Scenes of Tacoma
“I’ve seen Tacoma… from the interstate.” Well, it’s time to make a change. For years now, we’ve heard about how Tacoma’s downtown has been revitalized. And, it has. It’s walkable and vibrant and filled with art, as anyone who has made the trip to visit the Museum of Glass or catch a show at Pantages […]
Cozy Cabins on a Budget at Grace Haven
I have cabin fever. No, not that kind-the other kind. The kind where you’re crazy for cabins. I’m crazy for cabins – cedar walls, steaming cups of cocoa, cozy fires, wool blankets. Love them. First, I told you about staying at my friend’s cabin in Winthrop. But we couldn’t stop there. No, there was another. […]
At the Cabin
I grew up in the Midwest. Illinois, to be precise. In Illinois, we had cornfields and soybeans. To the north up in Wisconsin and Minnesota, though, were big trees, lakes and… cabins. On occasion, I’d know someone whose cousin’s girlfriend’s grandparents owned one of those lakefront cabins, and up we’d go to relax a little, […]
Earthbox Inn is an Oasis on San Juan Island
I’ll happily pitch a tent almost anywhere when I am sleeping outside. But when it comes to indoor accommodations, I can be a hard person to please. Too many bed and breakfasts go crazy with floral prints, or cabin themes, or what have you. Go corporate and you can get stuck under a terrible watercolor […]
Where To Go Now: October
BRITISH COLUMBIA The 29th annual Vancouver International Film Festival runs now through October 15th, featuring 370 films from 75 countries. It’s one of North America’s largest and most diverse film festivals, showing big name movies, small name shorts, and art house gems. Tickets are completely affordable, generally $10-$12 per screening, and are sold at several […]
Scenes of Vancouver
My passport expires in 79 days. Its stamps are sparse. There’s Belize, the trip for which I got the passport in the first place. And Costa Rica. A few from Mexico. And, of course, there’s Canada. I’ll get a new passport, surely. But I’m not done with this one just yet. It needs one more […]
Chasing Summer on San Juan Island
Psst…. get our premier guide to fall travel – Autumn Escapes in the Pacific Northwest. Get inspired to spend your fall weekends combing rocky beaches, savoring the harvest, and hiking scenic mountain trails of Washington and Oregon. Get it here. I can hardly believe that summer is over. Wait a minute– did I really just type that? I’m […]
North Cascades Institute’s BASE CAMP
My sweet son Isaac is almost two, and already his curiosity about nature is blooming. He can pick out a doug fir among cedars. He can identify four varieties of native ferns, and “waterfall” is one of his favorite words. And so last week, we decided it was time to introduce him to our North […]
Striking Gold in Jacksonville, Oregon
Neither Brian or I are terribly decisive people. We can go back and forth for hours, even days, over the simplest of things. And there we were at dinnertime, downtown Jacksonville, Oregon. Never before had I seen a small town spanning only two short blocks with so many enticing options. We chose Bella Union, (okay […]
Summer Syndrome
Many Pacific Northwesterners share a common summertime syndrome. It’s one of those yet-to-be-named disorders, but I have proof that it exists. You may even have it yourself. It is characterized by an overfull calendar of outdoor bbqs, gelato dates and weekend getaways. You may notice that you suddenly have dozens of smoothie recipes lying around–far […]
