Camping finds.
Little crab with an “X” on it’s back hiding among the rocks.
Banded Alder Borer Beetle. Odd to see him hanging with the sea life.
Looks like this dried up clam missed going into someone’s cooking pot.
Category Archives: nature
Lovely Lavender
We were able to enjoy the lavender fields at Graymarsh Farm. You cut your own bunch but we opted to purchase already cut bunches that they had available. They smell terrific!
Berry Picking
We love berry picking! We haven’t been to Graymarsh Farm in years and it was a wonderful outing to do with our kids. The strawberries were mostly spent but the raspberries are just coming in beautifully!
Happy 4th of July!
Garden Pictures 7/2/2020
Sweet Peas.
Chives.
Petunias.
Snap Peas.
Succulent.
Ice Plant – Ground Cover
Our Visit to the Tulip Festival – FOTD
Yay! We finally made it to the Tulip Festival for the first time. We have lived here in the Pacific Northwest (Washington State) for over 20 years and I can finally check the “Visit Tulip Festival” box on my bucket list.
It was the usual rainy day for Washington and most of the tulips were still not in bloom in Skagit County but the flowers that were in bloom, including daffodils, were amazing to see. We were very happy to make it over despite the chilly weather. Here are some of the pictures I was able to capture during our visit to Roozengaard in Mount Vernon, WA.
Our daughter wanted jumped from one flower to the next, not really taking in the different varieties of tulips that were available for our eyes. She just loved the colors of all the “pretty flowers”.
Our son on the other hand is much older and took his time to observe the different flowers. He was even able to capture some of his own photos with his phone. At times he seemed really interested but for most teenage boys looking at flowers are not at the top of their “Spring Break” check-list. *wink*
What a beautiful sight. I can only imagine what it looks like when the rest of the tulips are in bloom. We decided we’d love to go back again. Hopefully next year… and the next… and the next.
Tips for our next visit…
- Watch the weather closely.
- Remember to bring rain boots. Our daughter had fun in the puddles.
- Plan for mid-April visit.
- Stay a little longer to check out other attractions nearby, including the Outlet Mall. *wink*
Note: This would make a wonderful sisters, mother & daughter, or girlfriends trip!
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Visit to the Kitsap Live Steamers
We live in such a wonderful community with so many great family friendly and budget friendly things to do. One of the activities that we are fortunate to have is the mini train rides from the Kitsap Live Steamers. Our mother in-law has been asking us for years to take her to check it out and this weekend was the perfect weekend to do it. She loved it so much they let her ride twice in a row. It was definitely an activity enjoyed by all!
The Kitsap Live Steamers is a non-profit organization and provides mini train rides for donations. The mini trains are located right in the South Kitsap Regional Park (Port Orchard, WA.) It is a beautiful park with walking trails, a large grassy field, a picnic shelter and a huge playground for young children to play on.
https://www.facebook.com/kitsaplivesteamers.org
Train Ride Trip to Portland Part 3
Our second day in Portland was quite rainy but full. We began with a complementary breakfast in the dining hall of our hotel (Embassy Suites Downtown Portland.) It was very convenient with a good selection of food. This is perfect for families with picky eaters.
We chose to try out the light rail (Trimet) to Washington Park for a visit to the Oregon Zoo. We only had to walk a few blocks to get to the nearest station but it was easy to purchase our tickets and hop on. It was a very short wait to get on light rail for the 15 minute ride to Washington Park. It was so nice not having pack everyone into a car to drive over. Plus it was neat being able to show our teenager another form of transportation.
When you exit the light rail at the zoo you are several hundred feet underground. There is an example on the tunnel wall showing how deep you are with an arrow of where that falls on a cross-section of a core sample performed at the site. A timeline describes how the area (Washington Park) was formed over millions of years as a result of sedimentary buildup as well as very early volcanic flows. We had walked on around the corner to the elevator only to realize that my geeky husband was still transfixed on the wall’s data, slowly making his way through the years.
Up on the surface we were back in the present, and the elements. Since it was pouring rain we opted to start indoors with the World Forestry Center. It was neat for our kids to see how important it is to replenish our forests and keep them alive and healthy. The kids seemed to really enjoyed seeing and visiting the hands-on exhibits. Our toddler’s favorite part of the visit was pretending drive the all terrain vehicle. She was generous enough to take turns with her big brother – after gentle prompting.
After a nice visit at the center we headed over to the Oregon Zoo just down the road. Most of the exhibits as are central to the light rail and a central parking lot, which makes it very convenient. The city really did a great job when they planned out Washington Park as there is much to see and so much to do.
The Zoo was a hit! The kids were absolute troopers and while the rain kept coming down we didn’t let it stop us from seeing all the sweet, and not so sweet, animals.
Smile – It’s a Giraffe!
While on our trip to Oregon we visited the Oregon Zoo. It was a rainy day but our children were troopers. One of our favorite animal to see was the giraffe. There were two of them and they were the cutest. Big smiles all around.
A smile is a light in the window of the soul indicating that the heart is at home.
~Author Unknown
Our Artsy Fartsy Family 