When we were invited to spend a weekend on the farm of a friend's daughter, we weren't quite sure how much Cara would enjoy herself. The answer was plenty. The dog, Chuck, provided the most entertainment, but other aspects of farm life were quite intriguing.
Immediate friends.
Chuck is ready.
And he's off!
Off again, and again, and again.
The horse was friendly as well.
Potatoes for dinner.
Learning to plant lettuce.
At the prompting of Sarah's parents, we decided to brave taking a ferry to the Olympic peninsula for some coastal camping. We found adjacent campsites and the girls had a blast playing on the beach.
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On the ferry.
Carrying a kelp stalk.
Sandcastle classic.
Waiting for the wave.
Here it comes!
Escape!
Cartwheels on the beach.
Double!
Fun rocks to climb on.
Buried treasure
Playing with mud.
Tide is coming in.
Fun with mud.
Looking at ripple patterns.
While we consider ourselves somewhat knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the local mountains, we had never explored the shoreline of Puget Sound. Some friends invited us on a tide pooling expedition at one of Seattle's waterfront parks, and we were amazed at what we had been missing all these years!
A surprise under every rock!
Cara found a crab.
Considering the discoveries of the day.
What do we recognize here?
How did it fit under there?
This heron is also interested in sea creatures.
Heron in flight.
Our Family Day destination this year was a hike at Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island. We hadn't done much hiking along the Puget Sound shoreline and didn't really know what to expect. Despite the clouds (and some drizzle) it was incredibly beautiful. A ferry ride to and from added to the fun of the day, and we topped it off with dumplings at Din Tai Fung. Heaven!
Our hike started along the top of the bluff, with an impressive drop off down to the water below.
That was once a big tree!
Frequent breaks are key to hiking happiness.
Walking along the shore at the bottom of the bluff.
Still need breaks!
Kelp roots are pretty fun.
Walking along logs is a nice change from those cobblestones on the beach.
Almost the end.
Our family.
The weather forecast for Mother's Day was for sunshine and warm temperatures. And we were ready to put on our hiking shoes and hit the trails. Baker River Trail was our destination, a most level 2.5 mile trail thru old growth forest ending on the cobbled shores of Sulphide Creek. Early flowers were appearing and the sun shone as promised.
There were lots of streams to cross along the trail, and Cara is getting to be a pro.
She is lots of fun to hike with.
Rest stops with a comfortable seat help.
The stop next to Sulphide Creek gave an opportunity to explore a large log...
eat lunch...
and 'fish' for goodies from the creek bed.
Cara collected a beautiful assortment of 'fish'.
The trees never cease to amaze us.
Last rest stop on our way out, above the river.
Winter's around here aren't so good for recreational bike riding, so we pretty much abandoned learning to ride a big girl bike over the winter months. When the days got longer and drier, it turned out there wasn't much left to learn! After a few assisted starts, Cara was on her way!
It took some concentration initially.
But going faster than Mom could run wasn't hard.
This is FUN!
Mom spent Easter with her parents, helping move Grandpa into a skilled nursing facility. But (from Cara's perspective) the important part of Easter still came, which was the egg hunt. And, like last year, she got a chance to go to the neighborhood egg hunt as well and meet the Easter bunny there.
Ready to find those eggs!
That's a tricky spot.
What's inside?
Basket is full!
It's the Easter bunny!
