August 27, 2011 - Sunset Seawall Seagulls

Seagulls at sunset at the Edmonds Marina.  Beyond is the outline of Whidbey Island and then the Olympic mountains.

August 25, 2011 - Fifty Cent Priceless View

At Kerry Park one can spend fifty cents for a view through this telescope, but I don't know that I have ever seen anyone use it!

The Seattle skyline at dusk as viewed from Queen Anne's Kerry Park. 

August 17, 2011 - Above Higher Ed

A Kenmore Air de Havilland Beaver floatplane wings its way North after taking off from Lake Union just north of downtown Seattle.  In the background are buildings from the University of Washington campus, including those surrounding Red Square - Suzallo Library, Kane Hall, Meany Hall and Odegaard Undergraduate Library.  Beyond that....the Cascade Mountains.

Kenmore Air has been serving the Puget Sound region since 1946.  They operate a fleet of airplanes - both float and wheeled - that provide air service to the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula.

Thank you for sharing your viewpoint, Barry!

August 13, 2011 - Tie Dye Full Moon

Children armed with glow-in-the-dark sticks play at a campground under a full moon in central Washington.

August 13, 2011 - Moonrise

The full moon rises, as seen from the Sun Lakes State Park just a mile south of Dry Falls in central Washington. Dry Falls is a 3 1/2 mile wide cliff just out of frame to the left of the top photo. It is believed to be the greatest known waterfall to have existed. According to geological models, at the end of the last ice age, catastrophic flooding sent huge amounts of water over the 400 foot high cliffs. It is theorized that the release of water originated from glaciers damming the Columbia River.  The resulting ice dam was so big that most of western Montana was underwater. When the ice dam broke it sent water surging through centeral Washington. The volume of water is believed to have been ten times the current flow of all of the rivers in the world combined.  This process was repeated dozens of times during the last ice age.  As the glaciers receded the flow of the Columbia river (just 20 miles west of here) returned to normal and dry falls was left...dry. 

July 22, 2011 - Coral and Lava in Profile

Stacked coral and lava make for a unique formation at sunset along Ali'i Drive south of Kailua-Kona on the west coast of the island of Hawaii.

July 25, 2011 - Sailing & Paddling Into The Sunset

A double canoe sails into the sunset off of the town of Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii.  The distinctive shape of the sail finds its origins in the sailing vessels that first brought the Polynesians from the South Pacific across thousands of miles of ocean.  The double canoe evolved from an ocean going sailing vessel to this design, in which the primary propulsion is by paddle.  This design was used for inter-island and coastal travel by Hawaiians for centuries. 

July 22, 2011 - Not Done Yet

Boogie boarders at La'aloa Beach, south of Kailua-Kona on Hawaii, continue to ride the waves even after the sun has gone down.

La'aloa Beach - "Very Sacred" in Hawaiian - is also known as Magic Sands, White Sands or Disappearing Sands.  The sand on the small beach can disappear in the span of a day when serious surf conditions are present, but returns slowly once things have calmed down.

July 18, 2011 - Naupaka Nani

A Naupaka shrub has somehow taken root among the white coral and black lava on this stretch of the Kohala coast of Hawaii near Kikaua Beach.  The shrub is common to both coastal and mountain areas of the islands of Hawaii.  The Naupaka blooms in small, white half flowers, each appearing to be missing half their petals.  There are different legends behind the origins of this half flower, each with a similar theme of separated lovers.  In one version a Hawaiian princess, Naupaka, found herself in love with a commoner, Kaui.  They were prohibited from marrying and in the end they separate - one to live in the mountains, and one to live by the sea.  When they separate, Naupaka tore a flower in two, gave half to her love and went to the sea with the other half.  The flowers of the Naupaka shrubs in the mountains appear to be missing the lower petals while the flowers of the shrubs by the sea appear to be missing petals from the top.  The legend has it that when the two flowers are reunited, the lovers will be together again.  The ocean, the coral, the lava, the plant, the flowers, the legend are each and all nani - beautiful.