Hello again! It's been far too long, and much has happened since my last post. Andy and I went on many hikes (which I hope to share here soon) spent at least one weekend at each of our family cabins, and most excitingly bought a house! Needless to say, the process of hunting for, buying, and moving into our first home became a rather all consuming process, so hopefully you'll forgive my disappearing act. Now, in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic I finally find myself with the time to come back to this space. After my long absence, Iām not sure there's anyone still out there reading this, but I hope that some of you will come back in time. I've missed you all.
Read moreLife: Week 27
Summer has officially arrived in Seattle! While we've had a few hot summery days already, it never quite feels like summer here until the 4th of July. This year, the 4th fell on a Wednesday, making for a strange work week. Since Andy decided to work for part of the day on the 4th, we had a low-key holiday, and with the heat I was pretty happy to spend the day inside in the comparative cool. Our official 4th of July celebration wasn't until Saturday, when we spent the day on Whidbey Island. Even on the hottest days, the deck at the cabin on Whidbey is a wonderful spot, with a cool breeze coming off Puget Sound. We only stayed for the day, and our short visit had Andy and I itching to get back for a longer stay. Every summer, we talk about how nice it would be to spend a full week on Whidbey Island, but we can never seem to find the time. Somehow there's never enough time in the summer!
Read moreLife: Week 27
I always enjoy a good 3-day work week, and with the 4th of July on a Tuesday this year, that's exactly what I wound up with! I spent many years working as a contractor, and never had paid holidays or vacation, so the idea that I can have a day (or two!) off without stressing about the extra hours I'll have to work later in the week or a diminished paycheck is still novel and exciting to me. Since I had Monday off in addition to Tuesday, I joined my dad for a hike to Mirror & Cottonwood Lakes, which turned out to be surprisingly quiet for a short hike off I-90 on a holiday weekend! I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy hiking with my dad, since our trips always involve several hours of relaxing by a lake while he fishes, while I catch up on some reading and generally enjoy the peace of the mountains.
Read moreLife: Week 27
It was another marvelous week, starting with our annual 4th of July on Whidbey. On the 4th, the tide was extremely low, and while there are no tidepools on our strip of beach, there were still all sorts of interesting things to see. My dad, a marine biologist, was with us which meant we were actually able to identify many of the creatures we found. Early in the morning, Andy set out the crab pots and managed to catch two crab, which we took home and ate on a delicious caesar salad. Midweek, we finally managed to squeeze in a short post-work hike in a nearby park neither of us had heard of - Soaring Eagle. The trails were lovely and well-maintained, and if I lived a little closer would make an excellent place for evening trail-running. Even with the 30 minute drive, I'm sure I'll be visiting the park again soon!
Friday morning, we were up bright and early for a flight to Oakland and a much needed visit with Andy's sister Erika and her family. Most of our weekend was spent relaxing at their house and playing with our niece, just the way I like our visits. The exception was our Sunday afternoon, spent at a Sonoma winery with a group of Erika's friends feeding the resident fish, playing games, sharing a picnic, and drinking some (almost certainly too much) excellent wine!
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