Guest Blogger: Life with the Baxtrons

Hi! I'm Courtney of "Life with the Baxtrons."  Here to keep you entertained while Amanda enjoys some R&R with her family.

If you're familiar with my story, you know that I grew up in the Seattle area.  It is where my "crunchy granola" roots originate from.  One thing you will learn about me after knowing me only a short while is that I firmly and unwaveringly believe that everything in life is better in the Pacific Northwest.  I'd like to present you with my case for this, in honor of my fellow PNW'er, Amanda, while she is enjoying her vacation.  :)

Get cozy and top off your coffee for this {top 5} post…speaking of coffee:

Reason number {1} the best Organic, free trade coffee in America.  Local coffee houses filled with locally roasted beans, aromatic brews and rich dark flavors that not even the snobbiest of coffee aficionados can deny.  We are not talking Starbucks here friends…and don't get me started on Tully's or Seattle's best.  We're talking the wood-floored, rustic, artsy-fartsy coffee brewhouses that are worth the extra 5 minute drive in rush hour traffic to fuel that much needed good-morning buzz.  I mean, even the infamous "Twin Peaks" features a quaint little PNW diner serving up a "Damn fine cup of coffee."

My favorite coffee place in Washington?  Victor's Celtic Coffee in Redmond.  Add it to your list to visit, when you go (and trust me, after you get finished reading this post…it will be hard not to plan a trip!)

The best time of year to visit is late July or August, in my humble opinion.  You can be sure to enjoy this next benefit of live in the PNW:  PERFECT SUMMERS.

Reason number {2} 100 days of sunshine.  When I think back to my many years spent hibernating the Winters, shielding myself from rainy Springs and Falls, it does not  at all taint my glorious memories of Summertime.  The familiar, often played out favorite, "I Can See Clearly Now" brings me fondly back to Summers filled with rock & bridge jumping, sunbathing at Alki Beach and camping/hiking adventures in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  Most Summers are mild, temperatures rarely reaching above 90, the humidity is trivial and there is less than an inch of rain per month in July and August.   Basically, consider yourself given the greatest secret about Seattle…the Summers.

It only gets better.  While you may have heard about the notorious never-ending rain showers, I challenge you to think of the positive side of this: lush, green vegetation.

Reason number {3} climate = perfect grounds for locally grown organic bounties year round.  It isn't just the Farmer's market, or the green grass growing everywhere, there are so many different climate zones in Washington state, that you can have a taste for everything.  All year long.  We have deserts to the East, mountains all over the state, hundreds of lakes, we even have a rainforest in the West which is like walking into an enchanted scene from Lord of the Rings.

Did I mention that Seattle is ranked the 8th best city to live in with a family by Parenting magazine? With all the trees, just think of the freshness of the air that you breathe!  I can tell you that I never once suffered from allergies until I moved across the country to dirty NYC.

Reason number {4} Bodies of water - lakes, rivers, ocean, Puget Sound - provide one of the best treats of the region - SALMON.  Wild, fresh, bright pink salmon.  If you have never eaten wild salmon from the Pacific Ocean, and not just Alaskan (although, it is easier and less expensive to get there)…you are totally missing out.  I balk at the Atlantic salmon they try to sell to me in stores here in Manhattan.  And then there is Dungeness crab…are you kidding me…you have never had it?  Basically, I rarely eat seafood here in NYC because I have been disappointed so many times {in other words I'm spoiled and a seafood snob}.  My mouth is watering just writing about it.  And I could go on and on and on about the health benefits of salmon, but I digress.

If I haven't sold you on at least a visit, let me finish with some of my favorite pictures I've taken over the last several visits home.

Reason number {5} This.  THIS.

So, are you packing your bags yet?  There are so many more things I could mention, but this post has to end for now.

While I am excited and envious that Amanda will be off doing something wonderful with her family…I am actually more jealous about where she gets to return…awww the Pacific Northwest, my home sweet home.

Thanks Courtney! I met Courtney recently through the blogging world, and I couldn't believe all of the things we had in common! Visit her at her blog, here. I'm so grateful for friends like her! I'm sure by now I'm missing the PNW just a little, but I'm probably having too good of a time with my family to dwell on it too much ;)