Saltwater Sounds Weekly: Highlights from Our Puget Sound Winter Boat Trip

Welcome to Saltwater Sounds, a collection of ideas, tips, and inspiration. This is where I share all that’s been happening in the world of Shiplap and Shells, what’s to come and the inspiration I have found from other bloggers around the web.

This and That…

Welcome to another week of Saltwater Sounds. I’m so happy to have you here and I hope you are spending some time relaxing and enjoying all that the holiday season has to offer.

We just came back from a 10-day trip on our boat and I can’t wait to share some highlights with you today.

Most people think we’re crazy when we tell them we’re going on our boat for a week or so every December, especially when the temperature is below freezing and there is so much that needs to be done this month.

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But my husband and I started this tradition a few years ago. We take the boat out to see the magical lighted boat parades, visit friends in Seattle and Bellevue and step back to really enjoy the season.

Above is a gorgeous view of the evening sky as the sun went down. You can see the black, angry storm clouds above and the clear pink sky below coming together. We were spending the night at the Shilshole Marina just before we went into the locks.

For those of you that don’t know about the Ballard Locks, the entire process is such an amazing experience but can be stressful maneuvering the boat in such a tight space with other boats.

Our boat is docked on the Puget Sound which is saltwater and connects to the ocean. So when we want to take the boat to Lake Washington, which is fresh water, we go through the locks which raise us up to the water level of the lake.

Read more about the Ballard Locks here.

The above picture is a view of Seattle from Lake Union once we went through the locks.

There are a lot of lower bridges on our way to Lake Washington and we actually had to have the Freemont Bridge open so our boat could get through.

Here we are heading to Meydenbauer in Bellevue where we stayed for a couple of days.

When I was in high school none of those buildings existed.

One of our favorite things to do in Bellevue during the holidays is to see the Snowflake Lane parade.

They even provided artificial snow for the parade watchers.

I was fascinated by all the tall buildings around downtown Bellevue these days.

So much has changed since I grew up here.

I took these pictures from the downtown park next to Bellevue Square.

We did pop into Bellevue Square to see a few stores.

Fun fact: My first job was at the Bellevue Nordstrom. I started in 1983 as a stock person for the cosmetic department and then worked my way up to a cashier, salesperson, department manager, and junior clothing buyer.

It was such a great place to work.

I love going to Pottery Barn because we don’t have one near us.

It looked like they had some holiday merchandise on sale for 20% off.

I’m in LOVE with the black and white planters. it was a long walk back to the boat and I didn’t want to carry them that far so I’m hoping to get some online.

I love this neutral Christmas tree.

Pottery Barn also had some winter items out which was refreshing because as a blogger I’m already thinking about how I’m going to decorate after Christmas.

I’m loving every piece of bedding on that comfy bed.

Next stop…Williams Sonoma which was right next door.

It was so much busier than PB was. They had so many gift ideas.

I ended up buying hot cocoa mixes, dish towels, and some appetizer plates for friends.

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Inspiration for You

I took the last week off of blog writing to enjoy our boat trip, which I think is one of the few weeks, if any, that I’ve taken off since I started the blog 3 years ago.

With that said, I have a few posts from the past that I’m sharing here today as well as some great inspiration from bloggers out there that I enjoyed following along last week.

Tieghan with Half-Baked Harvest shares the 22 most popular holiday appetizers. She also has the best Whoville’s Spiced Up Christmas Margarita (with mocktail) recipe.

The secret to pairing wine and cheeses for a dinner party.

Dark chocolate raspberry fudge recipe.

Roasted pear winter salad with champagne vinaigrette.

How to set a table for a cozy winter dinner party.

Michele from Vintage Home Designs has my favorite New Year’s post. Check out her New Year’s tablescape with a “timely” twist.

Things to do on New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve party ideas.

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My friend Melissa at The Inspired Room shares how to make Christmas more festive, magical, and memorable (10 simple ideas).

Pink Christmas tour at the Country Peony Studio.

Last-minute gift-wrapping ideas.

How to make dried oranges.

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I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and let me know what you’d like to see on the blog! Thank you for being here.

Until next time,

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead. Happy Holidays!

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