To call this a busy week would be a serious understatement. With everything I did, it felt like at least two weeks, and it was a good two weeks! Early in the week, I celebrated my birthday and was treated to two dinners at my favorite restaurant. On a run to the grocery store to pick up lunch, I even bought some flowers to bring a little sunshine into the apartment. Monday through Thursday, any time that wasn't spent out for a marvelous meal with family was spent trying to get ahead at work to prepare for a Friday off so I could head south with Ashley for the April Alpine Trails Book Club camping trip. Driving east, we quickly left behind the clouds layered over Puget Sound, and by early afternoon, we'd reached the Columbia River and set up camp.
Read moreLife: Week 16
Work is really starting to get hectic these days, and over the past week I've worked several late nights. Most days, by the time I've finished my work day, all I have energy for is an hour or two of knitting while watching TV after a quick dinner. Thankfully, Andy and I managed to find the time for a long Sunday walk on the Tolt Pipeline trail. After a week cooped up indoors, the sunshine on my face and fresh scent of fresh cut grass and flowers was just what I'd needed! I'm definitely looking forward to the long days of summer when work will slow down a bit and I'll have more time to spend outdoors.
Read moreLife: Week 15
It was another soggy spring week, although typical of spring in the PNW, there were passing moments of sunshine throughout the week. Rain or shine, there are flowers blooming everywhere! Even though my work days have been getting longer, I managed to find the time for a long walk along the Powerline Trail and down to the Sammamish River, a walk that started in sunshine and ended in a downpour. By now, I should be prepared for unpredictable weather in the spring, or almost any time of year, but I was complete unprepared, and wound up drenched by the time I made it home. I couldn't help but laugh at myself for being ridiculous enough to leave home without a rain jacket in April. Maybe eventually I'll learn, but at least when I got home there were dry clothes and a mug of tea to warm me up!
Read moreLife: Week 14
After two weekends in a row spent at home, this week I was determined to spend at least one day on the trail this week. A week of late nights at work meant I had no time for a post-work walk, so even though it rained a lot over the weekend, I managed to convince Andy to go for a long walk through the Paradise Valley Conservation Area. While we lucked out and managed to schedule our walk for the few hours the downpour decided to let up, there was plenty of mud to negotiate on the trail. I never mind a little mud though, and the new spring vegetation covered in jewel-like droplets of rain made for an especially magical walk. Giant trillium blooms littered the forest floor in dense clusters, and we spotted the occasional pink of budding salmonberry. Before I know it, summer will be here and those flowers will have turned into trailside snacks!
Read moreLife: Week 12
Spring has officially arrived, and with it an new color palette filled with the pinks and greens of new growth. On sunny days, the sweet smell of tiny pink and white blooms perfumes the breeze. With the longer days, even as work has been increasingly busy, I managed to fit in a much needed midweek walk on the Powerline Trail! This time of year, as different plants begin to bud and flower, the trail changes drastically from week to week, so hopefully I'll find the time for another evening walk soon to mark the progress of the season. Over the weekend, after a quiet (and rainy) Saturday sent indoors, Andy and were out on the trail Sunday morning, joining the Alpine Trails Book Club for our March hike. It may have been chilly, but we were pleasantly surprised to be greeted with mostly sunny weather for the day. Without rain to dampen our spirits, our group was able to linger over lunch and spend plenty of time discussing the complexity of our March book - Reclaimers. You can read more about the book & hike in my post here.
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