We decided this year it might be a bit much to take our annual trip to Europe so Zvonimir’s parents came to Seattle to visit us. This was Vida and Miljenko’s first trip to Seattle so we had an action packed 2 weeks! Despite the unseasonably chilly weather, we enjoyed exploring Seattle including a day at Pike’s Place Market where we bought a whole Sockeye Salmon, smoked salmon, and some amazing fruits and veggies. We also visited the Salmon Ladder and Ballard Locks where we watched boats go through the locks into the lake and the salmon climbing the ladder to the lake.

We spent a few days on the Washington coast where we rented an amazing cottage in Seabrook, WA. Seabrook is a planned community across the street from the Pacific Ocean. It’s also very near the temperate rainforest and some beautiful beaches. Since the Pacific Coast and rainforest aren’t easy day trips from Seattle, the cottage gave me and the kids a place to hang out while Zvonimir and his parents did a hike in the rainforest. We enjoyed the cottage at Seabrook a lot and will hopefully return soon!

Upon returning from the coast, Zvonimir and his parents took a day trip to Mt. Rainier where they enjoyed another hike and some better weather.

View photos of Miljenko and Vida’s first week in Seattle.

Posted in Friends & Family, Gabriel and Zara, Olympic Peninsula, Seattle 1 Comment »

Our friends Kurt and Susanne visited from Dallas over the 4th of July holiday. Unfortunately a heat wave was starting during their visit so they did not escape the heat from Dallas. We had a great weekend sightseeing around the city, eating, and hiking in the mountains. It was great to catch up with them!

View our photos from Kurt and Susanne’s visit.

Posted in Friends & Family, Seattle 1,148 Comments »

( Sorry for the “essay” but I had a lot to write about!)

 We had a great visit with my parents, my sister Patty and our friend Sue last week. Mom’s first flight ever was smooth and uneventful so we hope they’ll make the trip again soon!

We packed a lot into 5 days and saw a good portion of the state! With the exception of whales, salmon, and the space needle, we hit everything on the itinerary!

We visited the Ballard locks and the salmon ladder. We had hoped to see salmon swimming in the ladder but it’s not the right time of year and unfortunately we were not able to see any salmon. The Locks aren’t a typical tourist destination but it is one of Zvonimir and my favorite places.

We visited Pike’s Place Market where we watched the fish flying through the air, bought some amazing fruits, vegetables, and local crab for dinner. We listened to some street performers and were entertained by the colorful locals. After the market we took the Argosy lakes cruise which takes you through Lake Union out onto Lake Washington.

Later that night my cousin Bill and his family, Leslie, Jack and Cole, as well as Leslie’s father, Richard, joined us for dinner. We had a great time catching up and eating our market purchases.

We did quite a bit of driving on this trip. We put over 1000 miles on the car in 5 days! On our first road trip covered nearly 350 miles. We drove north to Stevens Pass where there is still nearly 10 ft of snow on the ground. Then we drove on to Leavenworth, which underwent a transformation in 1962 to mock a Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. Then on to Aplets and Coblets factory so Sue and Pat could buy some treats.

Returning home we traveled through the farmland of central Washington to the Columbia River Gorge, where we took a quick detour to see several petrified trees.

Patty nearly killed us as she yelled “Z STOP!” on the highway and we were forced to pull to the side of the road. I thought maybe she had been stung by a killer bee or something but as it turns out she thought she spotted a cool bird (later we learned that the bird she thought she spotted doesn’t even live in WA…). En route to Snoqualmie pass we also saw a herd of Elk covering the hillside. We returned home tired and in need of sleep before our next adventure!

We took the Bainbridge Island Ferry over to Bill & Leslie’s vacation spot on the Hood Canal. We had a great picnic on their deck and watched an eagle soar above and spotted a seal fishing in the Sound. Next we went into a temperate rain forest in the Olympic Forest.

Our final day we drove north to the Skagit County tulip festival. The tulips are a blooming a bit late this year but we were happy to see a few colorful fields. We drove across Deception Pass and down Whidbey Island on the way home and were amazed to see 15 eagles that day.

We were exceptionally lucky with the weather and enjoyed the first days of sun we’ve had in a while! The minute their flight left Seattle the weather turned and it was cloudy and raining.

View the photos from my Family’s visit.

Posted in Activities, Friends & Family, Seattle 85 Comments »

We hiked to Lakes Tallapus and Olallie with several of our friends. It’s an easy hike that slowly gains elevation and passes by two lakes.

View our Talapus Lake hike photos.

Posted in Activities, Outdoor activities, Seattle 386 Comments »

We visited my cousins at their house on the Hood Canal this weekend. We did a great hike to Mt. Walker and spent the rest of the evening making dinner and catching up with my cousins.

The hike to the top of Mt. Walker took several hours. On the way up, I stopped to grab something out of my pack and birds flew and landed on the trees next to us. One even jumped on my hand. It turns out these guys are pretty friendly and were looking for some food.

The views on top of Mt. Walker were amazing. It was a clear day and you could see Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier and downtown Seattle. Today we went mushroom hunting on a nearby trail and found about 3 pounds of chanterelle mushrooms.

View our Mt. Walker photos.

Posted in Activities, Olympic Peninsula, Outdoor activities, Seattle 85 Comments »