Bridal Veil Falls

I wonder how many waterfalls there are in North America named Bridal Veil?  There must be quite a few.  This one is fed by Lake Serene in the Cascade Mountains.

Salmon Hatcheries

These fish have made it to the Wallace River Hatchery in Washington State.  75% of the salmon caught in the Puget Sound, and 90% of those caught in the Columbia River originated in hatcheries.

The Bubble Gum Wall

If you were to visit us in Seattle, we could take you to interesting places such as the Bubble Gum Wall where tourists display what they have been chewing and take photographs of each other.

Office

This is the remodeling project I've been working on.  A fish stuck to the ceiling would have this view.  Pretty good work even if I do say so myself.  I am going to have to wait a while before I tile again though.  I need to forget what it is like to scrape up linoleum and then lay down tile on my knees.  I like my Ikea "Billy" bookcases.

Baring Mountain and Barclay Lake

Yesterday was a nice day for a walk and we hiked to Barclay Lake which nestles between Baring Mountain shown here and Merchant Peak off picture to the right.  The elevation is 2420 feet.  Note snow higher up to the left on Baring Mountain.

It is a beautiful walk and the trail is kid friendly with nice camping spots along the lake.  Because of the relatively short distance (2 miles) and the gentle trail it would be a good first walk in camping trip for families and beginners.

Vashon Ferry

The internet has been out here at the house so no chance to update.  Also, I've been doing home remodeling so limited time to get out and photograph but here is a photo from the back porch I took one evening of the Vashon Ferry.  Low light, hand held with a telephoto lens, and enlargement means jitter and lots of noise.  I don't do many abstract photos but thought this one was interesting.  

Fishing for Pinks

The pinks are coming! The pinks are coming!  The pink salmon that is.  These fishermen are at Lincoln Park.  The pink run occurs on odd years, and this being 2011, they are here.  It is supposed to be a good year but I saw more fishing than catching when I was down there watching.

An Angry Mountain

Mount St. Helens did incredible damage when it erupted in 1980 and 30+ years later that damage is still very evident.  When the north side of the mountain blew away, the mountain lost 1000 feet of height.  Note the snowfield of the glacier forming in the crater and the glaciers that still surround the mountain. 

In this photo the volcano pokes through the clouds and towers above the lava, rock, and mud flows below.    It is now quiescent but will undoubtably erupt again in future.  At least we got off the mountain without incident.

The remains of a tree blown away by Mount St. Helens surrounded by wildflowers.

Spirit Lake

A view of Spirit Lake in background with wild flowers in the foreground on the climb up to Windy Ridge near Mt St. Helens.  It deserves the name, it was windy.

A panorama from the top of Windy Ridge.  Mt St. Helens is at the far left in background and Spirit Lake is in the foreground.  On the far right, the grey area in the lake is a log jam from trees brought down by the eruption in 1980.  The barren areas in the phtograph were forested before the eruption and are slowly recovering.  Notice how the backside of the hills and ridges were spared some of the damage that occured on the side facing the volcano.

Mt St. Helens Waterfalls

This is Big Creek Falls on the south side of the mountain.  The rivers and creeks are fed from glaciers on Mount St. Helens.

Falls on the Lower Lewis River

North Head Light

The North Head Lighthouse, built in 1898, marks the north side of the Columbia River in Washington.

There are two buildings on the North Head where the head lighthouse keeper, his two assistants and their families lived.   They are now available for rental.

Olympic National Park

I haven't posted any wildlife pictures in a while so here are some Pacifc Blacktailed Deer (ususally classified as a subspecies of mule deer).  The photos were taken in Olympic National Park at Hurricane Ridge and the deer are really tame there.  The meadows here have a "Sound of Music" feel to them, minus Julie Andrews and the von Trapp children of course.

The Farmer's Market

It has been rainy, but we got out yesterday and went to two Sunday markets.  There was a quirky band playing at both.  Above is Clallam County playing at the West Seattle Farmer's Market.

The Hoot Hoots were playing over in Ballard, which is the larger market.  Prices are about the same as the grocery store but presumably fresher and you are buying more direct.  Fresh flower arrangements are a bargain.  By the way, you can buy a CD from either the Hoot Hoots or Clallam County for $5.

One Man Band

A street performer at the West Seattle Summerfest

Mt Rainier

Mt Rainier is clearly visible from Seattle on a good day.  Here it is peeking through clouds, as seen from the Vashon Ferry across Fauntleroy Bay.

Beautiful Weather

The weather has been great lately, I've had to get out and water to keep flowers in pots alive.  This shot is of Seattle as seen from West Seattle.

Road Trip

David and I drove from Houston to Seattle last week in 4 days.  Despite passing incredible scenery, I didn't come up with much more than snapshots.  Here are two of the best: the Tetons from near Jackson, Wyoming and Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.  I did see more antelope than I've ever seen before (but no worthwhile photos).

The West Point Lighthouse, located in Discovery Park, Seattle, began operation in November 1881.  Standing 23 feet high, it was the first manned lighthouse on Puget Sound and cost $25,000 to build.  In 1985, after over 100 years of operation,it was the last light to be automated in Washington State.  The original light was replaced with a modern beacon in 2004.

Another shot of the lighthouse with the old Coast Guard Quarters in the foreground.

Ima.Bee

Now you may be familiar with Ceanothus, the bloom of which is pictured above, but I wasn't.  This particular species is native to Northern California and is growing in my back garden.  It attracts bees like crazy so I was out trying to get a photo the other day.  It isn't easy.  How do bees fly anyway?  The physics are crazy.  This little bee has her wings going so fast you can't even hardly see the blur.  I put out a bird feeder yesterday and I'm starting to see a few birds I'm not familiar with also.  I am going to have to try to photograph them.

Lincoln Park Beach

A picture of the beach today - I like this piece of driftwood.

Rainier

Rainier is a most imposing mountain and my picture doesn't do it justice.  Like Fuji, it is an active volcano that stands apart, especially when seen from it's "good" side.  Here, from the south, it doesn't seem to rise as quickly and as high above the others as it appears to do from the north.  Still, it is a very impressive sight.

Vashon Ferry

The ferry seems to have kept running OK in my absence.

Old Man and a Yellow Boat

This old guy was resting on his boat in the park next to the ferry terminal where I like to take my walks.  I sat down and took a picture of him and waited for a good shot of the ferry.  After a while he walked up to where I was sitting, sat down, and spoke.

Him:  Hi
Me:  Hello, how are you doing?
Him:  OK.  I'm tired.
Me:  Have you been working on the boat?
Him:  Yeah.  Somebody stole the mast.  It was wooden and wasn't attached very well.  He probably did me a favor.  I've got a metal one now.

Silence.

Him:  The snow is low down on the mountains for June.
Me:  Yes, it has been a cool spring.

That was the end of our conversation.  After a minute he got up and walked away.  I wish I would have asked him where he was going to sail the boat when he was finished.  He didn't seem to be in that great of health.

By the way, this is my 1000th blog post.  I posted my first on February 24th, 2004.

West Seattle 5k

The clouds parted and the sun burst out just as the race started.  I went into a coffee shop to enjoy a biscotti and latte while waiting for Teresa and the rest to return.

I'm a Grandfather

... that's the reason I didn't post anything last week.  I was busy.

Japanese Gardens in Seattle

A view of the Japanese Garden at the Seattle Arboretum.  The late cherry trees are still blooming but the rhododendrons are still coming into full bloom.

Another view of the garden with a Japanese Lantern in the pond.

And finally, a view of the Japanese Lantern I placed in our front garden.

Fauntleroy Ferry

The GPS is smart enough to know we are on the ferry, but not smart enough to get the crossing times right.

Driftwood along Dungeness Spit

The spit is about 5 miles long and littered with driftwood on the strait side.  The inland side is a muddy estuary and wildlife refuge.

Dungeness, Home of the Famous Crabs

Today was wet and a bit cool but some sun broke through.  The picture was taken just up from Dungeness on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Canada can be seen across the strait from this location.  The sandy headland was named New Dungeness by George Vancouver in 1792 because of the resemblance to Dungeness in Britain.  There is a long sand spit (the longest in North America) with a lighthouse at the end just up the coast from here.  Beautiful, and well worth a visit.

Nice Weather at Last

At last, more and more days with nice weather.  This is the view of Seattle from the little park on the hill in West Seattle on California Street.