The Great Escape, Part 2

 

Hello again!  Yikes, the weeks have flown by, and the rest of the story was left dangling.  Quick...I better close one chapter and start the next before it too is over and a distant memory.  Is it age or am I just too busy living my life to sit down and concentrate on writing?  

After our time in Seattle, Olympic National Park and Mt. Rainier National Park we drove through some stunning countryside to North Cascades National Park.  I did not know much about this park but after researching prior to our trip it may have been the one I was most excited to visit.  It was everything and nothing like I expected.  Once again, the expectation of wet dreary weather was unrealized and we enjoyed almost perfect conditions.  We arrived later in the day but just had to drive into the park and headed right to one of the most iconic viewpoints in the park, the Diablo Lake viewpoint.  It did not disappoint!  The color of glacial lakes cannot be mimicked!  That turquoise blue is just stunning!  Our appetite to see more grew!

Lake Diablo inviting us to come back tomorrow!

Our accommodations were...rustic.  I am not sure there is anything but rustic accommodations around the park.  Seems North Cascades is a camper's and hiker's paradise.  We are not campers but we do like to hike!  We stayed in a small cabin not too far from the park.  Very functional is how I would describe it.  Luckily, we were driving and had our breakfast provisions, some snacks and our evening card playing refreshments with us as the on-site restaurant was closed for renovations.  The "nice" restaurant nearby was also closed for renovations.  We settled for the next to nice restaurant for both night and were happy.  If you hike enough, hot food is very satisfying

The next morning, we took the obligatory national park sign photos which gave us many laughs.  I mean how many tries does it take for 4 people, of a certain age, to get a good photo?!  You would have thought we were toddlers...one with eyes open, 2 with them closed...photographer not quite in the photo yet...totally awkward poses...We made many attempts and cracked up at the poor efforts.  Note to self...stand as far away from the camera as possible and don't stand like a statue!  Vanity has no end.

Nope...only 3/4 with open eyes.  And so it went!

First hike of the day, Blue Lake.  We had high hopes for this and it did not disappoint.  Possibly our longest hike with the most varied terrain.  We were farther north and at higher elevation so we hiked through some mud, some snow/mushy ice and crossed water on log bridges.  We also got to see some mountain goats up close and personal.  The lake at the end was beautiful!  We sat on a rock and ate our lunch marveling at the beauty.  

The view along the trail was motivating!

Navigating the mud and the snow...not as much fun.

The lake did not disappoint!

Nice view for lunch!

We hiked back and drove back to hike the "short easy" trail to Rainy Lake.  Another lovely lake and we appreciated the short and easy part!  

  

The adequate accommodations and as close to camping
as I like to go!

The dam at Lake Diable

Enjoying the cold glacial soak after a day of hiking!

Amazing!!!  Rainy Lake

The day surpassed my expectations!  North Cascades has so much more to offer and a new breathtaking view around every corner.  It was also the park we saw the most wildlife!  We saw a bear across Rainy Lake while soaking our feet...  The park has so many hikes of various elevations and lengths, we just touched the tip.  I would go back.  

The next day we drove up to Vancouver.  After all the time I have spent in Canada, I have never been to Vancouver.  I was very excited to visit.  Plus, it was nice to get back to "civilization" after a week in the parks.  Vancouver is not like any city in Nova Scotia that's for sure.  So shiny and modern.  We stayed in a very nice neighborhood and enjoyed walking to dinner.  We did not mind driving in and out of the city either.  Compared to Houston...super easy!  In order to see as much as possible in as little as possible time we did the hop on hop off bus tour.  We had never done one before.  Not a bad way to see the big sights quickly.  We did take a break at the market and in Chinatown.  We had a great meal on the water and indulged ourselves.  The last day of the trip we drove the Sea to Sky Road up to Whistler.  TJ was curious to see the ski village as he has it on his radar.  The drive up was the best part.  So scenic!  We made a few stops to take a short hike and to see a few sights.  Lunch in Whistler Village which is a summer mountain biking mecca and a winter ski resort.  

Steam Clock...check!

Shannon Falls and many rock climbers in the area! 

Drink a Ceasar!  Check!

Cross a suspension bridge!  Check!

Enjoy the waterfront!  Check!

Vancouver was lovely and we wish we could have spent more time exploring the area but all good things come to an end.  Maybe we will go back and visit Victoria...hint, hint.  The Pacific Northwest in June was a real treat!  We all loved it!

Back at the shore, life moves along.  We returned to summer in full bloom.  June proved me a liar.  June was a lovely month as far as historic data goes.  July began warm and continued to heat up to almost Houston summer conditions.  Luckily it did not last 3 months only a few days.  The population continues to grow almost daily now.  Some people have come and gone already which makes me a little sad.  If their time up here has ended for the year, mine can only be approaching.  Better make the most of the days we have here, they are precious and numbered.  It feels like I am about at the halfway point of my time here and heading down the other side of the countdown.  I guess I can't think about that now.  Hopefully I will have a day to myself again and find something fun or thoughtful to share here.  Until then, enjoy the summer and make the most of the days that give us extra hours of sunlight to enjoy.

The Great Escape, Part 1

Hello there!  Is it just me, or did June fly by?  Seems like only a month ago or was it more...I arrived to tulips in bloom and trees with budding leaves.  The garden was nothing but a plot of dirt full of high hopes and the temperatures required more than one layer of clothing.  Today, the garden has already provided many delicious salads with fresh spinach and assorted lettuces.  The strawberries are good if we beat the slugs(?) to them and most seeds have turned into plants!  The peonies have already gone from tight buds to spent flowers and the lupins made their beautiful showing along the roadsides and are gone until next year.  The next wave of color will be provided by the daisies, lilies, irises, lavender, geraniums and petunias.  I continue to be amazed by how quickly everything grows up here!  

Huge and fragrant peonies!

Almost at their peak!

Until we meet again next year...
pruned and headed to the bin.

As per our agreement, the one where I agree to come to the shore in May and TJ agrees to a couple of weeks away in June so we can escape the onslaught of black flies, cold and wet early June weather and mosquitoes (which may be an impossibility), we took a trip to the Pacific Northwest.  Back in November we planned this trip with our anniversary friends Roberto and BellaDonna.  I had never been to Seattle or Vancouver; TJ had only been to various paper mills in the area through work...so basically, he hadn't been either!  Over the spring Roberto and I worked out an itinerary, found accommodations, and started researching the best trails to hike in each of 3 national parks.  TJ was in charge of booking flights and renting our chariot for the trip and tossing out more things to do and see.  BellaDonna is our on-site queen of delicious snacks and resident card shark.  If we had played for money, she would be rich now.  

I had some broad-brush stroke ideas of what to expect from Seattle.  I expected gray skies, maybe some fog and a lot of coffee, which sadly, I do not drink.  TJ and I did a half-day-hit-all-the-high-points speed visit to the city.  We had about 4 hours in the morning before our friends arrived to see Seattle.  They had already been there and done that.  We took the super convenient but not super-fast, light rail from our airport area hotel into the city.  We were on a mission!  Public Market, waterfront, Space Needle and surrounding area, eat some seafood, get a feel for the city and back to meet our friends at the airport.  I was pleasantly surprised by Seattle!  It may just be the cleanest city I have ever seen!  At least the parts we saw were immaculate not to mention all of the beautiful flowers!!!  We walked immediately to the Public Market, witnessed the iconic fish tossing at the fish market, reveled at the beautiful flowers in the market, strolled around drooling at all the of amazing seafood we were not going to be able to buy and cook...all the while enjoying the perfect location of the market.  We were also blessed by perfect weather.  We did the most touristy thing ever and I drug TJ to the top of the space needle.  Since we weren't going to get to see the entire city close up, we saw it from high above. As they say, on a clear day you can see forever!  We found a place that served one of the best fish sandwiches ever...and I love a good fish sandwich.  All in all, I would go back...especially if we could be guaranteed the same weather.

Accidental Air Canada ad, and why I love the window seat.
Mount Rainier...and my heart going pitter patter!

Going up!

I can't wait to go explore those mountains!

On the itinerary in the area...see Mount Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park.  We said we would choose to see Rainier on the day with the best weather thinking we would have limited choices of good days.  We were wrong.  We had many good days.  We chose to see Rainier first and then go to Olympic.  Our third day was flexible depending on how we felt and what we wanted to revisit or visit.

Rainier was spectacular!  Seeing it from the plane, then again from the space needle, and in the distance on the drive to our Airbnb served to pique our interest more and more.  Stunning!  The park is very nice, with waterfalls, lakes, good trails and good roads.  Unfortunately, early June presents something I did not really plan for...snow on the trails.  Icy, slushy snow-covered trails.  TJ and I tromped around for an hour...maybe two around the mountain to see how close we could get and saw a waterfall.  The hiking was like hiking on a soft sandy beach...exhausting!  Glad we did it but whew!  All in all, what a gorgeous place.  We did see Reflection Lake and even found a place for a reflection.  

Not your typical National Park sign...

Waterfall number one of the day.

Just beautiful!

Second waterfall...

The point where I said, "OK, I will only go as far as the
next two trees."  Did I?  Nope...those words were repeated
a few times!

Never know what you are going to find after the next trees!

Reflection Lake

Roberto had them eating out of his hand...

Olympic National Park was a bit of a drive from our accommodations.  After a 2.5 or 3 hour drive early in the morning, we finally made it to our first trail, Hurrican Ridge.  Sound easy right...?!  With its advertised 360-degree view promised, we were ready.  Luckily, we drove a lot of the way up to the viewing point and only hiked the last bit up.  Another lovely day and the views were worth the steep climb.  After gawking at the vast range of mountains in the distance, realizing how massive this park really is and just enjoying feeling like we were on top of the world, we went to Port Angeles for lunch.  After lunch we drove to another part of the park for another hike around a lake to a waterfall.  I am pretty sure all hikes in the state go around a lake to a waterfall or past a waterfall to a lake!  Olympic National Park is HUGE! We barely scratched the surface.  In hindsight, maybe we should have chosen to change accommodations for this part of the trip and reroute, but it was too late for that.  So...we drove back making our best efforts to stay awake.  Our next day was decided in our exhaustion that night.  Stay close to "home" and see what we can see in the area.  Necessity is the mother of invention, and the plan we came up with, last minute, worked out pretty well!  One thing I enjoy about a bit of flexibility build into a trip is that many times it results in unexpected treats.  

Another day, another park!
We love our national parks!!!

They look like they go on forever!

Hurricane ridge!

The vastness is breathtaking!

Walking to yet another waterfall!

It is bigger than it looks.

One of the things you find when you explore
 ...and I love fuchsia!

There were so many different colors!!!

We all enjoyed seeing the Rhododendron Gardens and the Tacoma Rose Garden...all for the low, low price of FREE!  We found a super nice restaurant nearby, enjoyed some delicious food and went back to our Airbnb and BellaDonna proceeded to beat us all again at cards.  

The next day we were on to the next location which will be covered in another post.  I missed my June deadline by one day...so maybe if I focus (ha-ha, I'm at the shore...focusing is a challenge!) July will be a 2-post month!  Imagine...I used to do one a week.  Some of them were even good!  

So far, the Pacific Northwest has been more beautiful than I expected!  The landscape is stunning.  The trees are huge and plentiful.  The cities have been welcoming and easy to enjoy.  The water is everywhere and who doesn't love looking at blue skies, blue water and feeling a nice breeze blowing?!  What a great escape from the usual June gloom at the shore. (Not totally sure it was gloomy, but history shows that the possibility is high for gloom.)  

Chasing Springtime

 It feels like I am experiencing my fourth Spring season of 2025.  Lucky me!  The first was in Houston in late February and early March.  The second was in Sicily in late March and early April.  The third was in Madison in late April and now I am in Nova Scotia for the tulips and the budding of the trees!  My sinuses are not too happy about the constant exposure to pollen, but the rest of me is loving it!  I think I have found my latest quest, to see just how long I can make springtime last!  

I left these poor defenseless beauties to fend 
for themselves in Houston.  I have no
expectations they will survive...

When I arrived at the shore the leaves on the trees were just beginning to pop out.  One week later they are almost full of leaves!  When I arrived the flowers on my chestnut tree were green, today they are in full flower.  There were no lilacs a week ago and today they are almost all open.  The tulips were compact and beautiful, today they are quickly waving goodbye to their petals.  I am amazed at how fast things grow up here!  Amazed!  I swear if I had the patience I could stare at a plant and actually see it grow.  If I were a more technically astute person I would set up a time lapse on my clematis plant and in one hour it probably grows 1/2 inch.  

I guess seeing this spectacle of nature makes me understand even more why TJ chooses to come up this early to plant his garden.  You can't lose if you plant now, everything is in warp speed mode!  I planted all of my flower boxes yesterday and can't wait to see them establish themselves and burst into full bloom.  Right now, they look like forlorn orphans.  I must have patience!  Soon enough they will be fighting for space with the other plants in their new home.

TJ has provided baby greenhouses around some of his plants
until it warms up more and the wind dies down.  Give this 
a couple of weeks and it will all be green!

Lilac explosion is coming!

These lupin buds were not visible at the beginning of the week!

Chestnut flowers

I guess spring is an emotional season as well.  Like the plants coming back to life, being up here serves as an awakening of parts of me that go dormant over the months away.  At home it is easy to fall into a routine, which eventually up here I do as well...just a different routine.  Maybe I like routine...hmmm.  Up here I cook more creatively, I entertain regularly, I move so much more just due to the environment.  All of these activities stimulate different parts of my brain in a good way.  Of course, it is early in the season, and it is once again, all new and exciting.  Get back to me in late August when I am weary of cooking and taking more steps to do any one thing and I will inevitably be singing a different tune, but for now I see another season at the shore coming to life.  The bright green grass, that grows an inch a day, the plants that grow faster than I can fathom, and the ever-changing bouquet of flowers that I get to enjoy have me coming to life too.  Cheers to another season of the shore.

Spring Feet

The view on my walk is getting ready to change!

Spring is bolting into summer here in Texas which means I have been able to spend a lot of time outside working on my golf game...and my "spring feet".  "Spring feet" occur when you transition from wearing pants outdoors to shorts but your lily-white feet have not been out in their sandals yet.  And yes, I wear sunscreen! These feet are particularly fashionable when I have to dress up!  They look great in pumps with a dress...😘   I have friends who claim to be very proud of their pale feet and distinct sock lines, I happen to be a fan of "tan in a tube" products when the occasion calls for them.  Soon enough I will be taking walks on the beach and hopefully my "spring feet" will begin to catch up with the rest of my body.

Rocking the "spring feet" tan lines!
I worked hard to get these!

The other day, working on my leg tan on my morning walk...one of my favorite songs popped up on my playlist and inspired me...again.  I have considered sharing this song several times.  It is especially meaningful at this time of year.  There are many of you out there who can relate to these lyrics!  The song reminds me of my special summer place, and it stirs those feelings I tuck away all winter that rise to surface in the spring.  

I share these lyrics with my editorial additions in parenthesis.  Click the title to listen to the song.  As an added bonus, when I searched this song again, I got a notification (because they are listening) that the group, Hollow Coves, will be performing in my area at the end of September!  Anyone want to join me?  They are one of my "go to" genres on long walks or hikes.  Their music was part of the sound track on both of our Covid National Park tours in 2020 and 2021.  Beautiful music and beautiful lyrics for some beautiful places.

Coastline by Hollow Coves

 I'm leaving home for the coastline (soon)

Some place under the sun  

I feel my heart for the first time
'Cause now I'm moving on, yeah I'm moving on

And there's a place that I've dreamed of (all winter)
Where I can free my mind
I hear the sounds of the season
And lose all sense of time

I'm moving far away (for a few months)
To a sunny place (we hope)
Where it's just you and me (and a hundred others)
Feels like we're in a dream
You know what I mean

The summer air by the sea side
The way it fills our lungs
The fire burns in the night sky
This life will keep us young, yeah keep us young

And we will sleep by the ocean (in our house)
Our hearts will move with the tide
And we will wake in the morning
To see the sun paint the sky

I'm moving far away
To a sunny place
Where it's just you and me
Feels like we're in a dream
You know what I mean....

I can feel the breeze and smell the sea air already!

Every time I hear this song I am transported to Nova Scotia!  Let's face it, almost everything reminds me of Nova Scotia around this time of year.  If it is too hot, I am ready to head north.  If it is beautiful and the wind blows, or if I smell fresh cut grass... I'm ready to head to my other home.  I know it is still a few weeks off and honestly; it is still too cool up there for me...and not exactly hot enough to run me off down here.  Plus, I'm still working on my tan lines!

Soon enough I will be "leaving home for the coastline".

Postcards from Sicily

 

One of the cleverest birthday cards TJ received!
It says it all!

We spent 2 weeks driving around in Sicily with our friends, R and P, to celebrate TJ's 70 birthday.  Our friend, P, made this card for TJ, and I would say she nailed it!  All the way down to the chocolate cake with white icing, his favorite.  TJ did all the driving, aside from one segment, and I was the designated navigator, motivator and occasional scapegoat.  Driving in Sicily is not for sissies!  Neither is navigating!  It seemed like every town was at the end of a long and winding road, over a mountain, around about 20 switchbacks and then onto busy narrow city streets.  Parking was always interesting!  We managed to return our sweet ride unscathed by some miracle!

Scenes from the road. 
 Many towns built on high hill tops, just a horse drawn carriage, a lemon truck,
 and countless hairpin turns overlooking beautiful views for those willing and able to look!

Sicilians are citizens of Italy with their own regional government and their own identity. The people are proud to be Sicilian.  The conveniently located island has been invaded by countless groups, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and various other European groups to name a few.   The architecture reflects many different styles, and the food is an evolution of different influences.  I found the architecture to be fascinating!  Especially the mosaics and the ceramics.  The churches are some of the most beautiful and ornately decorated I have ever seen, plus I love mosaic art! 

A few samples of the intricate artwork in some of the churches we visited.

The detail was amazing...mind blowing actually.  To think that these small ceramic pieces were put together or the marble was etched or carved to such beauty by humans is awe inspiring.  We did spend almost one entire day visiting churches and of course every town had its own amazing church. We visited so many that they started to blend together.  We did the ABC (another bloody church) tour of Sicily for a day or two.

The weather for the first few days was disappointing.  All of us were glad we packed our rain gear.  Another bike tour that started in the rain, yay!  At least the rain was spotty, but we still had to be prepared at all times.  Not the blue skies I had hoped for.  We looked at the forecast with little hope those first days.  We forged on and made the most of it, no rain in the churches. On day 4, we woke up to beautiful blue skies and aside from a random shower or two, the weather for the rest of the trip was spectacular!  It hit me at one point on the trip that when I planned this back in January during the depths of a dreary, cold month I was searching for warmth and blue skies!  Almost every hotel had an incredible view and many had water views.  We soaked up every minute of the sun the blue skies and the turquoise water views!

Our rooms with a view!
Just what the doctor ordered back in January!

 The Food!

Yes, the food was good!  We got to try a few new things which is always fun!  Of course, there is the classic cannoli, or cannolo for just one.  We went all in on the cannoli made by cloistered nuns who are expert bakers and wow...so sweet!  Another unique Sicilian treat was arancini, a meat or veggie filled rice ball that is deep fried.  It is typically eaten as a quick lunch item.  There is an abundance of seafood available on the island.  We enjoyed visiting the street markets and had lunch in a couple of them along our way.  The markets were buzzing and full of sights and smells!  TJ may have eaten pasta every day...not sure but almost every day.  One of our favorites was Pasta a la Norma, pasta with a roasted eggplant sauce and it is delicious!  We were both surprised we did not gain weight on the trip; breakfast was always full of delicious choices.  Lunches were sometimes our big meal of the day and sometimes simple.  Depending on lunch, dinner was again simple, over the top or just a meal.  The fish was always delicious as was any pasta dish.  Our favorites were in family run trattorias off the main roads.  We met some lovely people who can really cook!

One memorable night we were walking along a side street checking out restaurants when a woman poked her head out from a second story window and pointed down at the place we were in front of and said it was the best place, and we should eat there.  We did, it was and turns out she and her sons and daughter run the place.  She is not only a great cook but a pretty good saleswoman.  She came by our table and had a nice chat with us too!

Just a few of the many delicious bites in Sicily!
The bottom right pic with the cookies and oranges were the
treats our host left for us in our accommodation!!!
The oranges were amazing!

We made sure we saw as much of Sicily as we could fit into 2 weeks.  If it was a highlight...we tried to see it.  Ceramics are very popular, and we visited one town, Caltagirone, that is known for their ceramics.  We stumbled upon a nice shop and the owner invited us in, showed us the women who were painting the ceramics, his kiln and then his shop, of which he was very proud.  All of this in Italian and sign language (the international language) and we were charmed.  We both bought things from his shop.  The same town is also famous for its ceramic stairway.  142 steps each faced with different tiles.  We ended up going up and down more than once, no wonder we didn't gain weight!  Nothing in Sicily is flat!  There are many towns with ceramic stairways or creatively decorated stairs.  I loved it.

The artwork makes you forget about the climb!

Some of the many sights along the road.
R-L - Windmill at the salt pans near Marsala, Valley of the Temples near Agrigento,
the white steps along the shore, Valley of the Temples view, cathedral in Noto, 
sculpture in the ancient ruins near Siracusa, statue of Ikaria Grande and Mount Etna in the distance.

Sicily is not an easy place to get to or from!  It wasn't too hard to drive around, once you accept that 160 degree turns are "normal" and you just have to commit!  The people were very nice, friendly, hospitable and proud to share their culture with us.  Now that we have been home for a bit and the dust has settled, I look back and am amazed at how much we were able to pack into 12 days without feeling totally wiped at the end of each day.  The driver may feel differently.  There was one time I was called to duty.  We visited the small mountain top town of Erice.  We went from sea level to 2500 ft. in about 10 miles consisting of many climbs and switchbacks with a mountain on one side and a rock wall and not much else on the other side...except for a killer view...which TJ never saw.  With no "bail out" on the way up, he took a deep breath once the car was parked, looked at me and said, "You get to drive down.".  Aside from the fact that down was probably easier, I thought it was a lot of fun too!  And the view was amazing!  The group also had many laughs at just how many GPS devices it takes for 4 people to navigate their way around Sicily.  There was the car GPS that never figured out the mountain climbs, my phone GPS and occasionally R's phone as back up just to support the navigator.  Sometimes part of the fun is getting lost and seeing where you land.

We sure did have a great trip!

Arrivederci Sicily
Veni, Vidi, Vici

Would we go back?  Probably not.  We saw it all and did it all, plus there are so many other places to see!  Where to next?  We are currently taking submissions!

Happy Easter!