As we were in the middle of our screen-fast at the beginning of the month, it meant that we were outside more. We got to watch our backyard birds more and we also had this squirrel come visit us several times. She was either very pregnant, or nursing some babies. In the picture below, she and a bird are having a little standoff on the fence.
I had been wanting to do a tour around the Olympic forest for a long time, so after checking the weather and seeing that it was going to be pretty nice, I booked a hotel and we were off!
There were so many places along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, that we pulled off the road for a bit to just take it all in.
Our first actual stop was Cape Flattery. The road out there is full of curves and Matthew was feeling a bit queasy when we arrived. I walked a bit slower with him along the trails while Sean ran ahead of us.
Sean climbed up and all over as much as he could. Matthew commented "I wish I felt as good as Sean." Poor guy.
We made it to the lookouts and it is seriously beautiful! The water is an amazing color. The rock formations are awe-inspiring. We saw a sea lion swimming around. Just...wow!
Our hotel was in Forks, so we unloaded our bags, had some dinner and then went to the beach. We decided to go to La Push and check out Second Beach for the sunset. Matthew was feeling much better by this point, so he was running right along with Sean down the trail, making several expeditions up trees.
Sean climbed this rock and invited Matthew and I to climb up and join him. I tend to be a little nervous with heights, but I managed to get up there and enjoy the view.
We ran around the beach a bit more and climbed over rocks and logs and looked into tide pools and generally just loved our time there. We kept seeing people set up tents and hammocks to spend the night on the beach and the kids both looked at me pleadingly. I told them we could camp on the beach some time, but for sure not this trip. It's still a bit cold for my taste.
We left a little before the sun was actually down, because I forgot our flashlight in the car and I didn't want to hike back in the dark. What a great first day of our adventure!!
The next morning, we packed up and drove to the Hoh Rainforest. What a beautiful place! There are so many different shades of green. It was seriously impressive!
I thought this looked like a llama.
Part of the trail goes right by a river, so we went down there and saw a few little fish swimming around.
Suddenly, we saw an elk! She was so tall and just happily grazing. Further down the trail we saw a deer having a poo. Sean also spotted rabbit in some bushes. It was a great walk through the woods!
I have seen lots of pictures online of a specific tree in Kalaloch that straddles a crack in the cliff wall. I wanted to see it in person, so we went looking for it.
Found it!!
Sean was feeling pretty zen.
Our last stop on our Olympic loop tour was Lake Quinault. We came here 4 years ago for our 10-year family anniversary. It's just as beautiful. We went to a huge Sitka spruce tree and walked around it. We walked down to the lake for a quick look. I felt so fortunate to be able to see so much beauty on our quick trip.
It's a bit of a tradition for us to stop in the little town of Brady when we drive by it and get a family picture. Matthew was pretty tired of all the stops, but he kind of cooperated.
Back at home, and still taking our break from screens, we went to the library a LOT! Matthew started checking out cookbooks and wanted to learn to bake some treats. He liked one book so much that he ended up buying a copy. One of the things he made (with some help) was these lemon meringue pie-lets. Mmm. They were delish!
Matthew and I made these Sunny-Side-Up burgers. They were really good too!
This front bay window is a favorite sunny reading spot.
Matthew worked on teaching his hamster Oreo some tricks.
I took the kids kayaking. It was a pretty long trip around Dyes Inlet and I was so proud of them. We went along the beach line all the way across from where we started (about 1.5 miles). There is a park there and we got out to rest our arms a bit, but the tide was out and it was so muddy that we decided not to stay very long. From there, we went straight back across the Inlet toward the dock. The kids got into an argument or something so I told them to give each other space because we had the space on the water. We had a pretty quiet paddle back after that. I kept looking at them and I was so impressed with their determination.
Because the tide was out, it's really shallow a long ways out, so the kids got out and walked around a bit. It makes me laugh when they do that because I tend to stay inside a boat when I'm out on the water.
For Memorial Day, we went kayaking with family in Tacoma. It was another beautiful day on the water!
Matthew picked a bunch of these lilies for me at the lake. What a sweetie.
Matthew and I dyed our hair.
On days when the weather is nice, we head outside!
Matthew and Ella said these were their "Sky Chairs" for looking at the sky.
