All in Weekend

A first birthday in the woods

A first birthday in the woods

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Kid Style, Parenting

As soon as Jasper was born I was eager to start thinking about his first birthday celebration. Although it needn't been elaborate, I knew it needed to be special. Between our love for the outdoors and the beautiful area we live in, I knew it needed to be connected to nature. I was uncertain how to make my dream a reality until I started to look at venues and nothing felt right. My husband suggested a place we have visited the year prior; a beautiful glass house in the woods. Immediately, I knew the house had the vibe I was looking for, the only problem was it was small and almost two hours away from Seattle. Would my guests be willing to spend an entire day traveling to my son's birthday party? Would I be able to pull off a party in a remote location?

The North Cascades

The North Cascades

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel, Weekend

In my opinion, one of the prettiest areas in all of Washington state is the North Cascades. It is breathtakingly beautiful at every turn, more hiking trails than you'll ever have time for, and feels remote, yet is easy enough to get to. Our first encounter with the Freestone Inn was a couple days after our son, Asher passed away. Unaware of our circumstance, we were greeted with a warm welcome, a friendly smile and a cozy room complete with a large soaking tub, stone fireplace and lovely views of the property. Since then, we have made it an annual tradition to return to this special place year after year. The Freestone Inn is located on Wilson Ranch on a gorgeous piece of property. We have been fortunate enough to visit the property during the Summer, Fall and Winter and there are different things we enjoy about each season in the North Cascades. 

Annual tradition: Camping on the Washington coast

Annual tradition: Camping on the Washington coast

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Weekend

One of our favorite Summer traditions is camping on the Washington coast. We load up our backpacks with supplies, make certain to pick up a bear can, permit and tide chart and head to the beach with no particular plan in mind. We stop and camp wherever looks like the best spot that day and enjoy big decisions like whether to eat and then look at tide pools or look at tide pools and then eat. Spending time at the coast is always extremely relaxing, restorative and beautiful. One of our favorite spots on the coast is Rialto Beach. Although we typically camp on the weekends, as long as we go a bit passed Hole in the Wall we have no trouble finding a spot to ourselves. Just like hiking, the farther afield you go, the least likely you are to be surrounded by other people. 

Hike to Melawka Lake

Hike to Melawka Lake

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Outdoor adventures, Travel, Weekend

This Summer we have made a conscious effort to branch out and visit several new alpine lakes. Even when it comes to hiking it is easy to find your favorites and visit them again and again. Between the changes seasons and weather in general each visit is a new experience. A mere 40 minutes from Seattle is the I90 corridor where there are countless trails to tackle. Our goal, if we continue to enjoy hiking for many years to come is to eventually visit them all. 

Recently, we had Jasper spend the night at my parent's house and enjoyed a beautiful hike to Melakwa Lake. Melakwa Lake is part of the Denny Creek trail. Denny Creek is a popular trail for families, but as you continue on the trail for a few additional miles you can find yourself at a beautiful, uncrowded alpine lake. There is no place that invigorates my mind and body more than being in the mountains. I feel my most content breathing the fresh air and being surrounded by trees. I am truly a Pacific Northwesterner at heart. 

Avalanche Lake Trail

Avalanche Lake Trail

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel, Weekend, Outdoor adventures

While we were in Glacier National Park we did a fantastic and easy hike called Avalanche Lake. The trail starts at the Trail of the Cedars and is located 6 miles east of the Lake McDonald Lodge. The trail is only 4.5 miles long with a mere 730 feet elevation gain. On the day of our hike the weather was a bit cool and the clouds were hung low. This moody weather not only made for beautiful photographs, but made us feel right at home. 

South Lake Union Adventure

South Lake Union Adventure

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Weekend, Outdoor adventures

Some Saturdays we leave the house without a plan. Our main goal for the day is always to have fun, but we don't always have the details ironed out. One such Saturday we had loosely planned to rent a paddle boat at The Center for Wooden Boats, but a combination of high winds and the Seattle Dragon Boat Races soon changed our plans. Instead, we ended up spending the entire day at South Lake Union Park. We watched the Dragon boat races, walked around The Center for Wooden Boats, toured an old tugboat, took an Ice Cream Cruise and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Duke's. It was such a diverse and fun way to spend the day together as a family.  Jasper loved watching all the water and air traffic. He kept craning his neck every time he heard another plane or helicopter fly overhead. With the recent revisions to South Lake Union Park it has become a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. 

Everett Aquasox's game

Everett Aquasox's game

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Outdoor adventures

While my sister and her family were in town we went to an Everett Aquasox's game. Over the past several years we have preferred going to these games as opposed to the Seattle Mariner's because you can get tickets for a fraction of the cost of what they would be at Safeco Field. We also are able to get much better seats and they even do a fireworks show after the game. It was a rare treat to have so much of our family together and this was Jasper's first baseball game to boot!

Rachel Lake

Rachel Lake

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Outdoor adventures, Seattle, Weekend

We have been experiencing a scorcher of a Summer this year in Seattle. Most Saturdays, we escape to the mountains for a drop in temperature and to take in the gorgeous views of all the many alpine lakes in the area. A week ago we made the hike up to Rachel Lake. We had not been here in a long time and the last we came here there the trail was pretty snow covered, we lost our way a couple times and I am not even certain we made it to the lake. Since it was such a warm day, we appreciated how most of the trail was in the shade. Once at the lake there was ample shoreline for everyone and I even took a dip in the icy alpine lake. Such a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!

Alki Beach

Alki Beach

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Weekend

This Summer we have had lots of family visiting from out of town. Although the main attraction for them has been meeting Jasper we have also spent plenty of time at Alki beach. Sharing with others what a beautiful place West Seattle is always makes us happy. Among some of our favorite things to do at Alki Beach are rent surreys, have a sunset bonfire, get ice cream cones, watch the sunset, eat at one of the delicious restaurants or go for a run or a long walk. I realize all these things sound quite simple, but they make for a lovely way to spend an afternoon or an evening. 

Snoqualmie Ice Cream Social

Snoqualmie Ice Cream Social

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Food, Weekend

Every Summer we like to invite our friends over for an Ice Cream Social. It is the perfect party to host in the Summer because it is a simple party to put together. Based upon the decor, guest list and food offered, it can be as elaborate or laid back a party as you desire. Although we always host our Ice Cream Social in our backyard, the party could easily be held at a park, or inside if the weather does not cooperate. This year for our Ice Cream Social we served one of our favorite locally made ice creams- Snoqualmie Ice Cream.

Being a tourist in Seattle

Being a tourist in Seattle

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Weekend

This Summer Cameron's brother, Ryan, and his family visited us from Oklahoma. We took this rare opportunity to be together and played tourists with them for the weekend. One afternoon we had lunch at Elliott's on the Seattle waterfront and then enjoyed the Argosy Locks Tour. It was the quintessential overcast Summer Seattle day, not too hot or too cold. When the weather is extreme everywhere else, we are reminded why we live here. 

Whitefish, Montana

Whitefish, Montana

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Travel, Weekend, Outdoor adventures

Over the Fourth of July weekend we rented a three bedroom condo in Whitefish, MT with some friends. Although we had visited Whitefish a couple times in the past on our way to Glacier National Park, we had never spent any significant time there. We realized once we were there the four days we had planned to be there was not nearly enough time to enjoy all Whitefish, MT had to offer. During our time there we spent a morning hiking up Big Mountain, and then riding the gondola back down, another morning enjoying the alpine slides and chairlift, an afternoon swimming in Whitefish Lake, a couple dinners in downtown Whitefish and an afternoon at Stumptown Marketplace. 

A day trip to Port Townsend

A day trip to Port Townsend

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Seattle

Over Father's Day weekend we spent a day in Port Townsend. The goal for the day was pretty simple; grab a slice of pizza from Waterfront Pizza and get an ice cream cone from Elevated Ice Cream. In reality, the day was far more exciting than that. We enjoyed a scenic ferry ride to Southworth, a pretty drive to Port Townsend and most importantly a fun day with each other. We gave Cameron his Father's Day cards will we were picnicking on the beach and before Cameron had the chance to open Jasper's card Jasper had started chewing on it. A soggy card, sunshine and Jasper's first boat ride were just some of the highlights of our day together. 

Blanca Lake

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Outdoor adventures, Seattle

To celebrate our ten year anniversary, we took the day off and went hiking to Blanca Lake. We had never been here before so it seemed like a fitting way to celebrate both our love for each other and the outdoors. The weather was glorious, the crowds were nonexistent and my parents were kind enough to watch Jasper so we could spend time together just the two of us. It is really difficult to wrap my head around the fact that we have been married for ten years. In some ways, the time has flown by and in other ways it feels as though we have always been married. He is my everything and has given me a life full of adventure, two beautiful children I adore and more love than I ever thought possible. He is a true partner in every sense of the word. He works tirelessly for the betterment of others and is slow to anger, patient, kind and loving. Even after all these years seeing his face makes me smile, his presence is reassuring and he still makes my heart skip a beat. 

Backpacking at Snow Lake

Backpacking at Snow Lake

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Outdoor adventures, Weekend

As much as I crave sleep, I love adventure more. The handful of times my parents have watched Jasper for the night I dream about getting massive amounts of sleep, but the reality is I would rather get a restless night under the stars and wake up to a beautiful lake. A couple weeks ago Cameron and I hiked up to Snow Lake and spent a peaceful evening lakeside. Despite the gorgeous weather, we were surprised and delighted to only see a few other tents dot the shoreline.

In my opinion, these photos don't even do it justice, the beauty of the evening and morning light at Snow Lake is unparalleled and one of the main reasons I love backpacking in. During the day, the light is bright and the landscape is flat, but throughout the evening the lake becomes more and more stunning. 

Granite Mountain

Granite Mountain

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Seattle, Parenting, Outdoor adventures, Weekend

All these beautiful June Saturdays have been perfect for making use of our new infant carrier. This past weekend we visited Granite Mountain and enjoyed spectacular views and gorgeous weather. The only disappointing thing was all the bear grass had already died for the Summer due to the hot weather we have been experiencing. A stark contrast to last year when it was in abundance. 

When the weather is good we usually head to the mountains, but what is your favorite thing to do on a sunny Saturday?

Pelindaba Lavender Farm

Pelindaba Lavender Farm

Lisette Wolter-McKinley
Weekend, Travel

On San Juan Island there exists a beautiful lavender farm called Pelindaba Lavender. Although we visited before the lavender was in full bloom, we still enjoyed spending a quiet morning there.  We walked the cutting field and demonstration garden, had a picnic, perused the gift shop and toured their farm to learn about their process and sustainable practices. Typically, the lavender is in full bloom in July which makes me excited to visit again this Summer. We have enjoyed picking up products from their Friday Harbor and LaConner shop for several years now, so it was fun to see the farm where the lavender comes from. Some of our favorite products are their lavender chocolate sauce, lemon lavender sorbet and lavender honey.

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