Looking forward to Fall

Looking forward to Fall

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. Between the crisp Fall air, the luscious colors, the leaves which start to scatter all over the ground, and the ability to wear layers again I am pretty much in heaven. In addition, the fact we are expecting our second child this Fall makes me doubly excited for the impending season. There is no shortage of wonderful things to do in the Pacific Northwest in the Fall, so I thought it would be fun to share some of my all time favorite things to do in the coming months.

Becoming a quilter

Becoming a quilter

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

As a society we have a tendency to assign labels and put people into boxes. In general, I think we truly believe it helps us make sense of the world and our interactions within it. Upon first meeting someone, a typical question one might ask is  "what do you do for a living?" For many years my answer was clear, "I am a student" or "I work at Eddie Bauer" or "I am an Interior Designer" These days my answer is far less succinct. Sometimes I might say "I am a photographer" other times I might say, a blogger, or an Interior Designer. Nowadays, it seems to depend on my mood, my audience and what I perceive their interest to be in any answer outside of the box. These days I wear many hats and I am grateful for the diversity and richness it brings to my life. 

Afternoon date and a trip down memory lane

Afternoon date and a trip down memory lane

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Last week we both had the afternoon free so we decided to head to The Attic for a late lunch. The Attic might seem like an inconsequential place, but this is the very place we ate lunch after Cameron told me he loved me for the first time. Shockingly, we had not been back here in almost ten years. Although much has changed over the past ten years, I am grateful the one constant in our lives has been our enduring love. For lunch we dined on pizza and a salad and thought back to those three words which started it all. "I love you"

Happy weekend!

Happy weekend!

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

The weather has cooled off this week and lately my thoughts have turned to inside our home. With only ten weeks left to go in this pregnancy, I am starting to go into nesting mode. As my belly continues to grow and my hiking pace slows down I am dreaming of taking a trip to Glacier National Park and Waterton Lake. For the time being, I will just have to savor photos from past trips and look forward to taking our littlest hiker there next year. You can enjoy photos galore from past trips here,here, here, here, here and here. 

Mylio.com

Mylio.com

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

I recently became a contributor to Mylio.com and had my first article published on their site today. Mylio is an exciting new company which describes itself as "a place for people who love the art of photography and the possibilities of technology". I am pleased to have joined their team and hope you will take the time to check out their site and keep a watchful eye on the fun things they have going on in the coming months. 

Hiking at Mt. Rainier

Hiking at Mt. Rainier

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Mt. Rainier is a place of unparalleled beauty, majesty and inspiration. You cannot help but feel small as you hike around the mountain, cross over riverbeds and try to keep count of how many different varieties of wildflowers you see. Mt. Rainier is a place for the senses. Hiking around Paradise at Mt. Rainier is always a highlight of my Summer.

Summer skies

Summer skies

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

These glorious sunshine filled Summer days oftentimes turn into the most brilliant Summer sunsets. Sometimes I am caught off guard, but this time I was prepared with my camera. What I love most about these kind of sunsets are the interplay between the clouds and the ever changing light. I could have stood there for hours capturing the last little streak of cloud. 

Touring the ships on Seafair weekend

Touring the ships on Seafair weekend

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Last weekend, us and half the city of Seattle waited in line to tour the Navy ships over Seafair weekend. Although we thought we had gotten an early start, it appeared countless others had a similar plan for the day. As we waited in line the weather cooperated and was the perfect blend of sunshine and clouds. Being down on the waterfront allowed for a constant cool breeze and we were never too hot as we waited.

An afternoon at Snow Lake

An afternoon at Snow Lake

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

There are some hikes which are so breathtakingly beautiful they beg to be done over and over again. Even though Snow Lake has been called a "hiker's highway", I still love everything about this trail. From the wildflowers which dot the landscape to the snow covered peaks. I still get a thrill every time I reach the overlook and look down toward the lake. I love being able to witness the lake's beauty through all four seasons. 

Chef Shop: Moroccan Cooking Class

Chef Shop: Moroccan Cooking Class

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

When I saw Chef Shop, a local fine and specialty food purveyor was offering a Moroccan cooking class I was intrigued. There are some types of food I have never attempted to make and Moroccan is one of them. I arrived at Chef Shop a tad early for my class, giving myself some time to look around the store and meet the employees ahead of time. From the start, I was impressed with how friendly, passionate and welcoming all the women were. Hors d'oeuvres were already laid out for the students and drinks were offered within minutes of stepping inside. As we waited for the other students to arrive we nibbled on scrumptious snacks and delicious drinks. 

Weekends

Weekends

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Weekends are just made for exploring. In an ideal world, every Friday we would pack up the car and be amongst the trees, rivers, streams, lakes, or mountains for a couple days. More often than not, life, work or other responsibilities get in the way of these kind of plans.

Moving through, not moving on

Moving through, not moving on

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

After we lost our son, Asher, the conversation quickly changed from "how are you doing?" to "when are you going to have another child?" This change in topics was quick, sudden and happened far sooner than I expected. However innocent the questions were, the one of when we would have more children infuriated me to no end. I would always leave the conversation feeling like if Asher were around they would not have the audacity to ask me such questions. I left the conversation feeling sad, hurt and with the realization that one of the most important people in my life meant very little to anyone else around me. With time I discovered, other people were eager for me to be pregnant again so they could feel more comfortable about our situation. No one likes to think about infant death, let alone talk about it. If people allowed themselves to talk about it, it was almost as if they were admitting it could happen to them too. 

Seafair weekend

Seafair weekend

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Seafair weekend is quickly upon us, which means this week is Fleet week. Fleet week is the week all the large military ships come to Seattle and are docked for a few days downtown at the waterfront. The general public has the unique opportunity to climb aboard many of these fine vessels and tour them. A couple years ago I had the opportunity to tour a couple and I would highly recommend it for adults and children alike

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. 

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