A summer day

August 1, 2013

Note: It is not a Monday but I will be mentioning berries.

The other day I got an invitation to go berry picking in a nearby park. I was also told I would be able to swim so I slipped on my suit and covered it up with a t-shirt and pants so I wouldn’t get too scratched up.

It was a warm summer day and we were out around the hottest time of day in the full sun picking berries. I was seriously happy as I could be. I didn’t even really mind so much that I was getting stuck my the blackberries bushes or probably burned by the sun (whoops no sunscreen again) I was just finally enjoying having a day that really felt like summer.

I picked a decent amount of berries and decided I was ready for a swim. I found a nice little spot that was easy to get in and went for it. And by “went for it” I mean walked in slowly while adjusting to the water and them finally getting in all the way. I swam around a bit letting the waves push me back to shore and then I’d swim back out and do it again. Finally I went to a shallow area and just sat in the water enjoying the boats in the distance and the cold waves splashing my body. When I was finally done with the water I dried a little bit on the shore before finding my friends.

Then I went skipping around in the blackberry bushes in my bathing suit in the hot sun and I felt like a kid again-just for a few moments-and it was wonderful.

Day hiking: mt. rainier

July 30, 2013

At the beginning of the summer Walker and I had hoped to do a weekend camping trip near Mt. Rainier but we didn’t realize how quickly everything books up so we settled for a day hike with a friend of ours. For the hike we chose we knew we wanted to have some great sweeping views, wild flowers, and for the hike to be on the shorter side.

We found the most perfect hike. It was only 3.5 miles with a low elevation gain and there were tons and tons of wildflowers! We also got some lake views and of course Mt. Rainier towering in the distance. We also encountered a patch of snow on the trail which was a fun surprise. I haven’t felt more like I was in the Swiss Alps since I was in the Swiss Alps. I kept thinking we would turn the corner and run into a cow with a bell.

I think I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves. Have you been on any great hikes lately?

Berry monday: u-pick

July 29, 2013

It seems I have been a bit berry crazed this summer so I thought it would be fun to write a berry related post every Monday for the next few weeks. I have pictures, recipes, ideas, and tips so basically it should be really fun.

First up is my trip to the most amazing u-pick berry farm I’ve ever been to. I picked 17 pounds of berries which fueled this idea in the first place. I had just gotten back from San Francisco the night before and I was up early the next day running around trying to catch a bus to my friends house. At this point I was thinking perhaps I had over committed myself, which I tend to do, but when we got to the farm I knew I had made the right choice.

They had u-pick everything! They had marionberries, raspberries, tayberries, boysenberries, blueberries, and blackberries! I was in berry heaven. Every row seemed to be more exciting than the next. I just picked and picked until it was time to go and that’s when I realized I had picked 17 pounds of berries in the same time my friends picked half as many.

^boysenberries! They were huge, it’s hard to tell how large but they are around the same size as a small plum.

^tayberries a mix between a blackberry and a raspberry-oh my!

^blueberries we very plentiful and delicious.

-marionberries, raspberries, blackberries.

Come back next week for more berry goodness! What’s your favorite berry recipe?

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