The boys showed me a shortcut through the woods and we walked from our house in Magnolia to Ballard in 15 minutes!

The National Nordic Museum moved to its current home in 2018, and I love love love that building.

I may have gone in just because where else can I sit in a $9,600 Arne Jacobsen egg chair?

Look at this flooring! Gorgeous organic pattern.

Five countries are considered Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.

It's salmon season! You can watch three species of Pacific salmon pass through the Ballard Locks during the summer months. They swim 40 to 50 miles upriver to spawn!

Sockeye: June to July

Chinook: August

Coho: September

Admission is free! Open every day, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Water + playground + sun = summer perfection

Plan a road trip to Mount St. Helens this summer! 🗻🚙 What's open, what's closed (there were two landslides in the spring), what's family-friendly.

Here's a link to my story in The Seattle Times.

The most popular route to visiting Mount St. Helens is 504. It’s a dead-end road, so you’ll have to double back the way you came. There are three visitor centers currently open, each of them family-friendly, accessible, with restrooms and large parking lots.

Our favorite is the second one: it has a playground, and the free visitor's center is considerably swankier than the others (there's Weyerhauser money here).

It is entirely worth your while to drive 1.5 hours around to the south side of Mount St. Helens to walk through the lava tube. Ape Cave is named for the scout group that first explored it. Very easy, very cool. You’ll need to reserve a $2 timed ticket on recreation.gov; spots are limited to protect the cave.

I always leave the Seattle Art Museum in Volunteer Park feeling zen times 100 and inspired. Psst, the free admission day here is the LAST FRIDAY of the month — mark it on your calendar!

Here are 7 things I loved at the Seattle Asian Art Museum: 

1. Alvord Board Room

If I ever have another wedding, I want it to be here. I've always loved this room, and I love it even more with the LMN expansion that opened up the room to views of the park.

2. Japanese textiles

I am a total sucker for the patterns in Japanese textiles. This is an early 20th century Okinawan kimono, made of banana fiber cloth and cotton cloth with dye. (It took about 40 banana trees to produce a single kimono!)

3 . Juxtaposition of old and new

Flower Ball, 2002, acrylic on canvas, by Takashi Murakami, seen just beyond a case of antiquities. It works.

4. All the Art Deco details

The Asian Art Museum is an Art Deco jewel box. The air vent grates, the doorknobs, the wall clock, the ceiling trim. Gorgeous, gorgeous details. Look at the original Art Deco handrail (that probably wasn't up to ADA standards) covered by a sleek modern one. Ugh. 

5. Gift shop finds

Museum gift shops have the best stuff! I have a terrible soft spot for stationary. Ramen sticky notes and scented gel pens!!

6. Traditional Chinese furniture

Love, love the lines of this Ming dynasty side table.

7. Wonky modern art

LED neon lights of Kali (I'm a Mess), 2020, by Chila Kumari Singh Burman, reflected on the window overlooking the park. What a fun surprise!

I was too scared to try the new zipline at Remlinger Farms, so I MADE THE KIDS GO FIRST. It's 40 feet in the air, over in about 10 seconds, absolutely terrifying and amazing.

Just when I thought we'd outgrown the place, they added new features that drew us back for an entire day of fun. All the details about what's new on this fourth generation family-owned farm at Seattle's Child here.

Bruce Lee's grave in Seattle's Lakeview Cemetery is easy to spot — a steady stream of fans stop by to pay their respects. Buried next to the martial arts legend/movie star is his son, Brandon Lee. (You do have to feel a little for P.J. Malone, 1837-1879, whose completely uncelebrated grave lies on Bruce Lee's other side.) 

You used to walk down a couple of steps to go around to the front of Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves. Now there's a smooth, ADA accessible walkway with a rail.

I saw a family stop by to lay bouquets at the graves. Their uncle worked on movie sets with Bruce Lee.

We also went to Bruce Lee's favorite restaurant in the International District, Tai Tung.

Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, spoke at the Wing Luke Museum.

Free First Thursday is tomorrow! In addition to the usual museums, the Volunteer Park Conservatory is also free on First Thursday. This historic greenhouse is divided into five rooms, each with a different theme. We loved the giant air plants, the carnivorous pitcher plants and all the orchids.

Admission: Adult 18 and up $6, youth 6-17 $4, 5 and under free.

Free days: First Thursday and First Saturday

Happy 4th!