Willie Bays

Willie Bays learned to crawl on our library carpet. Now he is a few weeks shy of fourteen, his voice has grown deep, and he has joined the adult world in so many obvious and subtle ways that it’s sometimes hard to connect him with that Little Boy Willie of a few years back.

Owen Bays

Owen Bays learned to ride his two-wheeler in our lane when he was barely four. Now he’s eleven and used Nyel’s rider-mower to mow our lawn yesterday. Nyel couldn’t get over the fact that when Owen finished, he parked the mower exactly where it belongs in the garage, turned out the overhead light, and closed the garage door. I couldn’t get over the fact that he did it all without fanfare – and to perfection!

Owen and Susan

The boys and their parents will be playing Irish music at Oysterville’s final Vesper service on Sunday. It’s a tradition begun by their dad, Randal, more than twenty-five years ago – back in the days when my mom was the Vespers scheduler. When he and Susan Waters married, the tradition continued and, over the years, our friendship has expanded and deepened.

Willie and Randal

By now, we consider ourselves the ‘Beach Grandparents’ and, since we have no grandchildren of our own, we love it that the Waters-Bays family seems to feel the same way. We keep hoping that they will actually find a way to move to the Peninsula, at least part time – a grandparents’ fantasy, of course – but their recent move from Seattle to Olympia is definitely a step in the right direction! At last they are on the other side of most of the I-5 -parking-lot-traffic problem that made their treks to the beach an eternity of frustration.

Since their arrival Friday evening, our lives have been filled with music and laughter and good conversation; there have been numerous comings and goings to the beach and forays out to get oysters, to go on bike rides and to visit the many friends they’ve made over the years. It’s the perfect Labor Day Weekend celebration for the last hurrah of summer!