2025 in Review — The Towering Travelers

2025 was a rough year in so many ways, but in between our two big trips, nature was what grounded us and brought us joy this year. You’ll notice that we’re getting more and more into birds (hey, birds are cool), but you’ll also find a collection of beautiful plants, mammals, and sea creatures below. We’re constantly grateful to live in this amazing place with all of its beauty and biodiversity.

In April, we went with some friends to stay at a beach house and attend the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival. Between the fun birds, walks along the beach, and spending time with friends, it was an wonderful weekend.

A bird with a bit of food in its long beak flying low over the water. — A marbled godwit in flight (photo/Jason Rafal)

Another marbled godwit; you can see the absolutely crazy beak (photo/Jason Rafal)

Seven birds flying low over the seashore. — Marbled godwits in flight (photo/Jason Rafal)

A bald eagle sitting on a tree stump and looking toward the camera. — This bald eagle was completely unconcerned as we walked by on the beach (photo/Jason Rafal)

We also spent time birding and looking for other animals closer to home over the summer. Discovery Park is always a favorite animal scouting location, and we found a new wetlands in the city.

A very smiley seal balancing on a very small rock (photo/Jason Rafal)

A long, brown bird walking through tall grass. — The elusive Virginia Rail, which I never expect to spot again (photo/Jason Rafal)

An adorable and very upset baby bird (photo/Jason Rafal)

A collection of ducklings sits on the ground, one eyeing the camera. — Duckling pile (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two birds flying in the sky. — Ospreys soaring overhead (photo/Jason Rafal)

For Memorial Day weekend, we went out to the Olympic Peninsula, where we spent some time exploring the northwest areas of the park. It’s an amazing place with so much diversity, and we also stopped by a cafe with a lot of fun animals.

An emu looking past the camera. — A very pretty emu (photo/Jason Rafal)

I love their hairstyles (photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole petting an orange cat. — Petting a (polydactyl!) orange boy (photo/Jason Rafal)

Sea creatures in the tidepools (photo/Jason Rafal)

A large, cascading waterfall in the woods. — The dramatic and gorgeous Sol Duc falls (photo/Jason Rafal)

Looking the other way over Sol Duc falls (photo/Jason Rafal)

A light purple starfish partly under the water. — A sea star with tendrils holding onto a rock (photo/Jason Rafal)

This bright purple sea star was amazing (photo/Jason Rafal)

An orange starfish partially hanging off a rock, surrounded by purple starfish. — An orange one breaking away slowly (photo/Jason Rafal)

In June, we went to the peninsula again, this time to board a birdwatching boat from Port Townsend to see tufted puffins, which we recently found out summer in the Puget Sound.

Two small seabirds flying low over the ocean. — Rhinoceros auklets flying over the water (photo/Jason Rafal)

Puffins are exceptionally silly and adorable birds (photo/Jason Rafal)

A puffin taking off from the water with its legs running beneath it. — Running out of the water and into the air (photo/Jason Rafal)

A flock of seabirds hanging out on a small beach with a concrete structure. — A lot of pelagic cormorants hanging out on Minor Island (photo/Jason Rafal)

Pelagic cormorants above, sea lions below (photo/Jason Rafal)

For the 4th of July weekend, we went camping in the North Cascades, where we haven’t spent that much time yet. It was a beautiful weekend, and we enjoyed all the amazing lakes and mountains.

Looking across a lake at a mountain face with some snow. — A beautiful day at Blue Lake (photo/Jason Rafal)

Looking out over a mountainous forest at a mountain peak. — Mountain backdrop on the way to the lake (photo/Jason Rafal)

Insanely green water from the Diablo Lake overlook (photo/Jason Rafal)

A very upset killdeer (photo/Jason Rafal)

A northern harrier going after some sort of small creature (photo/Jason Rafal)

An adorable little bushtit (photo/Jason Rafal)

A very skeptical and equally cute bushtit (photo'/Jason Rafal)

A waterbird with a rounded brown and white crown. — A handsome hooded merganser (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two bald eagles soaring in a circle with a snowy mountain peak in the background. — An iconic visual combination of two bald eagles and Mt. Rainier (photo/Jason Rafal)

We spent a lot of time at the Ballard Locks, watching the birds, animals, and boats.

A crowd watching a band play on a grassy clearing. — One of the free concerts at the Locks (photo/Jason Rafal)

A beautiful day at the locks (photo/Jason Rafal)

Two harbor seals playing in the bubbles from the water flow (photo/Jason Rafal)

Looking up at a great blue heron in leafy tree branches. — A blue heron peering down at us from its nest (photo/Jason Rafal)

A heron sitting on a nest with its wings spread open. — I have no idea what this blue heron was doing, but it was an interesting pose (photo/Jason Rafal)

A blue heron with a tiny snack (photo/Jason Rafal)

A seal eating a salmon. — A seal eating part of a salmon as a seagull attempts to grab some for itself (photo/Jason Rafal)

A seagull eating a salmon in the water. — Some success on the seagull’s side (photo/Jason Rafal)

A seal holding a salmon up out of the water. — Happy seal (photo/Jason Rafal)

Some seal competition coming for the fish (photo/Jason Rafal)

A large school of tiny silver fish. — So many tiny tiny fish (photo/Jason Rafal

We spent a long weekend in July in Astoria visiting family, and we spent an afternoon in Cannon Beach walking the beach and watching the pelicans.

Three pelicans in the water. — Pelicans in the water (photo/Jason Rafal)

Three pelicans flying low over the water with a large rock and some people in the background. — Typical Cannon Beach features (photo/Jason Rafal)

Four pelicans in the water. — Lots of pelicans…bathing? (photo/Jason Rafal)

So many common murres on a rock (photo/Jason Rafal

A yellow building against a bright blue sky. — A photogenic building on a bluebird day (photo/Jason Rafal)

A young deer on a house's lawn looking at the camera. — An adorable buck on someone’s front lawn (photo/Jason Rafal)

Looking down into a cove of turquoise water. — Looking down into Deadman’s Cove in Cape Disappointment state park (photo/Jason Rafal)

A small black and white lighthouse on a cliff. — The Cape Disappointment lighthouse (photo/Jason Rafal)

A fluffy cat looking out of a box. — Caprica at her 18th birthday party in July (photo/Jason Rafal)

In August we went to San Francisco to see our friend Bella while she was in the states. It was really nice to play tourist for a long weekend and spend some time with friends.