Playing Catch Up

There is a nip in the air and I had to break out my fleece jacket this morning. It seemed like a good time to bring back the blog to life to mark the end of summer, if for nothing else. And I am happy to report that the summers in Seattle are indeed absolutely gorgeous… everything they hype the place for and then some more! As far as the weather goes, we had clear blue skies and the mountains were in full show… evenings were cool enough for a light jacket and splendid sunsets that reflected off the glass façades downtown.

As with every summer, my family visited and we had a whale of a time exploring the place. Trips included a day jaunt to Leavenworth, whale watching in the Pacific at San Juan Island, riding the ski lifts at Whistler, exploring the Oregon coastline, checking out the volcano at Mt St Helens, happening upon a mountainside wedding at Mt Hood to name a few. Lots of great food was had at home, in Oregon, Washington and Canada. We used my SUV to its hilt and had a great time travelling together and it is with no regret that I welcomed the car’s 10,000’th mile last week!

Living here has really brought on a new appreciation for nature. It is gorgeous and unexplainable and uncapturable in a camera. Really! No camera does it justice. There were so many beautiful sights that I couldn’t capture in my camera because they didn’t look as majestic in a little screen. Eventually I gave up trying to capture for posterity, instead, teaching myself to absorb moments, sights and sounds. It also teaches you to live in the moment and appreciate conversations and silences equally. It also taught me to put the phone/iPad/laptop down to enjoy people every once in a while, though now I indulge in the TV instead!

For anyone that’s still reading this – if you’re getting perfectly fall-like fall weather in your part of the country I hope these pictures will make you want to get out for a bit and enjoy the sun while it’s there.

 From top to botom: 4th of July fireworks, view from my living room, Canon Beach OR, Seattle as seen from Kerry Park, Mt. St. Helens from the distance (though we went much closer)