finally sit down. After our visit to Canada my mom told me to yell whale again so that she could get a seat. So if you find yourself on a ferry and need a place to sit just yell, “Whale!”