WOW... Wonderful Washington State

September 01, 2013

WOW... Wonderful Washington State

Visiting my daughter and the grandchildren was fabulous, of course. But an additional gift was experiencing a part of the country to which I have never been, and that is WA. Washington is a long, very long way from Florida, not only in miles but also in climate, vegetation and demographics.

My sweet daughter, only five weeks postpartum, really wanted to show me everything but that was not do-able or necessary...I saw all I needed to see for that first visit practically from her back deck and neighborhood.As we strolled the babies around the neighborhood, I saw so many varieties of pine trees is was like being in a pine tree zoo! People had plum trees, apple trees, cherry trees, peach trees all growing right in their yards. I know this is not so very different from my citrus trees and soon-to-plant avocado trees but still...the differences made all the difference. And the roses, my goodness the roses were enormous. We grow roses here in Florida, of course, but they are not so nearly prolific, so huge, so free of pests and fungus.

My daughter is a back-to-nature kind of girl, learning to grow her own food and being very "green" all the while. What a joy to see her progress past where I left off when raising her and her brothers. She teaches me all the things I never learned.

On our first trip to the store, straining my eyes between trees and buildings I spotted this huge mountain. "Oh my gosh, what is that?" I was told that THAT was Mt. Rainier. An amazing treat, a magnificent view! And I was gifted with a lovely trip to Mt. Rainier and we picnicked and went on a little hike through a small portion of the woods.

We also went to a nearby farmer's market and enjoyed the bounty held therein, my granddaughter and I dancing together and my daughter and I sharing Kombucha (which I will be making very soon rather than paying the nearly $4 at Wholefood's).