One of the first places Brian took me in Washington when I joined him in late April for a whirlwind weekend of temporary housing hunting was Picnic Point Park in Edmonds.

This pretty park has beautiful beach access to the Puget Sound, stunning views of the Olympic Mountains and the added ambiance of trains chugging along the water-side tracks.

That first visit stands out in my memory because as I stood there taking in the view, breathing in the crisp air and thinking about what we had in store, I actually remarked out loud, “I think I’m going to like it here.”

That was many months ago, but it’s funny how things work out.

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind– we moved into our new house, hosted my inlaws for two weeks, overcame end of summer colds and met up with two separate friends who were in town. I also started my new job and learned to navigate the bus system and South Lake Union.

Amid all the chaos, I realized that Picnic Point Park is only a short drive from our new home and the perfect place to take friends and family for their first impressive view of the mountains and water.

We did just that with my inlaws. The park was beautiful for our morning visit– the Sound was full of fishing boats, we spotted jellyfish and crabs (both living and dead), several trains rolled by and the low tide left the beach strewn with sea glass.

I can’t wait to stop back in the early mornings with my coffee or for a late picnic to watch the sunset over the Sound. It’s wonderful to have such incredible views such a short distance from home.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend visit: