Dig a duck a day.....

As promised, this post will be full of pictures. Here's one I know you've been waiting for. This is our trailer! It's a Viking 17 BH. It's 20 feet long and doesn't expand, which makes it small and light enough for our car to tow, yet large enough for us to sleep in comfortably.

This is what it looks like on the inside. We folded down the table and benches and made them into a bed for our youngest to sleep on. Now everyone has their own space. There isn't much walking room in general, so things will get pretty interesting when we're all loaded up for the trip.

Each child has their own Thirty-One Tote for their personal items. They fit nicely at the end of the bunk beds. 

Last weekend we took the trailer out for a test run. It's geoduck (giant clam- pronounced gooey-duck) season in Washington, so we headed up to the Hood Canal for the ultra-low tides. Being new to trailer ownership, we're still figuring things out. We didn't realize that we need to specify if we want water/electrical available, so we ended up with a dry campsite. This wasn't a big deal since we were only there for two nights and there were bathrooms and a water spigot nearby. It's good to know for future reservations though.

These are pictures of the Hood Canal that were taken while we were out clamming with friends. If you ever plan to go, please pay attention to the water toxin reports and make sure you have a shellfish license. There are laws about how big the clams need to be and how many you can harvest per person. Despite what you see in these pictures, there were a TON of people there. That tends to happen when it's sunny and beautiful out.

We picked up a book called "Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest, Revised Second Edition" by Rick M. Harbo at the aquarium. I'm so glad we did because after missing our tide pools field trip with the homeschoolers last week, this book told us everything we wanted to know about the animals we were seeing. I highly recommend it!

Beautiful, no?

I look forward to geoducking every year. Sometimes we are successful and sometimes we aren't. Either way, it's always a wonderful trip. This year, I left the clamming to everyone else and went out to find starfish. Last Friday when our youngest and I wound up at the Seattle Aquarium, we learned that starfish have been dying at an alarming rate up and down the west coast because of something called "Wasting Disease". You can learn more about it here:

http://www.eeb.ucsc.edu/pacificrockyintertidal/data-products/sea-star-wasting/

I had no idea this was even happening! The volunteer at the aquarium sent me on a mission to see if I could find some this year. We've always seen tons of sea stars, so the possibility of them not being there was frightening. I'm happy to report that even though it was difficult, I was able to find three small Sunburst Starfish. This is one. It felt soft like the inside of a cheek.

A few were upside down. Would you like to see what the underside is like? Here's a clip!

We also saw a few curious Harbour Seals.

The second night we were there, a friend woke me up, and I'm so glad she did! I only wish I had a camera at the time. The Aurora Borealis was visible!! This is a huge bucket list item for me and it was such a treat to be able to see it in person. It was like green, evenly spaced waves. Kind of like this.

The kids had a great time digging up clams and tiny crabs (that were left on the beach) with their friends. The guys came back with three geoducks, which were turned into sashimi and clam chowder. This is a geoduck. They look...interesting.. to say the least. They taste sweet and briny. I would say "like the ocean" but that probably doesn't describe the flavor much because they aren't salty. The texture is a bit on the firm/crunchy side.

Freshly prepared geoduck sashimi

The chowder was as fresh as it gets and was absolutely delicious! 

Other than having a fantastic weekend adventure, I picked up the mail from our new P.O. Box for the first time this week. We got our first letter (okay, okay- bill). We also visited the dentist to keep up our oral health before we head out. Dental health is very important! (Hi Dr. C and staff! ;-))

This weekend we'll be packing and outfitting the trailer with things like a toilet paper dispenser. You know, those little things that make life easier......

42 days to go!!

- Jen

Walkin' on Sunshine

There's only one word I can use to sum up the Pacific Northwest. Glorious!  There's a resolute majesty in the snow-capped mountain ranges. Peaks silently remind us that we live in the Ring of Fire. Glaciers sparkle with ancient blue ice. Magic permeates rainforests that are filled with various plants in shades of green, and animals who move silently, but imposingly. Evergreen trees fairly drip with moss and lichen. Tribes of people, who have been here for more generations that I can count, spin wondrous tales that stir the imagination. An abnormally high concentration of artists create beautiful works to delight the eye, mind, and palate. Boats glide through the water alongside breeching whales and curious sea life to deliver the catch of the day. A new generation of farmers explore how to be responsible, sustainable, and chemical-free. Yes, there's no doubt that I love this part of the world. I'm in awe every time I step outside!

I was going to get around to writing about Washington eventually. After all, it's where we've made our home. If we are going to take you all on a trip around North America with us, it needs to begin where we've established our roots. Now seems like as good a time as any. Especially since we've been enjoying warm, sunny days and the landscape is awash with blossoming trees, fragrant flowers, and musical bird song. Where we live, you can get to the ocean, mountain pass, farmland, city, and desert all in under two hours. One, if you don't count the desert. Because of this, we have a wide variety of things to see and do. I could make a list of all the popular tourist attractions, but I think I'll save that for the travel guides. Everyone knows about things like the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. Instead I'll just highlight a few places that are buzzing around this time of year.

Today is the official start of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. The blossoms came earlier than expected this year, but if you visit now you'll see beautiful fields filled with every color imaginable. In fact, Roozengaarde is the largest daffodil, tulip, and iris business in the world! To learn more, visit: http://tulipfestival.org/  and http://www.visitskagitvalley.com/upcoming-events/spring/annual-skagit-valley-tulip-festival/ While you're up there, and if you're like me and love quilts, be sure to visit the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum. http://www.laconnerquilts.org/ It's just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Here are a few pictures from our pilgrimage last year.

One of my favorite reasons to visit Skagit (other than the Tulips)  is driving to Edison, WA. It's a teeny-tiny artist colony in the middle of Bow farmland. Within this itsy-bitsy town is a bakery called The Bread Farm. http://www.breadfarm.com/  A dear friend introduced me to it and I'm afraid I'm severely addicted to their graham crackers. They're like buttery, crisp shortbread... my mouth is watering just thinking about them. We especially like them frozen. The bakers are nothing short of artisans and they hold to a local, sustainable, organic point of view. The quality is unmatched and I love their charitable hearts.

We happen to live by Fall City, home of Pete Nelson from the show Treehouse Masters. http://www.nelsontreehouseandsupply.com/ I see his wife from time to time. Did you know that on top of building all those fabulous tree houses for other people, his family runs a bed and breakfast and you can STAY in one?! Yep. It's true. It's called Treehouse Point. If you aren't able to stay there, then make sure to book a tour ahead of time. They like to keep things peaceful for the visitors, so space is very limited. http://www.treehousepoint.com/

April and May is geoduck season on the Hood Canal and we love going up to dig for clams and mussels. Just remember that if you would like to do something like this, you will need a permit first. Oh, and wear close-toed shoes. The oysters are like razor blades! Here are a few pictures from one of our trips.

Here's your first picture of our kids. They love trying to find the tiny holes in the sand where you can find clams. You can only find geoduck clams when the tide is ultra-super-low.

This was the result of that trip. Yum, yum!!

Produce stands have started popping up, which means cherry season is almost here. The farmers markets will begin in May, which means we'll get to explore the new stands soon. Last year there were things like tea soda, crocheted dolls from someone's grandmother, the Molly Moon's Ice cream truck, and more. We can't wait!

As far as trip preparation goes, we had our fireplace serviced and several rooms were painted this week. There have been three walk-through's and we may have a potential renter!

84 days to go.....

- Jen