There's a First Time for Everything + Fun Announcement

Hello my friends,

Before I go on sharing some photos from early Spring that I did not get to share with you yet (also, a fun announcement at the end of this post!), let me tell you what happened yesterday. It was a wonderful day - first of all, it is always joy to visit with Erica (my hair stylist), and this time it was even more fun because I took Anya with me. After the salon, I took Anya shopping for clothes for her, and as we were marching to the food court of our outlet mall, a woman came to me and said,

"I just wanted to tell you that I love your blog!"

What? That has never happened to me before! In almost 3 years of writing this blog, I have not met a reader, with the exception of my wonderful fellow bloggers (which is fantastic, though a little different). Meeting my blog reader Susan was a wonderful feeling, and she was so lovely to say that she feels that I write from the heart. Thank you so much! You've really made my day, and I will always treasure that. 

And now let's leave the shopping mall and visit with Nature. 

I wrote about the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge before: 1, 2. (The list of all US National Wildlife Refuges HERE - check it out for other states, there might be one just near you!)

Justin and I enjoy taking a walk there, and we did it a few times (once with Anya) this past Spring. Both Anya and Justin felt inspired to take photos of the beautiful surroundings and amazing creatures we saw on the way, and I am happy to share their photography here on my blog. As always, there will be my outfits too - casual and comfy for walking, and fun at the same time.

In early April, as we got warm temperatures, trees started growing fresh green leaves, and the pond at the refuge got covered with a beautiful carpet of red plant. That color combination was so striking, and together with the blue skies, unexpectedly matched Justin's Southwest-inspired shirt.

Like us, animals got out to bask in the sun - frogs and turtles in the pond, a great blue heron on the roof of an old barn...

Are you familiar with skunk cabbage? It is another plant found in abundance in woodlands all around here. It's as gorgeous as it is stinky (just like the name suggests).

For the first time in my life, I've seen a wood duck - a type of duck found only in North America. What a magnificent bird it is!

This is another bird I haven't seen (or haven't paid attention) before - American coot (or mud hen). They are often mistaken for ducks, but it's actually a different kind of a bird. It does not have webbed feet as ducks do, as it is said in the Wiki article, "coots have broad, lobed scales on their lower legs and toes that fold back with each step in order to facilitate walking on dry land", which is fascinating to watch.

Below is a photo of a Northern shoveler (shoveller) which is a duck with a long and flat "shovel" for a beak - you could have seen them in your area, as they are pretty common in North America and also northern areas of Europe and Asia.

Canada geese are some of the most common birds around here and in every state I've lived or visited in the US. Gorgeous!

And one more rare sight we spotted that day - the Three Bears :)

I hope you enjoyed the walk through the wilderness, and as a bonus to all who've made it this far ... ta daaaa! An early fun announcement I promised you in the beginning of this post. I am hosting a new link-up party this coming weekend, with two beautiful and talented co-hostesses, each with her own unique individual style. We are working on our posts now - we want to make this collaboration an interesting and beneficial one to all!

I named the link-up Midlife Fun, and this particular feature will be Midsummer Midlife Fun!

Everyone is welcome to participate! There will be a theme (not telling you all the secrets yet), but you can join as you are, no need to be prepared (or even to be middle-aged, for that matter). Let's just all have fun together. Invite your friends too. It will be awesome!

The link up starts on July 24, at 00:05 am (Seattle time) and will be open for one week. 

Whether or not it'll become a reoccurring feature on my blog, time will tell. :)

Save the date:

July 24, 2016!

My outfits are a mix of Lane Bryant and Old Navy pieces, for the most part.

Both shirts (light and breathable), red/orange linen pants, panama hat - LB

Cropped pants and floppy hat - ON

Sandals - Merrell via Nordstrom Rack

Denim jacket - Chico's (old)

Linking up with Tina's Pink Friday

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