Washington: Mountain Snapshots

Life post-injury and half-marathon has been decidedly slow so there's not much to report. Which I think is how it's supposed to be. I've done a bit of walking with the dog and parents, I got around to seeing The Hobbit, and I'm addicted to Homeland (finally - how did it take that long for me to watch this show??).

I'll be honest... I don't love being home. I really like being with my family, of course, and my hometown is a gorgeous place. But it's only gorgeous when it isn't raining, which happens about, oh, maybe 30% of the time in Washington. Where I grew up is quite rural so there isn't much to do besides read and watch TV if you can't be outside hiking or running.

But there are so many things here that I miss when I'm in New York, like driving. I love to drive. Growing up in rural Washington, I drove everywhere from the day I got my license (my 16th birthday, first thing in the morning). Hitting the road in a manual car, since I prefer stick-shifts, is one of my favorite things to do. And driving to some place with a view is even better, because if there's anything I miss more than driving, it's mountains. Just ask my college roommate, Katie -- I'm slightly obsessed with mountains.

So, because I have no fun workouts or recipes to share, here are some snapshots of the places I've been driving to this week since we've had two whole days of sunshine. TWO! It's a New Year's miracle. (Spoiler Alert: they're mainly places with great mountain views.)

Prospect Point, overlooking the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, B.C. 

Mt Baker and the Twin Sisters from Semiahmoo Point 

Coastal Mountains (Canada's name for the Cascades)

picnic spot?

sunset over the San Juan islands

English Bay (in Vancouver) filled with 18 container ships