Having lived in Washington for decades, I’ve come to expect mostly grey skies and drizzle up until the Fourth of July. Some might call it gloomy weather, but I find it comforting - perfect weather for soup, sweaters, and wool socks. As a rule, I plan for overcast weather over Memorial Day - the holiday that marks the start of summer in many other places. Over the past few years’ the chilly spring weather I’ve come to rely on has gradually vanished into an ever-expanding summer, and this year was no exception. Both Memorial Day and the week that followed were decidedly summery, with mostly sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. While the early end to the rainy season makes me worry that we’ll have a hot, dry, and smoky season to come, for the moment the mild weather has been much appreciated.
Read moreLime Kiln
March is a tough time of year for planning hikes, but this year with plenty of snow still lingering from February’s epic snowstorm it proved especially challenging. At the last minute, I wound up switching up our plans to avoid steep icy trails, choosing the Line Kiln Trail based entirely on the fact that a recent trip report mentioned zero snow. Lime Kiln is one of several trails that I very well may have hiked as a child, but have no memory of, so I went in to our March Alpine Trails Book Club hike with fresh eyes.
Read moreLife: Week 21
Memorial Day Weekend this year was a mix of everything - a cold & stormy Saturday spent in the city drinking tea and lurking in plant stores, contrasted by warm & sunny Sunday spent in the woods volunteering for more trail work with WTA. Life is all about balance, right? This time of year, it sometimes startles me that everything is suddenly so green after what felt like an endless winter, and this was particularly the case in the Sehome Arboretum, where Andy and I spent our Sunday doing trail work. The small patch of forest perched above the Western Washington University campus was absolutely bursting with ferns, maples, and other sun-dappled greenery. One of my favorite things about signing up for trail work with WTA is that it often leads me to discover new trails - ones like Sehome Arboretum that I never would have visited otherwise. Since the trail system is pretty tiny, I don’t know that I’ll return to this particular spot unless I happen to be in Bellingham and have a little time for a short walk, but I’m glad I had an excuse to visit it this once!
Read moreLife: Week 20
I’m starting to feel settled in to things with my new job, and after a fairly uneventful week, Andy and I were happy to head to Whidbey for a low-key cabin weekend. I spent most of the week looking forward to an afternoon drinking rose in the sun on the deck. Of course nothing works out as planned and by the time I finally opened up the bottle of rose I’ve been saving, the warm sunny day had turned overcast. Still, it’s hard to beat the views from the deck on Whidbey and we had an excellent day that included a stop at my favorite book shop, a few beers enjoyed on the patio at Double Bluff Brewing, and a late lunch at Rocket Taco that of rhubarb margaritas and far too many tacos. Sunday we took it easy, taking our time over coffee and breakfast before getting packed up to head home. We weren’t in any hurry to get home, so before lining up for the ferry, we made a stop at Bayview Corner for lunch, beers, and a stop by one of my favorite garden shops. I managed to resist purchasing any new plants - although their gorgeous monstera were very tempting - but I did buy a few new pots for all the cuttings I’ve accumulated. Now that I’m not killing all my plants by overwatering them, it’s amazing how they’re starting to pile up!
Read moreLife: Week 19
This week was uncharacteristically hot and sunny for May. With all the hot weather, I didn’t make it out for lunchtime walks as often as last week because I’m a complete wimp when it comes to heat. Still, on my one midday walk during the week, I managed to discover a park that I drive by every day to get to work, but had somehow never noticed. It looked like a lovely, shady spot to sit outside and eat lunch, and with only a 10 minute walk from the office, totally doable! For the weekend, I had a May Alpine Trails Book Club outing to keep me busy. After the success of last years’ trail work party with Washington Trails Association, our May event was another round of volunteering, this time on Little Mountain in Mt Vernon. Checking the forecast throughout the week, I’d been worried that the heat would make for a tough day, but happily the day was cooler than forecast and a wonderful time was had by all! After our day of hard work, we stopped in Mt Vernon for a well earned beer at Skagit River Brewery before heading home. Since Sunday was Mother’s Day, I joined my mom and sister for an afternoon in Snohomish, mostly so that I could finally visit Retreat - a plant shop that my mom, sister, and several friends have all raved about. It definitely lived up to the hype, and I came home with several new plant babies, including one for my desk at work! My lovely weekend was rounded out with a celebration of my niece’s 4th birthday, including several rounds of Guess Who - one of my gifts for the birthday girl.
Read more