Yesterday we took the boat out for our first 'big' trip; friends Candice and Dirk joined us. Finally we were not out just for practice! Destination = Seattle! Right after we launched at Everett marina, we saw at least 15 Bald Eagles sitting on the rocks of the breakwater!!!!!!! It was an amazing site; and of course I didn't have my camera. Next time......
The water of Puget Sound was pretty calm all the way which made for a pretty smooth ride, though we did get complete air once when hitting the wake from another vessel. The weather was nice - it was the makings of a perfect boating day. Right in the center of Downtown Seattle, at Pier 66, is a marina which had an open spot for us to park. It's a small and very busy marina, so we felt lucky!
From there we walked to Pike Place Market to try out a Mexican food place we've walked past several times. It was truly authentic - and very good! We are both excited to go back. After walking around Pike Place for awhile longer we headed back home.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
New member to family
We'd like to introduce the new member to our family, we just brought her home this past Friday; she hasn't been named yet and we're open to suggestions!
She is a 1996 Regal Valanti SC 222 cuddy cabin (22 foot). We plan to take her all around the waters of Western Washington, cruising the sounds, inlets, bays, lakes, etc. Much of the state is only accessible by water and there are even state parks only accessible by water. So, boating in Washington is HUGE!
She handles good in the water and she's fast with a 5.7 litre V-8 Inboard/Outboard motor! :-)
Fortunately Daryl's truck has a tow package so it handles the 4500-5000 pound total weight pretty well! In this photo he just pulled it out from the backyard through the gates and we're ready to take off.
We took her out on Sunday for some practice (only our 2nd time out), but the winds kicked up and so did the chop. When the river gets rolling waves and white caps, you know the ocean will be worse! The boat handles it all just fine but we knew getting into the dock and loading back onto the trailer would be tough with current and tides to deal with as well.
This is on the Snohomish River channel heading towards Everett where the river meets the Possession Sound (ocean).
This weekend is supposed to be beautiful weather, so hopefully we'll get it back out on the water for some cruising. Since it isn't dark here until about 9:30 and Daryl is home from work by 3:30 - we'll be able to take it to the lake 10 minutes from here during the week for more practice.
She is a 1996 Regal Valanti SC 222 cuddy cabin (22 foot). We plan to take her all around the waters of Western Washington, cruising the sounds, inlets, bays, lakes, etc. Much of the state is only accessible by water and there are even state parks only accessible by water. So, boating in Washington is HUGE!
She handles good in the water and she's fast with a 5.7 litre V-8 Inboard/Outboard motor! :-)
Fortunately Daryl's truck has a tow package so it handles the 4500-5000 pound total weight pretty well! In this photo he just pulled it out from the backyard through the gates and we're ready to take off.We took her out on Sunday for some practice (only our 2nd time out), but the winds kicked up and so did the chop. When the river gets rolling waves and white caps, you know the ocean will be worse! The boat handles it all just fine but we knew getting into the dock and loading back onto the trailer would be tough with current and tides to deal with as well.
This is on the Snohomish River channel heading towards Everett where the river meets the Possession Sound (ocean). This weekend is supposed to be beautiful weather, so hopefully we'll get it back out on the water for some cruising. Since it isn't dark here until about 9:30 and Daryl is home from work by 3:30 - we'll be able to take it to the lake 10 minutes from here during the week for more practice.
Our First Visitors
On May 23rd, Emily and Jesse from Arizona arrived for the Memorial Day Weekend. They got into town around 10pm and from there we took them on a whirlwind tour of the area. From the time they landed until they took off, we were on the run!
After getting back to the house from the airport, we sat around bowls of soup and the recorded finale of American Idol - until about 1:30am. Tour Guide Tina had our day already set, so wake up time was to be around 7:00am.
Thursday morning, around 9am, we left for downtown Seattle. Thanks to Carpool and Express lanes we didn't hit any major traffic and arrived within about 45 minutes. Our first stop: The Space Needle. This was an incredible view - and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be! We spent about 1.5 hours taking it all in before heading off to our next stop.
After purchasing tickets to the 1pm Underground Tour we stopped at a pizza place for lunch and then into a shop that sells Kilts, Utilikilts! This is a pretty unique concept and you'll actually see plenty of folks walking around downtown Seattle wearing these. After some elbowing we got Jesse to try one on!
It's now time for the Underground Tour, so Jesse must change back into his shorts and off we go. This was really neat - and provided a great history lesson of Seattle. What we now know as Downtown is actually built on top of the old Downtown before the Great Seattle Fire burned most of it down in 1889. Click here for a lot of great information about it!
Once finished with the tour we started our walk towards the Waterfront and hit the Aquarium. This is a really neat place - and I have to say my favorite part is probably the tidal pool room where you can touch all the different sea life. I started talking to an employee there and she took the four of us out to the attached dock and did a 'plankton dip' - where she throws a net out with a canister attached to see what comes up. We went back inside and put three drops under the microscope and saw a baby snail, lots of plankton and a tiny jellyfish. It was pretty amazing!
From there we pushed on to the Seattle Waterfront for a walk and then headed up to Pike Place Market, home of the famous fish throwers. What else is it famous for? The Gum Wall! Yes, that is all pieces of gum stuck to the wall!
Since it was getting time for dinner, we headed back to the car so we could park closer to the restaurant. Our dining choice for the evening was Anthony's on Pier 66 where we enjoyed a delicious dinner outdoors on the waterfront. (If you click on the picture, you can see the larger version with Anthony's in the background).
Ready for Day 2? The plan was to drive up to Harrison Hot Springs in Canada where they have a sand sculpture contest going. We were there to see the completed sculptures from the Tournament of Champions contest and vote on our favorite. Click here for more information. This place is SO beautiful! It's only a 3 hour drive, so we'll be back and I can't wait to explore that lake! Below is just one of the ten sculptures we saw.
Afterwards, we headed out and stopped at Bridal Falls which is just breathtaking. It was a quick 15 minute hike to the falls. From here we pushed on back into Washington, stopping in Downtown Bellingham to find a cool local bar and grill for dinner near the waterfront.
Saturday we took the ferry over to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. After finding a local bar and grill for lunch, we walked around the waterfront waiting for the next shuttle to drive us to the local winery.
Across from the winery in a large fenced field lives a camel and a white horse. The locals say they are best pals and reside together in harmony. The camel is surprisingly friendly! Some of the locals think he came from a petting zoo years ago. After spending the day on the island, we got ice cream cones before boarding the ferry and heading home.
Sadly the journey ends on Sunday, we took Emily and Jesse to our favorite Brunch location on the waterfront in Mukilteo, Arnie's.
Thank you for coming to visit us Emily and Jesse - we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you, showing you both around, and we can't wait to see you again!
After getting back to the house from the airport, we sat around bowls of soup and the recorded finale of American Idol - until about 1:30am. Tour Guide Tina had our day already set, so wake up time was to be around 7:00am.
Thursday morning, around 9am, we left for downtown Seattle. Thanks to Carpool and Express lanes we didn't hit any major traffic and arrived within about 45 minutes. Our first stop: The Space Needle. This was an incredible view - and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be! We spent about 1.5 hours taking it all in before heading off to our next stop.
After purchasing tickets to the 1pm Underground Tour we stopped at a pizza place for lunch and then into a shop that sells Kilts, Utilikilts! This is a pretty unique concept and you'll actually see plenty of folks walking around downtown Seattle wearing these. After some elbowing we got Jesse to try one on! 
It's now time for the Underground Tour, so Jesse must change back into his shorts and off we go. This was really neat - and provided a great history lesson of Seattle. What we now know as Downtown is actually built on top of the old Downtown before the Great Seattle Fire burned most of it down in 1889. Click here for a lot of great information about it! Once finished with the tour we started our walk towards the Waterfront and hit the Aquarium. This is a really neat place - and I have to say my favorite part is probably the tidal pool room where you can touch all the different sea life. I started talking to an employee there and she took the four of us out to the attached dock and did a 'plankton dip' - where she throws a net out with a canister attached to see what comes up. We went back inside and put three drops under the microscope and saw a baby snail, lots of plankton and a tiny jellyfish. It was pretty amazing!
From there we pushed on to the Seattle Waterfront for a walk and then headed up to Pike Place Market, home of the famous fish throwers. What else is it famous for? The Gum Wall! Yes, that is all pieces of gum stuck to the wall!
Since it was getting time for dinner, we headed back to the car so we could park closer to the restaurant. Our dining choice for the evening was Anthony's on Pier 66 where we enjoyed a delicious dinner outdoors on the waterfront. (If you click on the picture, you can see the larger version with Anthony's in the background).Ready for Day 2? The plan was to drive up to Harrison Hot Springs in Canada where they have a sand sculpture contest going. We were there to see the completed sculptures from the Tournament of Champions contest and vote on our favorite. Click here for more information. This place is SO beautiful! It's only a 3 hour drive, so we'll be back and I can't wait to explore that lake! Below is just one of the ten sculptures we saw.
Afterwards, we headed out and stopped at Bridal Falls which is just breathtaking. It was a quick 15 minute hike to the falls. From here we pushed on back into Washington, stopping in Downtown Bellingham to find a cool local bar and grill for dinner near the waterfront.
Saturday we took the ferry over to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. After finding a local bar and grill for lunch, we walked around the waterfront waiting for the next shuttle to drive us to the local winery. 
Across from the winery in a large fenced field lives a camel and a white horse. The locals say they are best pals and reside together in harmony. The camel is surprisingly friendly! Some of the locals think he came from a petting zoo years ago. After spending the day on the island, we got ice cream cones before boarding the ferry and heading home. Sadly the journey ends on Sunday, we took Emily and Jesse to our favorite Brunch location on the waterfront in Mukilteo, Arnie's.
Thank you for coming to visit us Emily and Jesse - we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you, showing you both around, and we can't wait to see you again!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Snoqualmie Falls
Pronounced: Snow*Qual*Mie
On May 20th Daryl and I set out for Snoqualmie Falls with a friend of ours, Tom. The three of us thoroughly enjoyed the 1 hour drive to the viewing area. This was a breathtaking scene! We then took a very steep, densely forested 1/2 mile hike down to a lower viewing area. Afterwards we drove a short distance to a really good little place for lunch called North Bend Bar and Grill.
On May 20th Daryl and I set out for Snoqualmie Falls with a friend of ours, Tom. The three of us thoroughly enjoyed the 1 hour drive to the viewing area. This was a breathtaking scene! We then took a very steep, densely forested 1/2 mile hike down to a lower viewing area. Afterwards we drove a short distance to a really good little place for lunch called North Bend Bar and Grill.
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