A Whale of a Tale

Back in late September we were gifted a whale watching trip as an anniversary gift from my parents. The day turned out to be an absolutely beautiful, sunny, and fun day - literally filled with whales!

We left Anacortes midday, and proceeded on a roughly 45 minute boat ride north to look for a pod of Orcas that had been seen earlier in the day. We ended up within site of Victoria, BC (hey, we honeymooned there!) and we found the pod. It was amazing to see these beaufitul creatures in the wild... One of our favorite things to do in the evenings is to put on a Blue Planet, Animal Planet, or some other form of educational tv.Ben's favorite to watch has to do with sharks, but we've seen plenty of whales, and while our views from the boat certainly didn't get as dramatic as the footage captured for the documentaries - seeing them live was simply wonderful.

As we pulled up, there was a young one that was playing and jumping all over the place - unfortunately, he (she?) tired out before we were close enough to really appreciate it. But we did spend well over an hour watching them just going about their lives.

On the way back to port we made a large loop, and saw some harbor porpoises, as well as many animals on the islands.

Shortly before we reached port, we decided to drift a bit in an area where a humpback whale had been reported earlier in the day. We drifted for about 10 minutes waiting for to see the humpback, and our captain spotted him a ways away. We followed and watch (and, of course, took photos). We watched what was to be our last view of the whale (we had to get back to port) and watch it dive. Everybody turned away except one woman, who suddently shrieked - I literally spun around while holding the shutter on the camera, and managed to capture a full breach (where the whale completely leaves the water)!

It was absolutely spectacular, and definitely the highlight of our day on the water. Our tour was with Outer Islands Excursions (http://outerislandx.com/), and we would highly recommend them. We sat up top with the captain the entire trip, and learned so much about the whales, as well as the history of the area. What a great gift. Thanks mom and dad!

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Hunter Farms Adventures!

Over the Mother's Day weekend we went down to Janene's mom's place along Hood Canal, in Washington. One of the favorite things to do there is to visit the local "farm stand and nursery" - it's great for everything from fresh produce to local ice cream to plants and flowers... to all the animals they have for people to visit. During the harvest season they have the requisite corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, and harvest fun. It's part of a working farm, so they have animals that transition in and out, too. Check out their website and Facebook

Ben, in particular, is such an incredible homebody. He just loves being at home, being peaceful and calm, and doing things as a family. He LOVES the farm, and farm animals, and talks about when we live on a farm (which is great, as it's one of our goals, and - in particular - Chris' passions).

So, naturally, when we go to Hunter Farms, we always go visit the animals. This season we managed to catch some newly born babies, which Ben (who is addicted to all things "cute") truly adores.

And, of course, we always have to get an ice cream cone...from Olympic Mountain Ice Cream

Are you a country soul or a city soul?

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Around These Parts

Is Sprummer a word?  Or Summing?  You know, that time where it's not quite spring anymore, but not exactly summer yet.  If you live in Western Washington, that sort of describes the springs we've been having for the last couple of years.  A master gardener friend of ours says that we're running about 2 months ahead of schedule this year.  Hopefully that means lots of produce, sooner rather than later!

 

For a while there, I was holding my breath a bit, afraid that a frost would come and kill all these early blossoms, like the strawberries.  You never know what's going to happen around here in the spring.  We won't have a single snowflake all winter, then have our version of a snow storm in March after the apple trees have decided to blossom (that was a sad year for apples).  So far this year, things have been warm, mild, and wonderful.  Around these parts, we've been enjoying a mixture of spring and summer activities.

Doing some art outside, painting signs....

Taking lots of walks, and finding sweet discoveries like this....

...and this...

...and this!  This is a duck egg.  Did you know duck eggs came in Robin's Egg Blue?  I didn't.  (A friend pointed out that maybe robin's eggs come in Duck's Egg Blue.  That blew my mind.)

Flea Markets have begun!

 

Ice cream!  It's not too early for ice cream. (I think it is always a good time for ice cream).

Warm sunny weather is great for staining!  Staining some new signs....

How are you enjoying your Sprummer/Summing??

Craven Farms Annual Day at the Pumpkin Patch 2014

One of the big reasons we made the decision to close our physical storefront and make the move to become an online exclusive retailer is the kids. During the busy season it is always an impossible struggle to simply be there for them - it was not uncommon for us to put in 90-110 hrs / week at the shop, from September through January.

Despite that, each year we've managed to establish a couple of traditions that we hold very near and dear to our hearts. In the Fall, we go to Craven Farms, not far from us in Snohomish, Washington. We all bundle up and head down to trek through the fields, pose for pictures, check out the animals, and generally make some memories.

This year, we actually managed to make it down early (but yes, the blog is pretty late in coming...). It was a spectacularly beautiful day, the kids were super excited and happy, and the memories were stellar. If you saw our "homemade pizza post" - that was how we ended the day that day. Tomorrow's post will show you Ben painting his pumpkins... all the same day. It was a good, good day - and it reaffirmed our reasons for the decisions we've made.

We hope you have some traditions of your own, and that this upcoming Christmas season can be a time for making some great memories.

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Introducing "Lil Sprouts Nursery"

One of our favorite local nursery centers was My Garden Nursery. They were right down the street from us, and we got to know the owners over time; it was a fantastic center, filled with great stuff for the kids as well as for the gardener. That's why we were super sad to learn (last year) that the owners were moving My Garden up to Bellingham - a solid couple of hours away from us.

Fortunately, they already had someone lined up to take over their space, which was exciting in itself. We packed Savannah into the car the other day and went for an adventure, and they are doing a fantastic job getting up to speed - we're super excited to see what they bring in, but already they've got some beautiful plants and flowers.

Chris, being a veggie garden addict, was extremely excited to see some unique items coming in, with the promise of more to come. This includes the Sun Sugar tomato plant - which we've only ever found up at The Plant Farm (another of our favorite nursery centers, although at 30+ minutes away, definitely more of a planned trip than a quick stop). Already (last week) 'Lil Sprouts was full of peas, potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs, and so much more (really, just go check them out!)

Chris is also very excited to see that they have brought in some columnar apple trees - have you seen these before? They're fantastic in pots, on patios or decks. They grow up in a column - skinny (at least for a fruit tree) - here's a link over to Google Images with a bunch of pictures so that you can get the idea.... ANYWAY, this is something Chris has always wanted to try, so maybe we'll do that this year. He's been putting an obscene amount of time into the new veggie bed - there's a post coming up soon about that whole thing - so we're moving back into the suburban farming realm (in an HOA controlled community, no less)

Another incredibly cool thing about 'Lil Sprouts is the hydroponics setup; they have a serious passion for hydroponics and aquaponics - if you're in the market, or just looking to talk to somebody about it, you should at the very least pick up the phone - or better yet, head on in there and check it out in person!

You can find 'Lil Sprouts online, too:

• Website: http://lilsproutnursery.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilsproutnursery

Do you have a favorite nursery around? What is it that you love about it?

Annual Chocolate Tasting, 2014

If you missed this tasty event last year - or if you showed up late (and thus missed it, because attendance was so high) - you definitely don't want to miss this year's event! Coming up in one week, on Saturday February 8, 2014 from 2pm - 6pm.

Come sample chocolate treats throughout many of the shops in Bothell's Country Village. Many shops will have the chocolate that they are sampling for sale, should you be so inclined. Here at The Weed Patch, we will be sampling our fantastic fudge, our phenominal Abdallah Chocolates, and maybe even something more!

Come by, say hello, indulge just a little, and take home some yumminess!

Here Comes Santa Clause, 2013!

Experience the magical arrival of Santa at 7pm. A traditional tree lighting follows his arrival, heralded by our own Town Crier. The Village will be decorated with thousands of twinkling lights and whimsical, animated light displays featuring a 40’ sea serpent, fiddling pig, giant dragonfly, marching ducks and more!

Complimentary hot-roasted chestnuts will be served at 4pm while supplies last, and local groups will perform holiday-themed music on the stage throughout the day. This event is free and open to the public. Train rides and pony rides are available for a nominal fee.

Christmas Extravaganza 2013!

You're Invited! Our annual Christmas Extravaganza is coming up on Saturday December 14, 2013. From 6pm-8pm, you'll shop by twinkle light, enjoy some fun and games (the scavanger hunt, and we're working on some other ideas, too!), fantastic food and drink and samples of some of the things we sell, festive music, and so much more!

So, call up your friends, grab a date, and come on over to The Weed Patch to experience our annual Christmas Extravaganza!

Ladies Night Out August 2013 at Country Village Bothell Shops!

The second Thursday of each month is Ladies Night Out, and this coming Thursday is no exception.

From 6pm - 8pm many of the Village shops stay open for your shopping pleasure. We'll have treats, giveaways and specials, and so much more!

If you haven't been, or if it has been awhile, then come on in this Thursday and see us! If you're on FB, check out the official event information . You can also visit the Country Village Bothell website for more information!

Summer Wine Walk at Country Village Shops in Bothell!

We're SO excited to be part of the Summer Wine Walk this year here at Country Village Shops! This is an annual event here, and everybody LOVES it! This will be our first year, and we really hope you'll come out and join us and the other shops for an awesome evening of fun, food, wine, and shopping!

Buy your tickets now, and don't forget to BYOG! Check out the official event on FB, or check out the event page on the Country Village website for more information!