I am a total tulip fanatic! So it’s no surprise I wanted to see the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in western Washington. Read and view more about my second day there! (Spoiler alert: It was FABULOUS!)

Some of you who have known me for a while know that I am a complete tulip nerd. I grew up in an area that had/has quite a few people with Dutch heritage. There, tulips were almost synonymous with the concept of Spring. Many folks planted tulips in their yards, went to a local tulip festival, and I even played and marched 5 or 6 years in my schools’ bands in the tulip festival parade. So it’s no surprise I wanted to see the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in western Washington. Read and view more about the experience!

It’s no secret that I enjoy historical and boutique shops, so on a recent trip up I-29 I made a beeline for Palmer’s Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe (Palmer’s Old Time Candy Shop). While I have been here before and the shop is always a treat, it’s especially fun near the holidays. It’s also a great place to buy gifts, particularly if you love Twin Bings, like I do!

I strongly believe that “great art” is in the eye of the beholder and not in the artwork itself. I can look at the same piece of art as 20 other people and it would “speak” to us in 20 different ways. With that thought in mind, I viewed lots of great art at the Des Moines Arts Festival today. I talked to a number of talented and friendly artists