I always enjoy a good 3-day work week, and with the 4th of July on a Tuesday this year, that's exactly what I wound up with! I spent many years working as a contractor, and never had paid holidays or vacation, so the idea that I can have a day (or two!) off without stressing about the extra hours I'll have to work later in the week or a diminished paycheck is still novel and exciting to me. Since I had Monday off in addition to Tuesday, I joined my dad for a hike to Mirror & Cottonwood Lakes, which turned out to be surprisingly quiet for a short hike off I-90 on a holiday weekend! I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy hiking with my dad, since our trips always involve several hours of relaxing by a lake while he fishes, while I catch up on some reading and generally enjoy the peace of the mountains. 

Even though it was a three day week, I had a busy work schedule, so I was relieved when the weekend arrived, especially since it meant a weekend spent relaxing with family in Wenatchee! We spent the hot summer weekend cooling off in the pool, eating ice cream, and drinking the homebrew Andy made with his dad on our last visit. We finished off the visit with a lovely, cool Sunday morning hike along Icicle Gorge before heading home. After the hike, we stopped for burgers at the 59er Diner's new trailer - Flo To Go. The diner itself was destroyed in a fire June of last year, so we were overjoyed to see that they'd started operating from a trailer near the original site on our post-work drive east Friday evening. According to a sign on the fence surrounding the site of the old restaurant, they still have plans to rebuild, but for now they're serving burgers, fries, and their famous milkshakes from the trailer. Even when eaten in the car, the burgers were just as good as we remembered!