Vacation from Vacation

We came home from a week of our annual family vacation in Lake Chelan on the Columbia River from enjoying this...

and this....

and this...

to this....

needless to say I absolutely, 100% have named 2011 the worst weather summer in Western Washington during my lifetime.

We came home from the 3 hour drive tired and ready for a bit of relaxation. So dinner was our more typical Winter Friday night fare of cheese, salami and smoked salmon.

I learned to appreciate even more the quiet easiness of cooking for two.

After a week of trying to make meals for 9 people comparable to our meals at home I was quickly humbled. Not only did 2 of the 4 kids not like anything I made, with exception of the grilled chicken cordon blue which they all 4 loved hence it was the hit of the week, go figure, but there is no way after a full day on the boat to come back and do the amount of prep needed to pull off our usual meal for 9 in time for the kids to not be starving.

I couldn't even think about photographing dishes or meals. So I have a new found serious appreciation for all of you blogging moms pulling it off out there with little ones in the house. I know it was more than I could do.

For now we are happy to be home, even if its barely 70 degrees out and the gray cloud cover didn't break until almost 5 p.m. We leave in 5 days for our Napa trip which will be a great adult vacation with great food & wine and almost guaranteed sunshine.