The Beauty of Gold
On Saturday we went for a beautiful hike along Gold Ridge near Slate Peak.
The magical thing about the Harts Pass area is that you gain all of your elevation driving.
Then when you get out to hike, you are on top of the world.
We had never hiked Gold Ridge before, and were so glad that we did.
The 360 degree views are amazing up there.
All around us there were all kinds of different valleys and Mountains.
We could even see down into the Methow Valley.
The ridge itself even changed with every step we took.
Look at all those amazing jagged peaks in the background.
The North Cascades are just amazing.
There is something so raw and spectacular about every section of the Mountains that surround us here.
We had SO much snow this winter, and such a late spring/summer,
that we have large patches of snow still up in the mountains.
This was a very unusual year as far as weather goes.
As we turned around to return home,
the evening light kissed the mountains all around us.
I love the pink hue that the bewitching hour casts upon the landscape.
In the two photos above you can see the tower that is perched upon Slate Peak.
And right before we made it back to the car we were blessed with a sunset.
Above you can see Jack Mountain on the right, and Mount Baker in the center.
I always love seeing this side of mount baker,
as I grew up on a property that looks at the other side of
this majestic mountain.
I can’t help but wonder if my parents are looking at the mountain at the same time as I am.
What a beautifully healing hike this was for my soul!
I am glad we had the chance to explore a new hike!
Cama Beach Getaway – Part 2
We awoke to be able to see the Olympic Mountains through our cabin window.
What a beautiful sight to enjoy while eating a little breakfast and waking up.
They were shining bright with their cloak of snow.
Daddy-O (my nick name for my dad) and I went for a 5 mile hike.
There was a lovely trail that connected Cama Beach State Park (where we were staying)
with Camano Island State Park which was very close.
We enjoyed walking along this beach, and I had the chance to play around with the camera’s timer.
These beaches must be packed in the summer,
They are simply so beautiful!
There are signs all around this park talking about claming season.
And there is also a boat launch that a couple people were taking advantage of as we walked through.
We were often watched closely from a safe distance,
Just in case we had a snack that we felt compelled to share!
After a lovely walk,
with our muscles feeling invigorated from moving in the fresh air,
We returned to the cabins.
This avenue that travels in front of the cabins will become a mini highway in the summer,
as everyone brings their families to enjoy this gem of a resort.
There is a certain energy to the islands.
This sunset conveys it wonderfully,
A gentle peace, with soft beauty.
Glowing Love
When we allow our inner light to shine through a filter of Love
We find ourselves surrounded in Beauty!
Drawn To Nature
Nature draws us into its embrace,
helping us to remember how to live in the now,
loving,
nurturing,
and sharing the beauty of life.
A Journey to San Juan Island
On Tuesday Bernie and I took our guests, Lyndsay and Jordan out to San Juan Island. I had not been out there in years, and it was wonderful to re-visit and get to experience the beauty of this wonderful place. The day started with a Ferry ride from Anacortes to Friday Harbor (ferry photo courtesy of Bernie). A ferry ride is something that everyone should do at least once in their life, it is just so much fun. This one is an hour long, and gives you a wonderful tour through the San Juan Islands (now to clear up any confusion, all the islands in this area is grouped under the name ‘the san juan islands’, but one of them is named San Juan Island….) There is a magical feeling of peace and adventure riding the ferry. They float you along the water, transporting you along the highway of the islands. The deck of the boat rumbling and vibrating under your feet as the massive engine pushes the mass of the boat loaded down with the weight of cars and passengers through the softly rippling waters. The weather could not have been better, it was a calm warm day. The waters stood almost completely still for us.
When we arrived at our destination we spent a bit of time exploring the town of Friday Harbor. We found a quaint little used book store, with shelves pouring out onto the floors and counters surrounding them. Lyndsay bought a little french childrens novel to practice her french, and I bought yet another cookbook to add to my never ending collection. After a tasty lunch at a restaurant with the best view of the harbor we set out in my (wonderfully cute!) car. The first stop was Cattle Point, a beautiful windswept point on the south end of the island. We frolicked and strolled along the beach.
Is he sticking his tongue out at me?
The Island is filled with great history and beautiful places. This lighthouse is located at Lime Kiln Point state park. Its on the side of the island that looks toward Vancouver Island (yes you can see canada from right there). Its a really deep channel that runs between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island, this creates a rich feeding ground. Often Orcas are spoted along this shore, unfortunatly they did not make a showing while we were visiting. I was really hoping that they would so that Lyndsay and Jordan would get the chance to see them. The park also has an old restored Lime Kiln. There are many great places to visit, two of them are American Camp (close to cattle point) and English Camp. These were occupied at the time when the border between America and Canada were being determined. They are both amazingly beautiful spots, and so vastly different! They are on opposite ends of the island, and have such a different feel from each other.
Of course there was much picture taking the whole day.
The best part of all is that the ferry ride home was right at sunset, and although it had clouded up part way through the day, the clouds were well worth it at sunset. I have not altered this photo in any way, the sunset was so amazing. It really was a magical end to a great day. The next morning Lyndsay and Jordan boarded Amtrak for a train journey back to their home in Tennessee. I hope they enjoyed their visit to our little corner of the world. I had a wonderful time exploring places of old with a fresh perspective.
Natures Simple Beauties
On Friday we woke up to fog, but as the day went on the sun slowly started to break through. We decided to go on a little photography adventure, and soak up the sun. We went down to Boulevard Park, and started wandering to see what we could find.
I was enjoying exploring along the shore, because the tide was out a bit. The tide line along this park isn’t packed with huge varieties of life, but there are little treasures to be found. I lifted a rock and a bunch of little crabs scurried about. I found some shells; I thought these two were beautiful.
There is a little coffee shop in the middle of the park, so I ducked in there and got a couple warm drinks and wandered down the boardwalk looking for Bernie. I found him taking pictures of a Blue Heron. We enjoyed our little warm up and slowly made our way back toward the car. The sun was creeping lower and lower on the horizon, so we decided to stay and enjoy the sunset. It wasn’t a grand spectacular one, but it had its gentle beauty.
Enjoying Another Sunset
This picture was taken the other day on the way home from an outing. It was pretty chilly, but the sunset was quite enjoyable.
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Enjoying the View
We should all take the time to slow down and enjoy the view. We are surrounded by beauty every moment, just take time to soak it in. What is beautiful around you right now? Right now I am enjoying the beauty of a warm fire in the woodstove on a chilly winter evening.
This picture of Harley enjoying the sunset was taken a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful late fall evening.
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San Juan Sunset
This is one of the many beautiful sunset shots that I was lucky enough to capture the other evening. The San Juan Islands are amazing. Its funny, even though I am living in this area I don’t think about the islands all that much, because they aren’t part of my every day routine. But then we make it up to a view point like this one, and I really appreciate how beautiful this area is.
I have to appologize for the quality of my photos on here, when I post them they get squished farther than I would like by wordpress, and end up much more blury than the actual photo.
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Sunset Adventure
Yesterday Bernie and I decided to go and try to get some pictures, since it has been a little while. So we went down to Larabee State Park. It’s a beautiful area, right on the water, and beautiful woods all around. We walked around for a little while in search of animal subjects for Bernie to capture in the digital world. Unfortunately there really wasn’t much going on in the animal kingdom. The water birds that were around were too far offshore to be able to get pictures of. We are really amazed at how little wildlife is around, it seems like the numbers decrease each year. Its disturbing sometimes.
After some time wandering around, not finding many opportunities for photography we decided to drive to another trailhead. This one is up a hill over looking the water and the San Juan Islands. We got up there well before sunset, and got some nice scenery shots of the view. Once the sun started its descent we started getting some beautiful shots. We had been frustrated at not getting many pictures for the day, and then all of the sudden we were handed the opportunity to take as many as we wanted. It was beautiful to experience this island sunset from our little hillside meadow.
I have been reading that book on the Law of attraction, and I think I have been getting a little bit better about following the mindset, because lately, every time I want some type of opportunity it has been presenting itself. The power of our thought is an amazing force, its something we don’t seem to realize. The more we believe in ourselves, and positive thought, the more we can achieve. How much fun!!
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Scenic Sunday
When its clear around here my parents property has the most beautiful view of Mount Baker. When there are wisps of clouds, or big fluffy ones, we can have gorgeous sunsets. The sunset last night wasn’t too bad, but just before sunset was more stunning with the light on the mountain.
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SkyWatch Friday
This is a view from our back pasture. This was a beautiful evening after a tragic event. My mom’s beloved horse passed away unexpectedly. That evening was this beautiful double rainbow, I still think it was KC saying goodbye.
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