- Take a Winter walk or hike
- Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula
- Attend a social distance festival, concert or theater production
- Visit Canada (when the border opens)
- Mount Rainier – re-visit it and see the renovated Paradise Inn
- Stay in a Yurt
- Golf, Fish, Ski, Snowshoe…somewhere
- Takeout from Deru Market in Kirkland, WA
- Take the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island for brunch outside
- Northwest Trek
- See Silver Falls in Oregon
- Spheres at the Amazon corporate office (when they re-open for tours)
- See the renovated Space Needle, glass floors
- Check out the updated Asian Art Museum
- See the movie Top Gun / Maverick (due out in July), especially if you loved the first one
- Take the portable fire pit out to the street and meet up with the neighbors for happy hour
- Travel outside of within 4 hours reach
- Go somewhere new; try something new
- Go somewhere that you haven’t been to in a number of years. Support the smaller businesses too.
- Go somewhere that you love, that makes you happy; one of your favorite places
- Do something notable EACH month of 2021 #mightnotsuck
Just for the fun of it
Your One Word of 2021
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!
Happy New Year 2021!
Happy New Year 2021! Do you have a New Year’s Day tradition? Pork and sauerkraut maybe? noodles? Participating in the Polar Bear Plunge? Football? A Rose Parade viewing? A new outlook with many possibilities?
These recipes, dishes look tasty. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/g1960/good-luck-foods/?slide=3
2020 ~ What Happened?
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:
- Caribbean Cruise and trip to Florida
- Cielo Cucina Mexicana in Bellevue, WA – Yum!
- Canlis Restaurant. Celebrated 10th wedding anniversary
- Some personal training happened (but the results were soon lost), donated blood
- Virtual NFL Draft and Disco Inferno, All In WA, re-watched Hamilton, Cirque du Soleil, Les Miserables in Concert – The 25th Anniversary production – amazing!
- Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge. Shop. View. Hike. Picnicked, celebrated my birthday with a cake from Salish Lodge, champagne
- #BLM
- Monday’s on the deck with Metallica Monday’s
- Experienced the Seattle Mariners home games this season with cutouts – that’s the spirit!
- Outdoors at Canlis Restaurant – Crab Shack. What a treat!
- La Conner. Walked the town. Pumpkins. Hellams Vineyard
- 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!
- Wine tasting in Woodinville
- A walk on the Cedar River Trail; a week of haze/smoke
- Restaurant Homer in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The most fabulous meal of the year.
- Board games, online shopping. If you like soft pretzels, check out Eastern Provisions Pretzels
- Vote! #RBG
- 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
- Snoqualmie Winter Lights and Snoqualmie Brewery
- 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
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…
- California dreamin (by airplane) – Sonoma, Napa, St Helena, Sacramento, San Francisco, …and Russian River Brewery
- Snowmageddon in February in the Puget Sound area
- The Konmari Method – Does your ‘stuff’ spark joy?
- Poverty Bay Wine Festival in Des Moines, WA – an annual anniversary
- Seeing the snow geese in the La Conner, Conway, Mount Vernon area in early-mid March
- 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.
- Port Townsend – windy Spring day to tour the town, Saturday market, Point Hudson
- Seattle Pride Parade fun
- Deception Pass and Hellams Vineyard wine/dinner boat cruise via San Juan Cruises
- Walk the Cedar River Trail
- Pike Place Market – Mee Sum Pastry’s Pork Hom Bow; Sunset Supper in August
- Gary Clark Jr at Chateau St Michelle’s Summer Concert Series and Evil Dead the Musical
- Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich – so tasty!
- Cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, playing fantasy football (4th place in both leagues) and pickem – Go Hawks!
- Metallica S&M2 (the performance after the fact) – so fabulous!
- 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
- Seattle Sounders win the MLS Cup vs Toronto – Way to Go!
- Leavenworth town and tree lighting
- 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?
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…
- Visit The Bay area via airplane, so it counts for this particular list
- Check out 21 Acres in Woodinville, your sustainable living heart will love it. http://21acres.org/
- Northwest Flower and Garden Show
- Jazz Brunch at Sorrento Hotel in Seattle
- Wine Tasting. Poverty Bay Wine Festival.
- See ‘Hamilton’ at Paramount Theatre
- Did you see your Market Charm or order one? visit Pike Place Market
- Check out live Sumo with Sumo + Sushi
- 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!
- Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge – hike it, pic it, eat it, shop it, massage it, love it
- Gig Harbor – visit downtown and walk Sehmel Homestead Park
- Walk 18 miles with EverWalk
- Seahawks Training Camp. Tailgate.
- Notable Restaurant? Meal? Movie? Theater? Concert? Sporting Event? Yes, please. Way to Go Seattle Storm!
- Play Croquet in the summer heat
- Camano Island waterfront
- Autumn Leaf Festival in Leavenworth
- Anacortes Bier on the Pier
- Extra: the holiday season…put out your outdoor Christmas lights early
Experiencing the holiday season 2018
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:
- http://www.seattleandsound.com/november.html
- Seattle Art Museum – the ‘Peacock in the Desert’ exhibit http://www.seattleartmuseum.org
- Enchant Christmas – “Safeco” Field https://enchantchristmas.com/seattle/
- Check out the ornaments and decor at Molbak’s in Woodinville
- Ride the Santa Train in Snoqualmie https://www.trainmuseum.org/index.php/programs-events/santa-train
- via The Seattle Times…
https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/events/holiday-events-guide-2018-festive-fairs-markets-and-bazaars/ - the Seattle Seahawks are in town this December
- Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker http://verlaineandmccann.com/shows-and-tickets/land-of-the-sweets-the-burlesque-nutcracker
- Snowflake Lane in Bellevue http://snowflakelane.com/
- and much more..
You may find me at a number of these.
Happy Holidays!
52 Week Adventure
Needing inspiration for more adventure in 2017? Outdoor Project is providing some. Experience the four seasons in 52 weeks. #52AdventureWeek
http://www.outdoorproject.com/blog-news/52-week-adventure-challenge-snowventure
17 for 2017
What to do in 2017? Anything that will calm your heart and bring you peace, laughter, and joy. In other words, Rock it! Below are 17 options within four hours reach of the Seattle area.
- Hike the waterfall trails along the Historic Columbia River Highway Scenic Byway. It just celebrated its 100-year anniversary.
- Try one (1) new restaurant each month of the year
- Walk along the sandy, rocky beaches of Dungeness Spit, view lighthouse
- Visit and buy from a local farmers market
- Whidbey Island…stay at the Inn at Langley #pnw
- Attend four (4) fairs or festivals that you didn’t last year
- Lake Chelan ~ wine tasting #wawine
- Celebrate someone’s 50th – bingo karaoke? sky dive? trip to Paris?
- North Cascades Highway ~ the most beautiful place on earth
- Take the ‘Mount Rainier’ Gondola at Crystal Mountain ~ think ‘this year’s holiday card photo’
- Spa treatment at Whistler BC
- Port Ludlow and Fort Worden State Park. Try the Ludlow Falls Interpretative Trail, Around-the-Bay Trail, Murhut Falls Trail
- Go Mariners, Rainiers, Aquasox and Bells!
- Visit Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve
- Run or walk a 5K or 15K ~ support a cause important to you or your like-minded friends
- See La Traviata, Luzia, or other to bring a little culture #hallelujah
- Hike the Washington State coast ~ http://www.outdoorproject.com/blog-news/16-best-hikes-washington-coast #outdoorproject
Happy New Year 2017
Whether you are excited or hesitant about the new year, it’s good to get out and get some fresh air. Here are 9 Seattle area beaches and walks that just might bring some joy to your life:
http://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/9-seattle-area-beaches-for-walking-off-that-holiday-heft/