LaConner, Washington

If you ever find yourself North of Seattle with nowhere to go I highly recommend you exit I-5 at the Conway/LaConner exit and drive across Fir Island to the tiny town of LaConner. My father-in-law lives here in a house with lot of big windows overlooking the valley. The town consists of two main streets, lots of quaint shops, and a half-dozen little eateries. The main street runs along the Swinnomish Channel and a candy apple red bridge spans the Channel as it moves out into the Puget Sound. It's a very lovely and relaxing place. In April they host the Tulip Festival and if you time it right you can see either huge fields of daffodils or tulips. The tulips are amazing - waves and waves of every color you can dream up.

Our last few visits here have been a little bittersweet. Gary's dad's wife passed away very suddenly of a heart attack at the young age of 62 in 2010. She'd been a part of our lives for close to 20 years and was like a Grandma to my girls. She loved this town and their home here. She decorated it for each holiday, and loved to have fresh flowers sitting about. She had a big personality. Although we love being here in LaConner it's still weird not having her with us. She was so alive. . . and then she wasn't.