Rattlesnake Ridge Hike

We had a relaxing Sunday afternoon with friends. We spent the sunny afternoon hiking Rattlesnake Ridge and then tried out the inflatable boat for the first time on Rattlesnake Lake. It was such an enjoyable day!

The view eastward from Rattlesnake Ridge

The hike was actually more of a walk & chat than a strong physical exertion; Erin and I took our time and mosied on up.There were actually a lot of people when we got to the top, including these two sweet lovebirds. I'm thinking they had no idea I captured them!

We then enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon cooling off in the lake before splurging on brick-fire pizza.

 

Another beautiful day in the great Northwest!

I'm linking up to Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Bellevue Festival of the Arts

Last Sunday afternoon was a fun one with Molly & Andrea at the Bellevue Festival of the Arts. I was busy admiring so many artist's work that I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked. There were metal-workers, glass makers, seamstresses, woodworkers, some amazing photographers, and many other artists.

It was such a fun day!

Celebrating 13 years

Mountain Man & I recently celebrated 13 wonderful years of marriage! I'm so blessed to be married to my best friend and can't imagine life without him!

Because we wanted a mini vacation, we decided to take a little road trip to Coeur d'Alene Idaho. We have been wanting to revisit that cute little town since driving through during our move to Washington five years ago. We had a fabulous time hiking, swimming, laying out in the sun, walking the beach, and getting massages!

{Click on photos to enlarge.}

View from the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park (road trip stop)

A beautiful sunset from the Highlands Day Spa

We're looking forward to many more years together!

Metering & Focal Points

Thanks to Willette, I've finally figured out how to change my focal points on my camera and correctly meter my photos. I played with my 50mm too, and I really like its crispness! Bex is always a willing participant of my photography practice, when enticed by a stick! Love this photo of my happy boy!

{It's not too late to sign up for Willette's free Joy of Love class. Read the deets here.}

Happy shooting (your camera, that is)!

Willette Photography

This is a shout-out for Willette Photography and her free joy of love class through the month of February. The class is free; all you do is sign up with your email on her website. You'll receive an email a day that includes photo prompts, her example, tips, and a link to a Flickr photo gallery for uploading your photo. She is also offering an album template so you can save your photo journey of your loved one.

This is a great way to improve your photography skills! Enjoy!

Close of Day

Our God is the ultimate artist!

Granite Hills Inn

Tuesday, December 21st, 11:30am

Phone rings

Mountain Man: "Why don't we look into going to Leavenworth and spending the night on Thursday."

I don't think I heard anything else.

Tuesday, December 21st, 2:38pm

My Email

"We are booked for a romantic stay at the lovely Granite Hills Inn in Leavenworth for this Thursday evening, December 23rd. We will be staying in the cozy Willow suite."

Thursday, December 23rd, about 5:30pm

Granite Hills Inn

Cozy welcome

Front door welcome

Coffee/Tea bar (with hot homemade cc cookies)

Festive living area

Kitchen (and Paula's salon through the far door)

The three bedrooms are upstairs and Bill & Paula, the owners and fabulous hosts, have a room over the garage.

That evening, we night-skied at Ski Hill and then headed to town for a lovely dinner at Pav's, highly recommended by Bill & Paula.

Pav's

Coming straight from the trails, I felt a little under-dressed, but quickly forgot about it. Their recommendation did not disappoint! We shared Osso Buco and then had a delicious crepe dessert.

Banana, Hazelnut & Nutella crepe

We were so full, but I convinced MM to take a stroll around town with me. I love Leavenworth!

Sledders in downtown Leavenworth

Nutcracker shop

Pretzel shop

Toy shop

When we got back to Granite Hills, I wanted to get some photos of the B&B.

As I was photographing some ornaments, I heard a scratching noise. What was that?

Sumo playing with ribbon

It was SUMO, the cat! He was playing with the ribbon of a gift underneath the tree. He was so cute! So we meowed and he agreed to a photo shoot.

Once he was tired of that, he wrapped himself up in my purse. I think he was trying to crawl in so I could take him home!

Playing with Sumo

Then we played. I reached out and put my finger on top of his paw, then he put his paw over my hand...and said that I was his. Maybe we weren't playing, but pledging. I have a feeling Bexar may have something to say about this...and it starts with a W and ends with an OOF!

I retired to the bedroom and quickly heard the answer to my thoughts...Mountain Man was sawing some BIG logs! What's a girl to do? I ran a hot tubby in their extra-large tub, added some bath salts, and snuggled up to my iPhone!

After a cozy night in the Willow Suite, with the toasty fire, comfy mattress and with lots of pillows - just like I like it - we sauntered downstairs for breakfast. Who wouldn't get out of bed knowing that this was waiting for them?

Breakfast (It was better than it sounds, if that's possible!)

Breakfast was the bomb! (I was too busy eating to take any pictures!) Their homemade apricot, strawberry, black raspberry jellies and blackberry wine was the star of breakfast! We enjoyed chatting with Bill & Pauala and some other guests, originally from Israel, who were also headed out to do some Nordic skiing. It was a great start to a great day!

It was also the beginning of a memorial day for Bill and Paula, our incredible hosts. They were picking up their nephew, who was coming to live with them indefinitely. They were very excited and we were excited for them.

Bill & Paula, Hosts/Owners

Bill & Paula grew up in the Leavenworth area and Bill helped his parents run a B&B while he was growing up. They are both extremely knowledgable about the area and its history. Bill has a green thumb and  Paula has a salon (in the B&B). I was sad to not have the time to take advantage of her services (massage, mani, pedi)! They were wonderful hosts - personable and friendly, yet not intrusive. They answered all of our questions, and opened not only their home but their lives. Surprisingly enough, Bill & Paula had attended the introductory class at Antioch Adoptions (different location than we did) a while back. Isn't it a small world? They decided to take a different route, serving others with a bed and breakfast, and they indeed offer service with a smile! The love of Christ shines through them as they serve others with kindness and love. We had a wonderful stay at Granite Hills Inn and I would love to return one day!

Life on The Ranch (the first 5 days)

Day 1 (12.2 )

Left the mountains

for the prarie.

Day 2 (12.3)

Mountain man mowed,

Dad & I stripped cedar (to be used for fence posts),

and we got the calves.

Mountain Man and I had dinner with some dear friends at Papasito's. Unfortunately, there is no photo. I took my camera, but as usual, I got to talking and completely forgot to take a picture. In fact, I forgot my camera was in the seat beside me! When Codie dropped us off at The Ranch, we realized we didn't have it. Thankfully the waitress had turned it into the manager to lock it up in the safe. 

Day 3 (12.4)

Retrieved the camera from Papasito's and trekked down to East Austin for our Juan's fix. He didn't disappoint!

Some cute neighbors visited

My cousin Matt surprised us and was waiting in the driveway when we got back from running errands. It was great to see him! (Once again, I didn't get a picture of him.)

Another beautiful sunset that night

Day 4 (12.5)

 Sunday, we went to church and came home for tallygarina (a family favorite) and garlic bread. Matt came back over Sunday and ate lunch with us.

Charlie & Nancy

That afternoon, Charlie & Nancy surprised us with a visit. They were close friends with our family when I was growing up and are still good friends with my dad & Kathymom. They feel like family to me, so it was wonderful to see them, catch up, and give some hugs!

On Sunday afternoon, we visited the assisted living for a devotional and then took communion to the sweeties in the nursing home. It was nice meeting some of the people that D&K really like.

Day 5 (12.6)

Morning chores of feeding, watering & taking care of the donkeys, cows, chickens & dogs.

Choco

Sassy

Dad & Cricket

Lunch at Crazy Gal's Cafe in Bertram

A walk along Hamilton Creek

Pounded my first fence post (without help)

Another brilliant sunset

The Ranch

I recently returned to my Southern homeland earlier this month. Unfortunately, I was sick the entire time and got Mountain Man sick too, but we made the most of it.

Dad & Kathymom

It was great to see my dad & Kathymom and spend some time with them. Two and a half years is just too long for a daddy's girl not to see her daddy!

Home on the range (for now)

In the last 2 1/2 years, they have bought a small ranch,

The Ranch

added some egg-layers and a rooster (that incessantly peck at you),

 

added some miniature donkeys (who are very sweet),

and even bought some calves (10 months old) while we were visiting.

I'm such an animal lover, so I enjoyed every minute of it!

I'll post about some of our activities a little later, but for now I'll leave you with a glimpse of what we saw every evening, right outside our little RV door!