July 12, 2014 - Bella Luna, Red Moon, Super Moon

A waxing gibbous moon rise crests the hills above the Columbia River north of Wenatchee, Washington, July 10, 2014.

On the eve of the super moon, smoke from the nearby 22,000 acre Mills Canyon wildfire turns the moon red, July 11, 2014.

The super moon rises above the Columbia River north of Wenatchee, Washington, July 12, 2014.

July 4, 2014 - Maxwelton Beach Pre-Parade

Everyone loves a parade!  Queuing up for the annual Fourth of July parade in the small beach front community of Maxwelton on Whidbey Island was some classic sports cars  (including a replica 1930s Morgan three wheel sports car) and a group of costumed bicyclists representing the local food bank. Unfortunately, there wasn't room in the blog for entries such as the pick-up with Yoda and Spiderman, the pirate ship float or the candy-throwing "Sandy Hook Amigos".  Maybe next year!

July 6, 2014 - Mukilteo Light Lavender

The Mukilteo Light Station has been in operation since March 1, 1906.  If you've seen a lighthouse in the Pacific Northwest, chances are it was designed by Carl Leick of the United States Lighthouse Board.  The 38 foot high lighthouse located next to the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal is no exception.  The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.  The property was turned over to the City of Mukilteo in 2001, but the light, with its unique flash sequence of 2 seconds on, 3 seconds off, is still maintained as a navigational aid by the US Coast Guard.  The lens of the light was originally made in France in 1852, and was installed here when the station converted to electricity in 1927.

June 24, 2014 - Bridge Motel

"Sleep off the Hiway" the weathered sign of the Bridge Motel advocates.  The small motel this sign advertises for was located just off of Highway 99 north of the Aurora Bridge - 3650 Bridge Way N.  It opened in 1954, several years before the nearby interstate highway (I-5) opened.  By the time it was closed and torn down in 2007 to make way for townhouses, the Bridge Motel was just another seedy hotel known for prostitution, drugs and murder on this section of Aurora Ave N. This sign, located on the opposite side of Highway 99 from where the motel once stood, remains as a reminder of a different era.