Summer Near Home & At The Ocean

The summer season is coming to a close and there will be less sunshine and blue sky in the horizon {predicting lots of rain next 6 …7…9 months}.  It has been a fairly laidback summer for us with most of our activities and trips being short distances from home.  The above picture is me enjoying the warm sunshine and ocean air and just beyond the trees is a short walk to the beach {click HERE to see more pictures on Facebook of our family trip to the ocean}

The following pictures capture some of what went on close to home this summer.

This cute little deer is one of my four new “friends” that likes to come over for a visit during the summer.  They tend to come in pairs, while the other deer went off into the woods, she decided to stay awhile and visit with the neighbor cat and me.

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Hannah & Grace having fun paddle boarding at Rattlesnake Lake …nothing but mountains, water and the view.  This is also a great place to go on a family hike.

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Taking the backroads is a favorite driving excursion.  A few miles away from our house are farm lands where cows, horses, water buffalos, chickens, goats and wildlife live.  My favorite area to cruise below the 25 mph speed limit is where the farmers have planted fields of flowers {shown: zinnias} and rows of corn stalks.  Late in the afternoon and early evenings they will be busy filling buckets and buckets of fresh picked flowers to be sold the next day at Pike Place Market / Public Market Center in Seattle. What can I say about local corn other than … they are the sweetest. These backroads are also a favorite area for Bikers and dog walkers {Glory & me}.

Last June, Bill wrote a blog post about Orvis fly fishing 101 class {read more …}.  He took the kids to the class and after that session ended they had the opportunity to go out on a stocked pond {here in the Snoqualmie Valley} and catch trout.  Staff from the Orvis store were there to instruct and guide everyone.  All the participants caught fish and learned more about fly fishing.  Caleb caught his first two fish that day!  Look for these {Free} fly fishing 101 classes to be available again at the Orvis stores across the United States in May and June 2014.

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Snoqualmie Falls is a big attraction here in the valley.  A great day hike along the river to the falls is fun for the kids and adults.  The first time my two girls went on the hike was many years ago when Grace was 5 {above pic} and Hannah was 8 years old.  They have since walked the trails many times.  If hiking is not what you want to do, there is a lookout area near the falls that’s a short walk from the parking lot.

I hope you had a wonderful fun summer!

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posted by: Kay