Item #15 – See Something Majestic

40 Things for 40 Years in 40 Weeks: Item #15 (Bucket List) – See Something Majestic

This past year has been quite a journey. I am not sure what exactly spurred me to add this to an item on my list but I just decided that I needed to “see something majestic.” I didn’t know what that would be or where this list item would take me but I had several ideas along the way of things that might satisfy this category and so it became #15 on my #40for40in40 list.

If you google the definition of “majestic” on the internet the first definition that comes up is “having or showing impressive beauty or dignity.” After several planned attempts to see something that I thought would be majestic that didn’t pan out, I was starting to lose hope that I would be able to check this off my list. As my birthday rapidly approached this month, I remembered that the annual tulip festival just 90 minutes north of where we live was going to be starting. We had never attended since relocating to the Seattle area but we had heard about it and seen many pictures. Now that we have lived in Washington for 10 years, I decided it was time to check it out!

I traveled to Skagit County near Mount Vernon this past Friday armed with my camera, my rain boots and the hope of seeing what I had heard was a truly majestic sight. The festival has been around for more than 30 years and features millions of tulips bursting into bloom during the entire month of April. I chose to visit the RoozenGaarde Tulips and Blooms. Fortunately, it was a somewhat dry albeit overcast day. Unfortunately due to the heavy rains and cold temperatures we are still experiencing up here in early April, not all of the fields were completely in bloom yet. I did however manage to unexpectedly catch the daffodils just ending their run while the tulips were just beginning. Both the fields of farm land and the manicured gardens were pretty spectacular and I was amazed the sheer volume and variety of flowers that were planted out there. (I was also amazed at how most of the other tourists did NOT bring their rain boots or other appropriate footwear. It’s farm land in the Pacific Northwest people… it’s a complete mud pit. Fuzzy boots will not do, neither will slip on sneakers, wedges or anything else that you can find at Nordstroms. Ok, I’ll stop now.)

After I left RoozenGaarde, I had a lovely lunch at the Nell Thorn Waterfront Restaurant and Pub complete with first of the season rhubarb and blackberry pie. As I sat there enjoying my lunch and looked outside of the restaurant, a bald eagle soared into view and circled over the Swinomish Channel I was overlooking. As I made my way home and drove out of La Conner, the warm sun came out and a flock of what must have been several hundred birds launched themselves from out of one of the fields moving in a giant flock dancing back and forth above the crop below.

What I realized with this list item were two things. One, I live in a pretty majestic place. The Pacific Northwest truly has become home to my husband and I in this past 10 years and we see amazing things by living here every day. From wildlife wandering in our yard to catching a glimpse of Mt. Rainier on our drive home, this is a place of “impressive beauty.” The second thing I came to appreciate was that I have seen many majestic things this past year both at home and in my travels. From the giant cacti at the base of the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, to the nighttime fireworks at Disneyland over Main Street to a spectacular sunset in Maui – I am very, very lucky to have witnessed and experienced all of these majestic moments.

And so that completes items #15 on my list. 35 items checked off the list and 5 to go. Stay tuned for more… #40for40in40