Outdoor

Retreating to the Olympic Peninsula

Victor Lazlo — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:40:09 -0600

It happened as a divine coincidence that I would be between jobs the same week as my 6th wedding anniversary. Sometimes life hands you flowers instead of lemons. In this case it was a chance to kick off a glorious summer and visit the coast and family before I start something new and exciting!

Wake Of The Flood

Victor Lazlo — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:53:10 -0600

This last winter, western Washington was hit by heavy rains and runoff that caused major flooding. One of the worst places to have been hit was the valley surrounding the Chehalis river. It was such a natural disaster that Governor Christine Gregoire called on FEMA to provide federal aid to the flood zones. The news showed us amazing images of flood damage across I-5, but being miles and miles away from it all, it was difficult to embrace how heavily it affected those who live in and around the valley.

Beachcombing By Moonlight

Victor Lazlo — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 21:15:09 -0700

About a month ago we'd registered with the Seattle Parks to attend a winter solstice beach expedition and invited some friends and family to join us. The group convened at Mee Kwa Mooks park near Alki at 8pm when the tide would be at its lowest. For those who don't watch the tides, the solstices have one small exchange of water and one large exchange of water. Full moons also increase the tidal exchange, so this low tide was a "low low tide" - probably the lowest of the year and definitely exposing a great amount of sea life that live around the tidal zone.

Paddling Gig Harbor On a Gorgeous Day

Victor Lazlo — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:18:13 -0700

I hadn't been out of the house in tha last 24 hours, except for a short, moonlit walk after the feeding. Thanksgiving was excellent, but I was so preoccupied with enjoying the time with my family, getting lost in a book, working a puzzle with Oma, snoozing, relaxing, getting stuffed that, well... you get the drift. I was lazy.

The life of bird watchers

Victor Lazlo — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:38:11 -0700

About a month ago we put our names on the list for a free bird watching tour at Discovery Park. All we had to do was show up at 8 a.m. a few Saturdays from then. So, show up we did. We had no idea what to expect, but besides the park ranger, Dan, we were the youngest in the group by at least a couple generations. We started by learning each other's names and describing our level of experience. About half of the group were very involved with "birding" and were friends with our host guides.

The fall colors of Forest Park

Victor Lazlo — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:01:22 -0600

Every time I come to P-town I look to see Forest Park cascading across the ridge of the west hills. This time it was mandatory. Fall was in full color and it had been warm for days on end with no signs of shifting. We drove up Burnside. I mean all the way up Burnside, until it stopped being Burnside. Deb left us the map guides to Forest Park, and you must be armed with these maps if you are to navigate the extensive trail system or even find your trail head. Even with the maps, we passed ours and had to turn back to relocated it.

Paddling on a Sunday afternoon

Victor Lazlo — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:32:43 -0600

There are a million things I could have been doing on a Sunday afternoon - chores, house projects, etc. Instead of doing any of those things, I found myself renting kayaks down at Agua Verde Paddle Club for an afternoon of delightful exploration of the Washington Park Arboretum. The arboretum is the default route for anyone renting at Agua Verde, but it is also one of the most unique paddling experiences in the Seattle area, because you are not only floating through a protected wetland, you are paddling under the Hwy 520 bridge.

Paddling Portage Inlet

Victor Lazlo — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:34:43 -0600

The inside passage is one of the premier places for kayaking, because the geography consists of thousands of little inlets and coves, some of which are only accessible by canoe or kayak. Well, being that it was our last day on Vancouver Island, we didn't have the time to go on a major tour. We were able to paddle our way up Portage Inlet and explore some wetlands. Once we passed the trestle bridge and the industrial area, the inlet became quiet and blissful.

We are stardust, we are golden

Victor Lazlo — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:00:12 -0600

On Sunday, we set out to see Butchart gardens near Brentwood Bay. We knew we had to catch the 75 bus from Government Ave., but the current schedule had been replaced with the summer one, which didn't go into effect until Monday. We waited forever. Just when we were about to give up, our bus came and we were gleeful to get out of town for the day, but nettled for having to pay $2.25 for the ride.

"Een persoon kanoing" in Broek in Waterland

Victor Lazlo — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 08:34:50 -0600

We were capable of rising at a reasonable hour, and so we did. It was a nice morning to walk up to A'dam Centraal and wrangle up some bicycles. Mac bike took care of our needs and called me a pussy for wanting hand brakes. So, we took our bikes and turned our wheels toward the ferry to North Amsterdam. In no time we were bouncin' along the bike paths through the parks and directly into the countryside to Broek in Waterland. A quick side trip and we came upon Waterland, where we each rented an 'een persoon kano' from the outfitter.