An Introduction and a Brief History

Hi! I’m Tammy. I once heard that your calling is what you got in trouble for as a child. By the age of 12, I had received enough travel brochures (requested from addresses in the back of my mom’s Good Housekeeping magazines- this was pre-internet but don’t ask my age) to keep me busy for hours. When I was supposed to be dusting, gardening, doing homework, or cleaning my room, I would sneak and read about shopping in the Bahamas or hearing the gentle lap of waves as I meandered through Venetian Canals. I wanted to go SO badly. Travel, it seemed, was in my blood.

Although I never took an overseas trip, I spent 4 years in Oklahoma as a young adult. You know the stage of life I’m talking about; anything seems better than where you are. It was an incredible experience, but the variety I craved merely came from the people I met, and not in the places traveled. The Oklahoma landscape lacks variety.

Back to my little corner of Southwest Washington I flew. Armed with a newfound curiosity about an area as rich in culture and experience as several places I longed to go, I was excited to visit and revisit places that appeared mundane in my childhood. I never knew when that local Caribbean restaurant may go out of business, erosion may cause the landscape of a beloved wetland to all but disappear, or the wild horses only 55 minutes away from me (that I’ve never seen) may vanish or become domesticated.

I want to live fully in the present enjoying each day exactly where I am. I also want to share that with you.

Bucket Lists

Where to begin? The wild horses obviously! Oh, and to stay in a treehouse! To camp out at a zoo or wildlife refuge, to see a Lazuli Bunting, to attend a ball at Vista House, this is just the start.

I relive my travels through writing, another calling (yep, did that in place of chores too!) I want to take you where I’ve been, to capture the stunning, the humorous, and everything in between. Hopefully, I will encourage you to see some of these extraordinary places I have the privilege of calling home.

Quick Housekeeping

If you look at the menu you will see “blogs”. These will transport you to various times and places- from being a child in a 1912 schoolhouse to the majestic surprise of our national bird fishing in a nearby volcanic lake.

I use a Motorola phone for photography with the exception of those borrowed from kind souls who take better photos than I. For those who have volunteered for this task, I will be hitting you up soon; thank you.

Every blog ends with a dedication. It seems only fitting that my homepage should as well. Thus-

To the One who called me to find You in hidden places, Your reflection evident in nature and the joy of discovery, to the Creator of all things, my Jesus, my Rabboni, this blog is for You.