June 26, 2011 - Good Morning, Virginia!

The Steam Ship Virginia V, is the last operating vessel of the famed Mosquito Fleet that plied the waters of Puget Sound delivering freight and passengers.  A morning sun greets her at her current mooring located at Seattle's South Lake Union Center for Wooden Boats.  The 125 foot ship was built in 1922 in Maplewood, Washington.  (The steam engine that still powers her was built in Seattle in 1898!) 

Long before the current state-run ferry system, transportation across the waterways of Puget Sound were left to private industry.  The Virginia V was one small company's evolution of watercraft, each named Virginia.  The Virginia V was a purpose-built craft of the small "West Pass Transportation Company".  She did the Seattle to Tacoma run nearly every day until 1938, when she began working other routes.  The West Pass Transportation Company went out of business in 1942, but the Viriginia V kept working in one capacity or  another around Puget Sound. Since 1948 she was primarily used for excursions in the Seattle area.  Nearly every summer camp season from 1922 to 1970, hundreds of Camp Fire girls took the "Virginia Vee" to and from Camp Sealth on Vashon Island.  In 1973, she was placed on the National Registry of Historical Places.

In 1976, the Steamer Virginia V Foundation purchased her.  She underwent a 6 year, $6.5 million refurbishment that was completed in 2002.  Today she continues to provide public and private excursions in the region - a direct connection to the golden age of steam.

June 26, 2011 - Sunrise on Lake Union

The sun rises over Capitol Hill and some of the slips on the South Lake Union in Seattle.  The silhouette of the "Holy Box" that is Saint Mark's Cathedral can be seen on the top of the hill.

June 26, 2011 - Sunrise on Hydrant

An early morning sunrise on a fire hydrant in lower Queen Anne....before the dogs have been out for their morning walks!

(Thank you, to the coworker that brought this special fire hydrant to my attention!)

An early morning sunrise on a fire hydrant in lower Queen Anne....before the dogs have been out for their morning walks!

(Thank you, to the coworker that pointed this out!)

June 14, 2011 - Flag Day

The annual celebration of the flag was begun in 1885 by a BJ Cigrand, a teacher in Wisconsin.  His enthusiastic advocating of the celebration spread to schools and communities in other states.  The local and state celebrations continued to grow and in 1916 President Wilson's proclamation established Flag Day as the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777.  In August of 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. 

Until an Executive Order in 1912, there were some rather unique flags flying.  Neither the order of the stars nor the proportions of the flag were prescribed.  The original Flag Resolution of 1777 passed by the Second Continental Congress dictated that the flag have a total of 13 stripes – red and white alternating – and 13 white stars in a field of blue.  In 1794 this was increased to 15 stripes and 15 stars.  In 1818, as the union was about to expand to 20 states, the number of stripes was returned to the original 13.  A star was then to be added on the 4^th of July following the admittance of a new state to the union.  President Taft signed the Executive Order in 1912 that laid out specific proportions of the flag, including that the stars be in six rows of eight with a single point upward.  In 1959, President Eisenhower signed two Executive Orders that provided for the arrangment of the stars to reflect the admission of Alaska and finally, Hawaii to the Union. 

The specifications of the flag read like a math problem from school! The hoist (width) of the union = A x 7/13.  The fly (length) of the union = B x 2/5. 

Note: This photo was taken at Maxwelton Beach, Whidbey Island, Washington on July 4, 2010.

June 9, 2011 - Add it to your gas. Add it to your oil.

Add Bardahl.  Add it to your gas.  Add it to your oil. (The L is currently burned out.)

Ballard, a neigborhood northwest of downtown Seattle, is known for its Scandinavian heritage.  One of the landmarks there is this large neon sign that has been standing over the headquarters of the Bardahl Oil Company since 1953.  The founder, Ole Bardahl, was a Norwegian immigrant to the US in 1922.  As with many such stories, he came to the country poor and without knowing the language.  During the Great Depression he built a successful business as a residential general contractor.  By 1939 he had enough money to start what was to become Bardahl Oil Company.  It was reported that he was a millionaire by the time he was 39.  In the 1950s Bardahl was the leading brand of motor oil and additives and the brand continues today as a small multi-national company that is one of the top 10 in oil industry sales in the world.  About 50 employees work at their offices in Ballard.

If you are a fan of motorsports you have likely seen the name of Bardahl or one of their products.  They are involved in everything from unlimited hydroplane racing to CART and NASCAR racing.  If you grew up during the 1950s and watched any TV, chances are probably good that you once saw a Bardahl commercial in which an animated engine problem like "Sticky Valves" or "Gummy Rings" was solved with Bardahl.

June 4, 2011 - Sibling Sailors

Sisters enjoy the view on the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry run.

June 1, 2011 - The Proud Tradition

On the renovated Bremerton waterfront stands Larry Anderson's sculpture "The Proud Tradition".  It was installed in 1991 to commemorate the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard’s centennial.  The man, whose hardhat bears the name "Clark" is handing a boy what appears to be a model of a Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier.  The sculpture is located  just east of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the ferry dock.

A primary landmark of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is Building 460, a National Historical Landmark.  Building 460 is a 5-story building with 426,000 square foot of workspace.  It was repainted in 2009 with 2600 gallons of paint to match the original 1941 paint job, complete with the motto "Building on a Proud Tradition".  

Located on the Sinclair inlet, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard began in 1891 as Naval Yard Puget Sound.  Over the years it has been a significant contributor to maintaining the readiness of the US Navy.  In WWII the primary efforts of the facility was to repair damage sustained in battle by allied vessels.  Since WWII the facility has been used in the modernization, maintenance, mothballing and recycling of ships.  The shipyard's Ship-Submarine Recycling Program, involves the recycling of nuclear-powered ships by inactivating and disposing of the reactor compartments.  The shipyard is one of Bremerton's largest employers.