Victoria, Snow Lake & More

Good evening!
I hope this finds you well. We are winding down this Sunday night after a nice weekend. It's been a few weeks since my last post so there's much to catch up on, so I'll get right to it!

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my parents - Captain Jimbo and Nautical Nance - came to down to visit us at the end of September. We had a wonderful time with them and were able to take a Friday off of work to head to Victoria on the Clipper for the day. It was so nice to just spend some time relaxing with them and enjoying some of our favorite places that hold so many great family memories. It was nice that Trav was able to be a part of it this time too, since he had never been to Victoria before.

We had a nice ride on the Clipper, even saw a few whales on the way up. As you can see Nance and Trav had a real good time, while someone else got a little sleepy on the ride : ) Once we arrived, we walked around town, had a bite to eat at a beautiful Irish pub, spent some time down by the water and even took a tour of the parliament building. Here are a few photos from the day...

It has been so great to have so many friends and family visit over the last few months. I can't believe that next week will be our six month mark in Seattle already! Time has flown by. Although our visitors have quieted down for the Fall and Winter months, we are happy that now we have a permanent visitor, as my sister Jamie has moved to Seattle permanently! Not even a week after Jim & Nance departed, Jamie came in on her one way flight. As you can see below she had a few large bags at the airport. We went out that weekend in Ballard to celebrate by bar hopping at a few good local spots. 

This weekend we got back into our hiking routine with a +1 since Jamie joined us as well. We took the opportunity to hike Snow Lake, where we have been meaning to go for the last several months but just hadn't made it happen. It's about an hour outside of Seattle so not too bad of a drive. 

We laced up our hiking boots (or dinosaur boots as Jamie calls them) and headed out for the 7.2 mile hike. It was a very foggy and rainy day at times, but I am so glad we waited a few months to hike this trail. Seeing the fall colors in contrast with the lake and the rocky terrain was so worth it. The other bonus was that this typically very busy trail was actually very quiet since we weren't in the peak season with gorgeous weather. The hike up to the lake was challenging but rewarding, and we all got a good sweat in! 

Every time we go hiking I am reminded of why we moved to Seattle, so we could do things like this and explore gorgeous wilderness with very little planning or travel. This is truly my "reset button" after a crazy week at work. It's always just what the doctor ordered to be able to unwind in the quiet in the mountains. 

Jamie has only been here a couple of weeks and she's already found her own apartment in a great neighborhood just outside the downtown area. She is moving in next weekend and we are so excited that she's found a place she loves already! It's so great to have another familiar face out here with us to share and enjoy all of the things we're discovering. We've been having a great time cooking together also, trying new recipes and dining on the rooftop deck taking in the scenery. I don't think Trav has any complaints about having two cooks in the house collaborating. He's enjoyed our test kitchen as well!

Enjoy the week ahead, hope everyone is enjoying fall back at home. I have to say I do miss the amazing fall colors in Minnesota, we don't get quiet the same contrast out here. However, the mountain views certainly make up for it : )

Cheers!
KP