After an exhausting and hectic fall season at work, having four days off work for the holiday was absolutely blissful! There was plenty of time for catching up with family and friends, and enough leftover over for some much needed relaxation! For the first time, I also had the opportunity to get out for a hike on Black Friday. Since Andy was working, and there's already plenty of snow in the mountains, a short hike up Gold Creek Basin near my parents cabin seemed like the perfect option for a short outing.
Read moreLife: Week 46
Just when I thought fall was coming to an end, it decided to stick around for another beautiful, sunny weekend! The week started with a power outage Monday night, one of several we've had this year. Thankfully, our power was back on by Tuesday morning, so it wasn't too disruptive. With the power out, we spent Monday night reading by candlelight and playing card games - a nice break from our routine. Work has slowed down enough that I even had time for my first lunchtime walk since early summer! Considering the fact that the sun is down well before I finish my work day, these lunchtime walks will save my sanity during the dark days of late fall and early winter.
Read moreLife: Week 45
As the days grow shorter, it becomes more of a struggle to find the motivation to venture out of my burrow of knitting and books for some time in the woods. Thankfully, even when I can't commit to a full day of adventure, there are plenty of beautiful trails to visit close to home. Over this past weekend, Andy and I returned to a trail we hiked over the summer on Squak Mountain - Margaret's Way. Blanketed in a multi-colored carpet of leaves, the trail was truly magical. It had been a stormy week, with multiple power outages, so along with the thick layer of leaves, the trail was littered with storm debris, including a couple of freshly downed trees for us to climb over. Since it rained throughout our hike, we decided to keep our outing short, and made it back to Issaquah in time for a late lunch at our new favorite bar off I-90. Hopefully we'll have a few more weeks of this beautiful fall before the long, cold grey of winter in Washington settles in!
Read moreLife: Week 44
And suddenly, it was winter! The week started off stormy, with wind and rain tearing most of the remaining vibrant foliage from the trees. They lined the sidewalks in brightly colored drifts that I can never resist stomping through. There's something so satisfying about the crunch and rattle of leaves punctuating each step. By Friday morning, much to everyone's surprise, the rain had turned to snow - one of the earliest snows the Seattle area has ever seen! It snowed off and on for most of the day Friday, but by late afternoon, it had warmed enough to melt away the light dusting of snow. Sunday morning, we woke to snow again. With only a few hours, I headed for the nearby Evans Creek Preserve again. By the time I made it out the door, the snow had almost entirely melted away, but the woods were magically misty, and it was astonishing to see how dramatically the forest had changed in just one week!
Read moreLife: Week 43
Washington is absolutely killing it with fall this year. Everywhere, there's an absolute riot of vibrant color, the likes of which I can't remember seeing in years! It's been a struggle to stay indoors and work, especially knowing that soon all this color will be gone, and we'll be left with the muted grey of winter until spring. Since Andy had to work for a few hours on Saturday, after running a few errands in Kirkland, I went for a walk along the waterfront. There's something magical about a foggy fall morning, and working from home I don't often get the opportunity to enjoy these occasional spooky mornings. By the afternoon when I headed to Bellevue to meet Andy for lunch at our favorite ramen restaurant near his work, the fog had burned off and the city lit up with the fiery splendor of fall. Hopefully there will be at least one or two more weeks of this dreamy fall color. I'll definitely be getting outside as much as I can while it lasts!
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