On a Clear Day...

Today was the clearest it's been this year. From Union Avenue, less than a block from our house, I could see Mt. Rainier and Little Tahoma Peak in stunning clarity. I developed them in B&W since in the afternoon sun, the image is very blue and I could not correct it to be anything sensible.

Kla-Ha-Ya Days Parade

Today we attended the Kla-Ha-Ya Days Parade. "Kla-Ha-Ya" is the word for "welcome" in the language of the Snohomish. What we found was a small town celebration in classic American style. Tractors, trucks, and lots of children. Here are a few of the shots I took to give you a bit of the flavor of the event.

I should also point out that the young people on the tractor above are wearing long sleeve flannel shirts on a day in which most of the country is suffering 100+ F temperatures. Today was the first clear blue sky we've had in a couple weeks and the high was in the mid to upper 70's. Clearly, we are in the right place.

Wallace Falls State Park

Seth agreed to accompany me on what is, for me at least, a significant hike. Without him along to navigate the trail, juggle my equipment, and keep me company, it would not have been nearly as successful or as much fun.

Not far from the small town of Gold Bar, about 40 minutes east of Snohomish is the parking lot and starting point for the trail to see a total of three sets of falls along the Wallace River. We made it the 2 miles one-way to the middle falls and back. That does sound so bad until you realize that it also covers almost 1000 feet vertically. I'm going to pretty sore tomorrow.

Pike Place Market - II

The market is also known for it signs and all were well lit on this day.

Pike Place Market - I

Pike Place is well-known for several things. Near the top of this list must be flowers, and fish. A recent trip to the market with our friends Renee, Georgia, Gigi, and Bethany from Virginia gave me a chance to once again explore this interesting place.

Chuckanut Drive Headed South

We spent the night in Bellingham and the next morning, drove the coastal Chuckanut Drive south. The good places to stand to take a photo were all filled with houses and private drives. Nevertheless, I got a few images looking toward the Samish Bay once we entered the Larrabee State Park. This one above is looking rom Wildcat Cove at low tide.

Low Tide in Edmonds

On July 3rd we had an exceptionally low tide in Puget Sound so Seth and I loaded up Seamus for a visit to the wonders of walking where the sea normally lives.

A couple things to note in the photo above. First, the tide s really far out. Secondly, Seamus is wearing a coat and long pants on July 3rd. Welcome to the PWN!

Bellingham, WA

We bought tickets to the Bellingham Festival of Music opening concert and a very fine concert it was. We drove to Bellingham (~ and hour) and arrived in time for lunch. We selected a curiously themed bar and lunch spot that was reasonably good.

Rusty Relics

The annual Rusty Relics exposition of all things old, upcycled, recycled, and re-invented has occurred and here are a few images I took while we visited.