"Yep, foliage is great." - Emily Steenbergh

Pretty sure she was getting a little tired of hearing, "Look how green it is Kathleen!" "Oh Emily, what's your growing zone? I can't believe how many flowers and trees grow here!" And occasionally Emily would respond to our constant comments, by, "Yeah, foliage - gotta have it!" Well foliage is a good word, so I'll give you that.

Our time is Tacoma was lovely, once I figured out that it's spelled with a c and not a k. The green though was truly beautiful. Kathleen and I drove from sunny, but brown Shelby, Montana and into bloomingly beautiful Tacoma, Washington. Lilac bushes, tulips, rhododendrons, dandelions (still flowers), cherry trees (or crabapple - we were undecided), hyacinths and flowers I couldn't name were in full bloom all around us. The homes were Victorian style with pristine landscaping and the water was so close you could touch it. One night we looked over the dock in Tacoma and stared at the depths of deep blue, water that flowed in from the Pacific Ocean. Since Kathleen has married a farmer, her appreciation for growth, rain, and growing zones has grown probably almost 100%. And I like to just jump on the bandwagon and pretend I know what all that means. Seriously though, there's something about living in a small town supported by farmers and hearing "We need the moisture," if a few snow flakes fall. Not to mock it though, I never realized how important rainfall and "moisture" really is. And I've only been here two months. Kathleen and I are also two among our friends that are in a pumpkin growing contest and therefore getting into gardening (Kathleen has been - this is new to me though) therefore we each have done some research to understand growing seasons, zones, nourishment and things of that nature (see that's a cop-out phrase that reflects my depth of knowledge on the subject). Anyway, all that being said, Tacoma was lovely and Kathleen and I appreciated it as much as a soul could.

Friday we toured a bit of Tacoma and craved and received Mexican. Saturday we hiked for two hours in the Cascade mountains and overlooked the little homes and viewed the mountains from a small opening in the trees as high as the trail would take us. We then hiked back down and played cards at Emily's friend's apartment - Euchre, a Michigan game. :) It was nice to see another face from Michigan, the land of our roots, and our conversation could lead to things we knew and people we loved. That night again we craved Mexican and nachos was a just reward (only $5 for a dome-like plate of fried tortillas soaked in beans and sour cream). Sunday we walked to her church then sampled some Legendary donuts on our way to cloudy Seattle. Pike's Market was a whirl of booths and balsamic oil samples, and flowers and more flowers. We saw the first Starbucks and it looked like the trillionth Starbucks I saw on the corner a mile down. We tasted delicious fish and chips while we watched the chef and his entourage serve up fried fish, grilled salmon, shrimp cocktail, and clam chowder, all while yelling and laughing and trying to look cool. But they were kinda cool, just because their food was so good. I was not super impressed by the gum wall, though it didn't stop me from contributing. And the Fremont troll was pretty cool. We climbed it, got a picture and said, "Cool." Then we walked, and that was my favorite thing we did together. Walking Seattle, the Board Walk, Pike's Market, downtown Tacoma, the bridge, Emily's neighborhood, the dock - walking and simply enjoying being with each other. Oh but I really liked the Ferris Wheel too, those things are sweet. Any direction you look is fascinating. Whether it's back at the city, scanning the sky scrapers and seeing the different styles of buildings. Whether it's viewing the wharfs and the major cranes and freighters carrying products all over the world. Whether it's at your friends laughing and smiling. Or whether its watching the machine itself flowing in a perfect rotation. Then of course there's the water to view and  the light of the sun moving in delicate ripples on the waves. We ended our trip with more walking, some talking, and a movie and junk food. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Kathleen and I left and settled ourselves for the long drive home.

And I was looking forward to the quiet of the small town. To seeing TJ and talking to him. To making myself a good, healthy meal. I was looking forward to brown and sunshiny Shelby, Montana.

One of my favorites. 

Mount Reindeer.

TJ's livelihood - grain elevator!

Kylie, Emily, Me, Kathleen (bad lighting)

Dome shaped nachos!!

Legendary Donuts

Pike's Market!

The Flowers!

In front of the first Starbucks, we had to make it a little more exciting than it was. 

Nasty wasty gum wall. 

Emily enjoying a fry from the sea food restaurant. 

Kathleen REALLY enjoying the clam chowder from afore mentioned restaurant! Not even a restaurant really, a fryer and a booth to watch them and the market. 

Seattle Skyscrapers from the Ferris Wheel.

Fremont Troll. Cool beans.

Blooming flowers on our walk in Tacoma.

Sunset in Tacoma, last night.