Skagit choir suffers devastating losses

So, a choir gathered for their regular rehearsal. Before the more draconian restrictions were set. They limited physical contact, practiced limited social distancing. Covid 19 is quite cruel. We’re seeing that it may be able to transmit through the air between people who showed no symptoms, which makes it that much scarier.  

Anyway, I feel it’s important to point out the choir was following the promulgated protocols at the time of their last rehearsal. 

The story had gone national. This link is to the local paper, The Skagit Valley Herald

The 2018 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Is In Full Bloom

The festival started back in March, but there are events going all through April. This is an iconic event in the greater Seattle area. As such, traffic can be a bit of a monster. Just plan to be stuck in traffic, and your life will be better. If you want to avoid crowds go mid-week. It helps a lot. However, for the next few weeks, many school districts will be on spring break, so it won’t be perfect. But far fewer cars.

I’ve biked the fields before, which is great especially when the weather’s nice (don’t bank on that during spring in Seattle). A great bit of advice is to park at a park-and-ride and bike from there. I’ve parked at Washington Elementary School, but I don’t know if that’s sanctioned, so I risked tickets or towing.

Getting hungry? In Mount Vernon one of my favorite places to eat is the Calico Cupboard. It’s a favorite for most everyone who knows anything about the region. So, budget plenty of time. At last check, they didn’t take reservations. It’s first come, first serve. It’s worth the wait, but, especially if you have younger kids, you’ll want to strategize that. Or you could head to the one in La Conner, which isn’t that far.

If you’re thinking of a treat, and you’re not too frozen from the tulip fields, check out the Big Scoop Ice Cream shop. A regional classic place and just a lot of fun.

If you want something warm and caffeinated, Mount Vernon does have it’s share of Starbucks, but you should check out Woods Coffee, though it’s pretty small. There’s also Ristretto Coffee Lounge which has been on my list of places to try.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has pulled together some great tips. Definitely take a few minutes and review these. It’ll eliminate a ton of aggravation. And don’t forget to check out the interactive map before you go. It’s quite well done.

May your tulip excursion be delightful!

 

Tulip Festival : Glory of Skagit County

Ah, the wonderful Tulip Festival, where the back-roads of Skagit valley become near-parking lots for several weeks. It is, though, beautiful and one of the most photogenic scenes that Western Washington has to offer (at least in the mud season otherwise known as spring).

MyNortwest.com has a nice article about the festival, well worth the few minutes of your time to read.  And here’s the main site for all the festival details.

One of my favorite elements of the festival are they’re frame-worthy posters. Below is the 2014 Tulip Festival Poster

New Bridges : Saving the Sanity of Skagit County

After the bridge collapse up over the Skagit, the powers that be have been working feverishly to get something in place ASAP. I’ve been quite impressed with both the speed in which the pieces are coming together, but also the great levels of communication with the public.

Here’s a look at the process (I think it’s cool, but I’m a geek).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pmaYikWdfY&w=420&h=315]

And here’s a snapshot of where things stand right now (well, as of today via Twitter).