Author: Caroline

Four killer views of Washington, D.C., from 500 feet up. The Washington Monument is actually 555 feet and 5 1/8 inches tall, making it the world’s tallest structure when it was completed in 1884. Tickets to the observation deck are VERY limited because it’s a tiny space. The trick to snagging tickets is to log…

Crossed off a big bucket list item today: took the kids on a White House tour! Been wanting to do this for years. We didn’t see the president, but the Secret Service confirmed he was there. Pictures off my phone because they are STRICT about what you can bring in (nothing). To get a White…

That view of Mount Rainier gets me every time.

I write about a lot of playgrounds, and this one is extra special. I talked to Mika’s mom about the new inclusive playground in Edmonds built in his memory. Mika was a 10-year-old boy who loved playing outside with his friends. At Mika’s Playground, there are no wood chips to get stuck in wheels, wheelchairs…

Birthday season

I wrote about creative kitchen and bath storage solutions for The Seattle Times. Link to the story here, with specific product recommendations from pro organizers.

We saw the corpse flower today! Complete lucky accident. I booked Amazon Spheres tickets 15 days ago not knowing the corpse flower was about bloom. The corpse flower blooms only once every 5-10 years, and only for 48 hours. It’s called the corpse flower because it smells like rotting flesh. If you’ve never smelled rotting…

Seattle ranks No. 2 among this summer’s top travel destinations in the United States. Here’s the lowdown on where to take your out-of-town guests, with all the insider tips. Full story here on ParentMap.

Shooting in bright sunlight directly overhead is the WORST possible lighting situation. I pulled out all the tricks out of my photo bag for this assignment: long lens, layering, playing with flares, looking for shadows, getting up high. I think I did ok! The story is about the new inclusive playground at Lynnwood’s Meadowdale Playfields, where…

It’s blueberry season! The bushes at Larsen Lake Blueberry Farm are dripping with big juicy berries. The season runs NOW through early September-ish.  @larsenlakeblueberryfarm started in the 1940s, and today covers 14 acres. • 700 148th Avenue SE, Bellevue• Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. • Closed Monday and…