On the days Brian’s gone, I find I’m waaaay more productive. I’m not quite sure why this happens; it always has. Even before kiddos. When he’s around, I tend to hang close to him home. He’s the same way. Perhaps we have separation issues or an unhealthy attachment to one another. Whatever the reason, we’re 26 years in so it’s unlikely to change.
Last Tuesday he left for the office. And with him gone, I set out with the three younger gals to Flowing Lake Park. It was only on my list for a short time. About three weeks ago I had to drive to Lake Stevens for a Target drive up order; the tulip baskets I wanted weren’t available nearby or for shipping. Now they are. But I wanted them the moment I decided I wanted them. They’re perfect for stuffed animals. Driving to Lake Stevens Target, there is a large sign on the 2 that says Flowing Lake Park Next Right. I was intrigued. And I actually remembered to look it up when I made it back home. It was then added to the list.
We left home around 11:15am with packed lunches and layers galore, and made our way to Monroe. My GPS suggested going a different way than taking the 2, and turning where the sign says to turn for the park. We weaved through neighborhoods before making it to the park about noon. After paying the $10 parking fee, we parked next to our friends who arrived at the same time. We were the only cars in the lot. Score. We had the place to ourselves.
The plan was to hit the short trail first before settling in at the playground for lunch. And that’s what we did. The trail starts up near the campsites. We went left and walked on the trail that runs along the perimeter of the campground. The trail was short but had enough going on to keep it interesting. There’s a natural, mossy canopy over part of the trail. The green is stunning in person. Moss is so pretty. There are a few foot bridges breaking up the monotony of the dirt trail. Ferns everywhere. Of course, logs and stumps galore. The girls even found a recently downed tree, with slices of the trunk cut off. And even a mushroom hiding underneath a downed tree. My watch clocked about 0.60 miles on the trail, so quite a bit of interest for a short stroll. It was perfect for the girls, especially toddler legs!
Exiting the trail, we continued walking toward the playground, stopping at the boat launch first. It made me a bit nervous, the girls walking on the dock. Saige trips over her own feet and I wasn’t in the mood to go swimming. I trusted Maive more on the dock than the seven-year-old. Haha. Saige did great though. They all did. Even when Baby started running on the sucker.
Leaving the dock and walking toward the playground, there are these two rock structures side-by-side that practically call kiddos to sit on them. Baby decided one of the structures was a wolf; she and Maive took turns sitting on the wolf.
The playground is near a large grassy area. Clearly a perfect summer setting. I can imagine there are people all over the grass on warm summer days. Days I would stay far away from anything crowded. This day there were two large flocks of geese hanging out on the grass. Which is why I didn’t walk closer to the water to check out the view. I didn’t want to disturb them. I admired the water from afar, noticing all the homes along the waterfront. Seeing the homes made it feel busier than it was. I suppose I prefer seclusion when out and about in nature. But fun for those living on the lake.
The girls ran to the playground and quickly investigated all it has to offer. Poor Maive. She found the shorter slide and went for it, not realizing it was wet with water pooled at the bottom. She slid down that sucker so fast and flew about six feet before plopping on the ground. It didn’t even faze her; she got right up and went back to the play structure. Thankfully all the girls were wearing their waterproof pants. Everything on the play structure was wet. I pulled out their packed lunches but nobody was interested in sitting down to eat. They’d each come over and grab a few bites before heading back to the playground. Whatever works. They had food available and if they were hungry, they could eat.
Maybe an hour later, we decided to pack it up. I wanted to be home for Blaise and Laine, after their day of school. It was a fun park! Baby asked to go back before we even loaded in the car. Saige concurred. And I know Maive would be down to go again. Maybe we’ll wait for a day when Blaise and Laine can go also. But not over summer, when everyone else will be there. We really lucked out, having it almost all to ourselves—we did see a grandmother pushing a stroller near the playground. I imagine she was camping at the park given there were no other cars parked in the lot. The campsites are currently closed but the few cabins they have are open year-round. Driving home, we took the route down to the 2. I wanted to check out the other option of getting to Flowing Lake Park.
Later this week we’re heading outdoors again. After spending yesterday outdoors also, along Tolt River. Although it’s pretty cold here, 20 degrees this morning. As I get older, I have minimum outdoor temperature requirements—I reserve the right to change plans, haha.
Jumping Raccoons 