Deception Falls

We took a ride into the Cascades into the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National forest and stopped at this waterfall. Deception Falls is just off the road and winds down through a beautiful forest. We all played along the side of the stream; the water was cold even though it is August. You could see a few patches of snow in the shady crags on the mountain tops.

Dinner in Kirkland

We had dinner in Kirkland, and then walked down the the Kirkland beach. The girls played on the rocks and we watched boats come into the harbor.

Chittenden Locks and Botanical Gardens

We took Mike lore to the locks in Ballard. The locks connect Lake Washington with Puget Sound. There is about 20 feet difference between the fresh water of Lake Washington and the salt water of Puget Sound. The locks are about 80 years old, and have been in continuous operation. The boats come in, tie up and raft all the way across - there must have been 20 boats in the lock when we were there and it would hold twice that. Next to the locks is the fish ladder. It allows salmon to swim through. They also have some glass so you can watch them swim by. Some were jumping 4 feet into the air trying to get up. The gardens adjacent to the locks are really nice. It’s a neat place to visit.

Snoqualmie Falls

For our first weekend, we went to Snoqualmie Falls (about 30 minutes south, and then to a small fair. Snoqualmie Falls is about a 200 foot drop, its quite impressive. Its where the they filmed the tv show Twin Peeks. There is a high end spa located just to the left of the falls. It has beautiful grounds. Then we went to a small town fair near by, where Caroline road a pony. It was a nice first weekend.

Moving In

The van came early wednesday morning and filled the house with boxes. By night fall we had the beds setup and the fridge plugged in - and that was progress. In the next 2 days we worked hard to get the kitchen setup, and start on the bathrooms and clearing out boxes and packing. Were just started, but we have a mountain of packing paper. Its a georgous saturday, and after unpacking till 5 we headed out and had a great italian dinner. Now back home to relax.

Finally Leaving for Seattle

After 5 nights in the Residence Inn, one longer than we expected due to flight cancellation, we were ready to go. Leslie was nice enough to give us a ride on what was going to be a 100 degree day! We went through the line, checked Fletch as cargo, and carried on Simba - and off we went. Caroline slept part of the way - we all had an easy flight. When we arrived I went and picked up Debbie' car from the shipper and packed it with all the bags, and animals and headed for the house - hoping every one liked it.