All Things X, Y, and Z!

It is my final Pacific Northwest ABC summer list of ideas! School starts on Tuesday, so I just made it before summer break ended. ;)

X, Y, & Z Places/Activities in the Pac NW:
* study eXplorers like Lewis and Clark
* Yakima Sportsman Recreation Area (Yakima, WA)
* Mary S. Young State Recreation Area (West Linn, OR)
* Young's River Falls (south of Astoria, OR)
* Youth Outdoor Day (you'll have to search for what day this is held in your state)
* Y restaurants
* zoo (Portland, Tacoma & Seattle each have one)
* Zig Zag Mountain (Mt. Hood area; best in August & September)

Other X, Y, & Z things we'll be doing:
* do something X-tra special for someone
* be your best
* remember zero as meaning there is nothing you can't figure out

The original X is for..., Y is for..., and Z is for... lists include places to go, things to do, foods to eat, Bible verses, and photos from my oldest's ABC photography summer. The pics from my daughter's ABC photography can be seen here.

Thank you for sticking with me this summer! Next year my youngest will be having an ABC photography summer that we're already planning. Please continue to share this blog with your friends. I'm sure I'll find some other randomly overplanned things to post about soon. For now, if you haven't read how all this ABC summer craziness began, read it! Happy new school year to everyone!

All Things W

This will be the last post of a lone letter (X, Y, and Z get to share a post). Wishing summer would last forever, but... it won't.

W Places/Activities in the Pac NW:
* Waffle Window (Portland)
* Wahclella Falls (on the gorge near the Bonneville Dam)
* Wallace Falls State Park (NE of Seattle)
* Washington Square Mall (arguably one of the best malls in the area)
* Washougal River (countless areas to swim, tube, and play)
* Watchman Peak Trail (Crater Lake)
* Waterfront Park (Vancouver)
* Water Resource Education Center (Vancouver)
* Water Works Park (Vancouver)
* Weather Machine Sculpture (Pioneer Courthouse Square - weather is predicted here every day at noon)
* Westmoreland Park Nature Play Area (Portland)
* Whatcom Falls (Bellingham, WA)
* Whitaker Ponds Nature Park (Portland)
* White Pass Scenic Byway (Hwy 12 through the Cascade Mountains, WA)
* Wildflour Cafe (Washougal)
* Wildlife Safari (Winston, OR)
* Wildwood Recreation Site (Mt. Hood; best in August & September)
* Wild Waves Theme Park (Federal Way, WA)
* Willamette Mission State Park (Portland)
* Willamette National Forest (central Cascades, OR)
* Wings & Waves Waterpark (McMinnville, OR)
* Wintler Community Park (Vancouver)
* Woodburn Elementary playground (Camas)
* Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle)
* World Forestry Center (Portland)
* Wunderland Cinema & Nickel Arcade (Portland)
* other W restaurants 

Other W things we'll be doing:
* watching out for others
* wandering

The original W is for... list includes places to go, things to do, foods to eat, Bible verses, and pics from my oldest's ABC photography summer. My daughter's photos can be viewed here.

The whole point of this blog is to give other parents fun ideas, so please pass this on to others! And encourage them to read the origin story of our ABC summers.

All Things U & V

It's a combo post! Not many items for these letters...

U & V Places/Activities in the Pac NW:
* Umpqua ice cream (made in Portland)
* Umpqua River Scenic Byway (south of Eugene, OR)
* go underground (either on the Max train to the Children's Museum, which is the deepest transit station in North America OR on the underground tour below Pioneer Square in Seattle)
* Urban Adventure Quest: Portland (a three hour Amazing Race-type scavenger hunt)
* Urban Farmer restaurant (Portland)
* Valley of the Rogue (Rogue River near Medford, OR)
* Vancouver (WA or BC)
* Vaux's Swifts return to Chapman School chimney (Google it... looks unbelievable... hundreds of birds swoop back down into this chimney every evening in September)
* Vista Balloon Adventure (hot air balloon rides in Newberg, OR)
* Volcanic Legacy Scenic Highway (from OR into CA)
* Voodoo Doughnuts (Portland)
* other V restaurants 

Other U & V things we'll be doing:
* use kind words
* play UNO
* volunteer somewhere

The original U is for... and V is for... lists include places to go, things to do, foods to eat, Bible verses, and photos from our oldest's ABC photography summer. The pics from our daughter's ABC photography summer can be viewed here.

As always, please feel free to share this blog. I love sharing the beginnings of our ABC summer adventures.

All Things T

Today's letter is T! :)

T Places/Activities in the Pac NW:

* Tacoma Museum of Glass 

* Thinker Toys (Portland)

* Three Sisters Loop (central OR)

* Tillamook Dairy (cheese and ice cream factory - Tillamook, OR)

* Timberline Lodge (Mt. Hood; year-round skiing/snowboarding)

* Timothy Lake (Mt. Hood)

* Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Portland)

* Trillium Creek Park (North Clackamas, OR)

* Trillium Lake (SW of Mt. Hood)

* Tualatin Hills Nature Park (Beaverton)

* Twin Falls (Northern Cascades, WA)

* Tyron Creek (Portland)

* other T restaurants

Other T things we'll be doing:

* Tasty BINGO (make your own cards) with Scrabble Jr. Cheez-Its for markers

* tell loved ones how you feel

* tree trunk art ("paint" the trunks/branches with wet sidewalk chalk)

The original T is for... list includes places to go, things to do, foods to eat, Bible verses, and pics from my oldest's ABC photography summer. Photos from my daughter's ABC photography can be seen here. 

This blog is for sharing, so share away! And it will all make more sense if you read about the beginnings of my ABC summer adventures.

All Things S

Tonight I am pounding out the rest of this alphabet! I'll save you the despair and post them on different days so you're not overwhelmed with these last eight letters...

S Places/Activities in the Pac NW:
* Salem (check out the state capitol or Hallie Ford Museum of Art)
* Salt & Straw (voted 2nd best ice cream in the country by the Food Network)
* Sandy Swimming Hole (Washougal)
* San Juan Islands (WA)
* Saturday Market (Portland - everything is made locally)
* Sauvie Island (Portland - pick your own berries or peaches)
* Seattle (Space Needle, Seattle Center, Mariners game, or the Seattle Art Museum)
* Second Beach (Olympic National Park)
* Sellwood Park (Portland)
* Shevlin Park (Southern Cascades, OR)
* Shi Shi Beach (Olympic National Park)
* Silver Falls State Park (SE of Salem)
* Siouxon Creek (Mount St. Helen's area; best in June)
* Sky Lakes Wilderness (Southern Cascades, OR)
* Slappy Cakes (make-it-yourself pancake place in Portland)
* Smith Rock State Park (Terrebonne, OR)
* Snoqualmie Falls (east of Seattle... the falls on Twin Peaks!)
* Son Rise Ranch (where my daughter takes riding lessons; they offer great day camps in the summer)
* Spokane (Manito Park and Riverfront Park)
* Spring Basin Wilderness Trail (near the John Day River, OR)
* Spring Garden Park (Portland)
* Sun Lakes State Park (Coulee City, WA)
* Sunriver, OR
* Swift Skate Park (Vancouver)
* other S restaurants

Other S things we'll be doing:
* SMILE at everyone
* send notes or surprises to friends

The original S is for... list includes places to go, things to do, foods to eat, Bible verses, and photos from my oldest's ABC photography summer. Pics from my daughter's ABC photography summer can be viewed here.

Feel free to share this blog with others! The origin story of my ABC summer adventures are a must read. ;)

All Things Q & R

Since I only have a handful of Q ideas, I am combining them with R ideas!

Q & R Places/Activities in the Pac NW:
* Queens River Loop (Sawtooth Wilderness in ID... yes, I really had to reach!)
* QFC (Seriously... it's the nicest grocery store chain out here. Take the kids and get some lunch)
* Quimby tour... Walk the Portland neighborhood in which Beverly Cleary lived and find the statue of Ramona Quimby in Grant Park
* Rattlesnake Ledge Trail (Snoqualmie, WA)
* Reed Lake (north side of Reed College, Portland)
* rivers (take your pick)
* Roaring River Wilderness (Clackamas River... best in Aug. & Sept.)
* Rocky Butte (park in Portland with ancient walls)
* Rocky Reach Dam (Wenatchee, WA)
* Roger Tilbury Memorial Park (Portland)
* Romona Falls (Mt. Hood)
* Rose Test Gardens (Portland)
* Ruby Jewel Scoops (ice cream in Portland)
* other R restaurants

Other Q & R things we'll be doing:
* quit a bad habit (B still sucks his thumb if he wakes up in the middle of the night... I still lose my temper when I don't want to... We all have something we need to work on quitting)
* respect everyone

The original Q is for... and R is for... lists include places to go, things to do, foods to eat, Bible verses, and photos from my oldest's ABC photography summer. The pics from my daughter's ABC photography summer can be seen here.

Summer is nearing its end, but it's never too early to plan for next year! So, go ahead and share away with this blog. If it makes no sense to you, check out how this whole ABC summer thing started.

All Things P

Figured I'd better blog on our last B day of this ABC summer!

P Places/Activities in the Pac NW:
* Pacific Park Extreme Sports Park (Vancouver)
* Painted Hills (Mitchell, OR)
* Palouse Falls (Eastern WA)
* Paradise Nature Trails (Mt. Rainier National Park)
* Peninsula Park (Portland)
* Pike Place Market (Seattle)
* Pill Hill (OHSU at the top of the aerial tram)
* Pioneer Courthouse Square (Portland)
* Pioneer Park (one in Beaverton & one in Clackamas)
* Pittock Mansion (one of the best views around Portland)
* planetarium
* Playdate PDX (three stories of indoor playground in Portland - free at 6:30 on Fridays)
* Point Defiance Park (Tacoma)
* Point of Arches Trail (Olympic Peninsula)
* Pok Pok (Thai restaurant in Portland)
* Powell Butte Nature Park (Portland)
* Powell's City of Books (best book store EVER... Portland)
* Port Townsend, WA
* Prune Hill Elementary playground (Camas)
* Puffin Cafe at Port of Camas/Washougal
* Punchbowl Falls (Eagle Creek on the Columbia River Gorge)
* Other P restaurants

Other P things we'll be doing:
* picnics
* plant something pretty
* practice instruments
* make pudding pops

The original P is for... list includes places to go, things to do, foods to eat, Bible verses, and photos from my oldest's ABC photography summer. Pics from my daughter's ABC photography summer can be seen here.

Don't forget to share my blog with friends and encourage them to read about how my ABC summer adventures began! Only nine more letters to post. :)

All Things O

With a turn of the calendar, we are one month away from school starting out here! Still so much to do...

O Places/Activities in the Pac NW:
* Oak Island Nature Trail (Portland)
* Oak Park (Camas)
* Oaks Amusement Park (Portland)
* Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge (Portland)
* Odell Lake Overlook (Crescent, OR)
* Old Spaghetti Factory
* Old Town Pizza (Portland - supposedly haunted)
* Olympia (WA's state capitol)
* Olympia National Park
* OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry in Portland - also has the Omnimax theater)
* Oregon Badlands Wilderness Area (east of Bend)
* Oregon Caves National Monument (SW OR)
* Oregon Coast (so many awesome beaches along it)
* Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (Central OR coast)
* Oregon Historical Society (Portland)
* Oregon Symphony Neighborhood Concerts (they're FREE)
* Oregon Trail Museum (the end of the trail - Oregon City)
* Oregon Trail wagon ruts (13 miles of historic wagon ruts half-mile west of the National Historic Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City, OR)
* Oregon Zoo (Portland)
* Oswald West State Park (south of Cannon Beach, OR - best on a clear day)
* Outdoor Adventure (at the Portland Children's Museum)
* Oyster Dome Trail (Bellingham, WA)
* Ozette Triangle (Olympic Peninsula)
* Other O restaurants

Other O things we'll be doing:
* offer to help someone
* have an opposite day
* play Oregon Trail (the old game... the new app game is just not the same)

The original O is for... list includes things to do, places to go, foods to eat, Bible verses, and photos from my oldest's ABC photography summer. The pictures from my daughter's ABC photography can be seen here.

As always, please feel free to share my blog with others. Don't forget to read about how my ABC summer adventures began.