This would be a beautiful view to look at everyday. This picture is from one of our road trips looking out at the Pacific Ocean from a look-out on Hwy 101.
This post includes affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on qualifying purchases made through any of our advertisement links. This is at no price change or extra charge to you. This is just a small way you can help to support keeping our blog up and running.
It was quite a rainy and cloudy weekend. We were happy we chose not to go camping but we were also looking for something fun to do outdoors with the kids. We decided to check out Theler Wetlands in Belfair, WA. I’ve never been and neither has our 2 younger children but my husband has been there. It was fairly quiet with a few families and individuals out walking or jogging the trails. We decided to take just a short tour around a small part of it to accommodate our 5 year old and myself (*wink – it’s been a while since I’ve done any exercise.)
It was neat trail. Perfect for families with small children. Lots of different trees and plants. There were art and informational kiosks about native species along the way. There was also a big skeleton of a whale hanging from the ceiling of a shelter.
We were able to walk down a wooden pier and see the wetlands up close. It was low-tide so it was especially cool to see how deep the crevices ran in the marsh.
Someday I’d like to go back to extend our walk in towards the river side and hopefully catch some shots of birds with my camera. There’s no cost and no pass required to go on a hike there but there is a donation box to help with the upkeep and storm clean up.
The two pictures above are of the same gate just taken from different angles.
This post includes affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on qualifying purchases made through any of our advertisement links. This is at no price change or extra charge to you. This is just a small way you can help to support keeping our blog up and running.
Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. ~ Maya Angelou
This photo of Mount Rainier was taking on a camping trip on Anderson Island, WA. Such a beautiful and relaxing place to be. We were fortunate to spend some quality time with wonderful friends.
This post includes affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on qualifying purchases made through any of our advertisement links. This is at no price change or extra charge to you. This is just a small way you can help to support keeping our blog up and running.
I’ve always dreamed of having a flower farm. We’re about 20 years past when we should’ve started one. It would’ve been crazy to start a farm with my husband’s past work schedule and little ones in tow. So the dream never came to fruition. We are very fortunate to have farms that we can visit in the area. We can just enjoy what our local farms produce and the little flowers I grow in our garden.
We absolutely enjoyed our visit to Lynch Creek Dahlia Farm. It’s a cute 3 acre farm full of color. There were so many varieties of Dahlia to choose from. You can pick your own flowers or you can purchase already-made bouquets. It was so fun to pick our own flowers. It was really hard to stop picking and clipping. I loved it! We shared what we brought home with our neighbors.
Here are some photos of the lovely Dahlias growing at the farm.
Cee’s FOTD Photography Challenge
Our attempt to visit the famous hiking trail “Staircase Loop”, located along Lake Cushman in Hoodsport, WA, was thwarted by a Park Ranger and his truck with blinking lights. The trail head area was congested with too many other hikers. We were a little bummed but understood and knew that we were taking a chance of even getting to the trail on a Saturday. Note to self for next visit: Go early!
Instead we parked and walked across a bridge at the headwaters of the lake that allows residents to get to their homes on the other side of the lake. It was a pretty chilly day but there were so many visitors. Some were lounging next the water and others braved it and jumped in. It was great to just people watch. It was almost like things were somewhat normal.
It is such a beautiful lake. Everything is lush, green and and serene. The private campground that we’ve stayed at before is closed for the season, due to Covid-19. Hopefully things will be back to normal by next Summer so we can enjoy a stay. Skokomish Park
Here are just a few pictures on the lake. Not the best pictures because I’m still figuring out using the manual setting on my camera for distance and moving pictures.
Some white flower weeds found alongside the lake.
Madrona Tree
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.
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…
Note: This would make a wonderful sisters, mother & daughter, or girlfriends trip!
This post includes affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on qualifying purchases made through any of our advertisement links. This is at no price change or extra charge to you. This is just a small way you can help to support keeping our blog up and running.
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
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.
Yea! We made it to Portland!
It was a smooth ride so far. Portland’s Union Station was a little different from Seattle’s station. A little dark and gloomy but getting our baggage was at least quick and easy.
We decided to forgo getting a taxi and walked 12-15 minutes to our hotel. It wasn’t too far of a walk but just like any big city, Portland has a few sketchy spots around the transportation centers. So we walked as quick as we could with our overstuffed backpacks.
By the time we reached our hotel we were ready for a nap. My husband made a point and said if we took a nap we probably wouldn’t leave the room to go out again. So off we went in search of the hotel’s dining hall for their complimentary drinks and snacks.
We were also able to have a beer and cider on the train.
My husband had a beer and I had a wine. Snacks consisted of veggies and dip, tortilla chips and all the fixings. The dining hall was loud. We headed out to find more food with a little quieter atmosphere. The bellhop at the door of our hotel suggested Huber’s Cafe.
Huber’s was a cute little restaurant contained within an “old Portland” bar dating to the 1890’s. It had what we needed and the staff was friendly and attentive. Their apple/blackberry cobbler was yummy! Part of the “loud” from the dining hall seemingly followed us to Huber’s as in the bachelor party or class reunion was seated next to us … again.
After we ate we finally headed back to the hotel room. Our son was happy he was able to go swimming in the pool. A hotel with a pool and hot tub was my husband’s request. He wanted a place to relax at the end of the day. There were two hot tubs here. He was happy. It worked out great!
It was a wonderful end to an adventurous day.
Note: We were so busy looking around and carrying our bags that we didn’t get any pictures when we arrived in Portland. I just included some of the train pictures that my husband took with his phone.
~Deb
Our Artsy Fartsy Family 