Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest I feel most alive surrounded by trees and breathing in the fresh mountain air.
When I am not working you will most likely find me spending time outdoors, volunteering with my church and exploring this beautiful planet with my family.
This is my place to share my passion for life and to encourage you to take time to find the extraordinary in your life.
All tagged Summer in Seattle
For the past several years we have made it a point to stop by the South Lake Union Block Party for burgers, sunshine and an all around good time. This year we had an eager toddler in tow who was ready to get in on the action himself. Most notably during the block party, he played a little chess, chased bubbles, grabbed more than a few bananas from the free Banana stand, chowed down on burgers and picked up his first library card accompanied by a temporary tattoo of the downtown Seattle library. After the Block Party we made our way down to South Lake Union Park for a little splashing around in the water to cap off our night.
This Summer we have discovered a new favorite place to hang out- South Lake Union Park. Although we have always liked this place, we just recently discovered the joys of it on a hot Summer day. For cooling off we love the epic splash pad, when we get hungry we like the healthy and convenient made to order lunches they serve at the MOHAI and the best part of all is the constant buzz of air traffic overhead and boat traffic on the water.
In the summertime, Pike Place Market often turns into a mob of tourists. I feel like a fish swimming upstream as I make my way through crowds of people. Despite all of this, I still like to go there for the fresh flowers, cheese, some of the best fresh seafood I can find and always Ellenos greek yogurt.
It never quite feels like Summer until we spend a day at the beach. We met our friends on the first day of Summer for an epic day of surf, sand and togetherness. I am grateful for my friends who were brave and ventured into motherhood at a young age. For us it means we have a whole slew of potential babysitters at our disposal and so many sweet children eager to teach Jasper all sorts of cool things.
The two questions I get more than any other is "What are some non touristy things I can do with out of town guests?" or "What should I do when I come to visit Seattle?" Today, I will set out to answer those two questions and give you a variety of ideas of things you can do both near and far.
On a cloudy, overcast day we met Captain Ron on the shore of Lake Union to take part in our very first sailing lesson. Many companies start their sailing lessons in the classroom, but Lake Union Charters and Adventures likes to get you out on the water and operating the boat immediately. I was little intimidated at the thought of sailing my own boat, but Captain Ron was patient, relaxed and fostered a non judgmental environment for learning.
While we were up near Mount Baker over Memorial Day weekend, we stopped by Boxx Berry Farm for a strawberry picking pit stop. There is something so nostalgic and fun about berry picking. It brings me back to my own childhood and reminds me of all the fun adventures I had when I was young.
In general, I try to pack as light as possible. In my beach bag I like to pack the following: sun hat, flip flops, a sarong which can double as a blanket to sit on and a towel, sunscreen, a variety of snacks, a small plastic bucket and a large water bottle. I have found the more I bring, the more stressed I feel about keeping track of it all. When you are out in nature, more toys generally does not equate to a better time. Also, unless Jasper is going swimming I do not bother to put him in his swimsuit or swim diaper. I find it to not be worth the hassle and most of his Summer clothes are quick dry anyways.
This Summer, we have tried our best to take advantage of what has seemed like endless glorious weather. A couple weekends back we spent the entire day hiking the 11.5 miles to Pratt Lake. Aside from the air being hazy from all the fires in the North Cascades, it was a wonderful day spent together as a family up in the mountains. I have to give my husband major kudos because he not only hiked, but carried Jasper on his back almost the entire way. Since Pratt Lake is such a long hike it deters a lot of people. As a result, we found ourselves alone most of the time on the trail. It was a scenic hike where we passed through several different types of landscapes and encountered endless types of terrain. It was a beautiful hike, albeit long and one I am eager to do again as an overnight adventure.
Each Summer South Lake Union puts on a Summer Block Party. The highlight of the event is always the Seattle Met Burger Competition. Although I am not a huge red meat person, every now and again I crave a delicious hamburger. For $15 you are able to try five delicious sliders from five local restaurants and walk away with not only a full stomach, but an adorable little tote bag. Summer is that time of year we really try to savor in Seattle and with all this fantastic weather there has been ample time spent outside enjoying these long days and warm Summer breeze.
Note: The South Lake Union Block Party typically occurs the second Friday in August.
For Jasper's nine month birthday we wanted to do something festive. So the moment I saw a large bouquet of multi colored balloons hanging off the dock I was interested. Below the balloons sat a little sandwich board which advertised an Ice Cream Cruise; a one hour cruise around Lake Union. It looked festive and fun, so on a whim we hopped aboard. The sky had been threatening rain all morning so the boat was only minimally full. We set out on our cruise around the lake as a light rain started to fall and seaplanes buzzed by overhead. One of my favorite things about Lake Union is it is always a bustling place. In a five minute span you might see a stand up paddler, a sailboat, a kayaker, a seaplane and a helicopter. There is no shortage of boat traffic or things to look at.
Some Saturdays we leave the house without a plan. Our main goal for the day is always to have fun, but we don't always have the details ironed out. One such Saturday we had loosely planned to rent a paddle boat at The Center for Wooden Boats, but a combination of high winds and the Seattle Dragon Boat Races soon changed our plans. Instead, we ended up spending the entire day at South Lake Union Park. We watched the Dragon boat races, walked around The Center for Wooden Boats, toured an old tugboat, took an Ice Cream Cruise and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Duke's. It was such a diverse and fun way to spend the day together as a family. Jasper loved watching all the water and air traffic. He kept craning his neck every time he heard another plane or helicopter fly overhead. With the recent revisions to South Lake Union Park it has become a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.
While my sister and her family were in town we went to an Everett Aquasox's game. Over the past several years we have preferred going to these games as opposed to the Seattle Mariner's because you can get tickets for a fraction of the cost of what they would be at Safeco Field. We also are able to get much better seats and they even do a fireworks show after the game. It was a rare treat to have so much of our family together and this was Jasper's first baseball game to boot!
We have been experiencing a scorcher of a Summer this year in Seattle. Most Saturdays, we escape to the mountains for a drop in temperature and to take in the gorgeous views of all the many alpine lakes in the area. A week ago we made the hike up to Rachel Lake. We had not been here in a long time and the last we came here there the trail was pretty snow covered, we lost our way a couple times and I am not even certain we made it to the lake. Since it was such a warm day, we appreciated how most of the trail was in the shade. Once at the lake there was ample shoreline for everyone and I even took a dip in the icy alpine lake. Such a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!
This Summer we have had lots of family visiting from out of town. Although the main attraction for them has been meeting Jasper we have also spent plenty of time at Alki beach. Sharing with others what a beautiful place West Seattle is always makes us happy. Among some of our favorite things to do at Alki Beach are rent surreys, have a sunset bonfire, get ice cream cones, watch the sunset, eat at one of the delicious restaurants or go for a run or a long walk. I realize all these things sound quite simple, but they make for a lovely way to spend an afternoon or an evening.
Picnic season is upon us and I couldn't be more pumped. A few months ago I purchased a large picnic blanket from Costco and deemed it "the wisest $20 I have ever spent". Since then, I have found ample excuses to pull it out and am happy to report I have used it on an almost daily basis. As soon as it gets warm enough to sit outside my preferred place is to be outside.
In the Summer, one of my favorite things to do is meet Cameron after work and go on a picnic. Even though it takes a little extra work to pack a picnic there is something inherently festive about preparing and loading up a picnic basket. On those nights when things get to hectic we like to grab something on our way to the park. Either way, the time spent together as a family enjoying the warm Summer air is the thing I daydream the most about on the coldest and dreariest of Winter days in the PNW.
