Long Beach, Washington

This past weekend I enjoyed a quick get-away at my family's cabin in Long Beach, Washington. It is a perfect place to visit for a weekend and it never gets old. The town is full of little shops, Marsh's Free Museum, a shooting gallery and a giant frying pan. (Yes, that's right!) It's one of those places where you can walk around all day and just look at everything around you. During the summer, there is usually something going on every weekend for townies and tourists to do. This past weekend was "Sandsations" the sandcastle building competition. It is amazing to watch these artists carve real sculptures out of wet sand. While some families are there just to have fun, there are some serious competitors that spend a year planning and making models of their next sand sculpture. This years best sculptures were "Indiana's Bones", a scene of a large snake who had eaten Indiana Jones with a huge skull and parts of a broken ruin and "Sweet Dreams", a scene of a girl sleeping on a bed with monsters coming out of all areas in her room. Pictures should be up on the website soon (mine don't really do the sculptures justice!) but check them out. You'll be amazed! Long Beach is so much fun so put it on your list of places to visit!

Burke Gilman Trail

If you are in Seattle, I recommend checking out the Burke Gilman Trail for a nice walk or bike ride. On the trail, you get to travel through several different neighborhoods and see the different areas of Seattle. The trail features some great spots for resting, including a couple parks and some awesome views of the lakes and the University of Washington. The trail begins in the Ballard/Fremont neighborhood and continues all the way to Kenmore. It is relatively flat the entire way so it it not a difficult ride. On a hot day, it's fun to take the ride and stop off at Matthew's Beach and jump in the water. It makes for a very refreshing break. However, my favorite spot would have to be the quiet sitting area underneath the Aurora Bridge. It has a great view of the entrance to Lake Union and a few floating homes. This location is a great place to watch boats go by and admire the architecture of Aurora. All in all, a great way to get outside, get some exercise and see the city. For more information, click here. Enjoy!