I'm trying to give my son an appreciation for the outdoors that he can mold into his own as he grows. I want to keep him excited for nature, and fresh air as he grows up before the lure of technology takes over. I don't want to oppose technology for its a great asset in our lives, but how you keep it balanced is the more significant question. We go on little "adventures" or hikes whenever we can. I keep them short and try to excite him wherever I can. This little adventure was a mile and a half walk (he rides on my shoulders most the time) through a Filbert Orchard to the river. It was his idea to have a leaf fight!
Photography
Wrong turn into Mount Rainier
With only a few hours to spare on the way home, we made it a point to visit Mount Rainier, National Park. To our folly, we didn't check the endpoint when mapping our route in the GPS and ended up taking a detour to a remote entrance two hours out of the way. We made the most of our mistake exploring an area of the park we wouldn't have commonly seen and enjoyed the extra time of the great conversation. Once back into cell service we mapped our way around the north side of the park gaining a view of the mountain we would not have seen otherwise. We made a little bit of time to stretch out our legs and explored wash out before heading home.
Lummi Island
in Photography, Adventure
Lummi Island is in the San Juan islands up north off the coast of Washington state. It's a small island with little industry, the people who live there primarily work "in town" or anywhere off the island. It's a sleepy place where slow living is a virtue, a place where the intention is felt rather than thought. We spent a few days here just a 100 feet of the water in a little cottage.
One of the most memorable moments was the sunrise on the second morning. The water in the bay was calm and the taste of salt hung in the air. It felt like we were a million miles away from everything. The only thing you could do was be still and attempt to take it all in. I've never felt more on the razor's edge between complete calmness at the moment and frantically trying to capture what I was seeing.
The Mist of Wizard Island
Winter is coming and my last chance of the year to make the trip around the rim of Crater Lake would come with the first significant snow. I left as early as my pillow would let me but missed sunrise regardless. Though there were beautiful colors in the sky as I drove, the deep lake was shrouded in fog. Coming in the entrance I did, I didn't know where I was as I've never been there. So when the wind started shifting the fog giving me my first view, I was blown away.
There before me was Wizard Island, a once ancient cinder cone, engulfed in mist. It wasn't until my leg started cramping did I realize I had been crouched down for nearly an hour in amazement trying to take pictures. It was indeed a stunning experience to come to a place in complete mystery and watch it slowly reveal itself to you.
After exploring a bit, I came around to the central visitor area and met this years artist in residence at Crater Lake, Alyssa Black. She was kind enough to stop and let me take a few photos before I continued around the rim of the crater.
Picking Grapes
in Photography, Life
It wasn't until we noticed the sweet taste in the air, that the grapes in the yard were ripe for picking. The vines have been unkept for a few years and are beginning to take over the porch, so there was more than enough for our needs. We wanted to make homemade grape juice. After washing and destemming them, we ran them through a mill press to make our drink. The juice was sweet and vibrant but just a hair on the acidic side. In total, we ended up making nearly two gallons, what a fun experiment!
