Home Hunting and Ferry Rides

Our home on Capitol Hill boasts hardwood floors, great neighbors, and an amazing view. Sadly, it has only one bedroom and seems to have shrunk since we got a baby swing, a dresser for all of Lily's clothes, a basket of toys, a basket of board books, and all the other things a baby "needs" in life. So, in another year or two we'll have to move out of our nest on the hill and look for room to expand. Perhaps a place with a yard that a dog could run around in? Or maybe a place big enough to keep a horse and/or pony out back? Definitely a place that will accommodate a sibling for Lily a few years from now. The prices in Seattle might be starting to slow in their race upward, but they will most likely still be too high for us to find what we want in our price range. We've looked at Ballard and over in West Seattle. They're both fantastic areas, and we might end up in one of them, but we want to explore all our options. Hence the ferry ride!
A few weeks ago, Lily went on not just her first public bus ride, but also her first ferry ride. Bainbridge Island was the destination of the day. First stop: coffee! There is this fantastic little cafe right in the middle of the main street of downtown that has the greatest coffee and wonderful pastries and soup. After filling up, we headed out to check out the area and look at the signs in the real estate office windows. Pluses: great community feel, easy access to Seattle, plenty of green forested areas for exploring, good schools, plenty of work possibilities for Andy & Justin's new business,... Negatives: still a little pricey for a house + a few acres, but maybe if we found a place that butted up against some state owned green belt acreage... At any rate, it was a very fun day out of the house. We probably walked a little more than my post pregnancy body was ready for at that time, but I recovered and had such a good time that it was definitely worth it. Maybe we'll end up there in the future. Until then, we'll simply enjoy our perch above downtown.