J&M

Sights on the Road

Our second day of our road trip adventure began with a delicious breakfast at a little waffle haus in Leavenworth.. it was a great start to the day!

{hubby loves waffles!}

Then we were off! We stopped on the way to check out Rocky Reach Dam, a Hydroelectric plant on the Columbia River.

{they had some beautiful grounds, and we even found out that they do weddings there lol}

{this fish ladder allows the Salmon and other fish to travel upstream to spawn each year}

{we went underground and got to see the huge Salmon making their way up the ladder}

{this is a mockup cross section of the fish slide, this helps the fish go back downstream at the end of the spawning season and out to the ocean!}

We are almost to our next stop, Lake Chelan!

Enjoy!

A Sweet Bavarian Town

When I tell people who are not from Washington that we went to Leavenworth for a visit.. they pretty much look at me like I'm crazy, going to visit a prison and all.. um. yeah.. no.

Leavenworth is also the name of an adorable town in Washington state that transformed itself from a struggling timber and rail town to an Alpine Bavarian village.

This was our first stop on our exploration of the Cascade Loop, a scenic route through the heart of Washington state that gives you a taste of the best that Washington has to offer.

{notice the footprint sign? i had no idea that Harry and Henderson's was so old!}

{we spotted Harry on our way to Leavenworth!}

{we also stopped at Deception Falls on our way! such a powerful waterfall!}

When we did get to Leavenworth, we took a quick trip through the town and then started setting up camp for the night..

{look at hubby bein' all outdoorsy!}

{i think i took this picture a bit later, but here's a good view of our site for the first night on the road}

Then we went to explore the town. The buildings are unique in that they all follow the inspiration of an old tradition.

{so cute, right? i'm pretty sure that i broke out in that song from Beauty and the Beast at least five times during our visit lol}

All of the store signs are hand painted. Although the downtown area is quaint, each shop has its own charm with fudge shops, Christmas boutiques, outdoor sports outfitters and everything in between.

We had lunch at a little cafe downtown. They had the most delicious brats that I have ever had! And of course some brews to wash them down with too!

Hubby liked the brews so much, that he got some to bring home for later!

It was a great day exploring Leavenworth! Stay tuned for details of our next stop.. Lake Chelan!

Enjoy!

Lessons Learned about Homeownership..

*WARNING* There are graphic pictures of maggots contained in this post.. so if that grosses out, use caution!

Once upon a time, a little birdy found a nice warm, dry, comfy place to make a nest... our bathroom vent. So we called the landlord and asked him to call someone to clean it out.. but they didn't come because we weren't home when they wanted to fix it and hadn't made an appointment with us..

Then the little birdie laid some eggs, and when we returned from a weekend of camping... had several annoyingly loud chirpy little baby birds {which hubby couldn't hear because the Army stole his hearing, but i could hear all the time} These baby birds would cry all day and all night and fill the house with their noises. So we called the landlord again. And the pest control man said he had to wait until they flew the nest because if he missed one there would be.. maggots. YUCK. So we waited.

And waited.

And the birds finally flew the nest, but not without leaving behind a very yucky smell. So much so that we had to seal off the vent with plastic and duct tape. Which kindof worked.. so we shut the door and waited for the landlord to fix it..

And waited.

And then one day, we {and by that i mean me} went into clean said bathroom and found a nasty, yucky, dry heave inducing sights!

{AAAHHHHhhhh!}

{they got all the way on the floor and were everywhere!!}

So, we sent pictures of the mess to the landlord to impress upon him the urgency of fixing the vent. The very next day, Mr. Jose came and took apart the vent and discovered that one of the poor baby birds did not make it.. and that is why we had a mess! YUCK! Yuckety, yuck, yuck, yuck!!

{ironic that this bathroom is decorated with birds, no?}

So, what have we learned from this?

1. Being renters is a great opportunity to learn about the types of things that we would otherwise be responsible for fixing if we owned the place.

2. Maggots make Myra freak out.

3. Cleaning out dead animals is officially Hubby's responsibility in any future home ownership we have.

4. Mr. Jose is very brave.

Wenatchee Whitewater!

A couple weeks ago, Hubby and I took a chance and decided to go on a trip with the MWR! For you civilians out there thats the Morale Welfare and Recreation office. The Northwest Adventure Center {NAC} on Fort Lewis set up a white water rafting trip to the Wenatchee River!