I Followed the Sunshine and This is What I Found...

Hi everyone!

If you don't already know, I live in beautiful Washington State.  I LOVE living here.  I've been all around the world and Washington, and the Pacific NW as a whole, is the most beautiful place I have found.  It seems no matter where you go, there is a new trail to explore or mountain to climb.  The great thing about living in Western Washington, in particular, is that you can drastically change your scenery in only a few hours!  I can go to the ocean for some surfing or fishing, I can go snowboarding and skiing, I can go to the desert.  And in my own backyard, I am surrounded by water and lush forests.

I didn't take full advantage of Washington until I got in shape.  Now it is like I am rediscovering the place I've lived for so long.  I'm rediscovering my body and what it can do.  Life is what you make of it.

The one drawback to living here is the rain.  Especially during the winter when we get about 6 months of gray, rainy Hell.  Many of us Washingtonians get S.A.D., an appropriate acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is basically seasonal depression.  My first 2 winters here were awful.  By my third winter, my body had adjusted and I had learned a few tricks, but that's another blog post.

Why do we put up with it?  Not only for all the reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph, but also because our summers are PERFECT.  We get 3 months of the most beautiful weather you can imagine.  Washington summers are a time to go to concerts at the Gorge (the best venue in the world for concerts), boating in the Puget Sound, fishing, stand up paddleboarding, camping, kayaking, going to Seattle for our games.  Washington summers make up for the Washington winters.  And even winter can be manageable if it snows and you spend it on the mountain snowboarding.

We are at the beginning of Spring now, which means even more rain, but now it is punctuated here and there with green grass, flowers and the occasional sunny day.  The other day it was raining where I live, but I noticed a break in the clouds over yonder.  So, in an attempt to escape the rain and put a smile on my dog's face (yes, pit bulls smile!), Lola and I jumped in the car and drove toward the sunshine.  I had no idea where I would end up--I just followed the sun.  The great thing about Washington is that no matter where you go, there is always a hidden gem to explore.  Hope you enjoy the pictures and they inspire you to go on a spontaneous adventure of your own!

Lots of love,
Mon

I was so surprised to find a sweet little pond at the end of the trail!

Beautiful Washington greenery :)

I <3 my trees.

Lola is taking in the scenery.

Lola saying "Thank you" for taking her out. :)