Woodland, WA

Today we took a bit of a road trip.  Jared, Kristina, and Indy piled into the truck and drove south to Woodland, WA.  We wanted to check out the Lilac Gardens that we have heard about for some time.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day and since everything is so early this year, we decided to try and catch the Lilacs.  It is quite an amazing story, so click on the link and read about it when you have time.

The entry is just lilac lined and you have never smelled such a wonderful smell.  You can hear all of the bees buzzing with excitement too!

The grounds are impeccable and there is a little of something for everyone.

Bees were having a great time.  You had to be careful when you went to sniff a flower to make sure that you didn't sniff a bee by accident.

Lots of walkways to keep you on the paths and not in the garden area.  With some many people, you have to try and keep some sense of order.

Many different types of lilacs.  Each tree/bush was labeled with lots of details so you could figure out which ones you liked the best.

They also had some peony bushes.  They hadn't bloomed yet, but they were getting close.  You can see how much further along they are when compared to the ones we have in Woodinville.

Which way should we sniff next?

Tulips are past their prime, but still pretty.

After the Lilac Gardens, we headed to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill.  It is a really cool mill that actually still mills grains today (not as in production, but as in it is still working).

The mill is quite remarkable and a lot has been done to preserve it.  Over the years, pieces and parts of it had been stolen, but the organization that keeps it going has done a remarkable job of keeping everything in tact now.

Some of the inside workings of the mill...

The bottom is available for touring as well and it is some of the inner workings of the mill and how it works with the river to produce its power.

This is the river that runs the mill.

This is a shot from inside the mill, looking down to the river.

The bridge that is crossed to get to the mill is a very cool covered bridge.  The day we were there, there was a couple having some sort of photos taken -- just to give you an idea of how scenic it is.

It was a cool day and nice to get away for a little road trip!

April Rain

April was a drier month than we have experienced in quite some time.  Here in Woodinville, we only picked up 1.8" of rain and the average is 2.73".  The dry month was mostly due to the fact that Jared planted some grass seed and wanted it to rain, but to no avail!  ha!

Happy May!

Tired Pooch

We took a hike on Sunday.  As most of you know, we live off the Tolt Pipeline Trail.  The Tolt Pipeline goes on for some distance in both directions (east and you go toward Duvall, west and you go towards Woodinville proper), we followed it west and eventually hit the Sammamish River Trail in Woodinville.  We had never walked this far on the trail; it turns out that round trip, it is about 7 miles.  It is a nice hike, although fairly hilly and coming back is a real challenge because there is a VERY steep hill that seems to go on forever.  That being said, we made it with no problems.  It ended up taking us about 2 hours, allowing for some doggie dip time at the river (it is the halfway point and she just has to cool off).  However the show started that evening.  This is what we saw when we were getting ready to go to bed...

Have you ever seen such a pitiful sight!  Apparently we must have worn her out pretty good.  We told her that she better get ready.  Summer is right around the corner and there is hiking to be done.

Kansas Peony Update

As indicated in an earlier blog, Kristina's parents sent her some peonies from Kansas.  She has them planted in three different spots in the yard and as you can see, they are doing quite well.  All three plants even have buds on them.  Hopefully Kristina will get the blooms she is wanting soon!

Another Bear Visit

Our black bear paid us a visit last night.  Kristina was sitting on the couch when she hear a crash in the backyard.  It was dark, so she couldn't see real well.  She flipped on the lights and thought she could see a black object, but she wasn't sure.  Eventually though the bear took the bird feeder and went back to a corner of the yard.  Only after he started moving, the light could be seen reflecting off the plastic topper and it was definitely our friend the bear.

There were no peanuts in the peanut box, although you could tell he took a swipe at it.  One of the suet cakes was devoured and then ultimately he took down the bird feeder.  You can see his aftermath below in the pictures.  When we was done, he just gently got up and walked down our path and back onto the trail -- like he owned the place!  Funny bear!

The bird feeder taken OUT.

You can see from this photo...it was a beefy steel pipe.

The next morning, the mallard was enjoying all of the spilled seed from the bear.  He just sat there while we took photos.  He didn't even move until we grabbed the feeder from him.

Spring 2015 Yard Update

So, Kristina's parents were kind enough to go to all of the bother to pack up some of their peonies and send them to Washington!  Kristina's Dad (George) has propagated these peonies in yards everywhere, so it is time for them to make the trip to Washington State.  We decided to plant two bunches in the backyard and one bunch in the front yard.  Here are the ones in the back!

A few posts ago, we posted a shot of the azaleas and primrose...look at them now...FULL BLOOM!

Here are Kristina's existing peonies...hopefully they continue to improve!

And last, but not least, the finished path.  It now goes all of the way from our bridge back to the yard. We elevated it a bit and made some drainage paths for excess rainwater!  Hopefully it works as good as it looks!

And more cleanup in the area that we continue to work on...as you can see it is very opened up, we just need to get more of the loose ends raked up.  Our hope is to fill this in with some dirt or bark and eventually add some raised beds for Kristina to have a garden!

This view is from our backyard looking towards the trail!

We still have a ways to go, but we work on it a little bit each weekend and continue to make progress!  Woohoo!