Ex Nihilo in Elbe

I was struck with a desperate desire to visit Ex Nihilo after reading about it in my Weird Washington book. Born from the love of artistic creation by Dan Klennart, this sculpture garden is truly dazzling. The property sits just east of the little town of Elbe on SR 706, and if you've ever headed to Mt. Rainier via this road, you've probably rubbernecked the reclaimed pieces, wondering what exactly these amazing metal-works were.
Well, lucky for me, we were able to work this into our anniversary getaway, after whining about wanting to go all summer. It was a beautiful day to wander the property. WArm and sunny, with the dome of Majestic Rainier as a backdrop. I was a little disappointed that Dan wasn't home, as I would have loved to meet him and pick his brain over some of his creations, but Derek and I had fun checking out all the sculptures and discovering the items Dan re-purposed in his designs.
You can read more about one of my favorite Pacific Northwest finds at www.danielklennert.com

While Derek and I enjoyed this immensely, I think it's a great family friendly activity! There were a few adult themed sculptures, but they were camouflaged well, and marked for your discretion. It's not too large that kids will get bored, and a great stopping point heading up to the national park or as a detour on the way home!
There is a spot for a $3 donation, and I think that's a pretty good deal for an outdoor art museum!
My favorite pieces : the Seahorse and The Band.

Take a little country drive up passed Elbe. You won't be disappointed!

A Romantic Get-a-way - Copper Creek Inn

So, I have been super dumb busy with all things life related as well as PTA and I had a bout with the Flu, so I have had zero time to do any good blogging, especially about all the cool shit we do in the Foster household. I actually have my Thursdays scheduled for blogging and blog specifics, but alas, my time management skills are blah. But fear not sweet reader, as I have a bit of a gem for you this week! Ready, set, read on...

On September 14, the man I live with and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. Quite the feat, these days, for sure. How did we celebrate? By taking the kids to the always kick-asstacular Puyallup Fall fair, of course! As it wasn't planned, it just so happened that Derek was on leave, and that particular Monday was cheap-o day, and to be honest I just can't pass up a crusty pup or elephant ear!Did we have fun? HECK YES! but that wasn't all we did for our Anny.

My hubby, being the romantic man that he is, planned a little get away for us just outside the entrance to Mt Rainier Nat'l park in Ashford, Wa. We stayed in a cozy little one room cabin at the Copper Creek Inn and I can't tell you how adorable this place is. Picture (because i didn't take any photos) a cute little A frame cabin, near a babbling creek and a wooded greenbelt. The room itself had a queen bed with a twin loft above it and most of the amenities you would find in a motel room (small tv with DVD player, mini fridge,coffee maker,mugs,wine glasses). I believe the interior was all pine, and the smell was wonderful! Hmmm... what's missing? Ohhh... the bathroom. The bathroom was about 30 feet away from our super cozy one room cabin. It wasn't an outhouse, if that's what you're thinking. It was actually our own private bathroom, complete with heater, shower and spacious sink (and toilet, of course), all very well kept and nicely decorated. While having to walk to the bathroom isn't ideal... it was only a little creepy at night, but the room comes equipped with a super cool flashlight to light the way to the bathroom building, it was quite quaint and very private.
Our first night there we shared a fantastic fried chicken dinner at the Copper Creek Inn, known for it's Wild Blackberry pie (baked fresh every 45 minutes), which we shared for dessert. Everything about this meal was perfect. The staff was friendly, the service was outstanding and the food was sinful. Our chicken was crisp without greasiness, and was complemented with sauteed yellow and green zucchini and red mashed potatoes. I was so enamored with the vegetables that I have been trying the recipe out at home. DELISH!
After dinner, we had booked some romantic time at the hot tub, oddly located behind the restaurant. My man brought along our vintage 2009 Spartan pomegranate champagne, and we slipped into the hot tub for a relaxing soak. Unfortunately, we didn't think about how freakin' creepy an outdoor hot tub would be at dark-o-clock, so after only about 30 minutes of trying to figure out why the motion light kept coming on and trying to strain to see impending doom lurking in the surrounding woodland, we decided to head back to the cabin and choose a DVD from the also-quaint in-room -selection. Our choice? The Jerk with Steve Martin. Quite funny.

Day two took us into the Nat'l park for a drive through the sometimes too scary mountains and over to a fantastic trail where we hiked in to see the amazing waterfall display of Silver Falls. While not a high waterfall, it had a series of smaller rushing falls that led to a debate on whether or not one could kayak the falls safely and continue down stream. I think I still need to Google that. We also took a drive up to a spot known as Paradise,(limited services Oct- May). After we snagged a hot beverage at the visitors center we strolled the paved trail to beautiful vistas with views of the Nisqually glacier! It was really quite breathtaking even for a cloudy rainy day.
We decided to do dinner at a kitschy little spot a few miles west passed our cabin in Elbe called The Hobo Inn. Super cute idea, but needs some updating and the meal was forgettable, but honestly after the FANTASTIC meal the night before at Copper Creek Inn, this place didn't stand a chance. Back at the Cabin, Derek had planned ahead and booked our hot tub time for dusk as opposed to dark, and let me tell you it was so much more enjoyable. We were able to relax and enjoy the heat of the tub while listening to the rain around us. The setting was beautiful; woods everywhere!
Quite a relaxing, yet adventurous stay!
I would HIGHLY recommend this little get-a-way to recharge and connect!




*****LINKS*****

Copper Creek Inn - http://www.coppercreekinn.com/
*WE STAYED IN THE SKY CABIN

Hobo Inn - http://www.rrdiner.com/

Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park - http://www.visitrainier.com

better intentions

***Duplicated from manicmilitarywife**


So my summer of blogging was pretty un-bloggy. For several reasons, really, but the most important being this; my eldest daughter is a senior in high school and it dawned on me about mid July that this was our last summer together as a family. Sadness. In June of next year we will be off to Virginia for six months of military school, and she will stay here in Washington to finish her AA. After that none of us know what we'll be doing or where we'll be headed. So, mostly for that reason, I put the blogging on hold and traded that time for, well, time. I hope I spent it well. I think I did. There are already some conversations I would like to take back, some I still need to have, but for the most part, I think this summer we really focused on doing things as a family, and just spending time doing the small stuff together. Summer went a little too quick for me, but we have a whole school year left, and we plan to make the best of it. These are the last birthdays, dances, Holidays and random moments we will spend together as a full family. It's bittersweet, really. But I think this will be a test in strength for all of us. We have raised a little girl into a young women, and soon we will send her off into the world to be a functioning (hopefully) adult. It's scary and exciting and very blog-worthy!!
So here's to the end of summer! Maybe we didn't mark all our to-do's off our list, but sometimes re-prioritizing helps us accomplish more.

That being said, we had some kick ass family adventures and random fun, and I have full intention of bloggin' about them. So stay tuned... I promise to be back very soon.

Kayaking for the novice

I have quite the "To Do" List for summer, and something that has been at the top is Kayaking, so with the weather last weekend in record highs, I finally got my husband on board and we took a little family paddle in the South Sound.

We started our adventure at Adventures Unlimited on McChord. You have to have a kayak "license" which consists of a 40 minutes video on kayaking and a test. All answers are found in the video and I thought the video was pretty interesting. They have some new gear, and when you rent you get all the equipment you need (kayak, paddles, Life vest/PFD and kayak necessities bag with pump,sponge and whistle).

We were able to reserve two tandems, and the very knowledgeable staff helped secure the kayaks when my husband picked them up.
**NOTE** It's wise to call ahead to make sure they have what you need. During the summer, the kayaks are popular!

We launched from Solo Point between Steilacoom and DuPont and headed out into the water towards Ketron Island. We had originally planned on paddling out passed the western side of the island, then head north towards Chambers Bay, but here's the thing: Kayaking is strenuous. We had our two younger kiddos with us, and we had to take many breaks but sometimes changed plans end up being the most fun!!

When we first entered the water, Ruby and I had to get down the basics of paddling as a team, and I lamented not properly adjusting my seat and foot pegs prior to our wiggle launch, but it only took a few minutes to get comfortable. I think about three minutes in we saw our first jellyfish! They were plentiful and the kids got a kick out of seeing them "float" by. As we paddled up to Ketron,the waters just beyond the shore of the southern point of the little island were filled with huge starfish, sea-stars and crabs. We kinda parked there for a bit and just explored the waters beneath us. It's so beautiful, and I'm assuming the wildlife is in abundance there because it's pretty much deserted in that area. Not a lot of activity in the waters, we didn't see any boats in that area the entire day. I suggest just paddling around that area and waiting for the water to stop rippling. You will be amazed at what you see so close up.
After that break, we paddled over to the western side, and stopped to have a little snack. The water was super glassy and it was such a beautiful day to be out on the water. My husband felt the call of nature and paddled into shore to...er... find a bush, and just before he beached, out of nowhere an eagle coasted along the shoreline and landed on an uprooted tree. Ruby and I decided to continue down the shore line and we discovered a crane in the water, just at the shoreline. Just a we got to the northern point of the island, the girls asked if we could go to shore so they could take a dip in the water, but they both chickened out once they got ankle deep. They settled for soaking their hats instead. Even when it's 94 degrees out, the Sound is still pretty chilly.
Back in the kayaks and paddling past the north side, we regrouped and decided to try for Sunnyside beach before heading back, but only got as far as Salter Point. WE stopped by the beach there and had another snack before deciding to head back. The kids were tired and we still had quite the paddle back to Solo point, plus there was a stopped train and we all wanted to investigate. As we cleared Saltars my husband discovered something in the water... a sea lion!! I never got a good picture, and he was definitely being elusive but it was an awesome sight for sure. All in all, a fantastic family adventure! We will for sure be heading back into the sound again soon!

Things to consider:
Plan on getting wet. Just simple paddling will leave you wet, but water does get in. If it's a hot day, wear wicking attire (running/hiking nylon shorts are good).

Remember sun protections: Even when it's cool, the sun is still on you. bring sunscreen and a hat. The hats worked well to keep us cool in the heat.

Bring plenty of water and a snack. This is hard work. Stay hydrated.

Bring towels for the ride home, and possible a change of clothes.


There are several places to kayak around the south sound. If you're military, I do suggest Adventures Unlimited on McChord. The selection is good and the price is awesome. $20 per tandem per 24 hour period. Niiiice.
Make sure to tell them if you're bringing kiddos so you get s correct sized PFD.

LINKS
http://www.kayakonline.com/washington.html

http://www.mcchordafb.us/adv_ctr.html

Free trails about town

With the weather warming up (finally), and the South Sound starting to hit record temperatures, a great way to get out and enjoy the day without melting is to pick from one of the many many trails we have around the Sound.
I have a few favorites that I am going to share with you, and all are super kid freindly!

Tolmie State Park - this is a family favorite! We go a few time a month, and while it's fantastic year round, summer is especially nice. When the tide is out, you can walk quite a ways out. Have the kids bring buckets and hunt for sand dollars and crab or hunt along the shore line for shells. There are two hikes to choose from, both fairly easy, and the forest is tranquil and lush. Also, very pet freindly! The forest hike will keep you cool, and a dip in the water on expecially hot days for the kids is a bonus! Bring lunch and picnic on the sand, or one of several tables available. My favorite ammenity: RESTROOMS

http://www.stateparks.com/tolmie.html


Ferrel Marsh - I'm partial to this trail for two reasons; 1) It's in my neighborhood and 2) it has so many trais to explore you feel like you're in the wilderness, with the safety of always being near civilization! The marsh area itself is is cool and offers nice scenerey, but if you get off the beaten path, you'll discovered wide dirt paths and quite a few directions to take. Very eaasy kid freindly trails that travel up the Steilacoom- DuPont Hwy, to the North Ft. Lewis back gate, or out towards Lakewood, depending on which way you go at the fork. If you're not familiar with the area, take a gps, compass or phone just incase. My dad and I got "lost" for an hour on one of the back trails. Luckliy, the trail backed up to houses and a nice woman practicing Tai Chi helped us find our way back.

http://washington.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,2,fid,1510644,n,farrell%20marsh%20park.cfm

Chambers Bay Loop - WOW!! If you want to work up a sweat and have a fantastic view, Chambers Bay is the place. With a breathtaking view of the Sound, and the beautiful Chambers Bay Links Golf Course, this is one awesome paved trail. The trail has several places to start from, both a higher and lower parking area, and two very steep hills to trek up. I have enjoyed this as an evening walk with the family as well my cardio excercise with friends, but feel free to bring your bikes, too. Restrooms and water fountains for you and your pooch! If you're lucky, you may see one of the resident Eagles who have nested and made Chambers Bay their home. There is a dog park on site, and a fantastic grassy area for kite flying, book reading and just relaxing by the Sound! I do suspect that after just one visit, you'll make this a favorite, too.

http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/abtus/ourorg/parks/trails.htm

High Rock Lookout

Ok, so i have to admit that in my almost 4 years of living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I have never traversed the volcanic mountain known as Rainier. Well, until now. And technically, i didn't actually traverse Mt. Rainier, but i did haul my fat caboose up the steepest trail I have ever been on, all the way up to the sheerest mountain lookout ever. It was amazing. now this trail isn't for the weak, and the lookout isn't for the faint-of-heart, but if you're looking for a view that would humble Gandhi, and a full-day family adventure, this hike is for you!

High rock lookout is located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, just outside Mt. Rainier park, and there is a great reason for this; the lookout offers a fantastic up-close-and-personal view of the majestic Rainier. The trick, though, is to head up on a clear day, which we all now is hard to come by around these parts, but we do get a handful of near spotless skies each year, an these are the perfect days to head on up. On most clear days, you are not only awarded an amazing view of Rainier, but you may be able to see Mt.Baker, Mt.St. Helens, and Mt. Adams. Truly an awesome sight.
KEEP IN MIND - the last few yards up to the observation area is steep craggy rock, and you are climbing up to a shear drop. Use extreme caution and keep the kiddos within reach!

now, a few words of wisdom:
Plan accordingly - if the weather is crappy here, it's most likely crappier there. Plan for a clear warm day, and you'll be rewarded for your hard work!

This is a STEEP hike. If you have hiking poles, or a walking stick, bring 'em. Take breaks if you need to, and if you bring the kids, don't let them run ahead, the trail can get very narrow with forest drop offs. If snow is still on the trail, it can get slick, and you will most likely encounter mud.

Dress appropriately! I wore cotton capri pants, a tee shirt and northside trail sandals( knockoff Keenes), the kids wore Bermudas, tee shirts and hiker trail shoes. We all worked up a sweat, and even this late in the season we encountered A LOT of snow, so my trail sandals might not have been the best idea, but my feet never got sore!

Bring water and a snack. This isn't a nature trail, this is a moderate to hard hike. We all went through our water on the way up and we were starving 1/2 way back down. Plan ahead and you'll be comfortable! A water bottle for all and at least a granola bar or jerky to tide you over.

Other things to consider: binoculars are a great idea, definitely a camera, and quite possibly a change of clothes. I slid on my butt down a melting snow bank in the first three minutes of the descent. Wet cold butt isn't fun. It was really warm, so I wasn't too uncomfortable, but I ended up slipping about 5 more times, as did true kids and grandma. It would have been nice to have some pants to change into for the ride home.
Also, bug spray might not be a bad idea. Sweaty, huffing human attract swarms of buzzing insects.

We brought a picnic lunch, but there are several places to grab a snack outside the National Forest on your way out. Stop at the diner off Route 706 that has 24 flavors of soft serve for a well deserved treat!

LINKS!
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/trails/locations/cvd-0266-high-rock.shtml

http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/hike/13/High%20Rock%20Lookout

Steilacoom Farmers Market!!

For those of you not in the know, the cute little town of Steilacoom has a kick ass Farmers Market on Wednesdays From 3-7. You'll find everything from fresh produce to face-painting, fantastic fresh baked pastries and vendors for grass fed beef and milk and dairy delivery. One of my favorite vendors is the gourmet, all natural dog treats
;priced nice and a huge hit with our hound, Hope. Today when we were there, we saw some beautiful fresh flower arrangements ranging from $5-$15 (our Peonies from last week are still fragrant),and the beautiful weather was perfect for a shaved ice, or hand dipped ice cream!
What I think is most awesome about the Farmer Market,besides the convenience, is that we always see someone we know. Whether it's one of the kids' teachers, friends from the gym, neighbors or the post office Clerk, seeing a smiling familiar face is what makes Steilacoom, and the Market, so special.

Mark your calendars, the Farmers Markets run through September 8th!
http://steilacoomfarmersmarket.org/

Some of the places to check out while you're here:
Espresso By the Bay for great coffee! They offer soup sandwiches and other treats as well!
Jakes for one of there pints on tap! Sit on the patio and check out the view.
http://jakesbarandbistro.com/

The Bair Bistro. Check out the old soda fountain!

Who likes FREE?

I feel The Downtown area of Tacoma is an under utilized area in our family, and I plan on venturing over there more... Especially since the arts district is offering FREE admission to ALL Active Duty Military AND their family :) FREE! It was quite the happy surprise this weekend when we were trying to add up what we needed in the way of tickets, and once we said "Military", the lovely ticket lady let us know that not only was the MOG free, but so is the WASHINGTON STATE HISTORY MUSEUM and TACOMA ART MUSEUM all within walking distance from each other. This fantastic offer is good through Labor Day! Great for rainy days and sunny weather as well!


Right now at the MOG, they have this totally kid friendly exhibit on glass art that has been fabricated from childrens artwork. The drawings totally cute,the fabrications amazing, and YOUR kiddo can have a chance to have one of their drawings chosen! All you have to do is visit the studio, have Jr. fill out an entry form and draw something fantastic. I believe they're picking one drawing each month. They also have visiting artists fabricating LIVE in the Hot Shop, so you can have a seat and watch glass art making in action.
Now, I don't know about you, but my younger two (9 and 6) don't really enjoy museums, but the MOG has something we all enjoyed doing, and if they get too cranky or the kids art just isn't their thing, remember you got in for FREE! Round everyone up, take a walk on the Glass Bridge over to Pacific Ave. where you can check out the Washington State History Museum, Tacoma Art Museum (probably more of an adult or older kid trip),Union Station OR cross the street and head over to Hello, Cupcake an absolutely divine gourmet cupcake shop and treat your kiddos and yourself for being so good at the museum :) We brought home a dozen ($25) on Father's day, and so far the carrot cake and chocolate with butter-cream are my favorite!

Just to give you an estimate, we spent about 20 minutes in the Hot Shop, had lunch in Gallucci's Glass Cafe *(overpriced and long wait, but pretty yummy),made a whale stencil and entered into the kids art drawing in the studio, walked through the Kids art exhibit, did a quick tour through the Preston Singletary exhibit and spent another 15 minutes in the Hot Shop before visiting the Gift shop and heading out to the Glass Bridge for a stroll in the soggy weather over to Hello, Cupcake. All in all we were out and about for just around three hours. Not a bad way to spend Fathers Day!

*there are so many places to grab a snack around the museum(Subway Taco DelMar), I would opt for trying something more family friendly.Or, if the weather is nice, bring a picnic and lunch by the water.

Links for your enjoyment:
http://www.museumofglass.org/
http://www.hello-cupcake.com/

adventure coming to a blog near you

Greetings!
The purpose of this Blog is to chronicle, but also share, the goings-on I will be checking out around the South Sound. This isn't going to be a fancy-schmancy Blog, where I give you happy hour menus, or every family event from here to Seattle. I am simply going to share with those willing to read, the FREE or MOSTLY FREE adventures I plan on seeking out. Most will be in the far South Sound, but I do plan on venturing out into Oregon and maybe Eastern Washington. Most everything will be kid-friendly, unless the hubby plans a romantic weekend :|. So stay tuned... excursions are already in the works.