travels

For the last two weeks we have been on vacation together!

First, we road tripped to California with our favorite road warrior, Roscoe.

We forgot the camera on the kitchen counter so I only have words to share. We stayed a night in the magical town of Ashland, OR - at least it felt that way walking around downtown all lit up with Christmas lights on a cold winter evening. We discovered the local dog park and then drove south to Santa Cruz. We stayed two nights with Heather, Drew and Clara. It wasn't long enough; we wish we lived closer. From there we headed to the valley for Christmas in Visalia. We feasted, talked, walked in the sunshine, watched my favorite movie and celebrated with family. After three days we drove north to Ashland again. Now returning to a familiar place we explored more of this small town and vowed to return again. We ran into Eric and Elizabeth at a crowded store where we stopped to stretch our legs. And then continued home - happy to be in Tacoma again.

We have spent the last few days cleaning, cooking, up-packing, washing laundry and re-packing. I was settling in - spending most of my days in the kitchen with my new cookbooks and dutch oven with occasional breaks to walk the dogs. Cyrus was preparing for the trip of a lifetime. He is traveling to China with a group of students from his school and two other chaperones. They will be in Beijing for two weeks and then traveling to Guilin and Hong Kong. They will be keeping a blog of their trip here

Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year and great adventures in 2010.

bits and pieces

I have been reading a blog called Habit lately. It is a collection of women who take photographs of everyday life and share them, with a few thoughts. My daily readings cause me to pause more often in my own life, something I hope to make more of a habit. I have thought many times about sharing images and thoughts here...I meant to do this along the way but here it is all at once.

I treasure sunny days. Late fall gave us many this year and we spent many evenings and weekend mornings at the new dog park in town. He never tires of the ball.

We discovered the old trains during a visit with my parents. Exploring is one of my favorite pastimes.

Barking Frog: I love the name and the food too.

We were tourists in Woodinville. It was good to drive an hour and feel like you're on vacation.

This was one Christmas tree adventure to remember! I am so thankful for tradition and people to create it with.

Every year I miss the advent wreath...this year I decided to make my own. I am so glad I did.

I love Saturday morning breakfast. Cyrus is the best pancake flipper in town.

A winter wonderland magical vacation to Lake Quinault

I love the snow.

May this season be a time to stop, enjoy, reflect and anticipate.