Bloggin' America

Spokane has a lot going for it. Its motto: Near nature. Near perfect. Keep going...

It’s been a long Labor Day weekend. Every Labor Day prior to this one has been spent with a hot dog in hand under the shade of the elm tree in my backyard, wearing my last pair of white shorts before they’re outlawed by the fashion police. This one? The last thing I was worried about was breaking a dress code violation. Keep going...

Today we woke up to pouring rain. No surprise, welcome to Washington. Unfortunately, that did put a damper (pun definitely and always intended) on our plans for the day. We were headed to the Pacific coastline – Forks and Port Angeles area, the newly famous backdrop of the Twilight saga. (Yes, by default as a teenage girl, I have read the books and seen the movies. Team Edward all the way.) Keep going...

I just had to escape my family today. We woke up, stopped at the University of Washington’s campus for breakfast and a short tour, and then drove from Seattle to Mt. Pilchuck State Park. The ride was scenic—and by that I don’t mean full of scenery (even though it probably was). But there is no possible way to enjoy any kind of beautiful nature when you have the following scenes playing out: George grumbling about how his Washington guide book got destroyed by the rain; Ray belly aching about his belly aching; Mom stressing over the thought of her two “babies” climbing a strenuous hike; and all the while, Glenda trying to make us halfway interested in Douglas firs and hemlocks. Keep going...

I’ve never been much of a sports fan.  But George grew up cheering for Seattle, just one state over.  Hey, if he’s taking us all the way to Kentucky and Disney World, I guess I can stomach a stop for a baseball game.  Good thing Ray’s excited about it too.  A happy Ray is usually not an annoying Ray. Keep going...

Have you ever bought books online? Or not lived under a rock? You’ve probably heard of Amazon.com then. Turns out it doesn’t just exist on the Internet through a laptop. The headquarters are here in Seattle, WA. I’m finally here, after a quick pee stop in Olympia and a day in Tacoma, I made it to the birthplace of Starbucks. Speaking of which, I could really use one right about now… Keep going...