Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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National Parks Free on Saturday, June 9, 2012
Several times a year the national parks host days where you can get into the parks for free. Parks like Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Park have entrance fees for much of the year, and it’s nice to take advantage of the times you don’t have to pay. For more information, check out the NPS…
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Tumwater Botanical Area and Tumwater Pipeline Trail
We’ve settled firmly into a weather pattern called the June Gloom here in Puget Sound, and with the end-of-the-school-year activities I’ve been going a bit crazy. A trip to find the sunshine and flowers was in order. My friend Jessie was able and willing to come with us again. I checked the weather forecasts all…
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What we’ve been up to
“The days they pass so quickly now, the nights are seldom long.” John Denver sings this in one of his songs, and I think it describes the life of a mother very well. The days have filled with activities and outings, trips out of town and gatherings with friends. I have several things to share…
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Lucia Falls and Moulton Falls Outing
When I was a kid, we used to “take a drive” and go out exploring with my parents. I always enjoyed these adventures, and now I like to do the same thing with my kids. We are down near Vancouver this weekend visiting my parents, and today we all went for a drive into rural…
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Family Fun Day at the University of Washington
Last weekend (the day before Mother’s Day) we went to an event put on by the school of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. They had two rooms of tables set up with displays and hands-on activities covering various topics in geology, physics, rocketry, soil science, space science, and others. There were…
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Book Review: Peterson Field Guide to Moths of NE North America
I recently received a package in the mail of three books from the publisher (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) to review. One of them was Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America, by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie. We flipped through, entranced by the full-color photos of hundreds of moths. The introduction to the Guide…
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Beach Walking – Info and Etiquette
Spring and summer are prime beach walking times in Puget Sound. Every two weeks, the cycle of the moon creates several days of very low tides during the midday hours. This coincides with warming weather and winter-weary residents, and it seems that everyone flocks to the beaches. Before I worked in Edmonds, I didn’t…
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Mother’s Day at the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden
This site is focused on getting kids out into nature. But the reality is, Mom needs to get out into nature, too. I started hiking with my kids when they were babies because I needed, to the depth of my being, time in the wilderness. With the busy pace of life, social demands for the…
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Online Hiking Information
I was poking around this evening, looking to see which campgrounds are open, dreaming about an upcoming trip we are planning. I came across two neat PDFs on the Okanogan – Wenatchee National Forest web page. I saw the Hwy 20 one last summer at the Ranger Station in Sedro-Woolley. They have a nice map…
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Craig Romano Talk and Book Signing
This evening I had the pleasure to attend a talk at the Edmonds Library by Craig Romano. He spoke about hiking in Snohomish County. He started with local walks and moved outward to some of the most spectacular scenery in the state and country. Craig is an energetic, funny, and informational speaker. He showed beautiful…
Got any book recommendations?