Tag Archives: RV photos

Farewell Seattle?

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Lake Union - Seattle, Washington

Lake Union – Seattle, Washington

Over the past couple of years, Mary and I fell in love with the Seattle area. Our youngest son, Will, was there to complete his studies at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE). We were fortunate enough to visit him several times, and always took advantage of the opportunity while in the Seattle area to squeeze in ample amounts of photoremedy.

AIE is located in the Armory Bldg in the shadow of the famous Seattle Space Needle
AIE 2015 Graduation Ceremony
Greg, Will and Mary Gilstrap at Lake Union (after graduation)

Will has now graduated and is back in Arizona and scheduled to open the doors to his new career in January.GarageDoors1jFeatured below are some of the Seattle area–photography and digital art–I’ve played around with this year.

Lake Union Area

Volunteer Park

Seattle Flowers (most are from the spectacular Volunteer Park Conservatory)

St. James Cathedral

Seattle Dining (photos from one of our favorites – Pasta Freska)

Fall City, Washington

Rural Washington

We don’t have any Seattle or Washington trips planned for the near future. I have a feeling, however, that it won’t be long before the seductive landscape, cerulean waters, unique dining, and magical fall forests call us back. And–yes–I’ll bring my camera!

Seattle Neighborhood

Seattle Neighborhood

Quail Ridge

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The last RV park featured in our summer Verde Valley (area) series is, ironically, the first place Mary and I stayed with an RV. Quail Ridge–located near Dewey, AZ–promotes itself as ‘A beautiful, friendly and clean park – always 10-20 degrees cooler than Phoenix.’

Quail Ridge RV Park – Dewey, AZ
Quail Ridge RV Park – Dewey, AZ

It is good to note we concluded Quail Ridge believes in truth in marketing. Not only was it beautiful and clean, the park operators recognized we were ‘newbies’ and spent considerable time helping us to set everything up correctly. From Quail Ridge, we could visit all of the other destinations and attractions featured in this series. It is more closely located to Prescott than the others; we made a rainy day trip there to visit the highly regarded Thumb Butte Distillery.

Downtown Prescott, AZ
Yavapai Co. Courthouse – Prescott, AZ
Thumb Butte Distillery – Prescott, AZ
Thumb Butte Distillery – Prescott, AZ
Thumb Butte Distillery – Prescott, AZ
Thumb Butte Distillery – Prescott, AZ
Thumb Butte Distillery – Prescott, AZ

Visiting area farms and farmers markets is another awesome Verde Valley day trip option for those staying at Quail Ridge and other nearby RV parks. Mary and I were particularly fond of the sweet corn.

Verde Valley, Arizona

Verde Valley, Arizona

Verde Valley, Arizona
Verde Valley, Arizona
Verde Valley, Arizona

One of our most pleasant surprises was Montezuma’s Well – featuring the well, historic ruins, springs, and beautiful walking trails. The well is often overshadowed by Montezuma’s Castle, but it is an equally breathtaking destination attraction.

Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ
Montezuma’s Well – near Camp Verde, AZ

We have lived in Arizona since 1993, yet we somehow managed to miss visiting many of the attractions and colorful locations featured in this series. I guess that proves there’s just as many reasons to going exploring (and pursuing photoremedy) near where you live as there are when on a vacation that takes you miles away from home.