Impressions from Leavenworth

The Wenatchee River flows through it and the surrounding mountains are beautiful.

The town has been made over in a "Bavarian" theme.  There is no historical background for this other than the setting and the desire of the townspeople to make it attractive to tourists.  The town has an Oktoberfest and Christmas lighting festivals each year.  There are wineries and fruit orchards in the surrounding area as well as a ski hill, the mountains, and the river.

Full Disclosure:  The two people in the photograph should have been there but they weren't.  This being Oktoberfest, there was a parade and they were at the head of it.  I've photoshopped them on top of the background.

And this is the real parade.  One of the more important participants was the beer wagon.

Sunset in Fauntleroy

It was the most sensational sunset I've seen yet in West Seattle....

Impressions from Poulsbo

A nice harbor

A main street that reflects (somewhat) a Scandinavian heritage.  Norwegian was largely spoken until WWII.  The town name was meant to be Paulsbo, but it was mistaken for Poulsbo on the handwritten post office request and has remained that since.

An artsy craftsy feeling.  In the case of this take on American Gothic, a quirky one at that.

Impressions from the San Juan Islands

Rush hour

Busy downtown shoppers

Limited downtown parking

Public transport

It Rains, It Snows

A neighbor told me that in Seattle it is like someone throws a switch in October.  It starts to rain.  And of course at higher elevations it starts to snow.  This week it started to rain and I noticed new snow on "The Brothers", a pair of mountain peaks visible out the back of the house.  A glacier is visible year round.  Snow was predicted last night at elevations above 5000', and the taller peak stands 6,842 feet (2,085 m). 

The Brothers were named by George Davidson, the same surveyor who named Fauntleroy, in 1853.  George married Ellinor Fauntleroy, and the mountains were named in honor of her two brothers.

The weather forecast this time of year is pretty simple:  If it is not raining, it soon will be.

Dahlias

I haven't posted a collage of flowers for a while so here you go.... There is a bumble bee near one of them if you look closely.  It was a cloudy but still day today - perfect for photographing flowers in in Tacoma at Point Defiance Park.

Closed for Season

There is no lifeguard on Lake Washington.

It is too cold.

Although it would have been too cold in August.

Without a wetsuit.

But with a wetsuit you could easily swim now.

So, why no lifeguard?



The Underground at Pioneer Square

Yesterday was nice and warm but today for the first time it is beginnig to feel like fall.  The totem pole in the photo stands in Pioneer Square in Seattle.  At the square you can take a tour that tells something of the local history and among other things how the ground floors of the buildings here got to be the basements and why there were so many seamstresses in early Seattle.  It was fun and educational.

Gerona, Spain

These are views from Gerona, a very nice town located not too far from France in Catalunya that has well preserved sections from Roman, Moorish, and medevial times.  I wish we had another day to spend there....

Constancia

I am a sucker for boats and rarely pass up the opporunity to photograph one that I think has character.  This is "Constancia" moored in Barcelona harbor.

Festivals in Barcelona

Today there was a festival at the cathedral in Barcelona.  A statue of the Virgin Mary, patron of Barcelona, is carried to the cathedral.  I am not sure of the details, but another festival includes carrying giant statues and heads.

More Street Performers in Lisbon

I like photographing street performers because firstly they don't mind being photographed - in fact they like it - and secondly they don't get to look at the photograph later and I don't get feedback that it isn't flattering.

Palacio National da Pena in Sintra

It is a long walk to the top of the mountain from town.... much easier to take the bus.

Views of Lisbon

My first impressions of Lisbon weren't that good but it has grown on me.  So far I wouldn't say the food has grabbed me yet though.

Lisbon Street Performer

We saw this guy "floating in air" who was pretty good and a fool blowing bubbles who was trying to take from the tourists.  How does he float in air?  My guess is that some sort of suspension apparatus extends from the cane through his coat sleeve and down his pants somehow.  Pretty good though as he seemed to have most people amazed.  He allowed people to wave their arms under his feet to show there was nothing down there.

Arrived in Lisbon Today

Maybe I'll find an interesting picture or two....

The Sculpture Park

A tree buds.  Taken in the Seattle sculpture park a while back.

It was a foggy day on Mt. St. Helens

This was taken a while back.  I am pretty sure there are rules against posting too many cute chipmunk pictures so I try to space them out a bit.

Seattle Sunset

We've been having nice sunsets lately.

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.