backpacking: toleak point, part 2 of 3

one of our most invaluable backpacking supplies turned out to be this lightweight tarp that bryan designed and sewed (himself!) as a bivvy shelter nearly ten years ago. we threw it in last minute once the weather report included the possibility of rain the first night. and lucky, too, because yeah, it rained. we huddled in the sand under the tarp for several hours (well, some of us did, the boys were mostly playing out in the ocean, so what was a little rain to them anyway?) and then the following day once the sun came out all nice and bright, we repurposed the shelter to shield us from the blazing hotness. pacific northwest, amiright?

dallin insisted on bringing two books with him backpacking. well, to be clear, he insisted on bringing three books with him backpacking, but we whittled him down to two. he promised to carry them himself on his own back, which he did (mostly), and when all was said and done, it turns out he was right, and we should have brought him three books.

bene has no sisters of his own, but he hearts afton and hopes she plays with him and laughs heartily at all his silly antics forever and ever, amen.

meet banana boat. something the boys scavenged early on (my guess is it was once part of a buoy of sorts). they took turns maniacally throwing banana boat into the ocean and waiting with bated breath (read: more maniacal screaming) as the ocean waves buried and dunked and tossed banana boat about before returning it to shore. they spent literal *hours* throwing banana boat into the ocean. alas, as is the destiny of all things repeatedly tossed into the ocean by groups of small boys having the time of their lives, eventually, banana boat did not return. 

edited to add: since publishing, i have been informed that it was "captain baseball" (another scavenged find seen here in owen's hand) that was lost at sea after being tossed to the waves one too many times and in fact NOT banana boat. as to the fate of banana boat, well, on the morning of the last day, the boys buried it in the sand--deep--so that no one else could play with it ever. kids are charming like that.