Sharon Gillenwater

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.