Ahh, Spring....when the Northwest's weather is even more unpredictable than a pregnant woman with the third trimester carrying triplets. BUT, as with that pregnant woman, who has the joy of her children to look forward to, who can see their little feet pushing against her abdomen, spring brings hints of the gloriousness that is summer in the Pacific Northwest. We don't get SEARING hot like the south (though still a bit muggy for my tastes) and we do still have some cold dreary days..but when summer really hits it's perfect. The right mix of a hot summer day with a cool breeze of whatever body of water you happen to be closest to bringing you the smells of ocean and farms, city and smog.
With views of the mountains ALL around that are still snow capped even into late July and August. If it ever gets TOO hot you can always escape to either the glaciers in the Cascades where the Ice Caves lower the temperature about 30 degrees due to the cool wind blowing down over the glaciers you stand next to. Really...it was a 100 degree day, in the SHADE...the walk to the caves was muggy and miserable through a beautiful forest...but once you came into the valley where the glaciers were even in direct sunlight the temperature had dropped to a refreshing degree, and sitting in front of one of the cracks it was almost chilly!
OR if on a hot day the mountains are not your style, any of the parks along the Puget Sound, with the wind whipping of the sea water cooling it to nearly autumnal degrees is lovely. Add to that the prospect of possibly spotting a Humpbacked whale or sea lion, or even a pod of Orca's migrating through the Sound and you have a fantastic day.
Now, while I have done ALL of these things in the last few years. This will be the first year with our new addition to really get to enjoy it. Last summer we did outings but since she was so small, much of it was spent in a carrier..but now that she's walking...we're planning a few more interesting outings. (not that last years outings weren't interesting)
Also, this year, with my ligament reconstruction having been a success and me NOT feeling like my ankle is going to roll constantly we can try a few more...non-paved type treks.
SO, that said, this last month we did a number of Spring activities. A couple I will share with you today... :)
One was the Skagit valley Tulip Festival. Now we went last year when Bug was only about 3 weeks old. On April 1st. The 1st day of it. And WOW we fell for the April fools. While the company was good (granny was still here) The tulips had yet to make an appearance, the ground was so sodden you couldn't walk the roads to see the ones that HAD decided to reach for the sun and it was raining...buckets. SO this year we waited a couple weeks into the month, and went on a warm Saturday...It was perfect. Not too hot, not too crowded, and Bug decided to make THAT the day she walked for any length of time. She loved the daffodils and Dad found himself with everything right in the world as he took pictures in a sea of yellow. Liam got to run the dried out road which was rather fun, the top layer had dried and cracked, but it was obvious the under layer of mud was still there...because the road was like walking on a giant foam pad.... almost trampoline like.
The other was Bug's first day at the beach. We went to Birch bay and had fun mucking about in the sand, kicking a ball around and blowing bubbles...more sand was eaten than I'd like, but then she IS teething and that shovel just was the right size for her mouth.
