Back in the Pacific North West

I have been back in Seattle for around a month now, and loving it!
Picked up from the airport with bunches of flowers from my sweetheart, ooohhh yeah! So cute.

We're living in Fremont, Seattle. I bought a bike, cruise around the city. Although the sun does not show itself as much as I might wish, it is wonderfully mild. Maybe even warm... The last few weeks have felt like a big, long sigh of contentment. We've done a few little trips, over to the Olympic Peninsular, and then up to Vancouver Island. And a day trip to an ice cave. The days at home involve exploration of the city, and bike rides to various destinations.

One of the things I love about Seattle is how the wild seems to be contained within the city. Plant life is so prolific that it pushes through anything that contains it. And it is just so GREEN! I sometimes have to just stare at the grass and wonder if I have ever truly known the colour green.

View from the ferry across to the Olympic Peninsular, look close to see the Olympic mountains on the horizon.

I get so excited about seeing deer!

 Big Four Mountain

Oh ferns! My little loves.

 Ice Cave with Kyle in foreground. Big scary pile of snow-ice. Gave me the wigglies...

 Here it is again...

And a beautiful valley view. This place feels ancient.

Two months later...

Well, that was a bit of a gap between posts! I'm not entirely into this blogging business, I find it hard to get motivated to share what I'm doing on a regular basis. I can't help wondering, "who cares?" But, I guess this is the way of the world now, and I shall persist. Plus, there are a few interesting things I can recount...

I have wrapped up my time in Toronto. Right as the weather was getting nice and all the interesting folk were hitting the streets, it was time for my departure. I was still able to spend some glorious sunny afternoons drinking beer in Kensington Market... And a few worthy park sessions.

I will not dwell on it, but one of the major 'features' of my months in Toronto was a strike that lasted over 4 weeks. It was the cause of much stress and a little panic, but in the end did not affect my study. One thing it did do was convince me to take a trip to Montreal. I took the train out there for a weekend, stayed with a lovely Couch Surfing host and attended a maple syrup festival, as you do! Sadly, it was bitter cold and once again I slapped myself for being in that part of the world in WINTER! I mean, what the hell was I thinking... Still, I picked up the vibes that Montreal is renowned for, came away with a pair of sweet cowboy boots and ate the best cheese for the year. Good times.

I didn't take pics of the city, but here's a couple from the train to remind you what Ontario winter looks like...

Once exams were over (literally a matter of hours afterwards), I took a bus to New York with a couple of friends. Actually we missed our bus and had to take another one, but I will skim over those details...

New York was gorgeous. Stayed with a very generous friend of a friend of a friend, who showed us the city and was more welcoming than we probably deserved.. Avoiding all things touristy, I spent my few days in the Big Apple covering as much ground as possible. Highlights of New York included; various rooftop drinks, sunny Central Park hangs and some sneaky on-sale purchases...

Central Park, obviously.

View from rooftop of our host-home.

The rad girls I went with, Sarah and Maria. And me.

Then I was off to the airport, finally to fly back West to SEATTLE!