Detail from "Rain Dance," an original quilt by Sherrie Spangler

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Feet and Forks' 10-year anniversary!

Joyce, Kandi, Nancy and me this week
celebrating 10 years of walking together.

The Feet and Forks just celebrated
our 10th anniversary of 
WALKING
and
EATING 
TOGETHER!

Best guesstimate is that we've
walked around 800 miles,
but quite possibly more.

Hiking the Nisqually Delta almost 10 years ago.
Different hairstyles, but otherwise we look about the same.

I think we've aged very well, like fine wine, no doubt due to all the exercise and sweet potato fries over the past decade. We've walked nearly two times every month, followed by lunch. That's more than 200 walks and meals!!! Sweet potato fries became our go-to side order.

Sweet potato fries for all at Chambers Bay in 2011.


The first picture I took of us was in the rain in April 2010 when we walked the three-mile Chambers Bay Trail in University Place, WA. We aim to walk twice a month on whatever two dates we are all free. If it rains, we walk anyway -- most of the time.

Rain or shine, we walk.
Here we are at Chambers Bay in April 2010.

We brought out the umbrellas again this year at
Newbury National Volcanic Monument near Bend, OR.

A moody morning winter solstice walk.
Cushman Trail, Gig Harbor, Dec. 21, 2012.

In 2012, we started going on overnighters almost every year. The first one was to Victoria, B.C., via the ferry. (We love ferries.) Since then we have gone to Copalis Beach, WA, in 2014, Birch Bay, WA, on the beach in 2015, Vancouver, B.C., in 2017, the mountain town of Leavenworth, WA, in 2018, and Sunriver, OR, this year. Here are a few photos.

Ready to embark on one of our first overnighters,
excited for the adventure.

We hiked through beautiful Beacon Hill Park
during our trip to Victoria, B.C., in 2012.
It was our first overnighter -- out of the country, no less!

We vacationed at Iron Springs Resort on
the coast of Washington in 2014.

We walked many miles in Vancouver, B.C.,
in May 2017. A great walking town.
The mountains called us to Leavenworth, WA, in May 2018.
Sunriver, OR, and the Deschutes River
was our destination this year.
(Nancy couldn't make it.)
Kandi, Nancy and I even managed to rendezvous for some desert hikes in the Palm Springs, CA, area in March 2012. It was a nice break from the rainy Northwest.



I became the group's photographer and was always on the lookout for good photo ops, like this one in Victoria ... 


... and the wall outside the Tacoma Musical Playhouse.



I had to be creative to get myself in the picture, so I took a lot of shadow and reflection shots.




A mirror in Vancouver, B.C.,
helped get me in the photo
Mirror in a nut shop in Leavenworth, WA.
Oh boy, were those flavored nuts good!
When my daughter gave me a selfie-stick for Christmas a few years ago, that changed everything. Suddenly I could get myself into the photos without gimmicks!

Selfie-stick photo before hiking a mountain trail in Leavenworth.

Our Christmas tradition most years has been taking the ferry from Bremerton into Seattle and walking throughout downtown, hitting Pike Place Market with its food samples, the Teddy Bear Suite at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, the Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton, and sometimes the giant ferris wheel and the art museum. And, of course, lunch.

In the Teddy Bear Suite.
Last Christmas we added a ride on the carousel to our traditions.
December in Seattle's Pioneer Square
with yarn-bombed trees.
December 2013 in downtown Seattle.
We have hiked through woods, meadows, mountains, gardens, beaches and city streets, always looking for new trails.





Giant dahlia on a walk in Pt. Gamble, WA.
Gardens in Victoria, B.C.




Copalis Beach, coast of Washington.


The high desert of Oregon and snow-capped mountains.

Deschutes River, Bend, OR.

Another tradition is taking a feet photo ...





Putt putt golf in Leavenworth. Aren't we versatile?

and a forks photo on each outing.


Mexican food is another favorite.

One of my personal traditions, as "Sherrie Loves Color," is to look for color everywhere we go, like these chairs at a Bremerton restaurant ...


... this bus in downtown Gig Harbor ...


... and fruit at Pike Place Market in Seattle.



We also get together outside of our walks. Here we are seven years ago at an art opening at the Harbor History Museum with one of my quilts that was juried in. 


And here we are around Valentine's Day 2010 at Nancy's "Pamper Party," where she invited a houseful of friends over for scrumptious food, drinks, makeovers, massages and general pampering. 




Random favorites

The rest of these photos are in no particular order. I sorted through thousands of pictures from our 10 years and these are some of my favorites.



These first two are from our vacation at Iron Springs Resort at Copalis Beach on the coast of Washington in April 2010. Sun, sun, fun!



In 2010, I was a columnist for the local Peninsula Gateway. In December I wrote a Pacific Northwest version of "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things," and the rest of the group surprised me by pulling out the lyrics and singing them on the Cushman Trail on a beautiful sunny December day. I wrote a column with the lyrics: our-great-northwest-highs.html


Curious peacock in Victoria, Canada.



Seattle as seen from the ferry on one of our many ferry trips.
Vancouver, B.C., skyline in May 2017.
At a pumpkin patch on Whidbey Island.

Hiking near Bend, OR, after the rain stopped.
A heron and geese at the Nisqually Delta.
One of our summer potlucks, where we take turns hosting.
I brought the brownies, natch.


At a coffee shop for an annual Christmas gift exchange.
Kayaking in Gig Harbor for a change of pace.
A rest stop somewhere north of Seattle. One of my favorite photos.
Totem pole park in Vancouver, Canada.
Happy hour drinks in Vancouver.

Joyce, but I can't remember where this was.
I love the flowery background.



I photographed MANY bakery cases.
Tree fluff floating in the sunshine in Leavenworth.

The new slides at Dune Peninsula Park
in Tacoma this week.
This year at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.



Until next time ...



Pt. Ruston in Tacoma, this week.

Have a colorful day


3 comments:

Judy Sall Fiber Art said...

What a wonderful testament to your group, and your friendship! Great times, and good friends for sure. Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories and pictures!

Janice Smith said...

Happy 10th Anniversary to the Feed and Forks!!! What fun you all must have on these adventures. Here’s to the next ten years!!!

Robbie said...

What a wonderful friendship you four have!!! I think this is fantastic! Bonding with gal pals is like no other relationship!!! And I love the 'bakery photo's' best! HA congrats on having such wonderful friends.

Interesting, I am the photography for our small art group..hence, I'm not in many pics...we do need to change that don't we!! HA You've done a good job getting into some of them!