Everyday Living

Butchart Gardens

~ Travel

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭

We’ve taken you along the aisles of Pike Place Market where the fish were flying and the bouquets of flowers were gorgeous.  We’ve also been to Chihuly Garden & Glass where it’s almost hard to believe that the sculptures are made by hand!  But we aren’t finished with our adventures in Seattle!  While we were there, we also took an amazing day trip to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, Canada.  We departed for a three hour cruise from Seattle on the ferry that took us through Puget Sound and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on our way to Victoria’s Inner Harbour.  What’s there to do in Victoria, British Columbia?  Glad you asked!

Before we travel, I always spend time researching all there is to know about the place we are going ….you never know if you will have a chance to return, so I want to do and see as much as we can!  Everything I read mentioned the beauty of Butchart Gardens, but we only had one day in Victoria, and really didn’t want to spend the day there, because I wanted to explore the city!  So, we had intentions of wandering through the city…but right before the ferry landed, we decided we would buy tickets and visit the Gardens!  And it was a great decision…it was one of the highlights of our trip!  You are in for a treat today…lots for the eye to take in!  Come along as we take a walk around the beautiful Butchart Gardens!

Robert P. Butchart, a pioneer in the thriving North American cement industry, was attracted by rich limestone deposits on Canada’s West Coast.  He moved his family and in  1904 he developed a quarry and built a cement plant on Vancouver Island 13 miles from Victoria.   Close to the quarry,  Butchart and his wife, Jennie, established the family home complete with plantings of sweet peas and rose bushes.


For the next five years limestone was quarried from a massive excavation to supply the cement factory.

From the lookout, this was our first view of the spectacular Sunken Garden


By 1909, the limestone was exhausted, and a unsightly barren pit was all that remained.

Today, deep expansive walls (remnants of the quarry) cradle beds of annuals, flowering trees, and unique shrubs.

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Chihuly Garden & Glass

~ Travel

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
Proverbs 11:25

We are back in Seattle today!  Last week, we took you along with us to Pike Place Market and I sure hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  While we were visiting the Pacific Northwest, we covered a lot of ground…and saw a lot of interesting sites!  Early one morning, hoping to beat the crowds, Butch and I trekked out for a two minute ride on the monorail to visit the iconic Space Needle!  Since neither of us had ever been, we expected to go to the top, catch a nice view of the city, come right back down, and be on our way.

As we made our way to the ticket counter, I realized we could buy a combo ticket that included the Chihuly Garden and Glass, located adjacent to the Needle.  Now truth be known, I had planned to visit the exhibition, but had not yet mentioned it to Butch, thinking he would not be interested. At the suggestion to purchase the combo tickets,  he responded…”Who is Chihuly”?  I reminded him of the spectacular ten million dollar chandelier in the lobby at the Bellagio in Las Vegas made by Mr. Chihuly (he didn’t seem to remember).

But all it took was a trip to the top of the Space Needle.  Once at the observation deck, we could see over into the Chihuly Garden, and Butch’s interest level was piqued!  Being the artsy kind, I knew I would love it, but the fact that Butch was totally captivated by the sheer scope of Chihuly’s work was a pleasant surprise!  This exhibition was one of the highlights of our trip to Seattle!!!  Although the pictures cannot do his work justice, sit back and enjoy this feast for the eyes!


As we entered the “Glass Forest”, the first room of the exhibit, we were both taken by the unbelievable talent of Dale Chihuly.  We just stood and admired this very fluid glass sculpture made in the early 1970’s.


Neon was introduced inside the pieces which was very innovative during the early ’70’s.


The “Northwest Room” showcases these beautiful Native American weavings that Chihuly has collected.  He was born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington.  He was introduced to glass while studying interior design.  In 1968, after receiving a Fullbright Fellowship, Chihuly went to work at the Venini glass factory in Venice.  There he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today.READ MORE

Seattle’s Pike Place Market

~ Travel

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭

When you think of Seattle, what are some of the first things you think of?  If you are a coffee lover like me, maybe you think of the original Starbucks and Seattle’s Best.  Or maybe you think rain.  These were two of my ideas of Seattle up until last week.   Butch and I just returned on Tuesday from a week’s stay in this lovely Pacific Northwest city, and Seattle proved to be a whole lot more than coffee and rain!  It was a business trip mixed with pleasure and sightseeing.  But, we didn’t limit ourselves to Seattle!  We also took day trips to Victoria, British Columbia, Mount Ranier National Park, and drove about a hundred miles down the rugged Oregon Coast! Contrary to what I had always thought of Seattle, I didn’t need an umbrella once, and it is a great walking city with fabulous sights, museums, and food!

Our first stop today is the lovely Pike Place Market.  It is the most visited attraction in Seattle and I understand why!  The most gorgeous flowers cut fresh daily, fruit and vegetables straight from the vine, and fish that has just been pulled from the sea are just a few things you will see as we stroll through!  I hope you have on your good walking shoes today!


The market opened with only eight farmers in August of 1907, making it one of the oldest continuously operated farmers’ markets in the U.S.  It boasts over ten million visitors per year (and it was so crowded, it felt like they had all come at the same time as me!) The market sprawls over nine acres with approximately 500 shops, restaurants, and vendor stalls.


The Pike Place Fish Market is a crowd favorite as the “fish guys” wearing colorful waders and rubber boots toss shovelfuls of ice over rows of fresh fish!


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I could hardly inch my way in to watch the “flying fish”, a major attraction.  When a customer orders a fish, an employee at the fish market’s ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the countertop to another employee who catches it and preps it for sale.  Fish were definitely flying!READ MORE