Betsy and Colin come to Oly-town

In early July Betsy and Colin (her boyfriend) came to visit us in Olytown. They came during the one good week of summer (warm sunny days) we've had so far. Good timing! We had a lot of fun and luckily our camera got fixed just in time. We spent one day sight-seeing in Seattle (Pike Place Market, Blue C Sushi and Theo chocolate in Fremont, coffee shops, etc.). We went to Mt St. Helens, the Little Creek Casino where Eric and Betsy won in Black Jack and Roulette, and paddle boarded/kayaked to Hope Island. There was also a lot time just hangin' in some of our favorite spots in Olytown.

Testing out the underwater camera. It works!

On our way to Hope Island with Betsy and Colin in the tandem kayak.

We made it!

Looking up at the canopy. The north side of Hope Island has an amazing old growth forest.

Wildlife at Hope Island.

We enjoyed beer and snacks at Boston Harbor after our adventure to Hope Island.

Mt St Helens on a perfect day.

Colin showing his love for the Northwest in front of the mountain.

Oysters and Eric's famous fish tacos on the back deck.

More Snowboarding and Late Spring Update

Eric, Carmen, and I have been up to a lot of great stuff this spring, but unfortunately our camera stopped working so we don't have any pictures of what we've been up to. Here's a list of some stuff:

1. Eric's been working on the yard and it looks beautiful. He took out some of the front lawn and put in flower and vegetable beds. The backyard is full of color and looks like it could be featured in Sunset Magazine. Great job Eric!
2. Two weeks ago we went to the Oregon Coast for a short vacation. We spent 2 nights near Newport and went to a dog-friendly beer festival at the Rogue Brewery. We went to Cape Perpetua for amazing views, Waldport for fresh local fish and chips, and went agate hunting at several beaches. The highlight though was that we got Carmen to swim several times in a deep tidepool! We were so proud of her. We then headed north to our favorite spot at Seaside/Cannon Beach (thanks Aunt Barb and Uncle Jerry for letting stay at your condo).
3. Eric and I have had some really nice long paddles in the Puget Sound this spring. Last weekend we went 7 miles round trip from Boston Harbor north to Dickinson Point. It was exciting because we got caught in some tidal currents as the tide flooded in on our way back.
4. I haven't been bicycling much, but have taken up running. I really like running now since I read the book "Born to Run" and "Chi Running". Who knew you could run without injury. I'm up to 6 or 7 miles at a time and have even been running to work in the mornings 1 day a week. It takes only 40 minutes to run to work.
5. We are starting to plan for a much needed kitchen remodel that will happen later in the summer. Stay tuned on that one...
6. We'll get a new camera soon, so that we can start posting again.

On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend I went snowboarding again at Crystal Mountain. Yes, 5 inches of fresh powder on May 28th. The conditions were awesome...stoked! Apparently our snowpack is twice the normal depth. Here are some snowboarding pics that my friend Mark took last weekend at Crystal Mountian:

Mark, me and our ski-instructor friend Tom. Even though Tom doesn't know how to snowboard, he's given me a lot of good pointers that have helped my snowboarding.

Stoked for fresh powder at the end of May!

Snowboarding in May?!

Yesterday I went snowboarding at Crystal Mountain with friends. They were all skiers, but let the lone boarder tag along. Yes, boarding in May! It was awesome. Stoked! Great snow and it was snowing! Getting into boarding has definitely gotten me through this cold spring.

Brandee's 35th Birthday

My 35th birthday had two themes this year: socks and snowboarding. I went snowboarding for my birthday and Eric and I had a nice dinner at the Budd Bay Cafe down on the Olympia waterfront.

Here's my new board (a birthday present to myself)! It was made in Sequim, WA and designed by a woman in Portland. I love it!

Birthday morning with presents from Eric.

Okay, so I'm really into knee socks. I told Eric I wanted knee socks for my birthday. He bought me 7 colorful pairs! Oh, they are so fun. Thanks Eric.

More Snow Days

In late February we had more snow days, so I took some pictures of our yard in the snow...

We fed the winter resident hummingbird (the Anna's Hummingbird) all winter. It's really bizarre to see such a colorful hummingbird in the snow and freezing temperatures!

Snowboard Trip

A couple of weeks ago I got the chance to try snowboarding at Crystal Mountain in the Cascades. It was really fun, but I was so SORE the next day. Learning to snowboard is not for wimps. It was funny because my friend Chris and I both went to our chiropractor the next day with the same injuries including minor whip lash. I'm nuts, because I can't wait to go again...

I almost look like a snowboarder (until you see me going down the mountain - ha ha).

Chris and me on the lift.

1st 2011 SUP

On the first nice day of the year, Eric and I got out on our SUP boards in Budd Inlet. It was a cold but beautiful day to be on the water. We saw lots of birds including a flock of Surf Scoters. We are very much looking forward to spring and summer and many opportunities to get out on our SUP boards.