“Through the Cattails”
A Bird’s View of our Family
-A.K. Continue reading “Hot Dogs on a Stick”
Ordinary Extraordinary #1: Merry-Go-Round
Introducing our new mini-series: Ordinary Extraordinary, a personal challenge from us to you, highlighting ordinary life experiences in extraordinary ways. Otherwise and oftentimes overlooked, simple joys exist all around us. Old-fashioned toys, everyday objects, natural “treasures,” hidden art, weird words, outside games, and unexpected discoveries form the stories of our lives. Truly appreciating life’s simplicity requires a perspective shift, a touch of curiosity, a willingness to slow down, and the energy to play like a child. Continue reading “Ordinary Extraordinary #1: Merry-Go-Round”
Sunny Day Snow Play (Mom’s Stuck!)
We almost didn’t post this one. The adventure happened weeks ago on a rare, surprise snow day, and we stayed home to enjoy it. Home, yes, but we left our house in the drifts and trudged toward the hill. Our plastic sled-somethings and unbending wooden skim board tucked optimistically under our arms, we set out on foot, smashing snowflakes into tread. Continue reading “Sunny Day Snow Play (Mom’s Stuck!)”
“Walk a Little Slower, Daddy”
Footprints
“Walk a little slower, Daddy,” said a little child so small.
“I’m following in your footsteps and I don’t want to fall.Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.Someday when I’m all grown up, you’re what I want to be.
Then I will have a little child who’ll want to follow me.And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you.”– Bobbie Norman
Hiking in the Dark (with Kids!)
Dare we give up our secret spot? The spot with no parking lot, at the head of a spindly little trail leading to the secluded beach with the weird sea creatures and island views leading to the greenest, grassiest bluff, alive with towering tufted terraces and slippery seals swimming below? The destination of the surprise hike & picnic Chris led me on on our “Three Hour Date Night” when I was 8.975 months pregnant, nearly four years ago? That place long withstanding in Chris’ boyhood memories? YES, I suppose we’ll share it. Continue reading “Hiking in the Dark (with Kids!)”
Smelling Fragrance Lake
February 3, 2018
We slept in a bit and then drug our feet. One cup of coffee turned into two. The gas fireplace rumbled on; my robe begged to stay wrapped around me, warm and sheltered from the showers outside. Chris searched…and searched…for sun.
“There’s a slight chance it’s in Bellingham or Whidbey, but it’s not looking very promising. What do you want to do?” Continue reading “Smelling Fragrance Lake”
Pigtails & Rainbows
January 20, 2018
She interrupts me. Clutching a brush and opening her hand to reveal two tiny, mismatched hairbands, she demands a hairdo.
“Two pigtails. High ones and tight ones.”
“Please….” I remind her.
We go through this every day: urgent pigtails, insisted and expected, usually an interruption. Continue reading “Pigtails & Rainbows”
Welcome
It takes a shift in thought to find the sun beyond the rainclouds; a shift in focus to experience that fleeting, fascinating moment; a shift in speed to savor the ever-changing details of a life.
-A.K.
“Quick! Kids, get your shoes on! Dad found the SUN again!”
We jump in the car, no solid plans, like we always do in weather like this; a real-life, spontaneous Pacific Northwest family, SEARCHING FOR SUN on even the dreariest days. We always find it. And you should, too.
Follow us as we explore, live life, and savor the small things, from pigtails to rainbows in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
I Almost Blew Away: Ala Spit & Fort Ebey
December 2017
Sideways rain and gloomy skies led to prime couch-surfing conditions. A typical predicament in Western, WA, we pushed our blankets aside, searched for the sun and found a glimmer of it likely shining intermittently one hour away near Whidbey Island.