Good morning, friends! I hadn’t been able to wrap my head around making plans for the long Memorial Day weekend, but by last Thursday evening, my projects were starting to look somewhat manageable so it seemed only fair that I try to add at least a little bit of fun. Luckily, K’s got initiative, and she had invited a friend for a Friday sleepover. I was able to get even more work done while K played with her buddy and on a whim, I booked a short Saturday/Sunday getaway for my family.

As you can see, we stayed in a teepee! The second image shows the one we actually slept in — it was called the hummingbird. There were four teepees total as well as cabins and a general camping area. The best part is that it was only a short 20-minute ferry ride away on Vashon Island, and though barebones (which is to be expected with a tee pee), it came with a fire pit and wooden risers on which to sleep. A flap at top can be widened to release the campfire smoke. I had only my iphone with me, so these shots aren’t awesome, but I like including the reference images. The widest riser even had a mattress (exhibit A below), and I appreciated how the conical structure had a very organic look.

The nearby “barn” had restrooms and a fully-functioning shower, as well as a kitchen and lounge area complete with a pool table and a Native American Indian statue next to a sparsely stocked vending machine. Everything was nicely maintained and the other campers/guests were very friendly yet respectful. Bonus: a jovial dog befriended K.

We excel at the hastily-planned-micro-vacation, and this was perfect. I booked the teepee and rental car Friday evening, and by early Saturday afternoon, we were unloading our sleeping bags and pillows onto the wooden risers (M refused to bring a pillow, citing his extremely rugged manliness).

Of course, our trips wouldn’t be complete without some sort of incident. M had spent some time in the barn chatting it up with another teepee renter and at about midnight, he tumbled into our sleeping quarters in a panic. I was already deeply asleep but the conversation between M and K woke me up with their barely contained whisper-shouts:

M: Something huge is out there!

K: Is it a moose?

M: …Maybe. I heard snorting. It could possibly be a bear.

K: Really?? I’m scared!!

M frantically tied the cords to close up and secure the small opening at the base of the teepee, though how that would prevent a gigantic moose or bear was beyond me. I had to finally hoarsely and groggily voice my opinion that it was probably one of the many deer that’s been roaming the area.

Though not entirely convinced, I must have sounded confident enough that they took my word for it, and we all went to bed. K announced the next morning that she had a dream about trudging up to the barn to go to the bathroom, and when she opened the door, a moose was sitting on the toilet. “It was a nightmare, Mama,” she explained when M and I couldn’t stop laughing (sorry honey).

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. She-who-adores-s’mores even roasted marshmallows over the small fire pit. M loved it so much he’s making calculations on how much moolah and time it would take to construct a teepee in our backyard…

Hope you’re enjoying your Memorial Day weekend to all the US folks — I’m taking Wednesday off to finalize a few things and will be back with a giveaway on Friday!

Speaking of giveaways, the winner of last week’s is Sherry, congrats!