Prepare yourself for something very long...

I'm baaaaack!! Oh wait, I forgot to tell you where we were going, didn't I? ;) Every seven years, daddy gets a two month sabbatical from work, so we decided to celebrate the beginning by exploring Washington state!

So on Saturday the 20th, bags packed, directions left for house/animal sitter, 72 lavender plants precariously set on top of everyone's things in the back, 10 people in one vehicle prepared to travel 344 miles to our destination. Whew!

Some friends of ours have a beach house up in Camano Island and offered to let us stay in their house for our 5 day stay. Did I mention that the house had two bedrooms and 1 bathroom? Surprisingly, all went very smoothly.

We had to stop half way to Camano to drop off some lavender plants that I sold. Luckily, none of the plants tipped over, and the buyers were pleased with all the plants. That was the most stressful ride for me; 72 wobbling plants that all look like they were going to fall over. :-/

Further up, we went and explored the NW Trek (no idea where it was except that it was in WA) which was a little bit like a zoo. It was all wild animals native to the NW. The predators were each in their own large, enclosed space, so that people could see them, and the herbivores (e.g. deer, elk, bison) were allowed to freely roam the hundreds of acres. We got to ride the tram and see the the different animals in their own natural habitat; it was pretty neat. :) The animals are so used to the tram, that they will literally sit just a few feet away from the pathway.

Walking somewhere. ;)

Mr. Cougar.

So cute...

Okay, this poor moose has become a bit of a family joke. This girlie was so big (about seven feet tall) and looked so awkward that I couldn't resist nicknaming her "TwinkleToes"! ;D Meg absolutely loved her; so now we tease her about her pet moose that she is surely going to have someday.

Bald Eagle

Personally, I liked this sweet doeling.

There was a lot of bison! This one is a lone bachelor.

My favorite! A sleepy Grizzly bear. I loved his tulip shaped ears and his pigeon-toed walk. :)

A Lynx.

Hmmmm, a zonked wolf. He looks so ferocious, doesn't he?

Elk...

This little lady was hilarious. She is a 14 year old, Bighorned sheep. Average lifespan for Bighorned sheep? 10 years. Guess she's been too busy to think about dyin'. ;D She decided that she would shake things up a little during our ride and wouldn't get out of the road. Then she wanted to know what would happen if she hooked our fender with her horns. Well, we came out in one piece! And she did eventually move. :)

The weather was absolutely perfect. And we all had a fun time there...

Fast forward 200 more miles. We reached the beach house at I think 9 at night? It was too dark to see much, but we could hear the water. The beach house was on the edge of Puget sound. So it was like being next to a calm lake, but we still had all the marine life. I was actually glad that it was too dark to see much. How much better to see it for the first time at dawn! It really was gorgeous. Instead of a sandy shore, it was rocky; but there were shells everywhere!! The little ones had fun seeing who could find the most.

Well, I shall end here for the moment and continue later on all the rest of the days...

~Caitlyn