When I was 16, my family moved out to Ellensburg to get us a good solid farm education. I was a bit reluctant at first, to leave all of my friends for what I was sure was more of a redneck education.

"Do they all talk with accents out there?" a friend asked.
Well, ya, sort of.

Anyhow, I grew to love it, and so did the rest of my family. It was the first house in my life that I have ever spent multiple holidays at. I grew to love the wide open spaces and the great sky of stars. I grew to love the hills, and the snow, and the hot summers (hey, we actually get seasons out there!). I enjoyed small town rural life. I even grew to love the awesomeness that is the Ellensburg Rodeo! And of course, who couldn't love a culture of cowboys and hippies? (it's a college town too, ya know). But at 18 I had to promptly move away to try my hand at a southern life. I still love coming home to visit, and wish I could have gotten out there more often.

But my parents were essentially living their whole lives in Seattle. Working, attending church, and going to school and club functions, they made the hour and a half commute over the pass, back and forth, for far too many years. So....they finally moved back over here last week (to Maple Valley). So we all spent one last weekend there as a family. I took a few pictures of some of the things and places I love.

(as a side note, the photos were taken using a film technique--I didn't make them look weird in photoshop!)