2019 The Year of Mountain Tops and Flowers: Week 9

It’s sunday afternoon and the sun is shining but the air is still too cold for comfort and I am really ready for winter to be over.  I know the calendar says we’re a few days into March and warmer days are coming soon so I’m pinning new PNW hikes to my Pinterest page and when some of the mountain snow melts we’ll be off to new adventures and happy trails.

If you’re interested in PNW hiking, west coast road trips, easy but tasty recipes and plenty of fresh new cocktails there’s plenty to see on my Northwest Frame of Mind Pinterest page. Is anyone here on Pinterest?  I’m looking for new boards to follow and would love to join some like-minded pinners!

Since I didn’t travel to a beautiful mountainside this week I’ve resorted to perusing photos from last summer and editing my favorites in this vintage-look combination from Hipstamatic.  If you’re interested in which processes I used just ask in the comments, I’m happy to share my steps.

What do you do when the weather is too cold to enjoy being outside but you’ve got a bad case of cabin fever.  I turn up the heat, look through favorite pictures and make plans for our eventual return to outdoor living.

 

Lisa6 Comments
Mountain wildflowers in Washington State's Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park: Colorful Mountains and Meadows Filled with Wildflowers

Mountain wildflowers in Washington State's Olympic National Park

It’s August in the PNW and that means every day we have available is spent outside enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds us.  This year our summery blue skies have been filled with a toxic mix of wildfire smoke from around the world ( Siberia, Canada, Washington, Idaho and California) but with some careful planning and a lucky stretch of wind we had a clear day to visit one of my favorite places in the Olympic National Park.

If you’re in the park I heartily recommend the drive up to Hurricane Ridge.  Views from parking lot are amazing, the lodge is filled with great information and knowledgable rangers and there are a variety of trails for all levels of hikers.  We spent our 20th anniversary hiking to the peak you see at the top of this image, whew, and this year we returned to enjoy the lower section of the trail while gazing up at the peaks, relieved we’d already climbed it so we could stop awhile and literally smell the flowers.

I’ll post more photos from the day soon but today I hope you enjoy our moment of zen in the meadow of flowers along the trail to Klahhanie Ridge.

Lisa18 Comments

My Year In Pictures: August Weeks 3 & 4

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Processed with VSCO with wwf preset
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Processed with VSCO with wwf preset

It’s Labor Day Weekend here marking the end of summer and the window above my desk is filled with fog, rain and maple leaves that are starting to turn.  Here on the blog however we’re still in the middle of sunshine and summer days as I haven’t posted an update since August 18th!  Today is the start of two catching-up posts and since I have so many great photos to share I’m making a slight change to my typical posting style.  Instead of a day by day breakdown of our activities I’ll share a few general details, then let the photos speak for themselves.  I have been keeping up with my daily share project on Instagram and Facebook though so If you’d like to learn more about any of the images but you don’t follow me on these accounts please feel free to click here for IG and here for FB or select a photo from the Instagram previews in my sidebar.  You don’t need an account at either place to view my photos, everyone’s welcome. 🙂

I shared a photo of John’s poor Subaru after his accident in July so this set of images starts with a shot from inside his new car.  This time we decided to try a hybrid and so far the Prius has been a great addition to the family.  I spent a few days taking late summer shots from our garden then we packed the car and left for a whirlwind trip to the Peninsula and three days in Olympic National Park.  There’s a reason this is one of the most visited national parks in the country and it’s so close we can see the tips of the Olympic Mountains from our front door.  A quick ferry trip and 2 hour drive is all it takes to start hiking in the mountains, exploring beautiful beaches and walking through a rainforest.

I’ve got a great set of new photos from the end of August and beginning of September and if you’d like to follow along in real-time don’t forget I post my daily photos on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  If a once-a-week (or two) blog read is more your speed my weekly recaps will continue here along with caption notes containing editing information for each photo.

Lisa13 Comments