Another Day in Paradise

There are some pretty serious perks to living out here in the Pacific Northwest. For one, we're only a stone's throw away from the ocean and the mountains. This arrangement fits nicely into my "Both is Best" philosophy. You'll never here me say I'm either a "mountain" person or an "ocean" person. Nope. Don't have to sweat that particular question because "Both is Best." See? A nice perk.

Today, we decided to throw the stone towards the mountains and go for a nice long hike. A seven mile hike, in fact. This was a major victory for Tim and me as we didn't have to drag the kids out by their ankles from sheer exhaustion nor did we have to morph into pack mules and carry them out. We have glimpsed the future and it is good!

As a side note, I usually take lots and lots of photographs of our adventures or at least carry the camera around and threaten to take lots and lots of pictures, but today I brought only one lens and forgot a backup battery (Didn't I learn anything in photography school??!). I got exactly 10 photos taken before my camera pooped out which was totally irritating because this hike is spectacular with lots of waterfalls and a vast, impressive landscape. You'll just have to take my word for it. (Except for you, mom and dad. This is a MUST on your next trip here!) Anyway, here's what I managed to salvage: