Just for the fun of it

Nature’s wake up call

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As May is coming to a close, the thing I remember most is the early wake up call from the Junco’s in the area. The Junco is my favorite bird, makes me happy and we’ve seen more this Spring than any other I think. The American robin has been plentiful as well. Funny… even though I may not be ready to be awake at 4:15 am, they like to sing their song and let us know they exist.

May is a good month to experience a spring in your step, baseball, flowers, out with the old and in with the new, the festival season, self-care, catching up with friends, and planning for the Summer ahead. There is hope. Let’s do this!

Spring has Sprung

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It’s the first day of Spring. March 20, 2021.

It’s a welcomed day among.

In the Pacific Northwest, it’s in the air.

While on a walk or a #pnw drive.

Trees, leaves are a budding.

I see Crocus, Daffodils, Primrose, Pansies, and Hyacinthus.

The Juncos and a variety of birds, bees are making their way to feed.

Rain, Clouds, Sun. A welcomed site.

We hear frogs making their song… especially in the evening light.

The crescent moon and stars are shown.

Spring has sprung.

2021…some options for getting out and about from Western Washington

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  1. Take a Winter walk or hike
  2. Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula
  3. Attend a social distance festival, concert or theater production
  4. Visit Canada (when the border opens)
  5. Mount Rainier – re-visit it and see the renovated Paradise Inn
  6. Stay in a Yurt
  7. Golf, Fish, Ski, Snowshoe…somewhere
  8. Takeout from Deru Market in Kirkland, WA
  9. Take the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island for brunch outside
  10. Northwest Trek
  11. See Silver Falls in Oregon
  12. Spheres at the Amazon corporate office (when they re-open for tours)
  13. See the renovated Space Needle, glass floors
  14. Check out the updated Asian Art Museum
  15. See the movie Top Gun / Maverick (due out in July), especially if you loved the first one
  16. Take the portable fire pit out to the street and meet up with the neighbors for happy hour
  17. Travel outside of within 4 hours reach
  18. Go somewhere new; try something new
  19. Go somewhere that you haven’t been to in a number of years. Support the smaller businesses too.
  20. Go somewhere that you love, that makes you happy; one of your favorite places
  21. Do something notable EACH month of 2021 #mightnotsuck

Your One Word of 2021

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What is your one word of 2021?  Instead of a New Year’s Resolution, try one word. This one word will drive your decision making and intentions throughout the year. Who could have predicted what happened in 2020. #choice. My essential word = energy, it determines my contentment, balance and how I move through life.

My one word for 2021? Dynamic

Cheers!

2020 ~ What Happened?

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So, 2020 wasn’t what most of us had hoped for or planned. With COVID-19 restrictions, your well-thought plans were more than derailed. A goal at the beginning of the year was to do something notable every month of the year. That’s didn’t happen but I suppose that was by choice.

Did you attempt to experience nature, the beauty of the pacific northwest?

Did you get out and about to support your local businesses?

At some point, most of us were asked to stay at home. I was one of those… working longer hours and spent much of the time in our household bubble. And then for a few gatherings with friends and family, stayed six feet apart #wearamask. Throughout this post, you’ll see words or hashtags in bold that may have described 2020. The Tag section for others that may seem familiar. 20 highlights for 2020 were:

  1. Caribbean Cruise and trip to Florida
  2. Cielo Cucina Mexicana in Bellevue, WA – Yum!
  3. Canlis Restaurant. Celebrated 10th wedding anniversary
  4. Some personal training happened (but the results were soon lost), donated blood
  5. Virtual NFL Draft and Disco Inferno, All In WA, re-watched Hamilton, Cirque du Soleil, Les Miserables in Concert – The 25th Anniversary production – amazing!
  6. Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge. Shop. View. Hike. Picnicked, celebrated my birthday with a cake from Salish Lodge, champagne
  7. #BLM
  8. Monday’s on the deck with Metallica Monday’s
  9. Experienced the Seattle Mariners home games this season with cutouts – that’s the spirit!
  10. Outdoors at Canlis Restaurant – Crab Shack. What a treat!
  11. La Conner. Walked the town. Pumpkins. Hellams Vineyard
  12. Meet up with neighbors for street side happy hour, Zoom calls, Facetime with friends, entertaining outdoors for 2, takeout (or pickup) Smoking Monkey Pizza, Go Hawks!
  13. Wine tasting in Woodinville
  14. A walk on the Cedar River Trail; a week of haze/smoke
  15. Restaurant Homer in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The most fabulous meal of the year.
  16. Board games, online shopping. If you like soft pretzels, check out Eastern Provisions Pretzels
  17. Vote! #RBG
  18. Pike Place Market. Viewed market charm. Picked up Panettone (3) from DeLaurenti’s Food & Wine. And couldn’t pass up a Hom Bow (and more) at Mee Sum Bakery
  19. Snoqualmie Winter Lights and Snoqualmie Brewery
  20. Almost finished outstanding photo albums using Shutterfly

Maybe there are a few listed here that can brighten your 2021. Where will we go then?

May we continue to acknowledge those that we’ve lost this year.

Happenings 2019

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What were some of my favorite things in 2019?  Did you travel within four hours reach of the Seattle area?  Check out the 19 highlights…

  1. California dreamin (by airplane) – Sonoma, Napa, St Helena, Sacramento, San Francisco, …and Russian River Brewery
  2. Snowmageddon in February in the Puget Sound area
  3. The Konmari Method – Does your ‘stuff’ spark joy?
  4. Poverty Bay Wine Festival in Des Moines, WA – an annual anniversary
  5. Seeing the snow geese in the La Conner, Conway, Mount Vernon area in early-mid March
  6. Eats –  a few new eats in 2019 consisted of the Five Star Cellars wine dinner at the Magestic Hotel in Anacortes, Black Raven Brewery in Redmond, and Resonate Brewery in Bellevue. The Mongolia Wagyu Beef at Baron’s in Bellevue was tasty as well.
  7. Port Townsend – windy Spring day to tour the town, Saturday market, Point Hudson
  8. Seattle Pride Parade fun
  9. Deception Pass and Hellams Vineyard wine/dinner boat cruise via San Juan Cruises
  10. Walk the Cedar River Trail
  11. Pike Place Market – Mee Sum Pastry’s Pork Hom Bow; Sunset Supper in August
  12. Gary Clark Jr at Chateau St Michelle’s Summer Concert Series and Evil Dead the Musical
  13. Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich – so tasty!
  14. Cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, playing fantasy football (4th place in both leagues) and pickem – Go Hawks!
  15. Metallica S&M2 (the performance after the fact) – so fabulous!
  16. Salish Lodge and Snoqualmie Falls –  breakfast, pics of the falls, shopping….one of my favorite places. Includes shopping in the smaller boutiques in Snoqualmie and North Bend
  17. Seattle Sounders win the MLS Cup vs Toronto – Way to Go!
  18. Leavenworth town and tree lighting
  19. Strangelove at Showbox at the Market – love, love, love!

What are you looking forward to in 2020?  I am looking forward to the movie Top Gun/Maverick – oh yeah!

What were your 18 faves for 2018?

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So, this list was skipped at the beginning of the year but now that we’re towards the end of it, what did you do in 2018 that you can recommend?  what did you love? what do you want to do again ‘within 4 hours reach’ of the Puget Sound area?  As I’m a list maker and a scheduler, I can contribute with a list of my own…

  1. Visit The Bay area via airplane, so it counts for this particular list
  2. Check out 21 Acres in Woodinville, your sustainable living heart will love it.  http://21acres.org/
  3. Northwest Flower and Garden Show
  4. Jazz Brunch at Sorrento Hotel in Seattle
  5. Wine Tasting. Poverty Bay Wine Festival.
  6. See ‘Hamilton’ at Paramount Theatre
  7. Did you see your Market Charm or order one?  visit Pike Place Market
  8. Check out live Sumo with Sumo + Sushi
  9. Youth. Equity. Access. to the Arts – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Seattle Symphony, Ciara and Russell Wilson.  And see Candlebox rock their 25th Anniversary tour – oh yeah!
  10. Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge – hike it, pic it, eat it, shop it, massage it, love it
  11. Gig Harbor – visit downtown and walk Sehmel Homestead Park
  12. Walk 18 miles with EverWalk
  13. Seahawks Training Camp. Tailgate.
  14. Notable Restaurant? Meal? Movie? Theater? Concert?  Sporting Event?  Yes, please.  Way to Go Seattle Storm!
  15. Play Croquet in the summer heat
  16. Camano Island waterfront
  17. Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth
  18. Anacortes Bier on the Pier
  19. Extra: the holiday season…put out your outdoor Christmas lights early

Experiencing the holiday season 2018

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Wondering what to check out during the Thanksgiving holiday and last few weeks of November 2018 in the Puget Sound Area? Here are a few ideas for the holiday season:

You may find me at a number of these.

Happy Holidays!