We have traveled to every state in the union and a few other places. All have their own treasures and beauty, but western Washington's Cascade Mountains, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Peninsula are among our favorite places for their beauty. We were fortunate to live in the Snoqualmie Valley for five years and took every opportunity to travel around the State. 

Seattle was 25 miles to the west and Snoqualmie Pass was 25 miles to the east. The Cascade Mountains surrounded us and a short distant away was Snoqualmie Falls. On a clear day (and they do occur) we could see the top of Mt. Rainer peeking over Rattlesnake Mountain.

Being natives of Texas we found the cool delicious weather of the Pacific Northwest a wonderful change of pace in our life. We learned new terms, like traffic reports of a solar slowdown and freezing elevation in weather reports. (A solar slowdown is impeded traffic when drivers slow down because of the sudden appearance of sunshine or glare from above or glare reflected off of the wet roadway. Well, I think that what it is. A change of elevation is a novel concept to someone who had spent most of their life in Houston.)

One of our favorite Washington Quilt shops was in Poulsbo. The town was founded by and a destination for Scandinavian immigrants and has retained its Scandinavian heritage. Heirloom Quilts and Fabrics is located on Front Street in Poulsbo overlooking Liberty Bay

Victoria, British Columbia is a ferry ride away from Seattle. It is a little taste of Europe, or so I am told. I have not been to Europe, but it seems to reflect the culture and architecture I would expect in Europe.