CourtSchurmanGO.com 2025-02-20

Forest Bathing: How To Get Started

Before I share my recent experience with forest bathing, I wish to extend deep gratitude to Chloe Lee, affiliated with Cascadia Forest Therapy. She first introduced me to the practice in March 2021. Chloe has a unique and deeply personal way of extending “Invitations” to enjoy the forest.

Last Tuesday, she invited me to join her on a guided walk in the Arboretum. During our two hours, she asked me several questions about my own practice which I thought would make a good introductory blog post. Any errors herein are mine alone.

Forest bathing doesn't require any water, although we had plenty of rain on October 10. It made everything magical. — Forest bathing doesn’t require any water, although we had plenty of rain on October 10. It made everything magical.

What Is Forest Bathing?

Put most simply, forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is the Japanese practice of self-care and mindfulness that involves opening your senses to all the forest has to offer, from noticing movement, seeking tiny objects, experiencing colors in new ways, or finding a place to sit and absorb whatever Mother Nature offers.

If after reading this post you’re interested in learning more, please visit Cascadia Forest Therapy’s article on a “Typical Forest Bathing Session” or scroll down for some wonderful resources I found on my shelf.

A damp heart-shaped leaf that reminded me of my mother. While use of cell phones is discouraged on traditional forest bathing walks, I knew I would ultimately want to share this wonderful experience with readers. — A damp heart-shaped leaf that reminded me of my mother. While the use of cell phones is discouraged on traditional forest bathing walks, I knew I would ultimately want to share this wonderful experience with readers. Instead of several dozen photos, I only shot five.

The Beginnings Of My Journey

In March 2021, I needed helpful ways to handle stress rather than sinking into addictive tendencies. Chloe introduced me to the calm, centering practice of forest bathing. During our walk this week, she asked me to share an early forest bathing memory.

I recounted my first time in Boeing Creek Park, a place I’ve returned to many times since. At her invitation to find something that “spoke” to me in some way, I crept up to the biggest Douglas fir in the area. I caressed the ribbed bark, circled around the trunk examining woodpecker holes and moss covering it, and looked up as the tree sighed on the breeze.

Be-a-Tree

Assigning the tree a human name didn’t feel right. I intuitively thought of it as female, but I admit I don’t know whether trees can even be male or female. So I refer to the tree simply as “Be-a-tree.” (Beatrice?) I gave Be-a-tree a hug, stared up into its high and mighty branches dwarfing all those in its presence, and felt deeply connected to a tree in a way I never had before. Almost like the tree was a grandparent. Or great-grandparent.

Am I a tree hugger? That particular one, yes.

A madrone reaching high up in the canopy of the Arboretum.

Every time I return to the park, I include a short visit to Be-a-tree. Oh, the many fascinating years it has experienced. And it will probably be standing long after I move on. Appreciating nature’s longevity and healing powers helps put things into proper perspective. It’s hard to be depressed or manic while surrounded by trees.

Have you ever connected with a tree? If you are interested in learning more about the hidden lives of trees, check out Peter Wohlleben’s book.

Sit Spot

Chloe extended another invitation in a grove where a barred owl hooted a greeting. She suggested we find a spot to lean up against a tree and absorb whatever Mother Nature wanted to reveal. This time I found a Madrone with peeling bark. Since I seldom visit the Arboretum, and probably couldn’t locate this one again, I did not feel a need to name it. However, I did notice the lovely, thin, tissue-paper bark.

In our tea circle, I shared that Mother Nature had wrapped up the tree, almost as a present. Have I mentioned that I love trees?

Integrating Practice with an Urban Lifestyle

A question we discussed in a group and in smaller groups was how to include a forest bathing practice in an urban setting. My own practice looks like this:

Daily walks (3-4) outdoors with my dog, rain or shine
Daily grounding (earthing) in my backyard, 30 minutes
Weekly hikes with my dog
Birding seasonally, sometimes monthly
Forest bathing as the opportunity arises, no set frequency but more often in spring
Vacations 2x/year to wildlife destinations for bird and animal photography
My Active Ajax Adventures Rambles and OcTraPiMo projects, both outdoors-based projects

One of my favorite things to do outside is to appreciate the changing seasons. My favorite colors occur in the fall.

As you can see, even living in an urban setting like Seattle, I have carved out regular practices that take me out in nature to help me stay grounded, connected, and less stressed. You can, too, by making it a priority and finding ways that work for you.

Developing Your Practice

If you are interested in trying forest bathing for yourself, you can embark on a guided trip to see what the invitations and practice look, feel, and sound like.

Once you have had a taste for it, plan a few visits to your nearest greenspace, preferably a place with trees. Go alone, without any set objective of time or distance. Your goal is simply to BE and FEEL. Motion can come later once you tap into emotions.

Use all five senses. Can you find ten different sights that appeal to your eyes? a certain color? something bigger than a bicycle, smaller than a penny? What do you hear? When you walk, how do you feel? how does it feel to rub your feet along the surface or skim the top with your hand? Are there distinct smells?

Oh, to be so lucky on your forest bathing adventures as to find a handful of ripe blueberries!

Perhaps the hardest sense to use during forest bathing is taste. I don’t advocate trying mushrooms, as I don’t know which might be poisonous, but when berries are ripe or apples are in season, go for it. We enjoyed 100% cacao and freshly brewed forest tea with cedar, cinnamon, and nettle Chloe picked during our hike.

Where Can I Learn More About Forest Bathing?

Forest Bathing Retreat: Find Wholeness in the Company of Trees, by Hanna Fries
Wild Calm: A Guided Journal, Finding Mindfulness in Forest Bathing by Joan Vorderbruggen
The Joy of Forest Bathing by Melanie Choukas
The Healing Nature Trail by Tamarack Song
And just for fun, Forest Bathing with Your Dog by Nadine Mazzola

I used forest bathing techniques on a hike with Ajax in March, 2021 on one of our favorite trails on Tiger Mountain.

If you are interested in contacting Chloe Lee directly, here are her personals:

www.chloejanelee.com

hello@chloejanelee.com

www.cascadiaforesttherapy.com

Instagram @chloe_jane_lee

Now go outside, find a tree to admire and learn about for the next five minutes, and tell it Chloe, Court, and Be-A-Tree sent you!

Granite Mountain: October Balm For the Spirit

To celebrate the change of seasons, this week Ajax and I participated in our annual pilgrimage to the summit of Granite Mountain. In 2020, Ajax overheated on the descent. We changed tactics in 2021 but the muggy, buggy, and smoky outing dowsed my interest in hiking it during the summer. The exposed south-facing slope — an avalanche chute in winter — is too brutal for Ajax in the heat. On October 5, 2022, we enjoyed cooler temperatures, an empty trail, and brilliant fall colors. And on the same day this year, the Cascade Mountains once again stunned us with their beauty.

At every turn, we found more to gawk at and photograph. The mountains are calling and we had to go.

Getting Started

In previous posts, I have shared how sometimes I have to get myself to a trailhead before I actually feel like hiking. This time, I couldn’t wait to reach the trail. A recent trip report raved about spectacular fall colors and I knew exactly where Ajax and I would go.

Fire-red dew-covered maple leaves, the first shot of the hike. My jaw just about dropped.

On the drive to Exit 47, four things set this trip apart from others.

We stopped to fill up with gas in the dark so I wouldn’t run out of gas 45 miles from Seattle
I listened to Il Divo’s Mama for the first fifteen minutes — which repeated in my head for most of the hike (yes, mine is still with us; not so my husband’s)
For the rest of the drive, I listened to Richard Schwartz’s audiobook, No Bad Parts. It reminded me of the blog post I wrote some time ago about reigning in our inner critic.
Through morning mist and fog, splashes of color hinted at the display to come higher up

By the time we reached the parking lot just after dawn, I had my camera all ready to go.

Balm for the soul: Mother Nature's awesome artistic display against Mt. Rainier at Granite Mountain. — Balm for the soul: Mother Nature’s awesome artistic display against Mt. Rainier at Granite Mountain.

Granite Mountain: Ascent and Discovery

We started hiking around 7:20, with only one other hiker in front of us. When a spider web brushed my face just past the Pratt Lake/Granite Mountain junction, I guessed the other hiker must have headed in the opposite direction. At the avalanche chute, colorful shrubs awaited. And at every switchback, more stunning scenery vied for my attention. By the end of the morning, I’d shot over 200 photos.

Unfortunately, the beauty couldn’t mask a growing ache in my left foot. Right between the second and third metatarsal, I felt a nodule or tender spot that made me want to scrunch my toes or roll onto the outside of my foot to avoid the ball of the foot. It posed no problems on dirt, but the irregular rocks through the chute aggravated it.

Peek-a-boo! Ajax pauses for just the right moment behind flame-red bushes. Jaw-dropping balm for the soul.

Since I usually don’t feel problems with my Keen boots until descending, I worried about continuing. Each half-hour, I stopped to give Ajax some water and tweak my laces. Take note: the next time you have issues with your boots, try removing your liners. As it turns out, a matted clump of pine needles under the left arch support caused the issue. I guess I’m the proverbial “princess and the pine” rather than pea!

Solo Summit

At 10:15 we enjoyed a half hour at the summit of Granite Mountain. Snow geese in the hundreds migrating southeast squawked high overhead in shifting V formations. A lone hawk soared lazily on an updraft. Hornets (or wasps?) hovered above Ajax’s food and water container, bothered little by a light breeze that kept the other bugs away. I scanned the meadow below looking for other hikers but we had the place to ourselves.

I surveyed the mountains as though they were my own backyard. Due east, a thick marine fog layer blanketed the Puget Sound. All around us were our friends. Bandera. The Tooth. Washington. Defiance. Snoqualmie. McClellan Butte. Not a single cloud other than those below our feet. And stunning reds, golds, oranges, and yellows in all the west-facing valleys illuminated by the sun. Calm confidence washed over me. This is a peaceful world I know so well.

While Granite Mountain is still draped in reds, golds, and oranges, Adams, Rainiern and Glacier Peak all have a healthy dose of snow above 10,000' elevation. — While Granite Mountain is still draped in reds, golds, and oranges, Adams, Rainier, and Glacier Peak all have a healthy dose of snow above 10,000′ elevation.

The only thing that could have made it better was to be able to talk about it with Ajax. What was he thinking, as he sat nearby, panting? Did he appreciate the warm sun or was it too much for him? He wouldn’t eat any kibble. Nor did he chase the chipmunk that approached my pack looking for handouts. But once I put on my pack, he trotted over, ready to go.

Descent from Granite Mountain

As with any early start on a beautiful day, the silence broke as soon as we left the summit basin. Fortunately, the hikers we passed as we descended were spaced out over the next few hours. In addition to Granite Mountain, the trailhead allows access to Pratt, Rainbow, Island, Talapus, and Olallie Lakes. So while the parking lot was full, we didn’t see everyone using it.

Ajax takes a rest beneath the summit. My beautiful puppa is so photogenic, not to mention patient. — Ajax rests beneath the Granite Mountain summit. My beautiful pup is so photogenic, not to mention patient.

The days are once again getting shorter. Rain is common in the Pacific Northwest the last three months of the year, so I know we’re on borrowed time. I knew if we didn’t get out during the week, we might not have another chance. A climber once commented, “If I’m not a little cold, hungry, or tired at the end of a trip, then I brought too much stuff.” As tempted as I was to cut corners, I’m not that climber. I like being comfortable and having sufficient supplies for the two of us.

Balm for the soul: Ajax enjoys sniffing picas, chipmunks, and squirrels in the meadow beneath Granite Mountain's summit. — Balm for the soul: Ajax enjoys sniffing picas, chipmunks, and squirrels in the meadow beneath Granite Mountain’s summit.

Do you have a favorite peak you visit every year? Mine used to be Mt. St. Helens, but the permit hassle has meant changing my goals. Now, Granite in October has become the perfect balm for the spirit. I can’t wait to visit again next fall.

Protein Needs: How to Assess Whether You Get Enough

A question Body Results clients frequently ask is, “What should I eat?” followed closely by “How much?” Just as no two people have matching fingerprints, our dietary preferences, carbohydrate, fat, and protein needs, and programs differ as well. This week we look at how to assess your unique protein needs with helpful input from my nutrition certifying organization, Precision Nutrition.

Tubac Jack's in Arizona. Even when I am out birding, I can always find someplace that will help me fulfill my protein needs. — Tubac Jack’s in Arizona. Even when I am out birding, I can always find someplace that will help me fulfill my protein needs.

Protein’s Bad Rap

Twenty-five years ago, there was plenty of skepticism about protein. After all, bodybuilders ate lots of it—but they also experimented with all kinds of “questionable” things.

In the late 1990s low-fat diets took center stage (we all know how disastrous that was) and high-protein diets grew in popularity for weight loss—an approach health experts labeled as “unsafe” back then.

Over the years, the hand-wringing about protein has faded. Some of those same experts now advise people to “eat more protein.”

But one claim just won’t die: “Protein is bad for your kidneys.”

Tsui Sushi is one of our very favorite places to go to meet our protein needs -- sashimi and sushi -- with a good dose of omega 3's, the healthy type of fat. Makes me hungry every time! — Tsui Sushi is one of our very favorite places to go to meet our protein needs — sashimi and sushi — with a good dose of omega 3’s, the healthy type of fat. Makes me hungry every time!

Spoiler: It’s a Myth

The concern about high protein and kidney problems began because doctors tell people with poorly functioning kidneys—usually from pre-existing kidney disease—to eat a low-protein diet.

There’s a big difference between avoiding protein because your kidneys are already damaged versus protein actively damaging healthy kidneys.

It’s the difference between jogging with a broken leg and jogging with a perfectly healthy leg.

Recovering from injury, illness, or surgery will mean increased protein needs.

Jogging with a Broken Leg is a Bad Idea

Doctors would probably tell you not to do that. But nobody would ever argue that jogging causes legs to break. Same with protein and kidneys.

Eating more protein does increase how much your kidneys have to work, just like jogging increases how much your legs have to work.

But protein hasn’t been shown to cause kidney damage—again, just like jogging isn’t going to suddenly snap your leg like a breadstick.

In fact, clinical studies show people can eat up to 4.4 g of protein per kg body weight (or 2 g per pound) without any short-term health problems. But very few people would ever voluntarily eat that much.

The author in my younger days, sporting a casted right leg and holding our previous dog, Emily.

So How Do I Determine My Protein Needs?

For the average person eating a standard diet, protein deficiency isn’t a concern. However, “not deficient” does not mean optimal. It just means getting enough to maintain function and prevent malnutrition.

For sedentary, generally healthy adults, 0.4 g per pound of body weight should cover basic daily requirements. (A little math here: 40 grams for a 100-pound person, 60 grams for a 150-pound person, and 80 grams for a 200-pound person.)

The more active you are, the more protein you need. The author stands atop Mt. Washburn in Yellowstone National Park.

Our bodies need protein for so many essential processes that your protein needs increase if you are:

Training hard frequently or doing a lot of physical labor (think backpacking, trekking, or climbing)
Trying to maintain or increase lean muscle mass while decreasing body fat
Older (protein digestion reduces with age, so you need more to meet daily requirements)
Injured, sick, or recovering from surgery

For people in one or more of these groups, research suggests aiming for 0.7-1.0 g per pound of body weight (or about 105-150 g for a 150-pound person.)

A delicious chicken salad at Tubac Jack's — A delicious chicken salad at Tubac Jack’s.

Don’t Agonize Over the Numbers

Many people avoid calorie counting, tracking intake, and measuring food. If the thought of tracking intake makes you cringe, you might love learning about an easier way.

Click here for a helpful Precision Nutrition infographic on what a “serving” looks like using your own hand. Shoot for having 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein at each meal.

Also, please remember that you won’t reach your protein needs goal overnight. Start by nudging the notch one step better. If you currently only get one palm-sized position of protein a day, try increasing that to two. Once you can do that consistently, build to three.

A homemade protein-rich lunch of leftovers: tomato, pulled pork, raw veggies (peppers, celery, carrots, water chestnuts), and roasted potatoes cooked in avocado oil and sea salt. Delicious.

This might be as simple as increasing your breakfast egg scramble from two to three, adding a scoop of collagen to a protein shake or post-workout smoothie, or adding a wing or two to the chicken thigh you routinely eat at lunch. If you get most of your protein at dinner, try adding a palm-sized serving to breakfast or lunch.

Try it out for a few weeks. If you enjoy it, you feel it’s helping you approach your goals, and you’re seeing improved performance, then keep building on your success. And if you need help planning your way forward, contact me. I’m always happy to collaborate!

How to Use Decisional Balance to Help Make Choices

Saturday morning I wrestled with the pros and cons of hiking. The weather forecasted rain starting around noon. My daughter, who starts her sophomore year at U. of Washington this week, was home for one final weekend. I hadn’t hiked since our birthday trip to Peek-a-Boo Lake. I reflected on resistance and ambivalence and how decisional balance can help us make choices when we face change.

Our 10-mile hike felt like a race against time as a front moved into the mountains. The view is looking due north from the West Tiger 3 summit.

Decisional Balance: Cons

Resistance and ambivalence are normal and expected in the process of change. I tend to focus on obstacles first. If I perceive too many, I avoid the first step, in this case, getting into the car. The roadblocks felt ample:

My daughter was home for the weekend, but she had to work, so I would be hiking alone with Ajax
Hiking half a day meant delaying my weekly blog
We’d get a later start than usual since I hadn’t totally packed
Even in the shoulder season, weekend crowds are still likely on trails
Hiking meant postponing doing my foot and hip rehab exercises
I had no audiobook to listen to on the drive and nobody to talk to

When I listed the cons, I noticed the biggest ones revolved around going alone and prioritizing my time. Then I shifted my thoughts to how I might reframe them into positives.

View toward the east from just east of West Tiger 1, en route to Preston/Bootleg trails. The fall color change has just started!

Decisional Balance: Pros

Reframing is one of the most powerful tools in a coach’s toolbox. It helps us turn negatives into positives. Here’s what I came up with when I tried turning my cons into pros:

I committed to doing a ramble a week with my dog Ajax this year; this would be number 60.
Hiking would supply a topic and photos for a blog post; nobody cares about the timing of launches but me
We could get on the trail by 7:15; the hike I wanted to do never had very many people
I could do my PT later in the evening
Hiking in the morning would mean we’d beat the rain
Birdsong! Need I say more? Fall migrants might present themselves
Enjoying nature is one of the best ways for me to reflect on all the changes in my life
I wanted a memorable way to celebrate finishing the Precision Nutrition Master Health Coach course which is the first stepping stone to becoming a board-certified Health and Wellness Coach with the NBHWC

Ajax celebrates my achievements at the summit of West Tiger 1. I do so love that little guy.

By reframing my list of cons into pros, I could focus on the main reason to hike: to celebrate! If we don’t highlight and enjoy our accomplishments, they get lost in the rush of daily living. I wanted to pause and do something I love, even if it meant delaying other important things.

Assessing Change Readiness

Enter decisional balance, which is a way of weighing the costs and benefits of choices. For simple decisions, we do this intuitively and quickly, usually without writing anything down. But if you have larger life changes you’ve been considering for quite a while, writing the pros and cons on paper might help.

An example of a hard decision is whether to stay at a current job with people you enjoy that provides security and benefits, but which is totally boring, or to switch to a better-paying job in a new industry with a lot to learn and no guarantees. Which direction you choose depends on your values, identity, and priorities.

One of the tipping points for me in decisional balance was seeing the fall colors. October is a beautiful month to enjoy the mountains.

To explore decisions yourself, check out this decisional balance worksheet from Nova Southeastern University, along with an explanation of how to complete it. Precision Nutrition also offers a worksheet called the decision journal.

Bootleg Trail

On our descent, we hit an unexpected obstacle. I’d started composing a blog post in my mind about decisional balance and stopped paying attention to the trail. When we reached a turnstile with a sign for the Bootleg Trail, I stopped in my tracks.

Crud! How did we get on the wrong trail?

The overgrown entry into the forest east of all the logged areas is marked with a small rock cairn and faded pink ribbon on two bushes. The detour beneath the deforested boundary is not marked except by faded blue arrows on the uphill trees.

We weren’t exactly lost. I’d been on this stretch during prior exploratory rambles. But we were too far east. My attempt to access a map showing whether the Tiger Mountain Trail or Railroad Grade route crossed nearby failed. Drat Mint Mobile!

Oh well, I thought, what’s another mile? As we did on Squak, we retraced our steps. Fortunately, I found the bypass trail with faint blue arrows pointing west. Aha! Back on track.

Lessons Learned

I certainly didn’t expect to see Bootleg Trail yesterday. Nor did I anticipate my hesitancy to launch the wellness coaching branch of our company. As in all aspects of life, sometimes our experiences and expectations don’t match.

Yet mistakes are great teachers. And when we make mistakes and say “Oh well, no big deal,” or better yet, “What can I learn from this?” we advance toward cultivating a growth mindset.

It's mushroom season! — It’s mushroom season!

Once we reached a trail I recognized, I reflected on the past twenty weeks of coaching classes. I also reminded myself of my intention to continue the forward momentum I’d built all summer. On our way down the Cable Line trail to our car, I shot some videos introducing Webtraining. My first step toward getting less awkward in front of the camera is to take more video selfies while on hikes. I got this!

In the end, my decision to hike yesterday was the best one I could have made. As soon as we got home, it started to pour. The forecast for the foreseeable future is rain. But I’m basking in the glow of a summer of successes and of yesterday’s wonderful (albeit long) celebration hike.

Mountain State Fair: How to Enjoy Your Visit

It’s been a very emotional week. Instead of delving into change, I’ve intentionally kept this post playful and lighthearted. Last weekend, my parents, husband, daughter, and I all visited the North Carolina Mountain State Fair in Asheville. We wanted to compare it with our annual visit to the Washington State Fair. You may recall a comparable post in January about visits to the Washington and Alaska State Fairs. Which fair will be next?

My father, a die-hard Yankees fan, treated us all to tickets. He was fascinated by all the colorful rides. And despite afternoon thunderstorms in the region, we had a dry visit.

Animals at the NC Mountain State Fair

North Carolina’s Mountain State Fair is the official “state fair” for the mountainous region of the state. Located in Asheville, it runs for ten days and draws about 180,000 visitors each year. The Alaska State Fair draws close to 100,000, and over a million guests visit the Washington State Fair annually. We enjoyed each of them for different reasons.

While the Washington State Fair has considerably more animals on display, we were impressed with the unusual and unexpected variety at the NC Mountain State Fair. Sea lions swam in two big pools by the south entrance. Ponies provided rides for kids. Metal mechanical bulls were no contest for kid riders. And who can resist newborn calves in the “Mooternity Ward”? They drew as many guests as the Piglet Palace does in Puyallup.

Day-old calf, Candi, in the Mooternity Ward at the NC Mountain State Fair.

Week-old piglets (ten!) in the Piglet Palace at the Washington State Fair.

Exotic Draws

Eudora Farms hosted exotic animals ranging from camels to zebu, and kangaroos to ring-tailed lemurs. I especially loved the African watusi, the “guy with the big horns.” The fair also has two mechanical bulls for kids of all ages. I don’t recall seeing one at the Alaska or Washington fairs. Since my volunteering stint at Woodland Park Zoo ended during the COVID era, it was wonderful to see zoo-like animals again.

My father, daughter, and mother pose next to an African watusi, or "guy with big horns," courtesy of Eudora Farms at the NC Mountain State Fair. — My father, daughter, and mother pose next to an African watusi, or “guy with big horns,” courtesy of Eudora Farms at the NC Mountain State Fair.

Senior Citizen, Very Special Arts Categories

We found the biggest differences in the hobbies exhibits. In particular:

NC MSF had a “senior citizens” category separated by age groups, much like Legos for kids at WSF.
NCMSF also had a “very special arts” category for otherly abled entrants to exhibit their creations. I am unaware of either being available through the Alaska and Washington State Fairs, but that could certainly change.
Lego submissions can be of any size or even built from kits. The Washington State Fair has very stringent size requirements (10″ by 10″ by 15″ maximum) and designs must be unique creations with Lego brand bricks only, no kits.

NCMSF offered several special categories for entrants ranging from senior citizens crafts ... — NCMSF offered several special categories for entrants ranging from senior citizens’ crafts …

A very oversized helicopter made of Lego bricks would not have been acceptable at the Washington State Fair.

Another enjoyable part of the fair was an artisan pavilion where we could watch artists hard at work on their machine knitting, leather crafting, quilling, and even glass blowing. Outside the pavilion, a pair of wood carvers used chain saws on huge wooden blocks, and another put finishing touches of paint on a completed sculpture.

Food at the NC Mountain State Fair

When it comes to food, state fairs have two things in common: large portions and hefty prices. Washington State Fair is famous for its scones. People wait in line sometimes twenty deep to order one.

I was intrigued enough by the idea of a deep-fried Oreo to shoot a picture of the sign, but not enough to try one. And we spotted a “Chicken and Waffles” (i.e. waffle fries) booth at both the Washington and NC Mountain State Fairs.

Fried chicken strips and waffle fries seem to be a common occurrence at fairs.

NC MSF wins for food purchase: a Berry Berry smoothie!

But the most enticing (and only) food purchase we made at any of the three fairs was a Berry Berry Smoothie that we split three ways. Made from four fruits and almond milk, it was the only item that was remotely “health conscious.” By that, I mean it didn’t make any of us feel horrible afterward. Delicious!

Competitions

This year my husband entered five photographs at the Washington State Fair. My daughter submitted entries to the embroidery, crochet, Lego, and papercraft exhibits. I’m still trying to figure out how to turn my passion for helping people and playing with words into visual art others can enjoy.

I call myself the “cheerleader” with bragging rights on social media. Someday…

My husband's beautiful owl photo earned an Honorable Mention. — My husband’s beautiful owl photo earned an Honorable Mention.

My daughter's whimsical organic build of a dragon drew lots of comments from children as their favorite. — My daughter’s whimsical organic build of a dragon drew lots of comments from children as their favorite.

Have you visited the Washington State Fair yet? This year it runs through September 24. We tried our hand at archery near the entry gate. We got to view solar flares on the sun through a special telescope. And we watched a magnificent sword juggler on a high unicycle. Whatever you are interested in, you’ll find it at the fair.

I will be back next week with more reflections on another aspect of change once I am not in the midst of so much of it myself.