After weeks of hot weather, and many fires burning in Eastern Washington and British Columbia, this week, Puget Sound was beset by smoke. The week started off ominously with our flight home being delayed because smoke at SeaTac Airport was reducing the number of planes that could safely land, and throughout the week, the smoke thickened. By Thursday, it was bad enough to give me a cough and burning eyes after only a short walk to get the mail. Thankfully, Friday morning, we woke to clear skies apparently just in time for the August Alpine Trails Book Club backpacking trip.
Read moreLife: Week 32
Since my sister in law and her family moved to California shortly after my oldest niece was born, I've missed many birthdays, both my niece's and nephew's. I know that soon they'll both be too old to have any interest in having their boring old aunt crash their birthday party, so I've talked about making a birthday trip for years. This year, with no major plans late in the summer, Andy and I were finally able to make it down to California to attend our niece's 5th birthday party. As a happily childless adult, a 5th birthday party was an overwhelming occasion, although my sister-in-law's genius plan to rent a bounce house for the party kept most of the craziness contained. Happily, our visit was long enough that we also had time to just enjoy relaxing with family. As always, the trip made me dream of the future, when their family will be back in Washington and we can spend time together whenever we want!
Read moreLife: Week 31
After yet another week of hot temps at home, I was happy for another weekend escape - this time up into the mountains. Friday night after work, I headed east to join my parents at their cabin, and after a short drive I was greeted with a mai tai and a dinner of homemade tamales. Since Sunday was my dad's birthday, I baked my all-time favorite cake for dessert. Growing up, my dad's birthdays were always celebrated at the family cabin, and his birthday cakes - baked in a wood burning oven - always managed to be both burnt and undercooked. This cake, baked with an intentionally jiggly middle, seemed like the perfect homage to the cakes my grandmother baked in that old oven. In place of a birthday candle, my mom lit a match to stick in the cake, and amusing and convenient substitution - perhaps a new cabin birthday tradition?
Read moreLife: Week 30
We've reached the depths of summer - days when it's too hot for much beyond hiding in the shade with a cold beer. I'm just not built for long periods of hot weather, and when the temperature climbs over 80° for too long, my brain starts to turn to mush. By the weekend, I was desperate to escape our stuffy apartment so after work on Friday, Andy and I fled to Whidbey Island. Thankfully we found the cabin breezy and significantly cooler than our apartment, leaving me with the energy for several long rambles along the beach and through the neighborhood near the cabin. On the beach there were pretty shells tiny crustaceans to poke at, and up above the bluff, the road was lined with blackberries ripe for snacking. After a Saturday lunch in Langley and a stop at my favorite bookstore (where I picked up this gem), Andy and I spent the afternoon drinking wine and reading in the dappled sun on the deck. While an escape for the weekend made a nice break, I keep dreaming of having the time to spend a whole week on Whidbey, to really let the peace of the island soak in - and maybe even finish reading a book or two!
Read moreSmith Rock State Park
Pausing under a towering old juniper, I watched as birds floated along the slow moving Crooked River. A breeze rippled through the tall grass around me, and I found myself wishing I had the time to spend hours in this peaceful spot, perhaps with a picnic blanket and a good book. Not exactly the rugged athletic experience nearly everyone else in this small park is here for, but Andy and I had found our own little haven. After hearing about Smith Rock State Park from multiple friends, I'd been itching to visit, and staying only an hour away in Sunriver for a family vacation, I finally had the perfect opportunity. I'd had a cold since the day before we left home for a our week-long vacation, so we decided to avoid the popular Misery Ridge trail and instead opted for an easier loop hike along the river. As we watching the crowds across the river snaking up the Misery Ridge trail, for a while we were the only hikers on our stretch of trail.
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