186 - The Gum Wall

Welcome to the Seattle Gum Wall:

A little bit gross and a lot a bit intriguing. It's kind of a must-see if you're visiting Seattle. Just saying.

185 - BFFs

Tomorrow I'll be leaving on a short getaway with this guy. We're BFFs. It's a guaranteed great time.

181 - Fremont Bridge

180 - On the Bridge

These just make me happy. Sigh. I miss Seattle. And summer. =)

179 - Drawbridge

I'm a little kid when it comes to "cool moments". Around water, that can be in regards to ships, and boats, and fish, and birds, and drawbridges. I stand there, open-mouthed, smiling, and insisting we wait until it's all finished, and everything of any interest whatsoever has passed... so naturally, we had to watch the entire proceeding of the bridge opening and closing. It was grand. =)

178 - Down by the Water

There's something about water that simply calms my soul. Even though it fills me with great nostalgia and longing, it also brings me great peace and hope. Someday I'll find my way back to it, I'm pretty sure.

177 - Don't Follow

Just in case you were wondering... don't follow in my footsteps...

Compliments of a sign in downtown Seattle. It seems somehow fitting... though, I trip more often than walk into walls (though both have been known to happen). 

However, it could also be taken in regards to updating blogs..... I think I walked into a few walls over the past few months. And I might've fallen into a couple of pits along the way, too. But, I WILL post 365 photos on here, even though I'm already technically past my year deadline. =)

176 - Theo Chocolate

If you're ever in Seattle, you must visit the Fremont neighborhood. It's a great place to wander around, filled with the unique stores, yummy restaurants, great coffee shops, and everything in between. For starters, there's a Belgian tavern and Theo Chocolate. Then, there's a drawbridge and a troll under the bridge. Need I say more? 

Well, I won't say more about Fremont, but I will say more about Theo Chocolate. My sister clued me in a number of years ago about Theo, and my oh my, is their chocolate delicious! Besides having pretty much the best chocolate around, Theo was the first organic chocolate factory in the US -- prior to their opening, all chocolate was imported from Europe. Now, Theo is the only organic, fair trade, bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the country. Pretty sweet, huh? 

When you go into the store, they have EVERY kind of chocolate available for sample on the floor. It's ridiculous. And amazing. And irresistible. You can pretty much make a meal of it! And don't forget to take the factory tour before you go! :)

141 - Beach Day!

Since my little brother Jacob's visiting from Seattle, we couldn't let the time pass us by without a trip to the Jersey shore. While Seattle has incredible coasts, they don't quite have beaches in the same way the East Coast does. So, bright sun, hot sand, and cool waves were a must.

Josh wasn't able to come along with us because he's busy running a summer camp for middle school kids in our neighborhood, but we managed to stay out of too much trouble. I didn't take my "real" camera along, but I did pack Josh's old point-and-shoot in, and even though it seems to be on its way out (I think it's about 8 years old), I did get some fun shots. (When I wasn't busy swimming in the ocean, that is.)

There was actually a sand sculpting contest the day we were there... there were some pretty incredible ones! I totally love the big monster fish. He's my favorite.

And last but not least, what beach day would be complete without a squinty-faced ocean photo? Ok, well, at least squinty-faced on my part, because apparently Jacob is much better at looking normal and didn't inherit that gene... 

Happy beach day! Go get some fun in the sun while you can... or come to Philly and share some with us. =)

136 - And Other Camping Stories...

When I go camping, I use a lot of this:

I inherited my mother's attracting-insects gene, meaning that my blood sends out radar to every bug within about, oh, 3.2 square miles. And they come. To me. To feast. 

So, even when I use bug spray (and the one indicated above had 25% DEET), they still find me and I will end up with at least 5-10 bites, even when there are other people around me who the bugs don't even bat an eyelash at. 

However, this little guy was interesting, didn't bite me, and so I decided it was ok if he rested on my shoe for a little while:

However, I did have to boot him off eventually so we could head out to the orienteering course at French Creek State Park. But, before we could get started, we found another awesome-looking friend. Seriously, I think this may be the most incredible moth I've ever seen... and in addition to his great colors, he was big -- about 5" across...

Finally, we hit the orienteering course. None of us had ever done an orienteering course before and we definitely had a good time. The point is to make your way to a bunch of different check-in points using a special map. It doesn't have too many clues -- largely you're looking for various geographical features.

At the end of the path we returned back to our starting point... we managed to do what's usually a 2-hour, almost 6-mile course, in about an hour and 10 minutes! Not bad, huh?

And, what better way to end the post, than by letting the sign do the talking? =)  If you haven't gotten some camping action in lately, I highly suggest you do. You never quite know what you'll find. =)

135 - Campfire!

The campfire is pretty much the most important part of camping. Why? Well, in a word: s'mores. (Ok, the other food is important, too... but let's be honest - it really is all about the s'mores.)

 

And while wood looks pretty darn cool in the daylight (especially with my little brother Jacob's sweet setup), it's hard to beat the warm glow of it at night:

And, let's not forget -- some of the best conversations happen during those late nights... especially when an unnoticed observer peeks out from the tent to capture the happenings.

What are some of your campfire memories?

134 - Setting up Camp

It all started with this:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That tent is, in fact, as old, and maybe even slightly older, than I am! The best part about it? This is the first time it had been used. Yup. Hadn't even been out of the box!

While my family went camping quite a bit when I was younger, Josh's family... well, they're New Yorkers. They bought the tent... they meant to use it... but... well... um, that's got to count for something, right? Even if 25 years after they bought it, they passed it on to us in its original, unopened condition? =)

Josh and Jacob (my little brother, visiting from Seattle for a couple weeks) worked hard to get things set up... and while I did help with the tent a bit (I couldn't let them have all the fun), I also took a few photos and got the food out. Mmm. Nothing like getting all the snacks you otherwise wouldn't buy...

Then we were done! And we had a tent! And folding chairs from home! Hooray!

And that's the end of Part I... check back for Part II later!

(Oh, and in case you're wondering, we were out at French Creek State Park near Birdsboro, PA, about 1 hour, 15 minutes from our house in Philly.)