Memorial Day 2011 on Bainbridge Island (Part 2)

Brianna G.

May 30, 2011 - 9:45 PM

I've just returned from another fantastic long weekend on Bainbridge Island with the whole McAlister crew. A special big thank you to Leslie's family for hosting all 19 of us! It's not easy task feeding and entertaining that many college students and I'm so thankful to the Jones' for all of their hospitality.

So a fellow AGP blogger, Trafton, was also part of the McAlister crew up on Bainbridge Island this weekend. We decided during the weekend that it would be fun to combine our blogs for the trip, so that they wouldn't be describing the same experiences. So, if you want to hear about the first half of the weekend, check out "Memorial Day 2011 on Bainbridge Island (Part 1) under Trafton B.!

So, starting where Trafton left off, we had gone to bed for the night very sore and tired after a fun day playing P.E. games. I slept as hard as rock, and woke up the next morning to a heavenly home-made buttermilk pancake breakfast. My real breakfast deprived self could not have been more pleased, and I can't think of a better way to start a day.

Once we were all full of pancakes, we headed down to the beach just in time for low tide to do some clamming. The beach on Bainbridge Island is not made of soft sand; rather it's full of barnacles and rocks, so we were pretty determined clam hunters. Only a handful of the oversized gooey ducks were found, but we did get quite a few smaller and more delicious clams which we ate later in the day. Once our fingers were raw and sore, Trafton, Bob, and I decided that a morning hot tub session was necessary. We spent the rest of the morning enjoying the view of the Puget Sound and easing our aching muscles.

Then, it was time for the real fun to start. The crew gathered aboard the Jones' family boat, the Island Joy, and headed through the Sound towards Seattle. This has traditionally been one of my favorite parts of the trip, and is also one of the most picture perfect moments. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the city, starting out at lunch at a brewery, of course. We then hit Pike Place Market, where several of us bought some delicious smoked salmon. Then, Dana, Winston, Bob, Natalie and I headed down to the gum wall underneath the market to take the obligatory pictures and stick some gum on. Around this time the group split up, some heading off to check out more of the market, others to a tea shop, and one of us to the Folk Festival held every year during Memorial Day Weekend. Dana, Winston and I went off to Seattle's to do a little shopping downtown to end the afternoon.

We all made our back to the Island Joy in the evening just in time to cook up the clams we caught earlier and barbeque some cheeseburgers. With full bellies and after a few rousing games of Catchphrase later, we headed back across the Sound to the Jones' home. The last evening was full of more hot tubing, games and laughs.

Having made the long drive home from Seattle, I can't believe my last Memorial Day Weekend with the whole McAlister crew is over. The relaxing long weekend is always a nice way to start off a hectic dead week, fresh and ready to work. I've got a long week ahead of me, and I had better get to it!