He Said:Holy moly it's hot. I know this is likely the new normal but it is hard to get used to. 100F, 103F? I need to start vacationing exclusively in the mountains or by the ocean. At least there it's only 70s. In any case - today we left Osoyoos and drove through mostly nothing to the Little Diamond KOA in Newport Washington. We stopped in Colville and picked up some supplies which turned out to be a great idea, because there is nothing here. We're staying at a deluxe cabin which is compact but nice. There's a bedroom with AC and queen bed, a main area with kitchen/table/satellite TV/pull out couch, a small sliding-door room that barely fits two bunk beds (it's basically a closet with deep shelves), and a bathroom. The AC is in the bedroom behind the door which makes it nearly impossible to get the cold air into the rest of the place. If I'd packed even one screwdriver I'd pop the hinge pins out and move the door aside until the whole place cools of. The wifi works if we stand in the bathtub with the computer up against the window but not much further.
Having said all that, the place is great. I still like KOAs for the same reason I liked it the first time we stayed - community. It's a 5-10 minute hike up the road to the family lodge, pool, and lake (well marsh with paddle boats), but we went up there and the kids were set. It has one foosball table, one ping pong table, and two warped pool tables, but it was the best place ever. Shannon and I played pool and the kids played ping pong against a rotating set of kids in the park. I love how kids meet each other. It seems so effortless. Gillian, especially, seems to have nailed being a statesman. She knows to do introductions, ask names, puts the younger kids at ease that it's just for fun, all of that. She's a great organizer and leader when it's not her siblings. As I type this I'm in the cabin because Ryan was ready for bed, but G, M, and Shan are at the pool. 9PM, and no sign of letting up. I wish I could be there too, but Ryan needs his rest. I could do this every year. There are a lot of events for 4th of July. An ice cream social, watermelon seed spitting, crafts, etc. I think we'll have a great time here - barring the 103F afternoons, of course.
She Said:Not much to add. I ran on the beach in Osoyoos this morning. Quite the litter of beer cans and other garbage, but there were people out there cleaning it all up. Kids were just waking up on my return. Packed up the room and headed out by 9. This cabin is great! I could live here. No room for stuff, so you don't have very much stuff. Everything must be put away as soon as you're done with it. Love it!!Now if it were just 10 degrees (Celsius) cooler and I could kick the kids outside it would be perfect!