My new home in Washington state

Those of you who have been following this blog for the last couple of years know that it's been an amazing journey hopping around and living in some of the coolest cities this side of the continent. I began this blog in 2010 when we first moved to Seattle, and it's funny to be back (by choice, of course!). If there's one thing I love the most about the pacific northwest it's the wild raspberries and blackberries growing everywhere ... the beautiful, rugged, misty coastline and overcast, drizzly skies. It's the local farmer's markets and co-operative markets where I can buy fresh milk from the farm down the road, and veggies from the next valley over. It's the fact that a seal sits on our dock every morning while the squirrels run around in the trees above us. Above all, it's the fact that within 10 minutes I can be in the forest and snow-capped mountains breathing the fresh air scented by the evergreen trees. There really is no comparison.

We are living in Bremerton, a navy town just a quick ferry across the water from Seattle - Ian's nursing school is here, and I'm taking the last of my pre-requisite classes (physics and organic chemistry) before applying to medical school. The town itself is small (about 40,000 people), but it's super cheap to live here, and funky enough :) I'll let the pictures do the talking. The house is on a big hill leading all the way down to the water at Oyster Bay.

Little red volvo in the driveway

 Our new home! Anne lives in the upper level of the house, we have the lower level with our own deck. There is an insulated box by the front door where we can have fresh local milk delivered!

 The path down to the lower level of the house (our home) .. tons of blackberries to the right

View from our deck (lower level of the house). There is a garden shed to the left and oyster bay is in the background

As we move down the hill closer to the water:

 A separate studio cottage for any visitors ... and a plum tree is to the right (delicious! We picked an entire bag full of ripe plums)

Separate studio cottage ... this will be my study area! So peaceful.

 Lowest level by the water ... another deck/gazebo area

 Down by the water looking up towards the house

There's also a campfire area ... my favorite thing to do in the evenings! Tons of firewood in the garage ready to warm us up.

Down by the water at oyster bay you can collect mussels, clams, and oysters to eat (the oysters are a bit HUGE for my taste, but some people like the big oysters). I found my first real-life sand dollar! Amazing creature!

In the mornings, Oyster Bay is glass-smooth. Can you see the two seals on the dock? They visit each day!

First meal at the new home ... roasted veggies with salmon and cilantro-lime rice. Good to be back in salmon country!

This afternoon (9/21/12) ... drizzly. This is my favorite weather and the misty forests are why I love it up here. Yeah, yeah, complain about the rain and say you could never live here, but before we arrived they had over a month and a half of straight sunshine and 80 degree weather. I'm looking forward to the changing seasons again.

Despite a few hiccups initially, I am all registered for my classes and excited. Paid my tuition and hauled my huge textbooks from the bookstore and now I'm all set for Monday. Ian is so excited for the start of his RN ... I'm so proud of him. We also got our new WA drivers licenses and new plates on the car.

For now, just trying to finish up some last "getting settled" stuff and enjoying the weekend before school. Maybe head into Seattle by ferry tomorrow afternoon !