{Explore} Bainbridge & Seattle

My PNW tour continues! Sunday I arrived to Ashton Woods Retreat on Bainbridge Island, my older brother's AMAZING B&B! We had a family BBQ and awaited Cora & Aarons arrival on Monday. Monday we spent on an island adventure, exploring all the nooks and cranies of all the neighborhoods. We completed the day with a yummy marine-side dinner of clams, ice cream, and a bon fire. Today we headed to Seattle to do more of the same. I visited many of my favorite spots when I lived there...West Seattle, Fremont, Ballard, Wallingford, and Green Lake. We even visited the Ballard Locks, which I haven't been to since I was a kid! It's so fun being a tourist in a city that use to be home. So much has changed in one sense, and in another, exactly as I remembered! I miss it and only wish the weather was different. If it was, I might call it home again.

This first shot cracks me up! We were actually trying to capture a nearby park for some B&B ads and set this shot up.

 

 

 

 

Ashton Woods Retreat

 

 

Ashton Woods Retreat is a B&B on the island of Bainbridge in Washington, a 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle. My brother Steven and his partner Christopher are the proprietors. I am so fortunate to have their home and B&B in our family. It has become the ultimate destination for all the grandkids and beyond. We love it!!!

They are currently being nominated for Best Northwest Escape! If you get a minute, please nominate their biz. Vote HERE. My brother has an isane attention to detail. Even with his own family, he makes us feel special, relaxed, and LOVED! I've never met anyone so selfless as him. Do yourself a favor, go visit AWR yourself! You will not regret it. If you're unsure, read his incredible reviews on Trip Advisor and on King 5.

If you wanna know why AWR and my bro are so fabulous, read this BLOG.

Winter Wonderland

I don't think I've ever seen the Seattle Olympia area so beautiful. It is completely covered with a blanket of at least a foot of snow. Remarkably we arrived to Seattle without complication and shuttled in a limo to Bainbridge Island (I know a limo sounds fancy but it was actually cheaper than to cab it). We ferried to Bainbridge Island where my brother greeted us with a great big "WELCOME TO ANTARCTICA"...which got a chuckle from a lot of passengers. Luckily he has a 4WD Suburban, so we were confident navigating the roads of Bainbridge. For those of you that don't know, my brother and partner own a B&B on the island called Ashton Woods Retreat. It is a PNW paradise and our personal family getaway. It makes me appreciate my roots and the wonder of nature. My brother took me on a snowy adventure in the Kubota, an all terrain tractor, at twilight (see the video below). We saw deer in the meadow and had snow drop on us from the branches that we swiped while going under them.

We then went to a holiday dinner at their neighbors where the power went out as soon as we arrived. No worries, the food was already cooked and there was plenty of candlelight. The hosting couple had just returned from a 3-week tour to Spain so we had plenty to discuss over dinner. We arrived at 6 and departed at 10 and Brooklyn slept the ENTIRE time we were there. Not to mention that she slept the entire flight to Seattle that morning as well. We were fortunate (which makes me worry about our return...which I'm doing ALONE). Do you know that feeling when everything goes well, you just know that doom is in loom? Well...please wish me luck. We flew to Seattle in the morning...and that is always her happy time. I'll be returning in the late afternoon...which is always her fussy time.

Anyways, we made it back to Seattle in time to pick up my sister and family from Texas at the airport (and I drove in the snow!) and then down to Olympia to my parents home. My mom has been anxiously awaiting our arrival. Brooklyn has been so in love with her cousins, grandparents, and auntie since our arrival (and they have been even more in LOVE with her). My father had a bonfire awaiting us in his backyard amidst the winter wonderland. Gotta love that! Deer made their way to the property line and I was just waiting for the birds to start singing. It's just magical.

Click on the image to see the video...

From Christmas 2008

You can follow my 10-day adventure here...

Vacation Update

I've spent my first week of summer in my hometown of Olympia, WA and on Bainbridge Island at my brother's home and B&B. It's been a fun week of catching up with family and friends. It's also been everyone's first time seeing me 6 months pregnant (both my sister Jeanene & brother Steve cried on first appearance...such an Avery trait!). Here's the week in review...

Steve surprised our nieces and nephews with an added addition at the B&B...a 20 foot teepee! Little did we know that big kid Aaron would be the one to enjoy it the most.



The newest addition to the B&B golden clan...Farley. He's a little bugger! Don't be deceived by his cuteness...he's a bit feisty and just might bite off an appendage if you're not careful.



Our mornings were leisurely and typical...sitting with our laptops drinking coffee.



Our nights were spent sitting around the fire in the comfy Adirondack chairs. We were introduced to Steven's special smores...gingersnaps with chocolate frosting, peanut butter, and roasted marshmallows.





We enjoyed a beautiful walk with the dogs in the Grand Forest on the island.



Dan took the plunge and shaved what little hair he had left off!!! It's a whole new look and will look even better when he gets a tan. He's been talking about shaving off it off for years and with a little help and encouragement from my family, he did it!

Happy Birthday CoCo

Tuesday was Cora's 31st Birthday and what better place to celebrate than at Ashton Woods Retreat. To celebrate her day, my family and I prepared a rice krispies birthday cake (her fave) for her. Not only was her birthday cause for celebration, Cora & Aaron are recently engaged and will be getting married this summer on August 23rd. If you know Aaron & Cora, you know this has been long in the coming and will be an event not to forget. I get the distinct pleasure of being her wedding photographer too.

I think we did a pretty good job on the cake! Whadya think?

Day Three - Christmas Eve

Dan and I decided to spend Christmas Eve with my brother and Christopher this year. We started by taking the ferry from the island over to Seattle to pick up a few things before heading out to Snoqualmie Pass to go snowshoeing. It's an annual tradition for my brother but something I've never done before. We packed lunches, strapped on the snowshoes, and went trekking though the snow. It was so much fun and so PEACEFUL! I rarely get a chance to enjoy the snow since living in sunny SoCal....so it was a welcome treat. We stopped at Snoqualmie falls for the view (also something I've never done) and a cocktail on our way back. Dan cooked us up a mean steak with his infamous bacon-wrapped shrimp to top the evening off at Ashton Woods. Then began the wrapping frenzy to prepare for Christmas morning with the Avery family in Olympia. Nothing like waiting until the last minute!!!

Day Two at Ashton Woods Retreat

It's always so much fun and so relaxing to spend the day at Ashton Woods Retreat. My brother's place is also a bed & breakfast on Bainbridge Island. We're so lucky to have his home as our little escape. We celebrated Christmas a bit early on the island with my Grandmother, who wouldn't be joining us for Christmas day this year. It was great to see her but sad to realize that time and age have caught up with her. She didn't recognize me nor remember that I'm her granddaughter. It was a bit of a shock because, although I've heard of her dementia, I have yet to experience it for myself. We enjoyed the best homemade fried chicken for an early dinner (thank you Christopher!) and chocolate chip cookies & milk for dessert. Yummy!