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Summer Reading

5/24/2012

Hi everyone--
Some people have been asking me about some of my favorite books to read. I love to read, so I'd like to share some good ones with you. I call the ones on this list "summer reading" books because this is a list of great fictional stories that are "quick reads", meaning you will get into the story quickly and hopefully be unable to put the book down because you love it so much! They are great books for the summer... when you can read outside in the beautiful weather or on vacation somewhere special :-)

Here is a list of some of my all-time favorites. All of these are books I could not put down!! I hope you will enjoy them, too:
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
Still Alice, by Lisa Genova
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
City of Thieves, by David Benioff
Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
Kane and Abel, by Jeffrey Archer

Let me know how you like these, if you read them. And please feel free to share your own favorites with all of us, if you have some good ones. Happy reading!
--Suzanne

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Favorite Hikes

5/20/2012

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Hi everyone--
With summer on the way, I've been thinking about hiking. We are so lucky to live in an area with so much beautiful terrain... water and mountains everywhere you look!

I like to hike with my family, so one of my favorite hiking books is called:
Best Hikes with Children: Western Washington & the Cascades, Volume 1, by Joan Burton

This book was great when my kids were young, and it's STILL great now that they're all grown up!!
I highly recommend this book, even if you don't have kids. In my opinion, it's one of the most useful books for finding enjoyable hikes in our area. It rates the hikes by difficulty and gives you great directions and useful tips.

Here are some of my favorite hikes in our area. You can click on the link  to find more information:

1) Denny Creek Slippery Rocks- A beautiful mile-long hike through the forest, along the creek, until you reach a spot where the water runs over big, flat granite rocks and makes a natural waterslide. Kids and adults alike love to splash in the shallow water here on a hot summer day!
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/denny-creek

2) Twin Falls- a beautiful hike through a lush, green forest that leads to a beautiful waterfall.
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/twin-falls-state-park

3) Boulder River Waterfall- Another great hike through old-growth forest that leads to a spectacular waterfall.
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes-of-the-week/boulder-river

4) Soleduck Falls- This hike is in the Olympic National Park, so it's a bit farther away. It's a really beautiful hike through mossy old-growth forest, and a beautiful waterfall. http://www.olympicpeninsulawaterfalltrail.com/sol-duc-falls

Okay, so can you tell I like waterfalls??   I also love the coastal beaches, and here are a few
of my favorite coastal hikes:

1) Second Beach- This is a lovely hike through lush forest that leads to a Pacific coastal beach. It's also a great place to pitch a tent and camp overnight, if you have a pack to carry some camping supplies and don't mind backpack hiking for about a mile to the beach.   It's beautiful and we've camped here twice with our kids. It can get crowded on weekends, so if you are able to go during the week, then lucky you! It's so beautiful at Second Beach!! I love this place.
http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/second-beach-trail.htm

2) Shi Shi Beach- Another beautiful hike through forest that leads to a Pacific coastal beach. You can also camp at this beach. I haven't been here yet, but I intend to go this summer. It's said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Pacific Northwest.
http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/north-shi-shi-access

By the way, if you don't have your own tent or camping backpack, you can rent these items at REI.

If anyone else has great places to share, please post and share them with us.
Best wishes for happy summertime hiking!
--Suzanne

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