Selena's Sleepaway Camp

Greetings & Salutations! It’s me, Selena. I know we just caught up on last summer but I have exciting travels to share from my recent summer on Vashon Island! We got to travel by train. It was great that there were no middle seats!

Once we arrived at the train station, I was greeted by the camp staff and hopped on the ferry. Here you can see the southern end of the island. It was my first look at my summer home. I’ve never gotten to live on an island before!

One of my favorite places to spend time was down at the beach. There are so many cool creatures and plants here. It reminded me of my old home on the coast.

But camp wasn’t all just relaxing on the sand. Turns out, camp is a lot of work… and a lot of fun.

I was too busy to get any pictures. Here’s my co-worker and friend, Ferguson. We finally earned a day off! Maybe that’s why the morning breakfast was particularly delicious?

We decided to spend the day at the local Strawberry Festival. We were looking forward to seeing and eating lots of strawberries. It was confusing that they’re weren’t any available. And no strawberry-themed things, unless you count the honorary Mayor, who was a strawberry???

We asked around and learned that it used to be all about the strawberry harvest. That’s not really happening these days on Vashon, so they made up for it with strawberry-themed decor. I loved the community vibes!

On my next weekend off, I headed to the ZooQuarium (zoo-aquarium).

In the tidepools, there was a riot of color. Get a load of this party of anemones! The staff were super nice and helped me know how to keep myself and my anemone friends safe. Thanks, everyone!

I was excited to find my long-lost cousins! These river otters from Thailand look like me and also… not. I didn’t want to disturb them since they were taking a really nice nap. I did want to ask what their favorite food is. Maybe next time.

On the other paw, the meerkats nearby were wide awake and having a tussle. They remind me of my brothers and sisters- very mischevious.

I was beginning to think this place was filled with nothing but soft, cuddly, cute creatures. But this tigress changed my mind. Here she is, eating lunch. Maybe I’ll just take a step back.