Reflections – The Bouncy Kitty

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one of the most phenomenal things about living in the Pacific North West is the vast variety of accessible nature. From diverse deserts and wanderlust inspiring waterfalls, to rich coastlines and island hopping through the San Juan Islands – Washington has a bit of something for everyone. Seattle and it’s surrounding areas – doubly so. From Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish to the Puget Sound, the Cascade Mountain Ranges and hidden parks in nooks and crannies all over – there’s a reason we call it the Pacific North Wonderland.

When my husband and I first moved up to Seattle, we found ourselves in an living over in the Sand Point area near the University of Washington. At the time, we didn’t know much about Washington or Seattle proper, but the area seemed a keen pivot point for getting to anywhere and everywhere throughout the Sound. Whether we ventured North and East on an adventure to dip our toes in watering holes, or South and West to Seattle proper, we could find ourselves surrounded by a symphony of succulent scenes. To me, the irony always was that our favorite park wasn’t in a far reaching corner of the state – it was actually just a hop, skip and jump around the corner at the University of Washington.

Sitting on land with a complex history, the Arboretum grounds were homebase to the Coast Salish tribes of Washington, with several villages around the area. As time, and colonialism, went on – the area shifted to ownership by the Puget Mill Company which unfortunately logged some of the largest trees in that region. As we shift into the 1900s, the land was transformed into was one of Seattle’s original city parks. In 1903, landscape architects for the region – the Olmsted Brothers – drew up a plan for the Seattle Parks and Parkways, with Lake Washington Boulevard at the crux of their idea. Fast forward to the 1930s, the incredible Washington Park Arboretum boasts an incredible variation in vegetation with one of the largest plant collections in North America.

Spanning over 230 acres of luscious vegetation, you can take the 3.5 mile walking loop around the edge of the park or you can dip the main roads, ebb and flow around the Arboretum Loop Trail and discover your own way through the heart of the park. Just like a choose your own adventure novel of eons past, each time at the Washington Park Arboretum is a unique experience featuring the mercurial nature of our weather, and the chosen blooms of the day.

Playing host to vast collections of rhododendrons, camellias, larches and lindens, oak trees, Japanese Maples, magnolias and azaleas has earned the Arboretum international bragging rights. Open daily from dusk to dawn, the Washington Park Arboretum is workout friendly, run friendly, child friendly and dog friendly. From the northern tip of the park on Union Bay’s southern shoreline and into Foster Island on down through the incredible and everchanging landscapes of the Arboretum, every inch of the park is immaculately drawn together for an unreal experience any time of year.

In the Summer months, bright blue skies overhead and a menagerie of birds grace the scene as the floral aroma wafts from every corner. Head there in September to watch the leaves shift their hues from vibrant greens to magnificent reds, yellows and oranges in what I consider ‘Seattle’s Second Spring.’ In the Winter, if you time your visit just right – you can see the grounds covered with a fairy dust of snow, making it seem like you just walked out of a story book. And Spring – well, Spring is a whole new shade of wonderful at the Arboretum.

My personal favorite spots at the Arboretum are the reflecting ponds during all seasons, the Giant Sequoias and the rhododendron glen in the Springtime. But you honestly can’t go wrong no matter which turns you take. With over 10,000 trees and more than 40,000 plants, each visit truly is it’s own unique and unforgettable journey. For those that simply can’t get enough of the Washington Park Arboretum, try the Seattle Japanese Garden located just across the way for a wonderful experience – more on that in a later post!

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What’s your favorite park in your neck of the woods? I’m always looking for a great adventure – and maybe I’ll pick yours next; drop them some love in the comments below and share some geographical gems of your own!

For more on the Washington Park Arboretum at the University of Washington, scope out the park with an incredible and interactive bird’s eye view, then head to their socials for the full 411.

Website | Arboretum Foundation | Facebook | Twitter | AllTrails

“We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”

― Mother Teresa

In most college towns, it’s pretty common that you graduate then move on and get on with the rest of your life. But, Santa Barbara – the land of sand and surf – it’s where people come to retire; where they get a job at bar or in the food industry so they can enjoy each and every day, find a place in the community and give back. And it’s not uncommon for people to take longer to graduate from University, or from SBCC – our local community college. When you live in a place that beautiful, it takes a hell of a lot to compel you to leave; doubly so when your friends are still there too. I should know, it took me five years. But, I digress. Whether people moved away or stayed, the bond with other Santa Barbara-ians, or fellow Gauchos as we refer to them is real and the community is rich. The bartenders in Santa Barbara are fixtures of the community and most of them have been firmly planted in the downtown scene since I left in ’08, including close friends from college and my housemates from my last year in Santa Barbara.

Before I relocated myself to Los Angeles, I spent five amazing years going to the University of California in Santa Barbara and during that process I met some of the most amazing people in the world. Whether it was in passing walking to class, gallivanting to the beach, heading downtown to bar hop or enjoying a lazy Sunday in the grass – there were always smiling, familiar faces simply itching to make connections. Regardless of our incredible amounts of differences, all of us were well aware of one thing: that we were pursuing our futures in paradise. Granted, not every decision was a mature one but we all managed to do so eventually. We ditched class in February to go to the beach, when we won the NCAA championship in soccer our reaction was to tear down the goal post and throw it into the Pacific and Halloween provided the perfect excuse to spend a week wearing costumes; and then, of course – there’s the party scene. Not saying that everyone participated, but let’s get something clear – we all knew how to unwind, and we were oh so good at it. But don’t get it twisted – sure, we’ve ranked near the top of almost every ‘Top Party School’ pool from US News down to Playboy, but we also have had more Nobel Prizes awarded to us than every other UC combined; we’re walking, talking examples of the ‘work hard, play harder’ mantra and are damn proud of it.

For anyone connected to the Santa Barbara community, this week has been a trying one; a frustrating, harrowing, nerve bending, soul shaking one. Last Thursday night, a pillar of the Santa Barbara community was leaving work and subsequently was struck by a drunk driver leaving a holiday party blocks away. She spent the last week in the ER, fighting against all odds to come back to us but yesterday afternoon our community was dealt with a sorrowing blow.

If you went to college in Santa Barbara, chances are you crossed paths with Mallory more than once – I know I did. If you didn’t know her personally, which regretfully I never had the chance for, you probably know someone that did; I do. I might have only had brief encounters with her, but when so many lives in the community have been touched by one individual – when a substantial drop in our ocean has been removed – the sorrow and anguish is wholeheartedly by everyone in it. In the past 24 hours, in the moments of sadness and pain – there’s also been an outpouring of support from the extended Santa Barbara community.

So how do we put these pieces back together and rebuild our small, but strong, community?

We learn; we grow.

There’s the small things, like simply reaching out to the friends and extended family from Santa Barbara and letting them know that we’re all in this together, big things like the Facebook Support Page, and last but not least – large things, like a page on Fundly that’s already raised over $30,000 in less than a day.

Last but not least, there’s this:

The next time a friend comes to drink at your house, make them a comfortable place to crash and take their keys until you feel it’s appropriate to drive. Designate a sober driver, or just rock-paper-scissors it; a lot of bars will give free non-alcoholic drinks to anyone that’s been delegated the role for the night. If you’re going out on the town, call a cab, Uber, Lyft or, if that’s not in your price range – try taking public transportation. If you work in a bar, club or anywhere someone could leave under the influence, take an inventory of the people you’re serving and those that are leaving. And most importantly, keep an open and honest dialogue about drunk driving with the people in your life: if there’s someone that has a problem, talk to them – and set an example. Here’s the thing – it’s the holidays, and we’re all someone’s child; this is not the time of year where parents should be burying theirs. Don’t drink and drive, and don’t let your loved one’s do it either. Let’s smarten up this holiday season, please; for everyone’s sake.