A Summer in Washington

In my last post I expressed my excitement over summer coming ... well, it has come and gone!  And it was marvelous.  As I scanned through the photos I took over the last few months I realized we got to do quite a lot.  Here's a recap!

We enjoyed our second time at Lake Wilderness's 4th of July festivities.

My mom and I drove (in her mini cooper, Lord help us) to the North Cascades one weekend.

We also stopped by Deception Pass.

Last summer we drove to Bothell in search of a blackberry farm ... haha!  They grow wild everywhere (and are actually invasive).  So we had our fill of them this summer.  I also figured out what huckleberries look like.  They are tart, yummy things.

 Blueberry picking of course.

 We bought an inflatable boat!  Here's Evey on Lake Wilderness.

 The evening sky.  This was after 9PM!

We went fishing for Zach's birthday, his first fishing trip!  Poor fishies ...

Evey participated in her first play, The Jungle Book.  She thoroughly enjoyed doing it!

We found this little guy outside our house.

We visited the Goonies house, and then watched the movie with Evey!

We discovered the beautiful Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.  Grizzly bear!

I found a rock jumping place, woo hoo!

Jeff and I stayed up at Crystal Mountain and got to enjoy this view for our anniversary.

And I got my first tattoo for our anniversary, too!!

Visited Mt. Rainier with cousin Amelia.  She just moved here as well, from San Francisco!

These little fellas.

Rope swing on a weekend trip to the Vancouver area!

Amelia and Evey in two of the three inner tubes we bought when I discovered we could float on a nearby river!!

The Washington State Fair.

Playing in the neighborhood.  Love the sky against the trees when it's that color.

Walking Harley on the Cedar River Trail.

 Nothing like a nap in the shade with Grandma on a sunny summer afternoon. 

Onward we go into Autumn!  Maybe I'll post again before Winter arrives ...

It's My Birthday!

I realized last night that my birthday is the last of our first birthdays living here in Washington.  My Mom's was in May, Zach's was in June, Evey's was in November, and Jeff's was yesterday.  Odd tidbit ... not really of any significance, but I thought of it so I'm sharing, ha ha.

Since my last post we revisited the sledding area at Mt. Rainier National Park.  We went on Superbowl Sunday and had a lot of fun again, despite it being less sunny this time.  Here's one photo I took on a bridge crossing over the Nisqually River.

Next week I took three days off work because Evey's school is closed for its mid-winter break ... bizarre to me since they have winter break and spring break as well!  I figure we'll have a good time further exploring things to do around here.  I have a couple ideas so far.  Visiting the Black Diamond Museum and the Cedar River Watershed Education Center.

On another note, I can safely say that working out and eating better have finally become habit again!  I have a long way to go, but there has been progress since we started this at the beginning of January!  I have lost about five pounds so far, hurray!

First Time Sledding at Mt. Rainier

The kids and I ventured up to Mt. Rainier National Park this past Sunday to sled at Paradise.  I was a little nervous heading to the Park in the winter, hoping the winding road up the mountain wouldn't be covered in snow and ice.  Luckily, the road was pretty clear, though as required my tire chains are in my trunk.  I had practiced at home that morning and was successful, but that still didn't mean having to use them in "real life" would be fun.

The highway into the Park from the north is closed during the winter so we had to drive the long way around and head in from the south.  It was still a pretty drive.  As we gained altitude we left the fog blanketing the lowlands and were greeted by clear blue skies and a spectacular view of the mountain.

My choice in heading out there Sunday was in part due to the thought that most Washingtonians would be at home fixated on their TVs watching the Seahawks game.  That and it was supposed to be a sunny day up there!  I was right on both accounts - there were still plenty of people around, but not obnoxiously so!

Our day of sledding got off to a rocky start when the brand new sled I had purchased broke into several pieces on the second time down the hill.  Luckily, we were able to purchase two sleds at the Visitor Center, and for a very reasonable price!  Evey also had a few moments of grumpiness, but once she ditched her coat (the sun was quite warm and the temp was about 40) and we found her misplaced mittens, and stopped trying to sled down the biggest two hills, we had a wonderful time.  I don't think I've ever had so much fun sledding before!

This is a view downhill toward the Paradise Inn and the Tatoosh Mountain Range in the distance to the south.

Goofy little Zach in his snowsuit for the first time!

This was the best spot we found to sled!

I learned on this trip that, while not so far this season, normally more snow falls at Paradise than anywhere else in the lower 48 states!

Now I'm going to get sentimental.  A few times, I paused with purpose to soak in our surroundings.  The colors of blue, green, and white were so brilliantly bold.  The sun was warm on our faces and the air was cool and fresh.  Even though I was chasing the kids around, constantly picking Zach up off the ground, and in general trying to keep the peace, I did feel at peace.  Surrounded by such beauty it was almost impossible not to.  I read this quote from John Muir at the Visitor Center: "Of all the fire-mountains, which, like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest in form."

On our drive home, once we had descended to a certain altitude, I could clearly see the thick fog ahead waiting to re-envelope us in its misty haze.  I had lots of time to think, seeing as the drive was roughly two hours long, and my thoughts turned to comparing Mount Rainier and Mammoth Cave.  Mt. Rainier reaches over 14,000 feet into the heavens a short 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean while Mammoth Cave's passages twist and turn for over 400 miles beneath the rolling, green hills of south central Kentucky.  Both are majestic and unseen.  Sure, on many days we can see Mount Rainier, but there are more days where she remains entirely hidden in clouds, sometimes clouds of her own making!  I guess it's apparent that both caves and mountains fascinate me, a balm to my soul.  Their beauty and mystery call to me in an almost indescribable way.  I think perhaps it's that I can't separate my heart from what they are ... nature?  We are all part of it, from the tiniest of pine cones to the largest of caverns.  From sweet newborn infant feet to the aged eyes of an elderly man who has seen so very much in his life.  There are no words.