Pictures where we live

I thought it would be fun to find some pictures of where we live and post them. I live in the Red Mountian area in Eastern Washington. I moved here from Port Townsend and still LOVE that place so I found pics from both places. If you have time take a look.

Please add your own links to the town of area you live in.

The Red Mountian Area: http://www.kionawine.com/Gallery/Gallery1.htm

The Port Townsend Area a great vacation spot: http://www.ptguide.com/phototour/photographers/index.html

I'm in Sumner. Here's a little ditty about historical Sumner...
http://www.ci.sumner.wa.us/misc/historic.htm

Oh sagewood now I know where benton city is. Your right below rattlesnake mountain near tricities. right? Here is Kalispell, MT. the other NW. http://www.jodybrooks.com/Nav.aspx?Page=%2fPageManager%2fDefault.aspx%3fPageID%3d200043
I was just in Sumner this summer 4 times. I like to go to the nursery over in Pullyalup. Hendersons? Where you get the Dave Dollars. I love your down town. Went to an autorestoration show last summer. My Daughter is married to a pastor in a large church there. comminity something. Over by the freeway.

This message was edited Apr 4, 2006 11:49 PM

Here's some of Shelton-Mason County. I still consider myself a newbie but I'm growing to really love it! http://www.sheltonchamber.org/31.php

Here's a virtual tour of the town we call home, although we live 5 miles out on Tiger Mtn.
http://www.issaquah.org/tours/tours1.htm

When we first moved here, Issaquah was a sleepy little town with one traffic light, maybe two. Now it's overbuilt with horrible daily traffic, lots of asphalt, more building going on all the time. Still has a beautiful backdrop against the Cascade foothills though, and a framed view of Mt. Rainier down one of its boulevards. And the Salmon Festival is quite a draw every October when the fish return to spawn.

Soferdig,
Yep you know the place. Was that church Bethel Community Church? That's very big and off the freeway. Your pictures are incredibly beautiful. I've never been to Montana, but it looks like I would love it. So does you have family over here? That's a real nice picture of you. Do you hike? I sure would.

Hello from the NE corner of Washington!

Colville is my current address, here's some pics http://www.colville.com/Gallery/

Colville is a town of about 1500 people up in the Okanagan highlands, and is about 75 miles due north of Spokane.

amandaemily is there any good places to camp up in your neck of the woods. It looks lovely there too.

Quite a few in fact - North Gorge, Kettle River, Kettle Falls among other campgrounds all along the Columbia and Kettle Rivers.

Here's a list of them http://www.nps.gov/laro/camps.htm

Amandaemily I love Colville I was just there this winter visiting my friend Ed Koitz the veterinarian. We skiied at 49 N. All the people were so nice. We are thinking of buying land there for an investment cause when the world finds it it will take off. I love Sherman Pass and Kettle falls. I did my first roundup one thanksgiving long ago there. We rode horses up in the mountains and cut christmas trees. It was fun!
Sagewood I spent 22 years there from 75 to 97 and loved the Pac NW but too many people for me now so I left 10 yrs ago. Yes most of my family is in Renton, Federal Way, Port Orchard, and Puallyup. You bet I hike. At 52 I need to keep moving or look out. We canoe, Ski, Hike, Sail, garden, Camp, snow shoe, cross country ski and bike all year round. Never without anything to do here. Yes that is the church Bethel. My son in law is a youth pastor there.
I remember Issaquah when it was nothing but a skydiving area. Ted Bundy hadn't even dropped one body there yet. Hee Hee. I remember hiking on Tiger Mountain and there were almost no trails. You could go to the beach there and maybe 20 people was it. I even fished the small river for salmon in the early 70's. Though I love the arts and crafts of Gillman Village. My sister had the Pizza Hut there for a few years. Where are you at? out near HWY 18?

This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 12:51 PM

Soferdig,
Sounds like we should move where you are. We love to do all those things but find them too far of a drive to do regularly. That was one reason why we loved Port Townsend so, we could jump in the car and be hiking, sailing, beach combing, in 5-30 min. We really don't like this area enough to want to retire here. Moved here for work, it is a good booming economy. My husband does cabinets, counter tops, flooring and finish carpentry. We try to find beauty where ever we live and there is some here but much of the year it's a pretty drab place. I miss all the different styled homes and gardens, folks here don't seem to mind living in a house that looks like 100 others. So we are looking for a place to retire. Maybe Id. Washington is a really expensive place to own your own business. I suppose Mt. would be too.

Just a minute Soferdig, I'm busy searching for a land grab in Kettle Falls LOL! Often wish we would have bought raw land out here in the 80's.

We are in Preston, unincorporated wild and wooly Preston. Here's our back property boundary: also a salmon spawning creek but you'd have to be a Super Salmon to swim upwards given all the fallen trees and steep drops. This was taken in January during our attempt at 31 days of rain in a row: 31 inches total for that month alone here, much wetter than Seattle. The creek is normally a placid, soothing flow that runs 5-6 miles all the way to Issaquah and eventually into Lake Sammamish. We are surrounded by second growth woods and only one property between us and acres of untouched State Land. If we want to camp, we go in the back yard LOL.

They still have a very active parasailing group south of town towards Hobart. Every once in a while you can see search and rescue attempting to disentangle an errant flyer out of the tall evergreens near the landing zone. Have to learn somehow I guess.
Back to work...
All of your places look great. I'll take a little better tour of them all when time permits.

Sagewood another good area to buy land in like you are looking for is the upper panhandle of Id. The Cordeleane R is a beautiful area. Though after living in the desert you won't be able to stand the rain.
Nice run off Poochella. Ah Preston. When I first got to Bellevue Preston was where we people in the jeep club used to go out Mud Running in the woods. We would find a newly cut logging road and drive up Tiger and get stuck and dirty. Old memories.

I live in Langley on the south end of Whidbey Island. We have a cute 'main' street (actually called First Street) and I'll post a couple photos. It's very small but I think it's quaint and fun.

This one is The Doghouse, a restaurant and bar that has so-so food but great atmosphere.

Gwendalou

This is of our little movie theater, The Clyde - the movies come about a month later than at the big theaters but the price is right - $5 to get in and popcorn and a pop total $2.

Gwendalou

Is there still a small womens botique near the theater? My friend Denise used to have a shop there. It may still be there if it is tell her Hi from Steve the Veterinarian. I spent a lot of time at the dog house for a cool one. My brother-in-law was the Pharmacist there in the early 70's. We spent a lot of time at Sandy Point.

Kalispell is a beautiful town and I enjoyed visiting there. But after spending 6 years in Helena, MT., I decided it was just too cold for me in the winter. I don't drive well on snow or ice, so I felt locked in all winter as I had to get someone to drive me. Then, the costs of heating just about put us into bankruptcy more than once - especially as we had two vehicles that had to be kept plugged in all winter. I have now moved to Western Oregon about halfway between Washington and California - and I love it. Sorry I don't have any pictures for you - I don't have a digital camera. Dotti

There are several women's boutiques near there, so I'm not sure which one. Maybe the one called Roberta's? That one has been there the whole time I've lived here (4 years). Some of the others have come and gone or moved locations, etc.

Gwendalou

thanks If you met her you would never forget her. More energy that a locomotive and quite pleasant.

Here are some pics of the Eugene/Springfield area. http://www.dedasys.com/photos/eugene/

Soferdig, any time I am looking at any of your photos from Montana and my husband is near, I quickly close the window down so he doesn't see them, and immediately pack me and the children up and move us back to 'the homestead'. He's a Montana boy, and has been trying to convince me for years that's where we should be. I agree, its GORGEOUS!

Gwendalou, I'm in love with the Clyde! I can almost smell the history! --or maybe that's the smell of old popcorn? In any case, it definitely looks quaint and fun.

Wow, soferdig...I wasn't sure if anyone came here. But you came four times...LOL!

I haven't yet been to Hendersons. I drive by three different nurseries in Puyallup area on my way to work...so far most are closed when I get off work. I am waiting for people to stay open a little later in the late spring / early summer and will stop. I drool over the flowers at one place every day I drive by. ;-)

Last night I went to a big event at Sumner's Windmill Gardens. The annual 'Ladies Night Out' benefit for a local nonprofit hospital. Nothing quite like strolling through the greenhouses with a martini or glass of champagne or wine, with live music (keyboardist in the greenhouses; quartet in the garden area). They had a bunch of vendors touting there stuff and food stations scattered around the place. It was fun. I won a gift certificate to a purse vendor (got two small purses) and a bag of dirt.

The auto restoration show is an annual event here. They also have an annual sidewalk sale, annual arts/crafts/music two-day festival, annual daffodil parade, summer evening events with live music in the park, and this year will even have a special dog day in the park.

There are a lot of churches here. Drive down Valley street and you go past at least 8 within 20 blocks, plus there are more scattered around the downtown area, most are near the freeway (410) entrances.

Gwendalou, gosh I envy that small theater and its prices! I grew up in Snohomish, where there was a small theater when I was a kid (until downtown Snohomish turned into taverns and the theater started showing pornos...it's since returned to virtually no taverns, a regular theater, and lots of antique shops).

Poochela, wow...I bet you can even fish in your backyard. Lovely pic.

Well since we are talking about small cute movie houses I have to mention The Rose theater in Port Townsend. Here is a few websites, one the theaters and two the film festival they have every year. It's really a charming place to go after a great meal at one of the nearby restaurants.

http://www.rosetheatre.com/
http://www.ptfilmfest.com/index.html The strange Oscars are a little version of a stature in a fountain close to The Rose.

Oh how I miss that place.

How great that you posted a link to Kiona Winery! Did you go down and meet the Williams family?

No, what can I say? I'm a bit shy? Or its really nasty out today. Raining and windy. I was going to finish putting in my new rose bed, got it dug and need to shake out the sod. They live about two miles away from us. They do have good wine. :)

Oh well, today they are all up skiing at White Pass! We are having rainy and windy weather today as well, but it's just as well since the house is a mess and I should get at it.

We love their wine - especially the Lemberger. They are very friendly, down to earth people with funny stories to tell, so it's definitely worth the long walk.

I don't have any nice photos of Olympia, but it's fun looking at and hearing about everyone else's towns.

Oh well, today they are all up skiing at White Pass! We are having rainy and windy weather today as well, but it's just as well since the house is a mess and I should get at it.

We love their wine - especially the Lemberger. They are very friendly, down to earth people with funny stories to tell, so it's definitely worth the long walk.

I don't have any nice photos of Olympia, but it's fun looking at and hearing about everyone else's towns.

galega,
Where abouts in Olympia do you live. We lived there for about 4 years when our 21 year old was a baby. It seems like such a long time ago. We loved it then, I remember the Farmers Market when it first was in Lacey and then moved to downtown Olympia, then they built that fancy place it's at now. There was allot of neat places to expore, parks and nurseries. Have you been to the one that grows tons of geraniums? It is a great place to grow things.

I always went to theaters in the greater seattle area. There is a good one in Edmonds, Port Orchard, of course several in Seattle. Most of the small ones on Capitol hill are the ones I frequented. 0-$30 for a show. I'm talking not movie but acting theaters. Port Townsend , Renton, And tacoma all were wonderful.
I always went to the Seattle Film Festival at all my Art movie houses. U district and North Seattle. I think they are over now. It is usually in March. I remember Woodinville before there was a stop light. There used to be a flashing yellow light when you got off 512 and entered town. Mobaks is still wonderful for an espresso and walking among the plants. I can't afford them any more.

Sagewood,
We live in the woodsy area behind Evergreen State College on the wide end of Cooper Point. Eld Inlet and Mud Bay are on opposite sides of us, but we are not acutally on the water. We love it out here. We moved from a neighborhood closer to downtown about four years ago. Olympia is quirky but charming and there's something for everyone - lots of things to do and see. Do you remember the Procession of the Species?

Galega are you near Boston harbor? Olympia is a wonderful town. Eld inlet was a favorite kayaking place for me. It was also a beautiful view of Ranier. Can you give us a photo of Eld inlet?

Galega,
Oh yes I remember the Procession of the Species. Very strange. Reminds me of allot of funny festivals they have in Port Townsend. Olympia and Port Townsend are allot alike in many ways. Always something going on.

Hi Soferdig - we aren't near Boston Harbor, but it's a fun stop when we are out on our boat. They sell lots of fresh caught salmon there for really cheap during the season. I will see if I can get a photo of Eld to post here. The tip of Cooper Point is across Budd Bay from Boston Harbor, and we're down near the end of Eld where it becomes Mud Bay. We do see a lot of kayakers out on the water year round.

Sagewoodfarm - I definitely agree about the Procession. Port Townsend is very similar to Olympia in the offerings and little places and restaurants. Now if we could just solve the parking problem downtown I'd go there more often! The Arts Walk evenings are fun too - I am sure they have those in Port Townsend too.

Hello to all, I was catching up in this thread and found amandaemily over in Colville. I live in Tonasket just over Sherman from you. What a small world. My dh and I go there at least one or two times a year camping and hunting. Our favorit place to camp is Douglas falls. My brother and his wife live there in town also. We seriously were going to move there but landed here because dh's mom was here and he had been comming here since he was like 7 yrs. old.I just love it there.
Debbie

I was looking at some pictures of Douglas falls. Its a trail right? I was wondering where is a good place to go where there wasn't tons of people. We like it primative, pit toilets are fine, table and fire pit needed and water, of course, hiking and maybe a little lake or stream for fishing. But also a place where one could take horses. We have some friends who have horses and our family and theirs want to go camping. The men wouldn't go riding, only us gals would and some of the kids. Need a place where we could tie or corral the horses. But a place where non riders would have something to do as well. Like fishing. Know of a place? Mainly we don't want tons and tons of people. A few are fine. Don't like noisy drunken camping sites.

sagewoodfarm Hello, Douglas Falls would be a great place for you to camp and ride. It is owned by the local grange but run by DNR. They have added pretty good trails. We stay there a lot. It has pit toilets water, tables and fire pits. There is a beautiful creek and wonderful falls also. The good news is it's free. They usually keep a camp host where you have to register. They had to start that cuz there was some vandolizum going on.Gates close up each night but cant remember what time.If the guys like creek fishing this one is good below the falls. We have cought huge brookies in there. There are also lots of lakes around. We like to go up to Lk Ellen,(sm trout)but tasty and over to starvation lk. where there are some huge ones. many more lakes too.And don't forget the Kettel river and the Columbia or Lk Rosevelt! I'm excitting myself! Oh dear, I do love it over there.
Debbie

Could you give me directions? Sounds really great. Thanks, Sagewood

Sagewoodfarm, I'm on the Rose Theater mailing list. I always know that whatever comes to the Rose will come to the Clyde, just a little bit later. I haven't been to the Rose yet but hope to someday get over there!

Gwendalou

Chamelle, my husband's family has a fishing cabin in McKenzie Bridge and so we've been going there for many many years. We've awalys talked about maybe retiring in Eugene. When we lived in Calif, we were 12 hours away from the cabin. We moved to Whidbey 4 years ago and now are 7 hours away.

I don't know Eugene too well but would like to start spending more time looking around there to see if we can find some areas we're interested in.

Love your parents' backyard!

Are there any rural areas with small cheap movie theaters in the vicinity?

Gwendalou

Gwendalou,
I must admit if I lived where you did, I would want to stay put. Whidbey Island is wonderful.

It is really great but it's changing. More and more wealthy retired people, the schools are losing out as less kids = less money in the schools. Every now and then McDonald's rears its ugly head. It's only a matter of time before someone caves in. (Of course we will all boycott it. )

It really is a great community now but some of us wonder what it'll become.

Plus, hubby and I would really like to be within one or two hours' drive of the family cabin so we can go there whenever we want. That's our main reason for wanting to be in the Eugene area.

Gwendalou