I’ve promised myself to write more often, yet here I am, over a month has passed, and I’m finally sitting down to share a bit of the “what was going on” during August. It’s officially mid-September, so to say that I’m behind the curve would be something of an understatement.
First up, after Whistler and Squamish, Michael and I headed further south to Seattle to visit friends and my cousin in Seattle. That was fairly low-key, although we built in a few of those “new” experiences. Even though we know Seattle fairly well (I used to live there, so parts of it still seem quite familiar to me), we always enjoy hitting a new spot or making a new-to-us discover – whether it’s trying a new beer (such as the Fremont Lush last summer, which remains one of Michael’s all-time favorite beers) or taking a walk on an unknown trail. This time, we felt particularly lucky as we mixed hanging out and being lazy, trying new places, and seeing some pretty special sites in Seattle!
First up for us, a recommendation from my coffee-geek/snob cousin: Slate Coffee Roasters for a deconstructed latte. Yes, you read that correctly! Michael ordered a regular latte (which was pretty awesome), but I opted for something a little different. I appreciated the experience, although it’s not something that I’d gravitate to on a regular basis.
Mike’s latte is on the right; I’m giggling over my deconstructed latte
Most of our day in Seattle consisted of wandering around, popping into stores, looking and buying food/drink, and just hanging out. While the day started out on the cloudy/overcast side, it cleared up and we enjoyed a nice, sunny day. That afternoon, we met my cousin at The Spheres. Honestly, I had no idea what they were, but when we talked to him about meeting up, he put out this suggestion. The friends with whom we were staying said “Oh, The Spheres!”. So, yeah, we were lucky enough to tour this new building in downtown Seattle – thanks to Jeff Bezos. If you want to see better photos, I highly recommend looking elsewhere, but I’ll say that it was a cool experience. I understand that Amazon and Bezos are controversial in Seattle, so I won’t wade into that debate. From a purely aesthetic/experiential view, it’s a cool idea.
And – Here it is! A terrarium in which people work. The plants were SO COOL!
After exploring The Spheres and gawking at all the plants, especially the begonias, orchids and pitcher plants, we headed to Fremont, also known as “the center of the universe”. My cousin lives in the heart of Fremont, which is not a bad place to be. We ate at Fremont Bowl (sadly, I didn’t take a picture) which was excellent – great food but also quite informal, which was definitely our speed. After dinner, we headed to the SOURCE: Fremont Brewing, which is in walking distance from my cousin’s apartment. Did I mention that we are huge fans?
While it wasn’t a chock-full day of running all over Seattle and seeing a thousand new and different places, we definitely enjoyed these experiences. The next day, we headed OUT of the city, hitting the Mason Lake trail around the Snoqualmie Pass area. I’m usually a get-up-and-out-as-early-as-possible, but I’ve actually found that, if rain won’t be an issue, then at times it’s to your benefit to wait until mid-morning. Some of those really early birds leave, and parking opens up. A bit. Anyway, Mason Lake – it was a nice push up, then a downhill stretch and then the lake! This particular lake is in the Alpine Lakes area, and the trail connects about half a dozen, so it’s easy to make an overnight trip out of it. We, however, were only committed for the day, which was perfect. And, at about six miles round-trip and two thousand feet of climbing, it’s a good push.
I always love the end of a hike – if it’s long enough that your feet or legs ache just a little (not too much), it’s often the perfect way, in my opinion, to enjoy a morning or afternoon. It doesn’t take too much planning, or equipment, and it’s one of those shared experiences, if you so choose. You can talk and walk and enjoy people’s company. And the best way to end it? With something really unhealthy – hamburgers, beers, fries, a milkshake… We opted for the last two, and I didn’t complain at all!
While the beginning of August did not mark the end of summer, at all, it felt like we were closing the book, in some ways, on part of the summer. For me, the build-up to IM Canada, the actual race, and then the post-race travel to Squamish and Seattle seemed to be a connected experience, with Seattle marking some sort of ending. It’s a bit arbitrary that summer ends, according to the calendar, on September 21st. After all, fall has definitely snuck into my life at this point!
As for this summer, looking back, I can’t complain. It wasn’t ground-breaking or earth-shattering or life-changing. It made me appreciate being with friends and family, spending time outside (even though I didn’t manage to just be outside on my own, enjoying a hike or a ride just to take in the experience). I did check off a few new places to visit or see or experience, so that, to me, is always a plus. Finally, I feel ‘settled’ in a way that has been missing for the past few years, and I appreciate that sense of stability. Finding time, every day, to take a walk or two with Sammy, to see a sunset with Michael, these are moments that fill me with gratitude.
Elevated tales and trails 