One of the main reasons I live in the PNW (that’s what locals call the Pacific Northwest for those of you who don’t know!) is that I can access ocean, island, forest, and mountain all within a single day. It’s a nature lovers dream.
The last few weeks have been extremely busy. I’ve been pulling some long days and very short nights to get everything done--so this weekend I had one thing on my mind: getting out of town. If you read my blog regularly, you’ll know I usually write about social justice, art, civil rights, etc...etc...
Well, sometimes you just need to get away from all of that and take care of YOU. Self care is really important, especially if you’re constantly on the move. I’m not very good at self care, so this week I decided to force myself to ante up and I booked an Airbnb for my partner and I directly on Liberty Bay near Poulsbo, WA.
I love Airbnb because you can always find something unique (if not mind-blowing). In this case we paid $85 for a 2-bedroom house entirely to ourselves with 15foot lofted ceilings and expansive views of the waterfront. It didn’t hurt that I had a coupon from Airbnb for 50 bucks, so we snagged this getaway for $35!
To get there, the first stop was hopping on board the Seattle ferry to Bainbridge Island. It was a perfect day and the skyline was looking mighty fine.
I never get tired of the view of Seattle from a ferry deck. In my opinion, this is one of the best ways to view the city. Riding the ferry as a foot passenger will set you back about $8 for a roundtrip ticket. Boarding with a vehicle is $15 for a car + 1 rider, and $8.25 for each additional passenger.
I didn’t take as many shots as I should have of the ferry during the sail over to Bainbridge Island. But here’s a glimpse down the side of the ferry walking back to my car.
If you look closely, you can see just a little bit of Seattle in the skyline through the windows.
I also wasn’t very good at taking pictures of our house (not as exciting to me, I guess) BUT this was the view of the beach (accessible 10 feet away from the back door!).
We arrived at 5pm, at the perfect time to explore and have the entire beach to ourselves for a private adventure. Washington state beaches are classified as public property, meaning that you are able to walk along them for as long as you want if you have an entry point. We took full advantage of this last night!
The OTHER direction from the house. :)
The sun was out to play yesterday, and catching the warm glow in all of these pictures was amazing. As you scroll down, you’ll be able to watch the sun set right along with us!
Did I mention that my littlest adventure buddy, Cash (as in Johnny Cash) also came along? There is nothing he loves more than running up and down a beach!
Pretty sure he’s up to no good here. I’m here to report that he rolled in no less than 3 dead crabs and will need to be bathed as soon as I’m finished writing this post.
But you have to admit, this IS the face of joy. Worth every crab.
One of my favorite bits of footage to snag is Cash running, I should probably take the time to upload some of his hilarious live shenanigans.
And here at last, the beginning of a remarkable sunset!
In the background, you can see two layers in the Olympic Mountains. I love when mountains show multiple layers of hue and structure, it’s one of the most magical illusions!
Photobomb by Cash.
Cash photobombing another photographer.
You can see my partner snapping a shot here, but what I really want to point out in this photo is the textured sand you see in the foreground. That dark, bumpy texture is made up from HUNDREDS of living, breathing sand dollars buried in a nest in the sand. The tide was low, so this area would typically have been covered. As a child, I’ve wandered beaches before and found a single, unscathed sand dollar. It was regarded as treasure. I never imagined I would stumble upon hundreds of them living untouched on a PNW beach! So beautiful!
More sunset, can you spot the crane in the water? He wouldn’t let me get any closer!
He flies!
We saw every type of bird you can imagine on this beach. Gulls, many types of ducks, ravens, cranes, the list goes on. I’m also struck by the remarkable biodiversity in Washington state. The ability to access pristine nature so easily is a blessing that I am constantly thankful for.
And here: the man I love, my dog, and a ukelele on a beach in the Puget Sound. If ever my whole heart was in one picture, this would be it.
I got back to Seattle just a few hours ago. The sun is out, my mind is refreshed, and my face feels like it’s just a little bit sunburned from spending too much time on the ferry deck! I’m already thinking that I need to reserve the next chunk of “away time” for myself--because it is so important to take care of yourself first!
Hope you don’t mind the break from my usual content--and wishing you all a s’wonderful Sunday. <3
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