When Kate found out Moorea Seal was gearing up for a Five year Anniversary Party she requested the two of us take a day and spend it in Seattle together. It had been some time since we had hung out just the two of us so it was long overdue. We grabbed some hot drinks, some CD's and hit the road. Though traffic was a brute (the Bite of Seattle among other things was going on) it was worth it once we dumped the car and hit all the spots on our wish list!
The main reason we went of course was to shop at Moorea Seal's party and wish her well! I met Moorea some years back at an Urban Craft Uprising where she was doing a book signing...I believe for her first book. She has never failed to be kind, warm and a whole lot of fun! Kate had never met her and spent an evening shopping, drinking and winning a prize after being warmly greeted. It was worth braving the crowd to see Moorea so happy and celebrating!
After running around downtown we needed some sustenance and boy did we find it at El Borracho in Pike Place Market. Kate is eating vegan and can you believe that plate of nachos is vegan? It was mind blowing and according to her delicious! Meanwhile I was perfectly happy with my caesar salad and guacamole. And sitting outside on a summer night really can't be beat.
On the way out of town we were able to find something we were both really excited to see. It's called SODO Track, a 2 mile long corridor of murals along a transit way between Royal Brougham Way and Spokane Street. We were able to park near the Sodo Transit station and walk around to see a few of them. The one above is by DALeast, an artist from China. I was drawn to the movement and the color, and imagine that it translates well even from the moving buses and trains.
Kate was drawn to this piece by Paola Delfin, an artist from Mexico City. The artist said she was inspired by the tracks theme of "movement and progression" and applied it to her subject.
And probably my absolute favorite from the ones we could see is this piece by Jillian Evelyn, an artist living in LA that paints females that express themselves with eyerolls and cigarettes. She's someone that I'm now following and completely in love with her art.
Having a day with Kate was wonderful on so many levels. Seeing her out and about in Seattle as an adult is so different from when she was a little girl afraid of the crowds. She is confident, fun and ready to search out all the cool experiences. Having her ask me to spend the day with her was a sweet surprise and made me realize it was time for me to make more dates like this. Maybe next time will find us on a bus searching out the rest of these murals.
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A couple of years ago my friend Elizabeth brought up the subject about being intentional about summer. She and other friends had spent many a September bemoaning the fact that summer had gotten away from them and there was so much that they had not done or experienced that meant summer to them. Ever since then we have paid attention to all those things and tried to get to them to make sure that time doesn't get away from us. With work, grocery, housework, etc. we still want to embrace summer and all it has to offer! Sometimes it's something big, sometimes it's small. Here's what we've been up to...
The Bellingham Saturday Market Some time ago Steve decided this would be an easy Saturday date for us that we could make happen on a regular basis. It would be a way for us to pick up some groceries and some treats while spending some quality time just us. It's a win-win on so many levels! It's also been a fun way to support some of our favorite vendors, like Gathered Confections with her delicious treats, and Samish Bay Cheese with Steve's favorite cheeses to snack on.
Berry Picking Sam and I had the fun of getting to pick strawberries and raspberries in the same day. There is something about the taste of fresh berries that says summer to me. It only takes a few hours, some time to prepare them for the freezer, and you can have that taste all year. We head to Boxx Berry Farm which we find easy to navigate and we can end with a strawberry shortcake if you choose! We are thinking we may head back there again for blueberries. Having all the berries available for smoothie bowls makes the entire family so happy.
Mural Walk Something new that we have been doing is searching out murals when we are in new areas. I'm not sure if it's a summer thing, but the mural we found above certainly feels fun and summery! There's something so fun about public art and it's an easy (and free!) thing to do a search for it in the summer weather!
Bellingham Bells Baseball This is a favorite of Steve's summer activities! He loves taking in a game on a warm summer evening. Sam will run if she sees that mascot, but Kate is game for a good photo! I'm not hugely into baseball, but enjoy a bratwurst, beer, peanuts and people watching! And It's easy getting into these games involving minor league players.
Slurpee Sometimes all you need, or all you have time for is just a taste of something that makes it feel like summer. Most times that means a s'more for me, but for something a little less involved there is a good old slurpee. I prefer mine with cola on the bottom, something cherry on top. It has the added bonus of reminding me of childhood. How do you you slurpee?
Hit a Park Sometimes all you need is to just get yourself to a park and either take a picnic, a slurpee or a drink of your choice or just your favorite person and relax. The above photo was taken at a park in Seattle waiting for sunset but we have plenty of parks here in Bellingham. There are parks on the water, one's that have concerts, and even the new one that is still in progress. While writing this I found a printable map of all the parks of Bellingham that I link here!
This is just what we have been up to so far! We still have a few things that we have in mind to do before summer is over. We are talking about going to Canada to play mini golf at a park Kate has found. And Steve and I are getting ready to book an evening cruise on Gato Verde which we have talked about for a couple of summers! There is swimming in the lake still to do, another trip to the drive in and I am sure there are a few other things for us to come up with!
Is there anything that you are planning on that really says summer for you? What are you most excited about?
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We have just come off the very busy time of Sam's Graduation and party and all of a sudden things feel very quiet. This is the time when I typically feel blue and can even catch a cold or some other type of sickness. When everything comes to a full stop it can be difficult for me to get my bearings and shift down. In the past this would have come with a freak out and worry that it would lead to a full drop into a depression. Instead I have found that this is just a time of collecting energy, creativity and regrouping before we tackle the next big thing. There are a couple of things I have learned to do in this time to take care of myself.
1. Eat Well. Steve is very sweet to me when I am down and sweetly takes care of breakfast on the weekends. He is the creator of the gorgeous bowl above. I don't ascribe to any special diets, I just try to listen to my body and what it needs. Which might mean chocolate, or it might mean a bowl full of fruit! Snacks are always kept on hand!
2. Get Outside. Getting outside and disconnecting from social media is almost always a good idea! When I'm feeling low I don't always feel generous when I see all the good things happening with others. So it's a good attitude adjustment to just get out and do our own thing. Sam and I did some berry picking in the rain and it was dirty, fun and just what I needed!
3. Do what you Love. This weekend our whole family took a little trip to Value Village and did some thrifting which is something we all enjoy. There I found a pair of clean, fun, polka dot Vans for a steal and they just make me happy to look at! Shopping is something that I used to turn to to make me happy in the past. While this is shopping, we consider it more of a hunt. It's usually full of laughs as we charge each other to try on the most outrageous things we can find! A few hours later we leave after spending less than thirty dollars!
4. Look for the Beauty. I make fairly regular trips to our public library and noticed this gorgeous mural in process the other day. Unexpected color like this makes me so happy. Somehow the effect from seeing it lingers. When I posted on my instagram stories it became clear I'm not the only one thats moved by things like this. A sweet friend found the artist for me. Her name is Gretchen Leggitt and her instagram can be found here.
I hope this is some benefit to you. I know now that this is just a phase for me and that I soon will be back to 100% and ready to tackle the next thing. There are two things actually. Getting Sam ready for college. And Steve and I have decided to go on a road trip for our 25th wedding anniversary which will probably include some sort of car camping. There's nothing like a bit of research, planning and anticipation to get things going again. (Thankfully I have a very loving husband keeping an eye on me so that things don't get out of hand!) How do you deal with the ups and downs in your emotions? Any tips?
