May 30, 2015 - Elliot Bay

Elliott Bay is a busy place on a Saturday morning.  Ferries, freighters, kayakers, boats, sailboats, foot ferries, Shell Oil rigs and even a mermaid parade.  Above, the M/V Tacoma heads to Bainbridge Island.

Known originally as Seattle Harbor or Duwamish Bay, the US Board on Geographical Names settled on Elliott Bay in 1895.  It was named during an expedition in 1841, but with several Elliott surnames on the expedition, it isn't certain for whom it was named.

Protesters of the Shell oil rig, seen in the background, have anchored their "Solar Pioneer"off of Alki.

The British Courage, a 49,000 ton United Kingdom liquid petroleum gas freighter launched in 2006, in the process of setting their anchors.

Mermaid parade participants.

May 30, 2015 - Campus Cathedral

The 167 foot twin spires of Seattle's St. James Cathedral in the noon sun.  Edward O'Dea was the bishop of the Diocese of Nisqually in 1905 when construction began in 1905. The building is located on the downward slope of First Hill overlooking downtown Seattle. In 1923 O'Dea High School was founded.  The campus of the Fighting Irish is adjacent to the cathedral.

The bronze doors at the main entrance were sculpted by Ulrich Henn between 1997 and 2003.  They depict scenes from the bible, with the new testament on the right.  A heavenly city, including a crown and Christ, the Lamb of God, above the doors.

The south tower, (on the right), contains six bells that chime throughout the day.

A limestone sculpture of St. James "the greater", the patron saint of the Seattle Archdiocese, is located high in the west facade between the twin spires.  

May 24, 2015 - C Town Sunset

A pile of irrigation siphon tubes beside a field outside of the southwest Idaho town of Caldwell.

A sunset and fence picture photo bombed by a friendly horse.

May 16, 2015 - Future Flier

A future pilot in his very own jump suit watches as a WWII F6 Hellcat prepares to taxi to the runway at Everett's Paine Field's Aviation Day.  The annual event features free flights and access to the historical aircraft of the Flying Heritage Collection and the Historic Flight Foundation.  The collections feature aircraft from WWII (and before) that have been fully restored to flying condition.

The Grumman F6F Hellcat entered operational service with the Navy in early 1943.  The F6F-5 was the most common version of the Hellcat with over 7.800 built.  The Hellcat was responsible for 75% of the aerial victories in the Pacific.  There were 305 Hellcat aces.  The plane in the Flying Heritage Collection never saw combat.

Not part of the airshow, the DreamLifter, a modified Boeing 747-400, taxied to the neighboring Boeing plant to unload sub assemblies for the 787 Dreamliner final assembly.  The large cargo freighter has a tail assembly that swings open to allow for loading and unloading of parts as big as a fuselage.  A completed Dreamliner took off part way through the airshow.

The Flying Heritage Collection's Republic P-47 Thunderbolt came off the assembly line shortly after Germany surrendered.  It is painted to resemble Seattle native, Colonel Ralph Jenkins' plane, "Tallahassee Lassie".  

Paul Allen has an NBA team, an NFL team and this really cool collection of airworthy historical airplanes...and tanks!  

A restored Russian Iluyshin Il-2M3 Shturmovik took part in the airshow.  This heavily armored Russian ground attack craft was shot down in 1944.  It was recovered from the bottom of a lake in northern Russia in 1991.  

The P-47, F6 and the Il2 bank in formation.

The P-47 making a few low level passes.