As Taylor Swift says “Settle Down”!!

Well I guess that is what we have been doing for three weeks. We settled down into a very nice RV park called Pioneer Trails. It has huge trees, lots of beautiful flowers including hydrangeas and it’s quiet and close to lots of places. We were able to get the monthly rate but even at that it’s quite high. Our sites are large with fire pits and tables. The office has no supplies other than ice and firewood but the laundry is clean and so are the bathrooms and showers if you choose to use them.  Since being here we have gone somewhere about every day.  We have met sone lovely neighbors and enjoyed learning about where they are from and what sights they suggest we see.  There is quiet an extensive drought here.  They haven’t had rain for over a month. This area is full of agriculture including potatoes, grapes for the many vineyards, berries, cherries, apples and all kinds of fruit.  There is also a huge oil refinery here. And for sure lots of seafood.  The docks look full all the time with huge personal fishing boats.  We have enjoyed the tides going in and out and watching people go out looking for clams or oysters. The weather has been FINALLY perfect!  The days are usually in the mid 70’s and nights down to high 50’s or 60’s.  No AC really.  We have a few fans and if the mornings are a bit cool we turn on our fireplace which creates some ambiance while we have coffee and watch the news. A lady across from us who is from Texas has been coming to this park for 7 years.  She is a wealth of information.  She asked me if I wanted to go to water aerobics with her so about three days a week she takes me.  Dan has tried to find pickleball but no one shows up to the one here at our park and no one showed up to the city park courts so he has been hiking and birding.  A highlight fir me was attending one of my previous superintendents 90th birthday in Newberg Oregon. He was in Kamiah when I taught 3rd grade there.  He was such an inspiration and overall great man. We took the weekend and stayed two nights around the Portland area.  Traffic was horrible. This was the big Taylor Swift concert in Seattle amd then a huge soccer tournament too!  But we had a good time catching up and meeting members of his family.  His wife died several years ago and he has a new special friend Evelyn. She is a sweetheart.  His three daughters put on the party. The food was very good with fresh fruit and sub sandwiches from a caterer.  

We have about another week here to enjoy local concerts in Anacortes and LaConner, both very cute towns.  I also had a great get together with two of my colleagues from Kamiah, Mindy Espinosa a speech therapist and Sandy Munoz a special education teacher and first grade teacher.  Both moved on but our friendship has held together all these years and I’m blessed.  I just wished I would have gotten a photo but we talked so much we forgot!!

Our spot for the month
Beautiful flower gardens everywhere


The streets are all tree lined and shady. 







Ready for July 4th 

We made it to lots of these free concerts which I love 



Our store and office area 

My plants are making it all the way from AZ!!

Sone local hikes and a trip to Mt Erie 




You gotta love the Puget Sound. No place like it. 

A hike looking for birds



Always shorelines to explore

We found a good place to kayak on a bit of a cloudy day which was ok 



The Native American influence and heritage is noted everywhere. 



The geese are happy here!

Huge lily pads


Look inside this lily pad!!! 

I saw these beautiful red flowers everywhere. They called them a red sage!! Didn’t look like sage to me but they were striking. 

The concert series had a kids area with Jenga and corn hole. 



They have a lovely board walk to where you can walk along the water and see boaters, tubers, kayakers and birds. 

The giant tulips are stunning and represent the annual tulip festivals in the area. This is where the bands set up 


The boardwalk has lots of places to have a brew and some food and listen to the vibes. 

Celebrating 90!!!  He looks great. Norman Winters. And Evelyn 

His three daughters, Chris, Cathy and Karen

Notice his hat!!

The feast held at a park close to his care home


Ah and the cake of which Dan had two pieces!!! Does that surprise you??!! 😂😂

More to come about Mt Baker. 

 

All that glitters is not gold and all gold doesn’t glitter!

Traveling the northwest can bring such beauty to the eye of the beholder.   Each season has its own unique picture to paint for the viewer. That picture can change suddenly or linger on for days bringing subtle differences to leaves, flowers, fields, shadows on the backdrops of barns and homesteads.  It never seems to get old or bore you whether you hike it, bike it or travel by car or coach.  Everyone is looking for that flight of an eagle or a blow spewing in the bay from a whale!   As we left Idaho we headed toward Twisp Washington which is along the Cascades. Sometimes you pass by dry, rugged, rocky desolate country but each has its own story to tell and if you don’t stop to absorb sone of the facts I think you miss out.  Even these places have their wonder and amazement!   I always learn or relearn something and everyone needs a bathroom break!!  We spent several days at the campground which was a long a lake.  Lots of families were there and many with tents.  Everyone it seems has a dog and I love animals but when you get so many in a small place there is lots of barking and commotion.  We explored the small towns and shops of both Twisp and Winthrop.  Both were packed with visitors leaving sidewalks crowded and parking spaces full.  We usually take our own lunch and find a nice area to have something to eat while taking in scenery, whether it be people watching or listening to a lazy flowing creek looking for something unusual.  So take in some of the sights we appreciated and felt were noteworthy.  

These are rape fields in their glory !! Also known as rapeseed and used in making canola oil or animal feed. 



Up close…

A stop at Dry Falls which holds so much geological information and unbelievable history.  The whole Missoula Region and valley was once covered in glaciers which then melted, shifted and move with immense force changing the landscape entirely.  It wasn’t till later in the 50’s or so a man realized that all of this area was connected by this sheer force and was able to prove without a doubt what had transpired.  

You can see the drought of the area , the sharp contours of the Ricky ridges and imagine how the water flowed over this area at one time. 


I had to take this to show my granddaughter that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope!  And then all the other incredible fun facts about butterflies which were new to me!!!  I hope you can share a few of these fun facts with a friend or neighbor. 

Some of the history…at one time it was the largest waterfall in the world!

Here’s our stop for a bathroom break and learning new facts. 



This is for my daughter Tessie who is an owl lover and overall bird lover. The photos are t too good but who knew owls are farsighted, are in every continent but Antartica , have three eyelids, cannot move their eyes and their eye color indicates hunting preference!!!



Big Twin Lake our campground. You can fish, swim or kayak.  Lots of families enjoyed all of that. 



Our grassy spot. Shade for us came later in the day and only 30 amp service. 

A yellow headed blackbird in the reeds 

Market day in Twisp.  Sone music, food, art, and of course fresh vegetables and fruit. 

Don’t know what these are but they look interesting!



Their little free library is in an old phone booth!!  I just loved the idea and it seemed a wonderful way to recycle all the way around!









Hold the earth carefully ….




Majestic.  A hike we took along the edges of the crevices full of awe and wonder…

Just stopping to check everything.  

For real…..




There is always light at the end of the tunnel.  Sone tunnels are longer than others that we must pass through but stay the course and you will revel on the other side.