Riverwalk

It seems, this hat wants to go with pretty much every one of my outfits. 

And it seems, I let her!

It's no secret that I love long walks. I don't go for a walk as often as I'd like to, but when I do, I really enjoy it. This week started with rain and cooler temperatures, in low 60s, but last week was sunny and warm, up to mid 70s, a bit humid, and felt rather like early Summer. Good time to go for a walk along a river. 

When my parents stayed here, I took my father for this lovely river walk, and we both loved it a lot. The trail goes, obviously, along the shore of the Puyallup River, and in Winter, you can see the water pretty much all the way. In Spring, when leaves dress up the trees and bushes on the river banks, you can get a glimpse of the river from the trail which gets shady (a plus for a hot day), or get a nice picture from a few view spots.

Justin spotted this adorable carved little bear climbing the tree up high - I wonder why he even looked that high?

This was Justin's first time on this trail, and he, in his own turn, wondered whether there would be more carvings on the way, and I promised him that yes, there would be more...

What animals can you spot?

A part of the Riverwalk trail goes through the town streets, a lovely old neighborhood, with some homes that certainly knew better times, but some are nicely restored and well taken care of. I just adore old towns where trees grow many times taller than houses - there is such inimitable old world charm in them.

After a walk through the town, you are back to the river again - this stretch of the trail is further from the busy road and quieter, though you still hear train signals in the distance and cars crossing over the bridges... 

Justin took a photo of me on May 31, standing at the same spot where I took a photo of my Dad on January 21 earlier this year.

Both Justin and I grew up in places surrounded by woods, rivers and meadows - far, far away from the sea, so the views, the smells and sounds along the riverbank are so much more familiar to us than the views, sounds and smells of the sea which we got to know and love much later in our life. This photo below could be taken anywhere really - near my hometown in Siberia, or near his home in Southern Ohio.

I'm pretty sure the two photos below were taken at the same spot, with 4 months difference - though it's quite amazing, because of course I couldn't remember our photos from the Riverwalk with my Dad back in January, and Justin only stopped me to take this photo because the beauty of the bend in the trail grabbed him...

Maxi skirt - Ashley Stewart (Winter sale last year)

Top (old) and hat - Lane Bryant

Denim jacket and earrings - Chico's

Purse - hand-made, bought at a boutique in Michigan years ago

Crocks for Summer sandals - my favorite shoes ever

Linking up with Judith's Hat Attack

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