Ballard Kayak Locks Tour

Ballard Kayak Locks Tour

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

This Summer I have made it a point to try new things. I have taken a scenic flight of the city, attended a French cooking school and learned how to use a vintage letterpress machine. When I noticed Ballard Kayak offered a Ballard Locks Tour I knew I had to try it out. Over the years, I have visited the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks numerous times, but I have never been through them before in a kayak. Before the tour I was both anxious and excited to see how navigating a kayak through the Locks would be. 

Annual Ice Cream Social

Annual Ice Cream Social

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Every Summer for the past several years we have hosted an ice cream social. Usually it coincides with my nieces visiting from Tennessee, which inevitably means our guests will be privileged to witness their ever increasing magic skills. I like to think the ice cream is the hit of the party, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't in fact the magic. 

Summer to do list

Summer to do list

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Now that we are well into Summer I start to think of all the things I still want to do. No matter how long Summer is, it always seems like there is more to do than time to do. A few things I still want to do this Summer are as follows:

Hiking up Granite Mountain and staying active during pregnancy

Hiking up Granite Mountain and staying active during pregnancy

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Granite Mountain is one of our favorite Summer hikes for its sweeping views, glorious wildflowers and challenging terrain. Granite Mountain is 8.6 miles roundtrip with 3800 feet elevation gain putting you at around 5600 feet at the top. I realized taking a hike like this while 25 weeks pregnant might seem like a crazy idea to some of you. The fact is, staying in shape particularly while being pregnant is very important to me. I know I am lugging a lot of extra weight up the mountain, but it makes reaching the top feel even more triumphant. We decided to take this hike on a ninety degree day and even though we started out early in the morning the heat started to feel really oppressive on the way up. Once you pass the first two miles the trail is fairly exposed the rest of the way up. 

Argosy Locks Cruise

Argosy Locks Cruise

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

In the past, we have taken an Argosy Lakes Cruise and a Harbor Cruise, so this time we thought it would be fun to take anArgosy Locks Cruise. The Locks Cruise is a unique tour in the fact that you take off from one place and end up in another, rather than going roundtrip from one point. With the Locks Cruise you start off at Pier 56 and then eventually dock Lake Union to be shuttled back to Pier 56 by bus. In between you cruise along the Puget Sound while you pass Magnolia and Discovery Park. Then you enter Shilshole Bay, pass through the Hiram Chittenden Locks, go up the Lake Washington Ship Canal, pass by Gasworks Park and then arrive at your final destination, Lake Union. 

Hurricane Ridge

Hurricane Ridge

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Typically after we have spent a couple of days camping on the beach we head straight to Port Angeles for lunch. After lunch we take the short scenic drive up to Hurricane Ridge for wildflower viewing and wildlife spotting. We can usually count on at minimum seeing several deer, maybe a bear and sometimes a marmot or two. We are always saddened when we see a large crowd of people surrounding an animal and worst yet when they try to feed them a Cheeto or two.

Scenic flight on Kenmore Air

Scenic flight on Kenmore Air

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Growing up in Seattle, float planes have always been an integral part of the city. Since Seattle is surrounded by several bodies of water, floatplanes are constantly both seen and heard flying overhead and landing in the water. Every time I'm kayaking out on Lake Union I am able to witness half a dozen planes taking off or landing.  This week I was given the fantastic opportunity to go on a scenic flight with Kenmore Air and see my city from a bird's eye perspective. 

Summer is awesome!!

Summer is awesome!!

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Between the fantastic weather we have been experiencing this Summer and enjoying a slew of fun activities this Summer is turning out to be just plain awesome. I know we are only less than a month into Summer, but here are some of the highlights so far. 

Baby fashion

Baby fashion

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Parenting

Before our little one starts to express an opinion in the clothing department, I am going to enjoy to the fullest extent dressing him in whatever suits my fancy. Here are some of the outfits I have put together for our little one. Much like my own wardrobe I am drawn to bright, happy colors for our little guy. 

Let me introduce you to the "Smookie"

Let me introduce you to the "Smookie"

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

For our gender reveal party I wanted to make something new. I have a bad habit of thinking it is a brilliant idea to try something new the morning of a party and then serve it to all my friends and family without hesitation. I suppose my cooking style is best described as fearless, but I know deep down inside if something doesn't turn out I can always make an old standby. I saw this recipe of S'mores Cookies from Downtown Cookies Co. and automatically deemed it the perfect treat to make. Once the guests arrived at the party it was obvious to see the "smookies" were a grand success and might even eventually make their way in as an old standby. 

Camping on the Washington coast

Camping on the Washington coast

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

A highlight of our Summer is spending a long weekend camping on the Washington coast. It is rural, rugged and teaming with both sea and wildlife. Many an afternoon may be spent watching bald eagles fly overhead or exploring tide pools. Summer is such a fantastic time to live in Washington state that we try to limit all our out of state travel during those precious several months of Summer. In the Summer there is nowhere we would rather be than hiking familiar trails and camping amongst the starry clear skies. 

The art of spending time alone

The art of spending time alone

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

When I was a teenager I enjoyed constantly being surrounded by my friends. As I have gotten older I have discovered the wonderful regenerative feeling which comes from spending  quality time alone. Whether it be a hike, a run or shopping I have come to appreciate and understand the benefits of investing in quality time with myself. This time alone allows me the ability to think, reflect and most importantly learn to be comfortable in my own skin.

Sailing in Seattle

Sailing in Seattle

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

If I kept a list of all things I would like to buy a sailboat would pretty much top any list I could create. When the temperature rises around here, there is no place I would rather be than on the water. Over the past couple of years we have made it an annual tradition to go sailing with Let's Go Sailing at the start of every Summer. It is a fun, convenient, inexpensive and easy way to get out on the Puget Sound. They offer both day and sunset cruises and are unique in that they allow you to bring your own food and drink aboard for your enjoyment. 

Remembering my Grandma

Remembering my Grandma

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Last week the world lost a good woman. My grandmother, Elizabeth Jean, after living a long and vibrant life passed away in her sleep. Upon hearing of her passing so many memories flooded my mind. As the only grandchildren on my mother's side, we were given the rare opportunity to be spoiled, visited, and loved like crazy. My grandparents made the effort to be present for almost every milestone in my life and when they could not be they would phone to see how it was or went. We always knew we were top priority in their lives. As I grew older and got married I was delighted when my grandparents came to love my husband as dearly too. 

A Summer wedding reception

A Summer wedding reception

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

This year, on the Summer solstice we were in Utah celebrating the wedding of Cameron's cousin. I can think of no better way to kick start Summer then by attending an outdoor wedding reception. The evening was a quintessential Summer soiree, including warm weather, a festive atmosphere and relaxed environment. A color palette of whites and green dotted the backyard where there was enough food and entertainment to keep even the most discerning guest happy. 

Our gender reveal party

Our gender reveal party

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Almost two years to the date we held a gender reveal for when we were pregnant with our first child, Asher. My parents at the time only had granddaughters, so the announcement of the first grandson was really a reason to celebrate. As simple and last minute as the party was it has remained one of our favorite parties we have ever hosted.

Summer hiking

Summer hiking

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

With Summer in full swing I have been itching to get out and go hiking on a more regular basis. As our schedule has settled down and my baby bump continues to grow larger, we plan to spend the majority of the next several months in Seattle. For those of you who are itching to do a little Summer hiking here are a few of my all time favorite places to go hiking:

Shopping in Amsterdam

Shopping in Amsterdam

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

This Spring we had the opportunity to visit the wonderful city of Amsterdam. I instantly feel in love with its charm, like something out of a fairytale. I enjoyed taking a boat through it many waterways, walking over its many bridges, looking out as a pedestrian for its many bicycles and photographing its unique buildings. One of the things I really loved about Amsterdam was it fantastic shopping. 

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