November 25, 2011 - Urban Chum

Chum salmon make their way up Pipers Creek to spawn.  The creek runs through Carkeek park, a 223 acre park in a north Seattle neighborhood.  The creek itself is less than a 1 1/2 mile long and its watershed is just under 3 square miles.  The last pair of original salmon were reported to have spawned here in 1927.  Efforts to resurrect a salmon run here began in 1979.  Currently 100-600 salmon return here each winter.  They are actually hatchery fish raised elsewhere that spend a few days in an imprinting pond of the creek as fingerlings before being released to make their way to Puget Sound where they spend 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years before returning as 7 to 15 pound adults.  

November 25, 2011 - Taft's Washington

On the University of Washington campus, the profile of Lorado Taft's giant sculpture of George Washington, as viewed through a nearby purple scrim, gazes west towards a setting sun.  The sculpture was unveiled on June 14, 1909, just in time for the opening of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon Exposition and represents yet another legacy of this bold fair.  The local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution along with school children throughout the state and the state commission of the Alaska-Yukon Exposition paid for Mr. Taft's work.  Lorado Taft grew up in Urbana Illinois and his father taught at what is now the University of Illinois at Champagn-Urbana.  He himself taught at the Chicago Art Institute and many of his sculptures are located in the greater Chicago area.

November 19, 2011 - Leavenworth Lights

The official Christmas Lighting in Leavenworth doesn't begin for another two weeks, but you wouldn't know it by taking a look around town this weekend!

Leavenworth, is a 2,000 person, Bavarian-themed town, located in the central Cascades two hours east of Seattle. The town was originally home to the Great Northern Railroad. When the railroad moved to Wenatchee, the town struggled. In 1962, Project LIFE - Leavenworth Improvement For Everyone, transformed the entire town into a Bavarian village, with tourism as the focus.  Today, Leavenworth's celebrations include a Christmas tree lighting, an International Accordian Celebration, a Kinderfest and the world's most attended Oktoberfest outside of Germany.

This is what the lights of downtown Leavenworth look like when you go really fast through the center of town.

November 19, 2011 - Something Old, Something New

 


A newlywed couple has a new take on the wedding tradition "something old, something new" as they take turns using their iPad to take pictures of one another in front of a horse drawn carriage in the central Washington tourist town of Leavenworth.

The traditional saying:
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a silver sixpence in her shoe


This wedding tradition is believed to date back to the Victorian ages in England.  By carrying each of these a bride is supposed to bring good fortune in her marriage.  "Something old", a bride is leaving her past to start a new beginning and to not forget from where she came.  Optimism and hope in her future, for many, the wedding dress itself is that "something new".  There are many beliefs on why it is important the bride have "something borrowed", but one is that it symbolizes the respect and admiration of another marriage.  The color blue has been connected to symbols of weddings for centuries - loyalty, purity, good luck, etc. - hence the "something blue".  The silver sixpence represents wealth and financial security.  For optimum fortune the "silver sixpence in her shoe" should be in her left shoe!

While taking these pictures I was approached by another couple that had just gotten engaged.  (I may have been the first to congratulate them!)  They asked if I could take their picture as they didn't have a camera.  I'll be connecting to them and e-mailing the pictures I took.  I'll be sure to remind the future bride read this blog post.

November 15, 2011 - Ice, Ice Baby

A view from the International Space Station....or of the roof of a Camry?

November 15, 2011 - Just a Ferry Ride

A ride on a ferry is a perfectly fine thing to do when you are entertaining friends from out-of-town.  It is a perfect touristy thing to do.  An activity filled with the unique sights of the Pacific Northwest.  For many people that live in and around the Puget Sound a ferry ride is just another commute to and from work.  If you are one of those individuals it is probably easy to take for granted some fantastic sights seen on just a  ferry ride.

At the Edmonds ferry dock a trio of cormorants groom and warm themselves in the morning sun.

The Washington State Ferry M/V Hyak, and a bit of the Olympic Mountains, begins to emerge from a fog bank as it heads east towards Edmonds after leaving the Kingston ferry dock.  The Hyak is one of 22 ferries operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation.  A member of the Super Class ferries, third largest class, it is nearly 400 feet long and can carry up to 144 vehicles. 

Above the fog of Puget Sound a waning gibbous moon is visible.

A US Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter on maritime security patrol of the ferry runs makes a pass of the ferry M/V Puyallup.  Since 9/11 the Coast Guard has maintained a much greater presence in maritime security.  The HH-65A Dolphin was first introduced to the Coast Guard in 1985 to replace an aging fleet of HH-52A Sikorsky helicopters.  It is a variant of the French Eurocopter Dauphin.  The Dolphin is made of a corrosion resistant composite material.  The aircraft's autopilot system can bring it to a stable hover 50 feet over a designated spot.  The Coast Guard currently operates about 100 of these short range recovery helicopters primarily from 17 bases around the US.  This copter, 6574, operates out of Port Angeles, Washington.  

Near the Kingston ferry a sailboat sits at anchor in the fog...

...while another motors out to deeper waters.

Just a ferry ride.

November 10, 2011 - Untitled Title

Tomorrow at monuments grand and plain, towns big and small, communities will be celebrating the commitment of all veterans, living and dead.  Tomorrow is Veterans Day.  Here an untitled welded metal sculpture by Bruce West sits in the glow of traffic lights and a nearly full moon at Lynnwood's tiny Veterans Park

The armistice of WWI  began on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month, 1918.  While the fighting ended the Treaty of Versailles was not signed until June 28, 1919.  The eleventh of November was a legal holiday in a number of states following the end of WWI, but it wasn't until 1938 that Congress made it a federal holiday - Armistice Day.  Ironically, only one holiday - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace - was observed before WWII began.  The holiday was originally set aside to honor veterans of WWI, but in 1954 November 11th became a federal holiday to honor American veterans of all wars.

November 4, 2011 - Last Game Eve

On the shores of Lake Washington, the north stands of the University of Washington's Husky Stadium stand eerily silent on the eve of the last football game to be played under the stadium's current configuration.  Some 72,000 college football fans will fill the stadium the next day.  A $250 million renovation will begin almost immediately following this last game.  The renovation will be financed by naming rights, private donations and premium seating costs and will be completed in time for the 2013 season.  

While the stadium configuration will change the location and Husky Stadium's unique cantilevered roofs will remain.  The lower bowl, part of the original stadium, will be gutted, the track removed and the seats will be brought closer to the field.  The north stands were part of the most recent significant expansion which occurred in 1987.  The stadium opened in 1920 and had a capacity of 30,000.