The snow hadn't completely melted in the mountains and yet in the valley summer had arrived in full force. The road was pock marked with holes and small washed out cracks.  Downed trees has been sawed but not much else had been done to clear the way to the trailhead.  In fact the trailhead was only accessible by a mile walk past the large snow mass still covering the road that was in the shadows on the north facing slope.  The spring flowers had quickly soaked up the sun, pushed their way skyward and burst into bloom.  The valley below stretched away  under a gauzy blanket of cloud that was quickly disappearing with the heat of the summer sun. The trail wound its way along the west facing slope of Sauk Mountain, in and out of the shade, rising higher and higher, offering spectacular views of the Skagit River and quick peaks of Mount Baker.  Our annual trek up to the top always fills me with delight and this day was no different.  Once we crested the ridge, we found our way blocked by more snow and so we scrambled over snow fields and boulders until we found the perfect flat shaded area with a view. Our own private little retreat for as long as lunch lasts and a quick nap then the trail once again greeted us as we made our way down the mountain and back to our vehicle.  Another hike in the books and yet always enjoyable and satisfying.










 

Music of Pop Culture has had a variety of names over the last twenty years but what has stayed the same is the focus on the music industry.   With hundreds of guitars and many other instruments that make up this larger than life sculpture it pays tribute to how the music scene has shaped Seattle or vice a versa.  It pays tribute to both Nirvana and by extension Kurt Corbain and also Jimi Hendrix.  Though Jimi Hendrix preformed more in the UK than ever in the US which was quite surprising.  Job and I wandered through various exhibits including the Indie Game Revolution and also the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.  We picked out some of our favorite science fiction writers and wondered why others were omitted.  they also had props from science fiction tv shows and movies which were fun to see.  The Indie Game Revolution room had video games to try that were created by independent game developers.  It was interesting to see what was being tried, which ones had draws and lines to try out.  while there a family approached Job asking him all about the Coast Guard since he was wearing a Coast Guard hoodie.  He answered questions politely and I think the dad may have been more interested in it than the daughter.  Or she may have been embarrassed that he approached Job and started talking to him.  I am that parent for sure.  After a couple of hours I was done, having a bit of sensory overload at the museum.
 

Oyster Dome has been one of our go to hikes every single year.  Often, we will hike it five or six times and when a friend comes for a visit this is a hike we take them on.  So, it was fitting that when Job came for a visit; Isaac, Job and I made sure to hit up our go to hike.  Only this time, I introduced Isaac and Job to our favorite way of hiking it: as a loop.  We started off at the Hang glider Overlook by way of the Larry Reid Trail. Then we took Max's Shortcut to Lilly and Lizard Lake where we took the "newer" trail over to the Pacific Crest trail.  At this point we made a right onto the Sammish Overlook PCT to Oyster Dome.  The way back we just stayed on the Sammish Overlook/PCT trail back to the Hang Glidder spot.  

 

 

For some reason Job is able to get his friends to do things such as mini golf.  He even invited us to go along with them which was fun and surprising.  We showed up at Station 49 for 18 holes of golf.  Job was practicing for playing with another group of friends.  Turns out he is a bit competitive, not in sports that are popular such as football or basketball but in the "sports" that have more of a cult following such as mini golf, foosball, and racquetball.  Who new.  

We have some of the best tide pools in our area at Clayton Beach.  It isn't one that we go to often and when the tide is low its a great spot.  We drove down to Chuckanut and made our way past Larabee State Park to the parking lot for Clayton Beach.  Across the road, we hopped onto the trail leading down across the tracks to the water.  This little walk has so many off shoots and spur trails.  The one we chose happen to go by an impromptu rope swing that needed to be tried out.  Once down at the water we spent our time peering into pools and flipping over rocks, picking up crab and just generally exploring the area.  We were about to leave when we noticed this furry brown head pop out behind a rock and scurry along the bank. Then it scaled the sandstone bank and disappeared into the brush. We sat down and waited.  We waited some and then some more.  Finally we decided it wasn't coming back and so we climbed out and headed to an outcrop.  Just as I looked back, we could see it slither down the bank and into the water.  So we sat to watch.  A few minutes later, it popped its head out, swam to the bank and scurried up with a fish in its mouth.  Then a bit later, it was back for more fish.  Job being the animal expert in our family identified it as a mink.