Good times are happening at the 13th Annual Leavenworth Ale Fest on April 13, 2019. Enjoy a great mix of breweries, cideries, music and all-around fun in Leavenworth’s beautiful alpine setting. New for 2019, the festival now serves as a benefit for local non-profit Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, helping to bring the arts to families and communities across North Central Washington.
ALE fest in Leavenworth
Traveling with pets.
Tips for traveling with pets.
Getting away for a weekend is always so much fun. Bringing my pups makes it even better. Not all cabins will allow my fur babies, and while that is totally understandable, it is also harder for me to find a place that fits my needs and provides a safe and comfortable place to relax, adventure and still have time with my babies. One of the best options we have discovered is the Leavenworth Pet Lodge and Grooming. They are a wonderful place to keep my pets when they are not out hiking and spending time adventuring with us (when we are at a non-pet friendly, or not secure pet location) and my pets love it. They also provide additionally, grooming and other pet services. The cost is preferable to boarding on the west side of the mountains and I have the confidence that they are safe, nearby, and when I pick them up, they are clean and happy. So I can still travel with my girls, enjoy the places that we love to stay, and take them out for fun and adventure as well. It is a vacation for all of us.
Staying cool with the kiddos
What to do with kids while in Leavenworth:
When we are in Leavenworth, we walk the streets and remember the many adventure that we have had and how they have evolved since we first began coming here. The kids were ‘littles’ then, and we were always looking for ways to enjoy family time. Many a hot summer day was spent at Nason creek floating the short rapids where the kids could run back and forth as they ride the shallow river past all of us adults basking in the sun. It was so easy to find little private beach areas, that to this day, the kids (all grown now), still consider ‘our private spot’ . We would generally end the day with a milk shake from the 59er diner. Admittedly, that might be our second trip there in a day because breakfast, lunch or dinner, at the dinner, was a must for every weekend. Oh the memories the old 59er provided our families. We are only now beginning to make new memories now that the diner has been rebuilt from the fire and becoming familiar again.
When we wanted to spend the day in town, we would often pack up a picnic and spend afternoons at the city pool. Long before it was made into the adorable water park that it is today, the kids would splash and enjoy a pool day, while we occupied a lounge chair and relaxed in the sun. People watching, as the other vacationers stroll along by, the atmosphere is always one of enjoyment and fun. At the end, the kiddos tuckered out, we would go back to the cabins and prepare for an evening of cocktails around the fire, s’mores and stories. It really never got old.
Then we found the River Park along the backside of town. The walk to the rivers edge echoed with tales of bears hiding in the woods. Of course, one of the dads would stage himself somewhere behind a tree, somehow capturing a moment when the bears seemed not be hungry that particular day, and all thought of being eaten slipped away, out pops a scary beast and sets 4 little girls a screaming. Fear and fantasy lives on for the next trip to river park.
Last but not least, day trips to Chelan water park. This became an annual event and one that was widely anticipated by kids and adults alike. Another picnic lunch, sun screen, towels and we were off. Running in circles from the bottom to the top of the next slide, and the joyous screams as each one made it to the bottom, one after another. These are the things that summers are made of.
Memory making opportunities: fishing on Fish Lake
Fish Lake
Never having been too interested in fishing just for fishing itself, I wanted my kids to at least have a chance to experience what it is like to be patient and feel the calming influence that fishing has on life in general, simply because of the moments that come along with it. I always saw fishing as time well spent, with or without a pole of my own, because it was time that was shared with my grand-dad when no one else was around…that was what made fishing worthwhile to me. If we were lucky that day, gramps would catch his fill and I would have heard a few more tales (or some old ones slightly altered but always entertaining) about ‘days gone by’. Since Granddad isn’t here to share those moments with my ‘littles’, I still wanted to pass those types of memories down to my kids. Fish Lake has provided a opportunity to recreate those special moments and impart the feeling of gliding undisturbed along a glassy lake, early in the morning and truly being ‘present’ without distraction. As I regaled my kids with my childhood memories of bald eagles catching their breakfast and toussleing with the Osprey over ‘fishing rights’ we notice an otter barely leaving a ripple as he swims along the shore, no doubt searching for his first meal of the day….I realize that my job is well done and my kids are charting memories of their own, that I hope they will cherish just enough to take the time pass to their grandkids and those of future generations.
Thanksgiving
The holidays always seem to rush in like a whirlwind. One minute we are laying out in the hot sunshine, playing lawn games and BBQing a classic burger and the next minute, the cold winds bring a change of scenery. Lush foliage and greenery is exchanged for the crisp, warm golds, burgandy and sienna tones of autumn.
It is a time to dig your coziest sweater out of the back of the closet, pour a steaming cup of tea and curl up with a good book next to a crackling fire. It is a time to slow down, to reflect and to plan for the gatherings of family and friends.
Some families stay home for Thanksgiving, traveling to their grandmother’s familiar home as they have done for years and years. Others might opt for a more unconvential holiday trip. We welcome families from near or far, large or small groups to enjoy what it means to count your blessings and join together for good food and laughter. So though it might seem odd at first, there are several reasons a vacation rental would be a top choice for your Thanksgiving gathering!
5) BEAUTIFUL SCENERY
A regular suburban house is not settle in the gorgeous landscape of the Cascade Mountains or set lakeside where you can watch an American Bald Eagle dip to catch a trout. The quite rustle of the wind through towering pines and the babbling of the icy stream over a brook is the perfect serenade for the day.
4) ROOM FOR EVERYONE
Out of town family has to sleep somewhere when they visit and your great Aunt Hilda might not appreciate an air bed in the living room. But there is a home for every size with beds for everyone. Whether it is just you and your significant other celebrating an intimate day or a family of 15, there can be space for everyone.
3) OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
A hike through the glorious fall foliage, a beer tasting in Downtown Leavenworth or a star-lined soak in the hot tub, the unique choice to travel away from home brings out its only special memories to be made.
2) HOUSEKEEPING
How great is not cleaning up! You just drive off at the end of the holiday and we will take care of the rest!
1) EVERYONE IS A GUEST
Being the host can be an exhausting honor. Even when everyone shares the cooking they don’t share cleaning the house and preparing for a group sleepover. When you rent a house, everyone is a guest and no one person will be in charge of making beds, putting out towels, setting the table or cleaning up.