Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Leavenworth Spring Bird Festival
Birds, sunshine, picturesque mountains in a charming small town – this is what drew me to the Leavenworth Spring Bird Festival earlier in May. I ended up having Annika to myself, as Gabe had plans with a friend for the day. We got an early start and made it to Leavenworth just after 9am for…
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Return to Wild Horse – Trip Report, 5/1/15
Last week I got a crazy idea in my head that it would be great to bring friends along on more of our adventures. My kids are getting old enough that they are beginning to prefer friends to mom, and I thought it would help with the long drive. I really wanted to go see…
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Spring at Nisqually
We recently spent a morning at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge looking for birds. We did the boardwalk loop, and spent several hours just wandering along, stopping frequently to observe birds and other wildlife. Birds were wildly singing and very active all over. The sun was shining and it felt like spring in all the ways…
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Odds and Ends
I thought I’d take a moment today to catch up on some of the details of what’s been going on here on the website. I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes. First of all, congratulations to Sarah K. for winning Scott Sampson’s book, How to Raise a Wild Child! Thanks so much…
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Book Review and Giveaway: How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott Sampson
A decade ago, Richard Louv came out with the groundbreaking book Last Child in the Woods. He sounded the alarm for parents and caregivers about how our children are not getting enough time in nature, and the consequences of this paucity of exposure. Now Dr. Scott Sampson has written a book to help parents with…
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McLane Creek – Trip Report, 3/7/15
I’ve been on restriction and not allowed to hike since last October. But now I’m allowed short walks on mostly level ground, so I’ve been trying to find walks that are easy and flat but still give me a good dose of nature. I was perusing through the Winter Hikes of Western Washington card deck…
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Winter Camping – Salt Creek Recreation Area and Dungeness Spit
Camping in February? This was a first for my family. I don’t think I’ve ever braved late winter/early spring camping before, but the weather was looking so nice, and we had two bonus days off from classes, so I thought we’d give it a try. We had heard good things about the camping at the…
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2015 Northwest Flower and Garden Show
Romance! Flowers! Lush greenery! Excitement! My kids and I love the Flower and Garden Show. We look forward to it every year, and enjoy seeing the display gardens, shopping in the marketplace, learning from the seminars, and getting a jump-start on spring. This year Grandma got to spend the day with us, and it made…
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Birding Camano Island – Port Susan Bay and Iverson Spit
We’ve had some lovely sunny, cold weather here lately, and we were happy to have time on Friday to enjoy it. I’m recovering from some chronic foot problems, and am only allowed short walks on level ground, so we needed something gentle. Birding sounded like a good activity for the day. The winter birds are…
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Book Review: The North Cascades: Finding Beauty and Renewal in the Wild Nearby
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege to attend one of the book launch gatherings for a new book. The North Cascades: Finding Beauty and Renewal in the Wild Nearby takes a unique and fresh look at one of my favorite regions to explore. Several local authors have contributed to this book, tackling…
Got any book recommendations?