Aunt Debbie came for a visit and we took her to the Experience Music Project (EMP), on a ferry ride to the peninsula, to an Easter Egg hunt and to see the tulips. We also went to see our friend John on the Coast Guard ship. It was cool to have a private tour of the whole ship and the kids were excited to buy USCG hats.
Check out our April pictures.
We decided this year it might be a bit much to take our annual trip to Europe so Zvonimir’s parents came to Seattle to visit us. This was Vida and Miljenko’s first trip to Seattle so we had an action packed 2 weeks! Despite the unseasonably chilly weather, we enjoyed exploring Seattle including a day at Pike’s Place Market where we bought a whole Sockeye Salmon, smoked salmon, and some amazing fruits and veggies. We also visited the Salmon Ladder and Ballard Locks where we watched boats go through the locks into the lake and the salmon climbing the ladder to the lake.
We spent a few days on the Washington coast where we rented an amazing cottage in Seabrook, WA. Seabrook is a planned community across the street from the Pacific Ocean. It’s also very near the temperate rainforest and some beautiful beaches. Since the Pacific Coast and rainforest aren’t easy day trips from Seattle, the cottage gave me and the kids a place to hang out while Zvonimir and his parents did a hike in the rainforest. We enjoyed the cottage at Seabrook a lot and will hopefully return soon!
Upon returning from the coast, Zvonimir and his parents took a day trip to Mt. Rainier where they enjoyed another hike and some better weather.
View photos of Miljenko and Vida’s first week in Seattle.
We visited my cousins at their house on the Hood Canal this weekend. We did a great hike to Mt. Walker and spent the rest of the evening making dinner and catching up with my cousins.
The hike to the top of Mt. Walker took several hours. On the way up, I stopped to grab something out of my pack and birds flew and landed on the trees next to us. One even jumped on my hand. It turns out these guys are pretty friendly and were looking for some food.
The views on top of Mt. Walker were amazing. It was a clear day and you could see Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier and downtown Seattle. Today we went mushroom hunting on a nearby trail and found about 3 pounds of chanterelle mushrooms.
View our Mt. Walker photos.
Our friend Sara joined us for a trip to the Olympic peninsula where we hiked through the rain forest to a mountain lake. Beautiful wildflowers bloomed along the path. We hoped to catch a glimpse of elk or a bear (from far away of course!) but saw only a few grouse.
View our Lake Quinault photos
My cousin Bill, Leslie, Jack and Cole invited us to the Hood canal for the holiday weekend. We had a great time watching the eagles, watching the boys ignite fireworks, playing fetch with Samson, and fishing in the bay. The Hood Canal is a beautiful area and we look forward to returning!
View our Hood Canal photos