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Parks and Gardens

Where to enjoy Seattle forest bathing in the rain

January 24, 2023 by Matthew

Forest bathing in Seattle is a delight when the light shines through the collection of fir trees like in this photo with a spruce and younger hemlock tree with moss dangling from the branches.

The wet season in Seattle can feel oppressive. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and connecting with nature from an early age, I enjoy the healing and well-being that comes from forest bathing – rain or shine. But sometimes, this glee for mud puddles and wet cedar branches feels unique.   Now you might be looking outside your window, watching vast droplets of … [Read more...] about Where to enjoy Seattle forest bathing in the rain

How to find magic at Oswald West State Park

January 4, 2023 by Matthew

Matthew Kessi leans against an old growth sitka spruce tree on the Oregon Coast at Oswald West State Park. He's wearing black raingear head to toe that appears very wet, with a striped colored hat. There are roots from another smaller tree and green fir branches hanging down into the shot.

Oswald West State Park seems to have it all. Old-growth giants greet visitors, ushering them through a dramatic canopy of texture and light to a beach – an alchemy of sand, rocks, and drift logs. Creeks flow to the Pacific Ocean, and 14 trails meander the rugged topography. Most people rush directly to the iconic Short Sand Beach, but way more magic is possible. This … [Read more...] about How to find magic at Oswald West State Park

Point Defiance Park — the best day in Tacoma wilderness

January 4, 2023 by Matthew

Beautiful pink blooms of a rhododendron are pushing out getting ready to splash on the scene. In the background are various trees in Point Defiance Park in Tacoma.

My mom and her siblings grew up on the edge of a vast green space, where old-growth timber hugged primitive deer trails, and a zoo served up elephants and bears in “old school” cages of concrete and iron. It was wilderness back then when Tacoma’s North End was largely undeveloped. Their log cabin overlooked the flowing lawns of Point Defiance Park and was just high enough in … [Read more...] about Point Defiance Park — the best day in Tacoma wilderness

How to make a nature connection in Seattle’s Ravenna Park.

October 12, 2022 by Matthew

Nature connection at Ravenna Park begins with the pedestrian bridge that flows high above this photo, taken below in the deep forest. The bridge is painted green and a steel structure of Beams while the maple trees flow under a bright blue sky.

There is plenty of information about Ravenna Park, but not as much about how to make an authentic nature connection with this iconic Seattle wilderness. Mature 100-year-old trees fill a dramatic ravine that awaits your exploration in ways that can help you genuinely rediscover the life energy around you. This curated Mystic Nature Experience offers you my favorite magical … [Read more...] about How to make a nature connection in Seattle’s Ravenna Park.

How to make a nature connection in Bellevue Botanical Garden

September 21, 2022 by Matthew

A two tone fuchsia in Bellevue Botanical Garden shows delicate pink petals with a darker magenta interior and green foliage all around.

This article inspires a visit to Bellevue Botanical Garden. It guides how to elevate your nature connection with this 53-acre greenspace in the heart of a Seattle area urban beehive. Eleven distinct zones of botanical goodness patch together -- inviting discovery that can go deeper than the magenta hues of Fuschia lining the main lawn. My life is all about nature. I take … [Read more...] about How to make a nature connection in Bellevue Botanical Garden

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I would like to acknowledge that much of my inspiration comes from living on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People past and present and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe.

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