A Road Trip Of Sorts...

This last Saturday Mr. G. and myself went on a little road trip to Anacortes, WA. Our school's Baseball team was playing there for State and we thought it would be fun to go up there and support them. It took almost two hours to get there so the name 'road trip' was in order I thought. We did have to leave just after eight in the morning, a tad bit early for my liking...

Anyway, in our rain gear and some knitted woolies, we watched the game and they won! This meant we then had a four hour wait for the next game which would qualify them for the State Finals.  We first spend a couple of hours walking around in town admiring all the old houses (built around 1900, very old for the Pacific Northwest!). I just love that old style with all the different paint colors etc. Fantasizing about that future house...

Do you see the Poppies from the picture above all the way at the end?

Brick buildings are pretty rare here in this area...

After a hot coffee (the weather wasn't really great to be honest) we drove across the island to Washington Park. What fabulous views of the San Juan Islands, so calm. We even had a visit of a seal and maybe even some porpoises! 

Click! to enlarge...

Spot the ferry in the background...

Our team also won the second game with three runs scored in overtime (!) so they're off to Yakima next weekend for the  State Final Championship: Hurray! 

We didn't get home until 8pm so that was a pretty long day, but so nice to get out of the house for a bit, be part of our community and see some beautiful nature while we're at it!  {smile}

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Ramblings...

~ Recently we've been spotting this little visitor in our yard. So cute! (but stay away from our veggie plot please...)

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~ I've just finished some more sewing. This one is a combination of Tif's DottieAngel dress and the #E dress from the Stylish Dress Book. I added the sleeves and the neckline from the #E dress to Tif's dress. It worked out quite well I think. The main fabric I bought in Joann's last week, the rest were remnants from previous projects...

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~ I also finished another actual #E dress a couple of weeks ago. The fabric is quite sheer and super comfortable during those hot days we've been having...

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~ Miss M. arrived home from her road trip (L.A. to Seattle) a week ago and Master C. landed last night also from L.A. (his road trip started in Spokane, through Salt Lake City and Zion National Park). 

Miss M. in San Francisco...

Master C. in Zion National Park...

The whole family is back together again: Yay!

Middle Fork Hike...

Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River....
(all pics in this post are taken with my phone and unedited)

Last Saturday Mr. G. and myself decided to go on a hike along the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, up in the mountains. Now I am not much of a hiker ( I really dislike steep inclines), but this was a trail that was just right in that department. 

Here is a little description of the trail I found online: "But a left turn to head upstream leads them deep into the quiet forest. The silence is broken only by the murmuring river, the whispering of wind through the trees, or birdsong from the fish-eating birds that live in the area. 

The trail weaves in and out of the forest, passing under overhanging cliffs and offering views across the river of jagged Garfield Mountain. Continue under a craggy wall dubbed Stegosaurus Butte at 0.75 miles. Soon after the Butte the trail widens, thanks to an old railroad path. This is your only hint of the area's history of logging - the railway was used to pull logs out after timber harvests. Continue on, crossing many creek drainages that keep the trail wet much of the year. 

The trail stays close to the river, at points even threatening to slump into the water due to repeated flooding that erodes the banks of the river. At a little more than three miles, the trail has completely washed away and is awaiting repairs to reroute the trail onto more stable ground. At this point, the trail is impassable to stock, but hikers can follow a rough, temporary path to rejoin the official trail and head into the forest."

What a spectacular looking bridge!

Mount Garfield...

We walked 3.5 miles to a nice stop next to the river, and then back again, 7 miles in total (3 hours). It was quite warm that day, but since we were walking underneath the tree canopy with a nice breeze, it was perfect.  I must admit that the next day we were completely bushed. I had also run extra miles in the week before, and my legs were just plain tired. No matter, I was feeling strong and I actually did go on a hike! {smile}

The trail was fabulously well maintained, except for this bit...

Where did the path go?

This last picture was at our mid-way point. What a beautiful day!