Hawaian vacation!!!

Evelyna's First Christmas

Feliz Navidad from Puerto Rico!!!

Поаккуратнее с пожеланиями - мы вернулись в Сиэттл, а здесь - 6 градуса мороза и лежит СНЕГ.

Вот мы и вернулись из недельной поездки на тропический остров Пуэрто Рико.

Поездили по острову, посетили несколько достопримечательностей:

Arecibo Observatory;

Río Camuy Cave Park;

Ponce beach park - Carrebbian sea;

Old San Juan;

Bacardi Rum Factory.

Pics from Facebook.

Christmas Lights, Leavenworth, WA

First picture together!!!

The story of Leavenworth is a testament to the determination of the human spirit. The odds of a dying timber and rail town successfully converting itself into an alpine Bavarian village are pretty slim. Nonetheless, the townspeople of Leavenworth found a way to do it. This is their story...
The History of Leavenworth
Leavenworth’s history does not begin with the alpine tradition it knows today, but with the proud heritage of the Yakima, Chinook and Wenatchi tribes. The Native American tribes lived by hunting the land for deer and elk, as well as fishing Icicle Creek for salmon. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful and bountiful lands in North America, the three tribes co-existed from Lake Wenatchee to the Icicle and beyond.
The area was eventually settled by pioneers in search of gold, furs and fertile farmland. Stakes were claimed, land was tracked, and the Leavenworth area was soon bustling with settlers. By 1890, the original town was built on the Icicle Flats.
But it wasn’t until the end of the century when the town began to blossom with the arrival of the rail line. The Great Northern Railway Company’s tracks through Leavenworth brought with them opportunities for work, commerce and a new economy.
A sawmill and a healthy logging industry eventually fell apart, however, when the Great Northern Railway Company pulled out of Leavenworth. The re-routing of the railroad and the subsequent closure of the sawmill sadly converted the town from a bustling, thriving hub of commerce into a hollow, empty community. For more than thirty years, Leavenworth lived on the brink of extinction.
But in the early 1960’s, everything changed. In a last-chance effort to turn their precarious situation around, the leaders of the community decided to change Leavenworth’s appearance, hoping to bring tourism into the area. Using the beautiful backdrop of the surrounding Alpine hills to their advantage, the town agreed to remodel their hamlet in the form of a Bavarian village.
Hoping to create more than a mere facelift, the entire community rallied to create the illusion of Bavaria in the middle of Washington state. Besides the complete renovation of the downtown area, community members worked to begin a series of festivals. The Autumn Leaf Festival, Maifest and the extremely popular Christmas Lighting Ceremony were the first of many attractions Leavenworth offered to passers-by.
And it worked!! Since the change to a Bavarian motif, Leavenworth has become a pillar of the tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Today, more than a million tourists come to Leavenworth each year, each visitor finding their own individual love affair with the community. The story is a landmark case of the human spirit: Not only did the people of Leavenworth survive their most critical hour, but they endured.

Leavenworh

Poulsbo, WA - Norwegian village

Poulsbo's strong Norwegian heritage began over 100 years ago in the late 1880's. Jorgen Eliason is credited with founding Poulsbo. Jorgen, his sister Rakel and his 6 year old son E.J. came to Poulsbo from Fordefjord, Norway, by way of Michigan in 1883. A month after Jorgen's arrival, Ivar B. Moe with his wife and three sons arrived from Paulsbo, Norway, via Minnesota. They settled at the head of the bay to develop a farm on land that has since become Poulsbo Village Shopping Center. Because of it's majestic snow-peaked mountains and fjords, Poulsbo was soon settled by many more Norwegian and Scandinavian immigrants who likened the landscape to their beautiful Norway.
For many years, Norwegian was the only language spoken by the citizens of Poulsbo. In 1886, Ivar B. Moe felt there was enough people on Dogfish Bay (later named Liberty Bay) to warrant a post office. He made an application and called the new town Paulsbo. The Postmaster General misread Moe's handwritting and listed the new post office as Poulsbo. Transportation in Poulsbo's early years was by boat, horseback and foot. Major buying and selling was via a boat trip to Seattle's Pike Place Market. Fisherman from the Bering Sea brought their catch of codfish here for salting and preserving----one of the largest codfish processing plants in the Northwest. It was also here that lutefisk was processed. Townspeople and visitors can still eat lutefisk at the First Lutheran Church's annual Lutefisk Dinner the third Saturday of each October. This church, founded by those early Norwegian settlers, sits on the bluff overlooking Poulsbo. Service is held in Norwegian each year during Viking Fest.
A "mosquito fleet" of steamers sailed from Seattle to Poulsbo for some 60 years, carrying passengers and freight. Poulsbo's strong ties to the water is still evident today, with the presence of three marinas on the shore of Liberty Bay..
The downtown waterfront area was at one time part of Liberty Bay. In the 1950's the community worked together to fill part of the bay to form Liberty Bay Waterfront Park and Anderson Parkway. Some of the buildings you see today were once on pilings. The Kvelstad Pavilion, a popular spot for summer weddings and family gatherings, was added to the waterfront park later. Within a span of five generations, Poulsbo has changed from a rowboat on an untouched shore to a thriving community with "small town" charm.

Yucatan Peninsula + Caribbean Sea = Cancun

Вчера вернулись из 9ти дневной поездки в Канкун, Мексика. Проехали по 2м мексикамским штатам - Куанта Ру и Юкатан. Всего 1218 км.Посетили эко-парк Хкарет, 2 археологических парка Тулум и Чичен Итза - прикоснулись к культуре Мая.

Pictures from Facebook.

Hiking in Mt Rainer National Park

My personal record - 6 miles (10-11 km)
walking on the snow in August!!!!

Olympic National Park

Weekend in Olympic National Park - real NorthWest!!!
Национальный парк Олимпик находится в северо-западной части Соединенных Штатов, в штате Вашингтон, славится своей удивительной природой. Общая прощадь парка 350 000 гектаров. Здесь, в тихоокеанском тумане, окутывающем побережье и лес, прячутся большие деревья, а также ломаная береговая линия. Климат этой местности один из самых влажных на планете. В парке есть горы с заснеженными вершинами и с медленно сползающими ледниками, а также дождевые леса, такие же загадочные и темные, как тропические леса в районе Амазонки. В 1788 году один английский капитан в честь легендарного жилища мифических богов Древней Греции назвал самую высокую из этих гор (ее высота почти 2 500 метров) Олимпусом. А в 1938 году с целью сохранить неприкосновенность девственной природы этих мест был создан Национальный парк Олимпик.

Библиотеки!!!

Моё новое увлечение - фото на фоне библиотек!!!!

Caye Caulker, Belize
Book sale to support San Pedro Library, Caye Ambergris, Belize

Forks, near Olympic National park, WA (August 2008)

Kaua'a, Hawaii (2008).

Вистлер, Канада (2008).

Виктория, Канада (2008).

Центральная библиотека Ванкувера, Канада (2008).

Кеннон Бич, Орегон (2008).

Лахайна, остров Мауи, Гавайи (2007).

Я проверилa свои знания русского языка и получилa пятерку.

Я проверил свои знания русского языка и получил пятерку. Сходи, проверься?

Выходные в канадском Ванкувере

Прошедшие выходные мы с мамой провели в канадском Ванкувере. Программа 4х дневной поездки получилась очень насыщенной:


1 день - центр Ванкувера, китайский район, поездка на SeaBus - водном автобусе в северный район;


2 день - на пароме в Викторию и ботанические сады Бутчарт ;

3 день - Вистлер;


4 день - сувенирные магазины, Стенли парк и обратно домой.

Визит моей подруги Наташи!!! 14-18 Июня

Моя подружка Наташа из Нью Джерси приезжала в гости. Моя задача состояла в том, чтобы за 5 дней показать ей хотя бы малую часть достопримечательностей Северо-запада:

1 день - Ливенворф, Баварская деревушка;

2 день - Сиэттл;

3 день - Кэннон Бич, Орегон;

4 день - Сисайд, Орегон;

5 день - водопад Сноквалми.
Надеюсь, Наташе понравились все наши поездки.

My Big Island, Hawaii!!

A little bit of facts and numbers:
Trip - March 20th - 30th, 2008
Condos - Waiakea Villas in Hilo and Kona Magic Sands in Kailua Kona
Rent car - Chevy HHR, we drove 836 miles for 10 days!!!
Took 647 pictures!!!!

Our Itenirary:

March 20th - Flights Seattle-Honolulu, Honolulu-Hilo; rent a car; explore Hilo; shopping in Ross and Wal-Mart (!!!);

March 21st - Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory; Akatsuka Orchid Gardens; Akaka Falls; World Botanical Gardens and Umauma Falls;

March 22nd - Delux Volcano Safari Helicopters; Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Onomea Falls and Onemea Bay;

March 23rd - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park;

March 24th - drive to Kona via north; Kona Magic Sands condo; open swimming season!!!!

March 25th - Swimming at Magic Sands beach; shopping in Kona;

March 26th - Swimming at Magic Sands beach; Puuhonau O Honaunau (Place of Refuge)

March 27th - Swimming at Magic Sands beach; I LOST MY GLASSES(!!!)

March 28th - Kohala coast; rainy Pololu Valley Lookout; Papaau; Hapuna State Beach Park.

March 29th - Magic Sands Beach; doing nothing day (!!!);

March 30th - Drive to Hilo via south; little Hula show in Departure Terminal of Hilo airport; flights Hilo-Honolulu, Honolulu-Seattle


WANT TO SEE MY PICTURES:
Hilo: Gardens and Falls

Hilo town

Hawaii Vocanoes National Park

Kona Magic Sands condo

Kailua-Kona coast

Evelyn Vlada

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Happy March 8th!!!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!