Even though it was nearly 3 months ago, my intentions to post pictures and some stories from our trip to the PNW are still true. And given that I’m on day 4 of sitting around the house trying to feel better after contracting some kind of lung infection-y sort of thing, it’s a perfect time to fulfill good intentions on the blog-front.
Ben and I headed south for a 10 day trip in late-Feb to WA and OR to see friends and family. It was wonderful to see not only these loved ones, but also some green things growing…the northwest is just vibrant – it’s amazing not only what grows there, but also the dedication by so many to maintain fun landscapes in their yards and parks. A major theme of our travels with Amanda was poking about neighborhoods, trying to identify primarily trees and shrubs. I learned that I have a lot to learn! How fun!
I started off the trip with Meg, Curren, and Russ. Meg, Curren, and I went to check out Curren’s school – a beautiful old farm, complete with the coolest cargo-net-play-area I had ever seen. (I want one, but Ben said no)
Don’t you want one, too??
Ben came over to Bainbridge and he, Meg, Curren, and I headed up to Port Townsend for the day. We ate yummy food at the co-op, I drooled over the groceries (I {heart} grocery shopping, and this place was resplendent), and then we went exploring at Fort Wordon State Park. What a crazy place! It’s this old turn of the century fort that is totally open for exploration. No fences, no barriers, a handful of interpretive signs about the history of the place…there were these underground tunnels, linking one area to another, with absolutely no light at all. Old steel doors still hung, small side rooms and an occasional staircase. Curren had grabbed one flashlight (smart kid – he’d been there before), but the rest of us were dependent on him to make it through. I definitely got the heeby-jeebies, as did Meg, giving Ben and Curren a good laugh and ample opportunity for practical joking in dark tight damp quarters. Ahh….boys.
I love a good sign, especially those warning of impending death.
The next day Ben and I made our way to Kirkland to meet up with Amanda, Calais, and Darius. We meandered through Pike’s, me again drooling at all of the food stuff. This is a common theme when we’re out and about – I get very covetous of markets, co-ops, and other food buying type locations not found in our lovely home.
On Tuesday morning we loaded up the car and hit the road. Much to Calais’ dismay…unfortunately for Amanda, this 9 month old does not so much enjoy the car. There’s a sweet time after the car starts moving and before she falls asleep the first time when there can be some joy. Then comes the sleeping, and then comes the screaming. We got to check out some lovely side-of-the-highway locales on our way to and from Portland, with snacking and strolling to keep us all happy and dry-eyed.
Portland is home to Ben’s sister Jennifer and her family – Caleo and Tanya. I haven’t spent much time in Portland, and would love to check it out more thoroughly some day. Lots of bikes, lots of green, lots of microbreweries….(another thing I tend to covet when we’re away).
One of the days we were down there, it snowed approximately 2 inches. And yes, it was a snow day. Caleo was stoked – no school! Ben, Amanda, Calais, Jennifer, Tanya, Caleo, and I headed for a walk in the snow down to Mulnomah Village. Ummmm…..yes, this picture below is of Caleo throwing a snowball. On the snow day. Note the drying roads (and this was at maybe 11am). Yep, things are done a little different down there…
Back in Seattle, Ben, Amanda, Calais, and I headed to the Big City to check out the flower and garden show, and then spent a half day walking up and around Capitol Hill. I’m not much of a city girl, but I do love visiting.
The kid on the front makes shoe-tying a tricky endeavor. That’s what little brothers are for, right?
Okay, more signs. Did I mention I like signs? Here I love the pictures, and I LOVE that there is a compostable food bin! There was a trash can as well, but we know all about those up here.
Mama and baby.
On our last day, Ben and I took Calais to do some grocery shopping while Amanda did some quiet-no-baby napping. I can’t believe I didn’t get a head-on shot of Ben with Baby. I was horribly amused and swooning over the walk-with-Baby, and Ben was a trooper about it. I think Calais had a good time, too, until the last 10 minutes or so. She screamed for most of those, until she fell asleep right in the front yard when we were back at the house. Good timing, kid. 
The trip back north was uneventful, aside from some in-flight turbulence that had me a bit nervous. Well, it was more the warning of turbulence….it didn’t end up being that bad, but I still just sat tight and suffered through. It was great to see everyone, great to get out of dodge for a little bit, and great to be back home.
I’m hoping that I’m back to feeling mostly-normal tomorrow, but I’ll still try to update the blog with some high tunnel and spring-growing pictures soon!
