When we moved here 12 years ago, the movers taught us about “An Edmonds Kind of Day.” I wasn’t exactly sure what he was talking about, but as we settled in and saw the bumper stickers it became clear. He talked about the weather and how it felt here, while looking up at an often rare spring blue sky and he was totally right. As my Mom Walk detoured down Main this week, my walking partner and I talked about that feeling you get heading toward the fountain just about to see the water. In that happy/relieved tone, reserved for those parenting moments where you know you have a “win,” the Edmonds native said to me, “Can you believe my kid gets to do ballet (Olympic Ballet) at the Frances Anderson Center and then walk down here (Starbucks) and get drinks with her friends?”

We are at that time when things that point to summer co-mingle with the things that start to happen on the way to fall. The Pacific Little League team is on ESPN and the Seahawks are in camp; A Taste Of Edmonds is setting up and the Fall Craze came in the mail; sunscreen is a fixture on my countertop and there are Halloween Costumes at Costco. One of my favorite events that straddles the line between sunscreen and homework is the Moonlight Beach Adventure, held this year on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. This event is a staple of summer for the dad/dudes combo at our house. Each year they head to the beach, with the flashlights and warm clothes the city suggests, to see the rangers do skits and tell stories, saddle up to the touch tanks filled by “volunteer scuba divers from the Marker Buoy Dive Club” and check out the live underwater video feed. Adventure goers can ask the divers questions, which are answered from just beyond the shore, which just never gets less cool to me. For more information on the event you can call 425-771-0227 or click HERE.

On our most recent beach trip, we ran into Ranger-Naturalist Barb Drake. She told us how she and the other rangers were working on their skits for the beach adventure. On our last trip, Barb — who we know from Ranger camps held at Frances Anderson Center — taught my kids about heat and its correlation to oxygen levels in the bucket water that was housing its temporary hermit crab friends. She also explained the importance of picking up trash and other items at the beach, telling my kids that by giving her the deteriorated plastic ball they found buried in the sand, they “saved a whale.” So I wanted to add, if you ever see a Ranger-Naturalist on a beach in Edmonds, definitely ask any questions you or your kids have.

While we are talking about great local outdoors/wildlife events, I thought it would be a good time to mention Puget Sound Bird Fest held at different locations in Edmonds, Sept. 9-11. As a bonus, this year Girl Scouts have the unique opportunity to earn their Animal Habitat badge a  Puget Sound Bird Fest. Starting at the Frances Anderson Center, Girl Scouts can pick up directions and information from a booth staffed by the Girl Scouts of Western Washington. The badge requires five steps and the free activities are available on Sept. 10 or 11. For more information, you can visit www.pugetsoundbirdfest.org.

If you have time before the Moonlight Beach Adventure, there is another really great local event happening on Saturday, Aug. 20. From 3-4 p.m. at the Lynnwood library, the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center brings several birds of prey to meet and learn about. This was another event that was a huge hit, I’m just now realizing that when I say this, it usually means my kids and their accompanying adult both like it the same amount. My husband really liked this and was impressed at the size of the birds and the presentation. The Lynnwood library is at 19200 44th Ave W., just south of the Lynnwood Pool.

— By Jennifer Marx

Jen Marx, an Edmonds Mom of two young boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time. You can find her on Twitter trying to make sense of begging kids to ” just eat the mac n cheese” @jen_marx.