Spring has sprung!

Can you believe that temperatures  were in the 70's last week?  I love this time of year, it's not so hot that you don't want to do anything. It may be a bit rainy or blustery still, but it's still a good time to hit the great outdoors.  How wonderful that we are in the Pacific Northwest and we have so many amazing places to explore.

Whether you want to go beach combing and hunt for shells or glass floats (check out Lincoln City's Finders Keepers program) or be one with nature and explore some amazing hiking trails, now is the time to start!  Part of my thinking is that if I start planning activities now, I may actually do them before the end of summer.- referring back to my post on chaotic lives.  My daughter and I are determined to have at least one adventure every week during summer break.  So, we are going to start with baby steps and try to do a few things before the end of the school year.

We have a great selection of  books on things to do in/with nature.  We also have quite a few local field guides.  Here is a small selection of books about hiking and things to do in the outdoors.


Hiking: Where do you want to go? Washington?  Oregon?  We've got you covered.  Do you have a favorite spot to hike?  I have several friends who like to go to Beaver Falls in Clatskanie, OR.  I've been there once, but it's been a few years.  We also like going up to Seaquest in Castle Rock, WA

  Sesame Street and Independent Bookstore Day!

Independent Bookstore Day is April 27th.  One of the ways we are celebrating it is by celebrating Sesame Street's 50th birthday!  I'm aging myself, but I was born the same year as Sesame Street, and seeing that we only got about 3 or 4 channels on tv back then, it was one of the few shows I remember watching regularly.  Electric Company and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood were a couple of the others.  We will have some activities at a do-it-yourself table set up on Indie Bookstore Day.  You can also take a selfie with a special Sesame Street frame.  We have brought in some favorite Sesame Street titles.  Two of my favorites to read out loud are: "The Monster at the end of this Book" and Another Monster at the end of this Book"  I'm by no means quite as good as the people who played Grover and Elmo, but I sure have a lot of fun trying to imitate their voices as I read these books.  They are so fun and interactive and will get kids super excited, whether it is their first or 30th time listening to either book.