September travels.

We did some traveling in September...thought I'd share a bit of the sights! 

Early in the month Mike & I headed up to Seattle with a truckload of Allison & Stephen's stuff!  They were settling into their new digs near the UW campus, getting started with school and work, and we were able to spend a few days hanging out with them; seeing the campus, biking, paddle boarding (for the first time!) and getting to know their new neighborhood!

Then, we headed across the waters and over to the Olympic National Park.  I've never been, but Mike had gone years ago with a photography class, so he was eager to show me around.  We stayed in Forks, WA...and if you are a Twilight fan you will know that it is where some of the film(s) were shot.  I have not read any of the books or seen any of the movies, so the tourist attractions in the little town were lost on me!  We did, however, wander a beach path after dark and it was plenty creepy...sure felt like a vampire was lurking...!

Spent our days driving here and there, did a little hiking, found an amazing spot to paddle board (Lake Crescent...amazing emerald water that was unbelievably clear, surrounded by hills covered in beautiful trees) and we sampled some local fare.  Our evenings, we headed to the beaches for sunsets!

After a few days of exploring, we headed South to Pacific City, Oregon.  Home away from home.  We hiked out the beautifully forested, muddy trail to Cape Lookout on one afternoon...spent a couple of days just hanging out watching the dories come and go...paddle boarded a nice lake in Lincoln City...and explored Cape Kiwanda a little more (oh, and if I am offering full disclosure, I might also mention that we ended up in the ER late one night, Mike passing a kidney stone!).  We made an unexpected trip to Hermiston to honor Mike's Uncle, Dave Landon, who passed away after a long illness.  Dave was one of the first "Ryan" family members I met as he and his wife, Carolyn, lived in Hermiston when Mike and I first met there...and Dave always made me feel like part of his family; a daughter.  He was the first voice I recall hearing when I woke up in the hospital having just had Ashley...he told me "she is beautiful".  I will miss his laugh. 

Mike headed back after a week, leaving me to set my own pace for the rest of the time...I did a lot of beach walking, took a paddle board yoga class on the Nestucca River (and never fell off!), enjoyed time to read and write and daydream...and took a glass blowing lesson one afternoon (made a cool paperweight)!  "I come to the sea to breathe" is one of my favorite quotes...and I sure do love it...something about the unceasing movement of the sea that calms me.

I made it home safely and spent a day re-grouping at home before I packed up Ashley & Harper for a road trip to Island Park to visit some friends!  It was a fun visit and great to spend a day with Ashley & Harper, too, after having been away for 3 weeks!  Harper is growing so fast now...busy learning new things every day (stay tuned for the next post for a Harper update!)!  That next weekend, we met those friends in the Grand Teton Park and spent a beautiful Fall day doing a little kayaking down the Snake River...and then we camped out at a spot where we could watch the full moon go down as the sun rose up right over the Teton Range. 

September was spent mostly on the road, for me...and Fall always feels like a good time to settle back in at home for a bit...so this month I did some portrait work with some sweet clients, did mountains of laundry and plenty of housework and dreaded paperwork, caught up with some old friends in Boise and took Mike's parents to a BSU football game.  And then, I traveled once again, to Seattle to visit Allison...this time with Ashley & Harper!  We did kind of a girl's weekend (we let Stephen stay...and baby Uriah!), with shopping and sight-seeing and ice cream and cookies and plenty of sitting around watching Harper!  I managed to do a couple of photo shoots too...stay tuned for that! 



On a ferry, leaving Seattle for the Olympic National Park.

The Seattle skyline.

Lake Crescent...incredible waters!

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic Park

Second Beach

Second Beach

I can't resist making towers on rocky shores!

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach

Pacific City, Oregon...home away from home.

Moonset and sunrise, over the Teton Range.

More Seattle...

So, once you've wandered around Pike's Place Market, catch a ride over to the University area (yes, Husky grounds!) where you can rent a kayak (Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club) to paddle around Portage Bay, into Union Bay and through parts of the Washington Park Arboretum. If it's a warm day, it will be the perfect afternoon activity and a unique experience of being in the city and yet removed from the hustle and bustle as well...and, lots to see (beautiful waterfront homes and houseboats, the Montlake Draw Bridge, particularly friendly water fowl, and lots of people hanging out in and near the waterfront). Upstairs from the Paddle Club is a great little Mexican Cafe...yummy food and perfectly blended drinks!



If you want to spend more time outdoors, and like to people watch, the evening hours are fun at the Seattle Center. From downtown, it's a quick ride on the Monorail which ends in the heart of the Seattle Center. Between the Space Needle, the amusement park, the live music almost always happening there and the International Fountain, there is always a steady stream of entertaining sights and sounds!

Seattle! Pike's Place Market!

The best way to start your morning in Seattle? Head down to Pike's Place, grab a cup of Starbucks' coffee along the way or at their very first store (there are 416 Starbucks in the greater Seattle metropolis!), and find this little place, the "Daily Dozen Doughnut Company" for a fresh batch of cinnamon donuts! (I asked them if I could move in, but, they didn't seem interested...something about profit margins plummeting...!)
Then, after a sufficient amount of fat and sugar...head to one of the many produce stands and pick out your favorite fruit (the best peach I've ever eaten...and yummy cherries...and raspberries...and, and, and...!)...like I said, pick your favorite...you can't go wrong!
If you are lucky, this gentleman will be serenading you as you walk along the market...and the fish will be flying...and the sun will be shining all day, as it was when we visited Seattle this past weekend!

Don't forget to re-visit the market in the evening hours...