Simpsons in Seattle

Yesterday we finally did a very Seattle activity and did a glass blowing class! This was a belated gift for Margie that we finally got scheduled and we had a great time. It was just us ladies (Margie, me, Evie and Nora) and we each picked one item to create. The instructor, David at Blowing Sands Glassworks Studio, was super patient and worked individually with each of us to make our glass piece. Margie, Evie and Nora all made pumpkins and I made a bird. Here's are some pics of the various stages of how to make each glass piece. We will pick them up in a few weeks and I can't wait to see how they turn out!  Starting the piece with getting some molten glass. After shaping the glass a bit and blowing a bubble, you have to shape the glass even further using these wooden scoops. Next you coat the hot glass with colored glass shards. Here is Evie at the end using a pump to blow air into the glass to make the round shape. This is me pinching the hot glass to shape the bird's beak...

Just 2 weeks ago I was in the beautiful town of Banff enjoying girl time with my cousins and taking in the picturesque landscape and now I'm holed up in front of my computer doing work. Oh how I wish I could go back! This was my second trip to Banff (first time was back in 2019 on a roadtrip with the family ) and I got to check out other parts of this beautiful National Park while laughing it up with these girls to celebrate Frances' big birthday..  We all met up at Calgary airport on Friday morning and after a quick lunch at Calan Noodles for hand-made beef noodle soup (yum!), we hopped in our rental car and drove the 90 minutes to Banff. I was surprised and impressed at how easy the drive was - even easier than driving to Whistler because of the wide and well maintained freeway.  That first afternoon in Banff we walked around town and did some shopping before making our way to Brazen, a bistro serving "Modern Canadian" fare. What's Modern Canadian you ask? We di...

Another weekend, another hike! This time, we went to Mirror Lake, a roughly 5mi r/t hike up in Snoqualmie pass. The girls weren't super excited to go especially because we weren't prepared for the rain that was up there! At least it was just a bit drizzly here and there, and cleared after a few hours. The hike itself was gorgeous and passed by another lake first and meets up with the PCT for a bit as well. We didn't see very many folks on the trail at all, so it was a nice quiet hike. Wet hike! Scott was the only one prepared for rain. Bushwaking for parts of the trail Cottonwood Lake The lake peaking through the trees We found a few spots near the lake to hang out and eat lunch While Scott fished (of course!) more rain coming down We went a little pass Mirror Lake and came across this gorgeous view of the valley. We were at the top of this waterfall. PCT! On the way back, the skies cleared and we got to see how Mirror Lake got its name. Pretty emerald waters!  

We joined Scott's parents for a nice end-of-summer weekend on Orcas Island a few weekends ago and it was perfect! The weather was just starting to turn cooler, but wasn't yet cold, and the island wasn't overrun with tourists now that the high season is over. Now that the the girls are older, we've also been experimenting with walking onto the ferry vs taking the car on and that has reduced our traffic stress a lot more than you'd think possible! All in all, a nice weekend away! We couldn't smell the smoke from fires, but it made for a very red sunset.  Apple and Pear trees all over the island! Look how tall this hollyhock is! Coffee stop at our fav bookstore - Darvill's.  Pretty flowers in bloom in our garden. Scott and I did a morning hike to the head of Turtleback Mountain. We had previously only hiked the back of the turtle so this was new to us, and was surprisingly a good workout!  

It feels like summer just started and yet here we are, at the end of August and school starts tomorrow! There's a joke in Seattle that you are exhausted at the end of summer because you want to take advantage of every last bit of the warm sun and I have to agree with that - these past few weeks have been packed with seeing friends and enjoying the weather. We did a quick weekend trip to Seabrook with the Wongs, and although we haven't gone camping at all this summer (much to Scott's disappointment), we have done A LOT of fishing including a recent hike along the Taylor River in Middle Fork Snoqualamie. Some pictures are below. Sadly, it has started to turn cold already and in fact, was hailing yesterday in parts of Seattle. Bye, Vitamin D! The kids practicing cartwheels at Seabrook beach. This year, we rented a house on the water side. This was the view from the deck. The beach is just behind those trees. Nora and I had fun walking the gnome trail again. The girls all made ...