{birding} and a vacation

Back at the end of August Ryan's folks came for a visit.....and it felt like a real vacation. Most of the photos I took are still on Clem. Eventually I will edit them to share, but for now here are my Instagrams with a few of the highlights :D

One of my favorite adventures was when we went birding at Padilla Bay.  It was our first time birding and we all had fun trying to identify the different birds, with the most exciting being when we saw a blue heron up close.  I had downloaded a couple birding apps to my phone and would listen to the bird songs and look at the photos trying to figure out which bird was which.  And the view?  The view was spectacular.  Such a beautiful place. Clem (my camera) loved it there.  Below is the Big Indian Slough.  Most of the larger birds were wading around there during the low tide.  To make that day perfect we had chicken for dinner and then watched The Big Year.  What a great movie.  I'm a sucker for a movie was good morals and a good ending.  Birding.....who knew, right?!?

Above is a pic from when we visited Snoqualmie Falls.  I don't know about you, but I love waterfalls.....and this one is giant and grand!  Plus the grounds around the viewing area are very well groomed and make walking around enjoyable.  Being there felt like a different time.  An earlier time, like the feel of the Victorian era.  Very cool. 

 

Later that week we also ended up going to a Mariners game that I will never forget.  First of all there was a streaker who ran around the field in the middle of the ballgame, outlasting all the security until finally deciding he was bored.  Then, a huge flock of seagulls swarmed around inside the stadium right before we left.  There were so many it reminded me of Hitchcock's The Birds.   Love that movie.  All in all it was nice to be a tourist for the week and spend quality time with Ryan's parents.  Summertime in Seattle, I love you.