Through the Woods

I decided to check out some trails here on base with the dogs.  I figured it would be a short outing, since the trails are located near a recreation area with fields, a playground, picnic tables, etc.  My thoughts were that the trails were most likely geared towards families and were probably not very long or arduous so that kids could hike on them.  And that was the case with the first trail.  It was short (maybe only a 1/4 of a mile), but very lush and green.  There were even little signs that identified the plant life.  After turning around and making it back to the starting point, I decided to try the other trail.  After walking this trail for a few minutes, I realized that I was wrong about the trails.  The trail was not only lush, but winding and took us all over the dense forest.  There was mature growth, lots of moss, squirrels, bird, and other critters, and lots of paths to choose from.  Who knew there was such a great hiking area right in our "backyard"?!

Since I didn't expect much initially, I left my camera at home, but luckily I had brought my phone.  So, excuse the poor photo quality, but I couldn't help but share this find.  I let the dogs "lead" the way since the trail was pretty skinny.

Sadie on a log.  The dogs loved sniffing EVERYTHING.

So beautiful!  I loved the sun streaming through the trees.  If only I had my real camera....this picture doesn't quite capture the vibrant colors of the forest.

Can you see the silhouette of the little squirrel on the tree?  This little guy was not happy that we were intruding on his turf.  He was literally yelling at us.  It probably didn't help that I just kept standing there with my two sighthounds (who were at the ready to chase him), trying to take his picture.

We saw lots of cool, sciency things, like decomposing mushrooms.

I tried to get the dogs to look cute on a fallen log.  They begrudgingly obliged.

All that traipsing through the forest leads to some tired puppies on the short ride home. 

Washington {Hearts} Coffee

New England has Dunkin Donuts every few blocks.

The South has a Waffle House at each highway exit.

In Okinawa you can get a drink from a vending machine whenever you are thirsty since they are located on every corner.

We all know that Seattle is the coffee capital since Starbucks originated there, but what I didn't know is that the entire state is serious about coffee.  Picture this: you are driving around, running errands, and need a pick-me-up.  Simply pull into the nearest strip mall and you're sure to find one of these babies in the parking lot:

This, my friends, is a coffee shack (also known as a coffee stand or coffee shed).  These drive through/ walk up coffee shops serve your latte or mochaccino any way you like.  They are all over the place - usually found in a parking lot.  Here are just a few from two different streets nearby.

Apparently the competition can be so cut-throat that owners have resorted to opening naughty coffee shacks, (we don't frequent those).  So far the only problem I've encountered is that these are all independently owned so my soy vanilla lattes have varied in taste from one shack to another.  My new task is to determine which one is my favorite.

And you can bet I'll take you there when you come visit.  :)

Sandcastles in the Sand

I couldn't resist using that "How I Met Your Mother" quote in the title.  But this is more than sandcastles we're talking about.  This is the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP of sandcastles.  And, yes, it was right here in Washington.  I had heard about it on the news one night and was determined to check it out.  However, halfway through our drive to Federal Way, WA, the skies turned dark and it began to really rain.  But we are learning that in Washington you follow the Nike motto: Just do it.  So we kept going and drove to see the World Championship of Sand Sculpting IN THE RAIN.

Seriously.  Sand.  In the rain. 

I had a moment where I thought we should just turn around because there's no way to have sand sculptures in the rain, but I figured we might as well find out for sure.

And sure enough, the sculptures were still there.  Even in the rain.

So, here's how it works: sculptures come from all over the world and can work as individuals, pairs, or on a team to create a sculpture out of sand.  Some of the countries represented were the United States, Canada, Japan, Latvia, Holland, Portugal, Mexico, and Australia!  You'd think that the event would be on a beach, but it's actually in a parking lot!  Here's the entrance:

The sand is brought in and forms are built around the sand piles.  Then the sculptors work from the top down.  Here is a beginning sculpture with the form still attached.

And here's a sculpture that is almost finished.  This one was one of my favorites.

I guess they use sand that is really packed tightly and has not been eroded.  I can't imagine how much sand is brought in.  Here's an example of how big the sculptures are:

This sculpture is called "Open Mind."  Check out the details!

Alright....time for some more amazing sand art.  Here are some of the more impressive ones (although they all were really so amazing...even in the rain):

This one had a different look depending on where you were standing.

Yes, this one is a little creepy, but I still can't believe it's made out of sand!

Religious themed.

This one was Noa's favorite.  Notice that the rain did affect the dinosaur's nose (front, right).  Aw, poor guy lost the tip of his nose!

Seattle is featured in the back of this one, titled "Connected."

All visitors could put quarters in boxes at each sculpture to vote for their favorites.  We didn't have any quarters on us (gotta save those for laundry at the Navy Lodge), but I would have a hard time deciding which ones to vote as the best.  Knowing me, I'd vote for all of them.

Sox in Seattle

Disclaimer: I did not bring my camera on this little outing, so please excuse the poor photo quality from the phone photos.

At the last moment, I purchased some military discount tickets for Team Juloa to go and cheer for the Boston Red Sox, who were in town to play the Seattle Mariners.  As I've mentioned before, we are excited to adopt new teams to cheer for, but we are staying loyal to our roots and when the Sox are in town, you can bet we'll be rooting for them.  Normally Tuesday nights consist of the a visit to the gym, dinner, and maybe a movie or browsing online, but on this Tuesday night, Noa came home from work, we jumped in the car and rode the ferry into the city.

Here's our view on the way out of Bainbridge.  Mt. Rainier was in full view!

Once the ferry was docked, we walked several blocks to Safeco Stadium, home of the Seattle Mariners.

Up several flights of stairs and up to the nosebleed seats.  We didn't mind.  The view was great and we had room to spread out.

We enjoyed the world famous garlic fries. 

Oh, and there were plenty of Sox fans present, so we weren't the only ones cheering on the visiting team.  Again, please forgive the poor photo quality.

Best news of the night: the Sox won!  The 9-6 score gave us reason to smile as we hightailed it back to the ferry to catch the next boat in time. On our way back, we enjoyed the beautiful skyline of our new city, Seattle.  Maybe next time, we'll root for the home team.

Seattle Sights

It's crazy that we've been living here for 3 weeks and haven't made it to Seattle until now.  Even though it was a holiday weekend and insanely busy, we had a blast exploring our new city.  

We took the Bainbridge Island Ferry, which only takes about 30 minutes to get into downtown.  The ride is smooth and easy.  Plus, you just walk on....there's no fee to go to Seattle this way (you do pay a fee heading back).  

The skyline view from the ferry was awesome!

Getting closer...

We walked straight to the stadiums to see how close (or far) they were from the ferries, since we plan on attending some games in the near future.  Thankfully, it's an easy walk from the ferry terminal.

Now we just need to get some Seahawks, Mariners, and Sounders gear (don't worry, we're still Boston fans all the way....Seattle teams come in second place).

Next, Pike Place Market, of course!

My favorite part of PPM can be summed up in one word: FLOWERS!!  So many and so affordable!  I would have bought some except we were walking all over the city and I didn't want to carry a massive bouquet everywhere.  Next time, for sure!

But, the flying fish are really fun too.  Noa was able to capture it on video, despite the massive crowds (don't adjust your volume, there's no sound)

And you can't visit Seattle without seeing the ORIGINAL Starbucks.  We didn't stop in to get a drink this time because the line was ridiculously long and we figured there will be many more opportunities to go.

There were street performers everywhere.

The city has so much to offer.  I'm looking forward to visiting the Seattle Art Museum....

...and the Seattle Public Library.

Exciting find of the day: a REAL 100 YEN store!  It was like a piece of Okinawa was smack dab in the middle of the city.  Yes!

A perfect end to our adventure in the city: a scenic ride back to Bainbridge Island.

You can bet we'll be traveling to Seattle as much as we can.  I can't wait to go back.

Bremerton's Blackberry Festival

Remember how I mentioned in the last post about the wild blackberries that grow EVERYWHERE here?

Well, apparently, they have a whole festival dedicated to these scrumptious berries.  Today we ventured downtown to check out this festival and explore downtown a little.

It was our first time in downtown Bremerton!

The festival is hosted right on the water near the boat docks and had your typical fair flair, like concessions, fried foods, musical performers, kiddies amusements, and even tours of the USS Turner Joy.  But, unlike your typical fair, this one definitely had blackberries in the forefront....

...with blackberry pies...

...bubble tea and blackberry lemonade..

....blackberry vinegars, syrups, and jams...

Even blackberry wine, which we sampled, of course.

And, we just had to have one of the desserts....blackberry shortcake, anyone?

But, my favorite part of being downtown for the festival were all the dog sightings!

I LOVED this red dobie!!

We also strolled through the downtown area and took in the sights.  What a fun little city!

It's starting to look like fall!

More fun to come this holiday weekend!