Monday, March 4, 2013

Finding Common Ground

I'm not an outdoorsy kind of girl, though I grew up in a family that could not get enough of hiking. Now that I'm in the Northwest, I'm surrounded by rock climbers, hikers, mountain climbers, marathon runners, kayakers, skiers, snowboarders, bicyclists, you name it. It's considered a crime to not love the great outdoors in Washington state, as we're basically surrounded by them. 

My ideal weekend would consist of going out, going shopping, drinking wine, antiquing, crafting, and laying in a warm patch of sun. I'm half cat, half grandma. My boyfriend however loves everything and anything active and outside. If it's below 30, he likes "the sting of the cold" on his face. Ick! He's always looking for opportunities to get me outside throwing a frisbee, football, swinging a bat, whatever. 

We seem to have reached a common outdoors ground in local wetlands. I've posted about Nisqually before, a wetlands about 30 minutes south of us populated by songbirds, eagles, hawks, owls, and herons. It's a four mile looping trail over a flooded river delta made of gorgeous boardwalk. You can walk all the way out into the middle of the flood plains and watch the tide rush in underneath you. It combines some of my favorite things: seeing water and taking photos. And his: biology and hiking. 









We spent last week Sunday visiting the Mary Theler wetlands to the north west, pictured above, and hiked about four miles on boardwalk and gravel trails to spot some gorgeous red winged blackbirds (first picture), a ton of sparrows, heron, duck, and even spotted raccoon trails under a bridge over a mud flat. It was a gorgeous day for the Northwest and I was able to wear only about three layers instead of seven. I always end up feeling very refreshed when I've gone outside and enjoyed the "sting of the cold" on my face. This is evidenced by my need to nap for hours post-outside activity regardless of how non-strenuous it was. I think we're going to try to make this a regular thing on the weekends instead of a sporadic outing.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures, I've got a berry crumble in the oven I've got to pop out and serve up warm with ice cream! Have a great Tuesday.

19 comments

  1. I grew up in the Northwest, but I'm not sporty at all. I've never even been skiing. I like being out in nature, but I'm the type to sit and watch nature, not go tromping through it. I always hated the word "hiking" for some reason, but if you asked me to go for an amble through the wetlands, I would be fine with that. I guess we're pretty similar :)

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  2. I seriously started laughing when you said you're half cat, half grandma. Sounds like me! I can definitely agree with you on this, since I live in Idaho, and its much the same situation here. Love that you two were able to find common ground and enjoy the outdoors though. These photos are gorgeous!

    Trendy Teal

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  3. It's great that you both found a common ground! That's very very important. You're too funny, half cat, half grandma! I'm like that at times but my bf does push me to try new outdoor adventures and they end up being fun most of the time.

    -V
    http://stylishlyme.com

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  4. so funny~ )) Love your post, dear, and pict are adorable )

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  5. I am craving the outdoors. It does wonders for me.
    Enjoyed the pictures -thank you!
    Have a lovely day ahead~
    Anna

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  6. Those pictures are absolutely gorgeous! Looks like a great place to visit.

    Katherine

    mintedglam.blogspot.com

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  7. Gorgeous pictures! I love this post a lot.

    -Vogue&Heels
    vogueandheels.com

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  8. Gorgeous photos! This post was such a lovely read.

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  9. These photos are really gorgeous, and I can't believe they're all yours! They look so professional!

    http://lasaloperie.blogspot.com

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  10. Wow beautiful pictures.

    If you get a sec, check out my latest post 'Parisian Style'.

    XO
    Sofia

    stylishlyinlove.blogspot.com

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  11. "I'm half cat, half Grandma." Ha! Love this line.

    These shots are gorgeous- hope the berry crumble turned out yummy. :)

    -Ashley
    http://lestylorouge.com

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  12. I'm not outdoorsy at all either. Though I would love to experience it I fear that my personality type just disagrees. haha.
    Your weekend sounds like my kind of weekend.
    But, I must say the beauty of nature is unmatched. These are beautiful photos!
    xo,
    nancy

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  13. Wow, these are such gorgeous photographs! Makes me want to do something outdoorsy soon (once it gets warmer lol)

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  14. It's really beautiful where you are, too bad you're not the biggest fan of it though.. your photos totally make me want to visit the area!


    myblissisthisway.blogspot.com

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  15. these snaps are gorgeous!

    xo Nina
    afterthe40barfinish.blogspot.com

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  16. I'm definitely a city girl too but having lived in Vancouver for a while now I'm starting to really appreciate the great outdoors. Sometimes getting out and being in the fresh air is the best thing you can do for your mind!
    xo
    girlintheyellowdress.com

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