Madison Falls
I woke up to a super sunny spring day. The daffodils were blooming and the tulips were just starting to open up their beautiful faces. As I sipped on a very full bodied cup of coffee, I reflected on how just holding on to one more day of gloomy weather had led me to this total spring glory. 
What's more sunshiny than a sunny spring morning? Going with my friend, Raquel, along with my dog, Hani, on a hike to a waterfall nearby. The anticipation of a waterfall hike cheered me up immensely throughout the weekend. This spring has been very challenging. Along with all the myriads of gnats buzzing around my winterly mind, my older sister's husband was just put in the ICU with a brain bleed. The whole family had been on a prayerful watch for quite a few days. On top of feeling sad, I was frustrated at not being close by to support my sister.
I have learned now, through decades of having dogs, that I absolutely do not tell my dog, "so and so is coming" to pick us up for a hike. Dogs learn that phrase fast and then they pester you non-stop until the friend shows up.
Yippee, playing frisbee with friends! Yippee, walks. Yippee, more frisbees.
Raquel drove up and Hani went beserk. Yippee, playing frisbee with friends! Yippee, walks. Yippee, more frisbees. It was all I could do to calm her down enough to put on her harness for the car ride. She was so excited that she managed to squirm out of the harness twice while we were on the highway. Note to self, "got to fix that".
Another mishap transpired during the drive to Madison Falls. The car had a engine hiccup and made a u-turn back to a charming bakery. I've passed by this bakery many times but have never visited. The smell inside was overwhelming. It brought back memories of so many weekends spent at bakeries. I was young then and could ingest mountains of that good stuff. The lady in front of me remarked that I was really missing out by not trying the goodies until today. Well, I had a full breakfast but still managed to buy an arm's load of baked goods. Something about their smell or the sight of plump pastries that dissolve all sense of self control.
Pretty soon, we got out of Port Angeles (the town west of Sequim) and were driving through very lush green landscape. As we drew close to Madison Falls, we started seeing the Alwah River and many great trees draped in moss. The river was magnificent. Being next to a flowing river and evergreen trees always made us feel so unusually good, my friend and I agreed.
Pretty soon, we arrived at Madison Falls. Because we have a dog, certain trails were off limits. However, we could hike to the waterfall. Along the way, we met quite a few people and dogs. It was Tuesday and we were surprised that the place was crowded (i.e. more than 10 people on the trail) The air was moist and cool and felt so therapeutic. It soothed my spring allergies. The trail led us by moss draped trees. We barely started the hike and we arrived at the fall. I had to laugh, that was the least exercise I ever got from hiking to a waterfall. But the waterfall was full and beautiful. The stream was clear and inviting. Hani was super hyper by now, she wanted to jump in.
Afterwards, we wandered around the waterfall and the river for a short while. We had to head on home because of other appointments.
We decided to enjoy our lunch at home on the Minipawss Farm because it was a bit windy and cold at Madison Falls. Back home, it was warm and sunny. We enjoyed all our pastries. (Yes, plural). Vegetarian scone, ham and cheese scone and marionberry scone topped with whipped cream. Ooooooo.I laughed, "it took more time to eat all the good food than to take the walk to the waterfall." Altogether a great Tuesday morning.