Lily and I got to spend the day at the zoo together. We had a blast and got to spend some quality time together. I wish she could stay this young forever : )
Playful otters:
The amazing new penguin exhibit (highly recommended if you're in the Seattle area!):
The weather has been so warm and beautiful here, I wish every day were like this!
Today is the 29th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I had the opportunity to visit the area this weekend. A fresh snowfall occurred earlier in the week but this weekend gave us wonderful temperatures in the high 80s.
Its a pretty cool mountain which has had a flat top since its eruption.
Here is nearby Mt. Adams:
And a view from within Gifford Pinchot National Forest:
And a pretty little Fairy Slipper Orchid:
And a HUGE Ponderosa Pine tree, one of the largest in the world:
What on earth is this?
A Kiwano fruit! These babies can cost you $6 at the grocery store. So if you ever wondered what they look like on the inside, here you go. I didn't care for it too much, but that's just me. They're in the cucumber and melon family (often called horned melons) and have a watery, slimy cucumber consistency. I never found out if you could salt/sugar it or do anything other than suck the juices out so I could have eaten wrong, but I'm glad I tried it : )
So I live in Seattle. We're surrounded on both sides by mountains: the Cascades are to the East, and the Olympics are to the west, across the Puget Sound and on the Peninsula. I just wanted to share some of the pictures of the lovely Olympic Rainforest I visited over 3 days. Enjoy : )
So this rainforest is pretty cool : ) From Seattle it takes a ferry ride and 3 hours driving to get there. Its one of the very few temperate rainforests in the world. It can rain as much as 180 inches per year here! Much of the forest within Olympic National Park is old growth, meaning it has never been logged before. Many of the trees here are of vast proportions with incredibly large trunks. Not as large as Sequoia trees, of course, but still pretty cool. Its a very beautiful and quiet place to visit. Wildlife seems scarce, but its there. They see you but you don't see them : )
We had some fantastic weather last week...Low-to-mid 70s. It was such a joy, everyone came out of hibernation emerging in flip-flops, shorts, and tank tops.
It only lasted 3 days.
Now its back to normal drab Seattle weather.
I was not born for this climate. This is where I belong:
That's right...that's a hammock...I should just sell everything I have and just go...*sigh*
At least the temperature is warming up, it hovers around the 50s these days.
To cope with this seasonal depression I go through, I crave citrus fruits that remind me of sunshine and warm weather. I even made lemon bars with grapefruit juice and they were splendid! I wish I took a picture that way you guys could see, but that just might make you jealous :)
I made these cuties last week and never had the chance to share them with you all until today.
This is my new line of cluster earrings, available in many flavors!
Each earring is a handforged, hammered, and polished stick of sterling silver, wrapped tightly with clusters of semiprecious stones. The carnelian earrings look like citrus to me!
Listed in my shop are Ice, Minneola, Lemon Meringue, and Shamrock.
Enjoy!
