The Recipe for a Perfect Day: Whidbey Island with Family Rocketship

A day this perfect only comes around once in awhile

2 cups of friendship
1 overflowing cup of sunshine
A pinch of hiking
A dash of exploration
1 scattering of wildflowers
Lots of enthusiasm
A handful of wildlife
1 rousing game of capture the flag

(and a smidgen of rule breaking - optional)

Mix all together and serve with a smile.

Life is meant to be enjoyed.

When we first sold our crap to move to Costa Rica, a feeling began to take hold of me.

The further south we drove, the more strongly I felt it. I wasn't sure how to put it in words, but it was finally expressed with the statement that 'Everyday should be like a vacation.'

You know that 'vacation' feeling - free from worry and care, and nothing on your mind except what you can discover or enjoy from that day.

Where will you go? What will you see? How much fun will you have today?

Your mind feels open, alive, enthused and light.

Of course even on vacation there's still going to be sand in your swimsuit and saltwater up your nose. There's certain vicissitudes of life that we just can't escape.

Living everyday like it's vacation is the recipe for a perfect day:

What it feels like is a passion for what you're doing, and a deep affection for your family.

It's joy welling up in your heart and overflowing until you can't contain a smile any longer. It's gratitude that warms your soul.

What it looks like is you living on purpose - making a contribution in the world that only you can make - doing everyday what you want to do, and spending time on the things that YOU have consciously chosen as your top priorities.

Wouldn't it be great if everyday was approached with an enthusiasm for living that was hard to contain?

(Watch the video of Greg discussing our 'perfect day')

Our perfect day in Washington began with a stop at Anacortes, where we filled up our veggie tank at a little Korean restaurant. They were super curious in what we were doing and came out to watch.

Then we followed Sean and Heidi from FamilyRocketship.com down a secret passageway through a jungle rainforest until we opened onto a beautiful vista of the ocean below.

The secret passage

Enjoying the view

Our little monkeys gravitate right to this cool tree

We hike down to get a closer glimpse of the Dall porpoises we spotted

My ever enthusiastic 'pack mule'

And back up again

Next stop was Fort Casey where an old army bunker sits awaiting exploration.

Built in 1890, it was part of the 'Triangle of Fire', constructed to protect the entrance to Puget Sound.

Fort Casey was best known for it's disappearing ten inch guns.

400 men eventually manned Fort Casey, but the disappearing guns, which could lob shells over 10 miles, were never fired in warfare. During WWII the guns were actually melted down to use the metal.

Within 20 years, Fort Casey became the fourth largest military post...

and arguably the most beautiful.

Fort Casey became a state park in 1950 and is now open to the public.

We did get in trouble for (unknowingly) letting our kids climb on 'forbidden' areas of the fort.

We had a picnic on the grass, and Greg cooked us hotdogs, chili and tamales on our camp stove.

A game of catch...

a little running...

a foot race or two...

and finger food.

This was a curiosity that caught our attention. It floated from one horizon to the next. We heard it was some type of radar dome that was being transported from Alaska here for repair. It's was owned by Boeing.

Ahhh, then there was the wildflowers...

and the wildlife...

A red winged blackbird looking for leftovers

Some exploration

Baby Atlas

Trying to catch rabbits

Friendship

A rousing game of capture the flag

It wasn't until we were leaving that we read the Fort rules...oops

The day ended with a ferry ride back to Seattle area

Have you had a 'perfect day'? What was it like?

Have you visited Whidbey Island or Fort Casey?

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