The wind smelled of wildflowers...

I went up to Mt. Rainier on a week ago with my mom. The wildflowers were all in bloom, and being neither of us
 had been hiking at this particular time, we decided to go for it. We hiked all around Paradise. Every breath you
 took smelled of sweet wild flowers. It was truly magical...

More Manito

Manito Park is lovely in the summer. I was especially exited because all the poppies were out, and I love poppies. 

I love this other stuff, too. 

Hey, here's some advice: wear sunscreen. 

morning, afternoon

OK, OK. I admit it. Afternoon, afternoon would be a more apt title for this post because I didn't actually leave the house until close to 1PM. What do you want from me? Sometimes I sleep in late...it's just how I do. But when I finally did roll out of the apartment, it was to embark on what turned out to be a mini-tour of Spokane. 

The view from Cliff Drive.

First stop: The downtown library, where I returned Treasure Island, which can only be described as "a rollicking good yarn" (by myself). I don't usually patronize the downtown library (even though it's only a mile from my apartment) because it tends to become infiltrated with a pretty bold strain of body odor in the summer months. Sorry, downtown library, I calls them as I smells them. 

"Israel Hands" by N.C. Wyeth.
Wyeth did all the illustrations for Treasure Island

"Long John Silver and Hawkins" by N.C. Wyeth
I truly love those Wyeth boys. 

Second stop: Manito Park on Spokane's South Hill, where I studied a bunch of vintage geologic maps of New Mexico (recently acquired, more about those at another time), tried not to eavesdrop on the senior portrait session that set up shop about 15 ft away from me (but failed: Really good shoulder. You look gorgeous!), and didn't realize I was getting a sunburn. More fool I. 

Third stop: Lindaman's Gourmet Bistro, where I sat in the courtyard and enjoyed a turkey and chorizo enchilada. It was delicious. 

Much to my delight, the salsa was quite tomatoey!

Fourth stop: Sew EZ Too, where I picked up some wool roving for a super-secret project. The project is really only super-secret because I don't know how it'll turn out. If it's a disaster, I will disavow all knowledge. If it's a success, I'll probably slap it up on the blog. 

This graffiti graces the Sew EZ Too building. 

I haven't quite deciphered the words, but I feel like
the message is pretty clear. 

Fifth stop: Celebrations: A Gourmet Cupcakery, where I selected some cupcakes to get me through the week. I've already eaten one. I'm not drop-dead in love. Yet. So far, I think they smell better than they taste--which is not to say they don't taste good. Not to brag, but I've tasted some pretty incredible cupcakes in my time, so it takes a bit to impress me.

Waiting on my steps while I picked up the mail. 

All in all, a nice little afternoon...even though I did have to chop off a piece of my aloe for my sunburn. It's OK--it was a piece that Matilda had bitten when she was trying to get a ribbon. So, it all turns out in the end.