Checking In

Hi Everyone, I don't have any photos to post of my weekend but thought I'd check in anyway. I had a good weekend, got some sun, but it just went by too quickly! Saturday morning Buddy and I went to the dog park for a couple of hours then spent the afternoon at Pet-A-Palooza at Game Farm Park in Auburn. Buddy got lots of attention for his color and the way he prances. We saw lots of cute dogs, even some ferrets and guinea pigs. It made me miss my guinea pig Buffy. But I don't miss cleaning her cage, so it's all good.

Today (Sunday) Buddy and I took a 5 mile hike at Federation Forest State Park. It's an old growth forest 15 miles east of Enumclaw along the White River. We got on the trail around 8am and by 11am the sun kicked in and it started getting pretty warm. But luckily the milky water of the White River is actually glacial meltwater from Mt Rainier, and any breeze blowing across it hits you like a blast from an air conditioner. Nice.

Now I'm home and vegging out on the couch, avoiding the laundry I need to do. Hope everyone had a good weekend! ~ Peace, out.

Last Weekend

Sorry, I'm getting slower and slower at posting my weekend pics. Last weekend we did some driving, did some hiking, the usual. Enjoy.

Visited Mt. Rainier National Park


Saw some deer at Flaming Geyser State Park


Buddy got to see one up close!


He loves posing for the camera.


View of Mt. Rainier and the city of Auburn, WA from Centennial View Park


Zoom shot


Thanks for stopping by!

Buh-bye now.

Mother's Day Weekend

Hapy Mother's Day, Mom! And to all those wonderful mothers out there. Saturday was a gem of a day - 65 degrees and bright, crystal clear skies. Sunday was a little warmer but not as clear and bright. Buddy and I were gone all day Saturday and half the day Sunday - we mostly stayed in the Snoqualmie area, except for our usual stops at Flaming Geyser State Park. We did some driving and hiking and of course, took lots of photos. Here are some of my faves from the weekend (Sorry Mom, there's no pictures of Buddy, I promise to get some next time.)

First up, Flaming Geyser State Park. I wouldn't think a dog would have a favorite place, I'd think it would thrill him to be anywhere outdoors, and it does except he gets extra excited about certain places. He likes to be near water, especially if there's a sandy beach, but I think his favorite place has become Flaming Geyser where there's grassy trails along the Green River. Last weekend we saw 4 big elk in a part of the park where we usually see deer, but of course I didn't have my camera with! grrrr. It's one of my favorites places too and luckily it's pretty close to home. It's a scenic drive through the lush Green Valley farmland to get to the park and there's a cute little Farmer's Market I like to stop at along the way to buy flowers and produce. I had sweet corn 3 nights in a row - yum! Anyway, here's some pics of FGSP.











That last one was me trying to be artsy-fartsy but I'm no Ansel Adams! Here's some pics from the rest of the weekend:





Taken at Snoqualmie Falls Park:













Taken at Iron Horse State Park and Rattlesnake Lake/Mountain:












Clearly not Buddy, just some dog at the lake he briefly became friends with.



Taken just east of Snoqualmie Pass, I can't remember the name of the lake:



Edit: Umm, I just noticed the trash at the very bottom of this otherwise beautiful picture. Come on, people - give a hoot and don't pollute!!

Last Weekend

More pics from last weekend, during which I used nearly 3 tanks of gas. I didn't plan to, but just ended up driving all over - Skagit Valley, Mt. Rainier National Park, Des Moines Marina, Flaming Geyser State Park, etc, etc. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the weekend.

My dog Buddy sporting some high fashion. He has 4 legs, I swear.

'Til next time, happy trails to you!

Tulips! etc.

Yesterday (Friday) I worked an earlier shift so I could leave for Skagit Valley after work. And I'm glad I did because yesterday was a perfect sunny 70 degree day. The skies were crystal clear and you could see for miles and miles. In western Washington that means breathtaking mountain views in the distance just about everywhere you look. Today is cloudy, rainy and bleak so yeah, I think I made the right decision by capitalizing on yesterday's pristine weather.



This was my first trip to Skagit Valley and let me tell you, it is a charming little valley surrounded by mountains - with farmland, cows, horses, and fields and fields of beautiful tulips, daffodils, and irises. Just lovely - heavenly even. The tulip field I stopped at was just outside the Rosengaard garden. The perfect rows of tulips were even more brilliantly and vibrantly colored than I imagined. Even the best photos don't do them justice. And when you are walking along you catch their light fragrance on the breeze, not too overpowering, just perfect.



The tulip festival runs the whole month of April but was extended by a week this year due to the late blooming. So you still have another week or so to catch the festival. I'm really tempted to go back again when I have more time to spend there, the irises are supposed to be in full bloom shortly. Now enjoy some more pics from the tulip fields and a couple of other stops I made yesterday.

On the way home I stopped at beautiful Camano Island State Park overlooking the waters of Puget Sound.

The next three photos were taken looking from left to right across the water.

Sunset - A beautiful ending to a beautiful day...