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January 28, 2014

Easy Backyard Game: What’s Under the Rock?

Our usual tendency when it’s time to get outdoors is to walk or bike and explore the green spaces and parks of our neighborhood and beyond. It gets us out of the house, providing a change of scenery and of course the possibility of seeing more features and having a grander adventure.

Just in the last week or so though, I’ve realized that there is a little world literally in our own backyard that is also worth exploring and getting to know! Given regular visits and quality time spent back there, I bet we’re more likely to notice seasonal changes and the overall activity and influence of flora and fauna in the smaller confines compared to a larger space. And after all, it’s convenience can’t be beat.

For some reason, when we get back there I feel stifled not having a trail to walk down or something special like a lake or forest of trees to check out. It’s also a possibility that my avoidance has to do with the fact that there is a whole lot of work that needs to happen back there! Either way, I never know exactly how we should be spending our time. Thankfully, Bergen’s (2.5 years old) curiosity came to rescue the other day, and led us to a fun activity or game of sorts.

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January 24, 2014

Traveling the World in our own Backyard with Seattle’s 21 International Sister Cities: Beer Sheva, Israel

Did you know that Seattle currently has sister city relationships with 21 cities throughout the world? The establishment of sister cities fosters relationships between two locales thus creating greater understanding of their respective cultures. The exchange program began in 1956 thanks to President Dwight Eisenhower. His intention was essentially one of world peace and less conflict; or at least more peaceful relationships between the United States and other countries of the world.

I have an ongoing goal of honoring and highlighting each of the 21 sister cities of Seattle. The master list of cities appears in my “Travel the World in Your Own Backyard: Seattle’s 21 International Sister Cities” post and will be updated every couple of weeks.

Sister City: Beer Sheva, Israel

Year Established: 1977

Representation in Seattle:

Several education, social work, and business exchanges have occurred between the people of Beer Sheva and Seattle. In order to “travel” to the city, we visited Beer Sheva Park in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood (southeast Seattle).

The park was renamed in honor of the sister city in 1978, and includes a playground, waterfront area along Lake Washington with boat launch, picnic spots, and plenty of green space. A beautifully crafted set of table and benches to honor Dorothy Schroeter who was president of the Seattle-Beer Sheva Sister City Committee from 1989-1997, and Lucille Fuss who was the Vice President from 1989-1999 is also featured.

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January 23, 2014

Washington’s State Park Accommodations: Inside our Bay View State Park Cabin

Yurts, cabins, and rustic accommodations of sorts always excite me. I guess the coziness, proximity to nature, and all around feeling that I am truly “away from it all” is appealing. And on top of all those romantic feelings, the practicality of having all that’s great about camping without actually have to do much work and setup (the downsides of pitching your own tent and hauling all the gear) for a parent makes the whole experience so worthwhile.

Setting up camp on the outside at our Bayview State Park cabin was simple, and even though I was worried about sharing such a tiny space (12×12 feet) with our toddler, we were able to set up an inside space with just as much ease.

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January 21, 2014

Quick and Easy to Make Travel Game for Toddlers: Photo Puzzles

For a while now, I’ve created quick photo books for Bergen (2 years old) to look at, talk about, and flip through when we travel. The photo albums have especially come in handy on the airplane when we need plenty of distractions, but don’t want items that would take up a lot of space.

For our last plane ride across the country to visit family and friends in the Southeast, I decided to take Bergen’s love for photos a step further and make things a little more interactive.

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January 17, 2014

Exploring Art, History and Nature in South Carolina’s Andrew Jackson State Park

Have I written about the fact that I love state parks? During our trip to the Southeast (Georgia and the Carolinas) in early December my mom mentioned a state park not far from her house. You can guess that we, along with sister and 7-year old nephew jumped on board!

Andrew Jackson State Park is located in Lancaster, South Carolina, which is an hour or so south of Charlotte. According to the South Carolina state park system, the site of the park is where Andrew Jackson, our 7th presdient, actually grew up.

We first spent some time exploring the main grounds, which includes a museum, old school house, meeting house, and an immense statue of young Andrew atop a horse.

Later we hit the woods and hiked the mile nature trail loop, also called the Crawford Trail. It was an easy walk and nice way to take in some of South Carolina’s natural beauty as the path (actually crossed the Old Church Road twice) took us through a forest filled with pines, cedars, and oak trees.

At the end of the loop while I hung back snapping photos, Slaed got to experience an owl swoop by overhead. He was the only lucky viewer as Bergen was too busy climbing on rocks and the rest of the clan was checking out the meeting house.

With the intention of rewarding the boys with some fun at the playground, we walked over to the fishing lake passing by the amphitheater on our way over. We ended up having so much fun playing in the boats, running up and down the dock, and throwing rocks into the lake that we ran out of time and steam!

What state (or region, province, etc) do you live in? Have you visited any state parks recently? Tell us about your experience!

Info to Know:

Andrew Jackson State Park is located in Lancaster, South Carolina (1 hour south of Charlotte, NC)
- 196 Andrew Jackson Road Lancaster, SC 29720
- 803-285-3344
- Hours: 8am-6pm Daily from Nov. 1-March 31, 9am-9pm Daily from April 1-Oct.31
Features include museum, old school house, 2 short hiking trails (1 mile each), meeting house, amphitheater, lake, fishing, boating (no motors), playground, and camping.
$2 for adults, Free for Youth 15 & Under, $1.25 for SC seniors
Strollers not recommended for trails.
Looking for lunch or dinner near by? Head North on US-521 just past Sun City Carolina Lakes to 521 BBQ & Grill. Delicious Carolina BBQ served by the nicest people you’ll meet. Be sure to get some hush puppies too.

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More State Park Adventures:

January 14, 2014

Training for a Half Marathon Trail Run…in the Winter

As we all know, the New Year brings new goals, new ideas, new adventures, new endeavors, and even new challenges, and of course changes. One change, I’ve fully embraced this January is NOT taking a break from running.

In the past, my running routine has gone on hiatus during the winter months. A whole lot of excuses come to mind:

It’s too cold.

It’s too wet and rainy.

It’s too dark.

It’s too complicated.

I’m ignoring those excuses. Instead I’m relying on (and being encouraged by) the positives; those lovely benefits of putting one foot in front of the other and just going:

Exercise.

Time spent outdoors.

Stress relief.

More energy.

More exploring, more adventure.

Specifically, I’m all signed up and committed to the Squak Mountain Trail Run. Yes, one of my biggest motivators in addition to the above benefits is having a race or run on the calendar. It’s in writing, it’s paid for, I can’t quit.

The big event takes place in Issaquah, Washington (just a short 30 minute or so drive from Seattle) and has me running the obvious 13.1 miles on trail, but also includes a challenging 3,650 feet of elevation gain!

Have you set any exercise goals for the year? Any races or runs on your 2014 calendar? Please share!

More on running:

Related Posts

Sister City: Beer Sheva, Israel

Year Established: 1977

Representation in Seattle:

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

What state (or region, province, etc) do you live in? Have you visited any state parks recently? Tell us about your experience!

Related Posts

It’s too cold.

It’s too wet and rainy.

It’s too dark.

It’s too complicated.

Exercise.

Time spent outdoors.

Stress relief.

More energy.

More exploring, more adventure.

Have you set any exercise goals for the year? Any races or runs on your 2014 calendar? Please share!

Related Posts