Sharon Gillenwater and her husband, Gene, have recently moved to their dream home on Washington state's Olympic Peninsula. After 30 years of living in the Seattle suburbs, they've escaped to a lovely rural area between Sequim and Port Angeles with a wonderful view of the Olympic Mountains.

There are cows, horses and sheep nearby, which appeal to the heart of the girl who grew up on a West Texas ranch. The critters are also an attraction to their dog, Cinder, a eight-year-old Labrador-Kelpie mix. He also enjoys the acre-and -a -quarter of "meadow" that used to be part of a hay farm. Along with everyone else in the neighborhood, they have developed a fondness for the hundreds of cheerful yellow dandelions and pretty purple flowers mixed in with the remnants of hay. Sharon is planning to add more wildflowers next year — if opening the package and tossing the seeds into the wind works.

The only bad part of moving away from Seattle is that they are now a two-hour drive from their son, Justin, and his wife, Erin.