A Week in Paradise Cove

I like to think about how I’m awfully lucky to have great cousins like I do, but I only get to see them once a year, so I take advantage of the time I get to see them. Almost everyone in my family lives in Washington, so we go to a place in the Puget Sound, a body of water right by Seattle. It is an area called Paradise Cove, a beachy area that resembles its’ name. When I see my relatives from the Northwest, it’s like a once in a lifetime opportunity that turns out to be the best week of the year.

My brother Bryce and I, along with my parents and grandparents, are separated from most of my family, so we get really excited when we board the airplane. The best part on the plane is seeing the Space Needle and discovering that I am starting my descent from the clouds, which are at the top of the world. We ride a ferry out to Paradise Cove, which is located on a small island called Vashon Island, but first we go to Costco and get food or meals. The ferry ride is thrilling, with seagulls chirping in the sky and a glamorous view of the beach. However, I can’t wait to get to my Great Grandmother’s beach house with all the grassy land, people, and dogs, so every second turns into torture. When I hop into Grandpa’s car, the same one that picks me up at the airport, I know we’re so close to G.G.’s (my Great-Grandma’s nickname) house when we hit gravel. The scenery of the beach is like nothing you’ve seen before. As I watch the waves crash onto the shore, I know the fun has just begun.
 
The tradition we celebrate every 4th of July on Vashon Island is having our own Olympic games where the kids participate and two generations of adults act as judges. I may be the oldest competitor, but everybody has their own talents. There are seven "athletes:" Bryce, my cousins Alex, Nick, Benicio (a.k.a. Beni), and Riley; Sabrina, a guest who stays with a neighbor, and me. The tradition starts as Beni sings a song or two, and then, the games begin. The competitions include musical chairs, the clothes-pin drop, a Ping-Pong ball toss, balancing on a stump, and a few more activities. You have to rely on accuracy to win. The top competitors are Bryce, Alex, Beni, Sabrina and me; but everyone gets a plastic medal to show pride. At night, the fireworks go off to end the 4th of July.
 
A few days later, we have to go home and Bryce and I will get upset. We had a blast and I could easily call it the best week of the year. Sometimes, I wish I could live in the Northwest, but that means I would leave my buddies behind. I would want to go to Paradise Cove and play in the spacious yard with my cousins, but Mom says that the 4th of July wouldn’t be as special. At home, I wait for next summer like an old man watching the clock.