We took a day off from school to enjoy a new pumpkin patch , Schilter Family Farm 🎃 . It was so much fun! It is a beautiful location and well laid out. We were able to do the corn maze , which was Top Gun themed and the maze was cut into jets .. so cool! I really appreciated that they had a Q code of the maze so you could find your way out of there within a reasonable time . There are some mazes that I feel like we are in forever so this was a great option. . We also enjoyed riding the tractor . It dropped us right in front of the pumpkin patch and we were able to pick a pumpkin.
. Another fun treat we enjoyed were some Apple cider doughnuts and a cup of yummy apple cider. Delicious! It was the perfect treat to end our time at the pumpkin patch .
Our stay at McMenamins in Tacoma was quite the adventure . Think Adult scavenger hunt mixed with college bar scene , throw on some steampunk decor and a history museum and that would give you some insight to what we experienced .
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First a bit of the history …
The building itself is a 1916 Elks Temple that was designed by É. Frère Champney, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and has since been restored . There are 7 floors packed with history including a hidden 5th floor . There are 5 bars ,The Tasting Room & brewery, The Spanish Bar and Ballroom,Doc’s ,The Old Hangout, McMenamins Pub and a secret Speakeasy bar if you can find it called ,The Vault.
The 45 guest rooms are named after a person or group of people that had some connection to the building or to the Tacoma area.
The diversity of the rooms is amazing. There is so much history in just the names.
We stayed in the Lea McMillan room 204 . In the room, there is posted his history with the Elks Lodge. We learned he loved handball and would sneak into the Lodge with his friends to play . He then served in the military and when he returned in 1961 He applied to be a member so he could play handball but leaving out his Native heritage. At that time , People of color were not allowed to join. That was corrected in 1976 . He may have been the first member of color to be a member of the Elks Lodge. So fascinating !
There is also a hidden hallway with graffiti that was originally in the building when it was bought and restored .
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There is so much visually to take in as you explore the hotel. You can’t possibly see every detail the first time.
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It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We recently met up with friends who taught us how to do clamming. . It’s pretty amazing that you can go out and use these suction rockets and find clams. . We lasted maybe 10 minutes in the wind and rain before we were ready to head back but bucket list item crossed off! Yay!!
You need to add the @blue_rooster_buckley to your must try list when passing through @explore_washington.state .
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It is family owned and has some of the best small plates and wine slushies in the area.
So good! Look at that delicious guacamole
Our favorites were the Bbq Brisket Flatbread and the Avocado Toast ..seriously some of the best small bites in Washington State. . We tried a little of everything and it was all amazing! The most unique item we tried was the watermelon fudge.It was a huge hit with our kids!
watermelon fudge..yum!
The cheesecake was well plated and sooo good! And the wine slushy was amazing and totally refreshing.
The owners have a love of Disney and you see it sprinkled throughout which is another reason we love @blue_rooster_buckley
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This is the perfect date spot or to share a lunch with some girlfriends.
Cedar Cove @seabrookwa did not disappoint! We absolutely loved where it was located, the fire pit , yard , hot tub and open floor plan. The lights outside were an extra bonus and welcomed us each evening as we returned to the home. . Cedar Cove has 2 bedrooms , one with a set of bunk beds. There is also a full size sleeper sofa and to our surprise a twin pullout ottoman! We had no idea those even existed but now we want one for our own home.
We loved the open kitchen and island and the nook the table was in. One of our favorite things in this home was the huge windows downstairs..they were so beautiful and let so much light in. There is a beach theme in decor throughout the home.
A few things to note.. ➡️this home is dog friendly and already had dog bowls waiting for us there.. loved that! ➡️the hot tub is on the side of the home and is wonderful! ➡️There is also a bbq grill and a sitting area there as well as around the home. Perfect for entertaining! ➡️fire pit is on the other side of home in front. There was already wood waiting for us upon arrival and covered in plastic to stay dry.
Everything in Seabrook is about 5-10 min walk to main town area. This is one of the reasons we love staying here! If your thinking about staying.. do it! You will love the overall community feeling, the beautiful homes, shops and having the ocean within walking distance⭐️
We harvested leeks from our garden this weekend and to say I was overjoyed is an understatement! We have tried to grow them before with no results and then this years harvest was amazing!
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We were able to fill the freezer with chopped leeks to add to one of our favorite soups .. leek and potato.. Yumm!
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The part of the leek that is generally harvested is the white bulb part, but that left all the leaves and so I wanted to know if I could use those .
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I was happy to find out they can be used to make stock and there are several recipes where they roasted them. We chose to try adding them to stock.
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If you have a favorite leek recipe please share in comments ❤️
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We recently had the opportunity to attend the @mopopseattle @minecraft exhibit and it was pretty awesome! My littles love playing Minecraft, so getting to get up close and see some of the Minecraft pieces and elements their size was a pretty cool experience. ✨
Double Mountain Brewery was on our list of places to try and we recently had the opportunity to do it . The restaurant decor and atmosphere is very rustic, cool and relaxed . The service was wonderful! We loved that they also had outside seating to help with social distancing . We ordered a pizza, salad and pretzel bites and oh my they were all delish! The pretzel bites and beer cheese sauce was our favorite .. we may have licked it clean🤣.. it was that good! . We will also be posting the beer flight we enjoyed here as well.. stay tuned . If your traveling through or near Hood River, Oregon then go! . And check out their story http://www.doublemountainbrewery.com/ourstory of how they got started and what they brew and the sustainability they are pursuing ⭐️
