From One Apple-Crazed State to the Other

Jones Creek Farms in the Skagit Valley region of Washington state.

Before driving across the country, the states of Massachusetts and Washington seemed to be worlds apart. Brought forth in entirely different times, forged by various people and industries that may have some similar mindsets, but they made very different states.

The culture of west and east coast in the U.S. has historically been polarized, but after having spent a few months in my new home in the Pacific Northwest, I’m finding they might not be so different after all.

One similarity? Apples.

People in Massachusetts love fall, understandably. Fall in New England is one of the best things I’d ever experienced, especially coming from a Southern state where fall just means fewer days to wear flip-flops and sit on the porch. When my partner and I were first throwing around the idea of moving out here, the thought of going without another autumnal wave of fall themed treats, brisk mornings and crunchy leaves seemed unbearable. The Evergreen State of Washington? No brilliantly painted leaves filling the windy afternoon air?

Gourds. It’s fall!

But… that’s not all true. Although WA has plenty of trees that remain the same over the seasons, we were pleased to find that there are tons that go through the fall, dropping plenty for me to step on on the walk to work in the morning.

And that horrible gray season? While it’s almost here, we’ve gotten lucky to have crisp sometimes cloudless skies, moody fog, and nice chilly weather. It’s almost like we never left.

And just when it couldn’t get any more perfect…  (you probably guessed it from the title) apples.

Who loves apples more than the people living near a ton of great Central Mass. farms? Those living in Washington. According to the Washington State Apple Commission (yeah, there is one of those — that’s how crazy it gets), Harvest of Washington apples begins in mid-August and generally ends in early November. Each year, Washington harvests over 100 million boxes of apples, each weighing about 40 pounds. That’s a lot.

More apple “core facts” — 10 – 12 billion apples are handpicked in Washington State each year. If you put all of the Washington State apples picked in a year side-by-side, they would circle the earth 29 times (wtf?!). Crazy.

Enjoy some photos of our trip to Washington’s Skagit Valley for some fall fun:

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Seattle Pride Weekend – Photos

This weekend was probably the gayest weekend in America. Many cities had their LGBT parades, (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender [and straight allies, queer, and everyone in between]) and Seattle was right there with them. Thousands came out to celebrate the victories both recent and longterm for equal rights and remind us that we still have so much worth continuing to fight for.

The weather was unusually warm as a heat wave sent temperatures into the 90s, for record-breaking highs. Thankfully, most parade attendees were wearing close to nothing regardless. Those willing to brave the heat walked to the Seattle Center to enjoy more festivities including street food carts, food, and beer gardens.

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After as much cheering, confetti, and pride as we could handle, we packed onto the Metro bus with dozens of other hot Seattleites and climbed back up to our neighborhood up the hill. That bus barely made it.

Road Trip to Washington

For any of my loyal followers who are not already plugged in on Facebook, I’ll be moving to Seattle, Washington in early June. I’m excited beyond words for what’s in store for me and my partner. We’ll be hitting up tons of amazing cities and parks along the way, and I’ll definitely be photographing all 3,391 miles. (Sounds daunting, doesn’t it?)

Just to get you all as excited as I am about this epic trip, here are some photos I took during my trip to Washington state last spring. During that trip, I went to Vancouver, the Olympic Peninsula, the rain forest, and the desert, all in one action-packed week.

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