Sunset at Rialto Beach

Even though sunset is not until 8:30 pm (already past my bedtime!) these days, we ventured out to catch the sunset over the Pacific at Rialto Beach. There was a fair number of people joining us for the same pleasure on a mild (upper 60-ish) evening. Here are a sequence of photos, in the order of progression of the sunset. Since I adjusted the color balance on each image separately, you'll see some fluctuations in the sky color from one image to the next, but the general trend is correct.

Seamus in the Pacific Ocean

Seamus had his first dip in the cold Pacific Ocean and it was good.

On to the 1st Beach for a Look

After the long walk to the 3rd beach, we made a visit to the 1st beach (love these clever names!) that is just beside the road. Like Rialto and 3rd Beach, this one also has lots of large logs washed up on shore.

Rialto and 3rd Beach Near La Push

We are on an adventure on the Olympic Peninsula. We've hired a house near the very small town of La Push for the entire family. Today we tooks Seamus and Charlie to Rialto Beach in the morning for a look about. Naturally, I tried my hand at a few photographs.

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.

Spada Lake

Not too far from Snohomish is Spada Lake. This is a manmade lake that serves as a reservoir for Snohomish and is operated by the Snohomish PUD (Public Utilities Division, can't get used to that abbreviation).

Father's Day

Sorry it has taken me a week to get these photos posted. Been busy around the house trying to get caught up from our short house sit in Queen Anne. While we were there, we celebrated Father's day and here are a few photos to mark the event.

A Short House Sit in Queen Anne

This weekend we have a short house sit in Queen Anne, a neighborhood just north of downtown Seattle. A few of the things to do near us were calling so we got out to see a few sights.

Our first stop was at Kerry park. This small park sits on the edge of a hill from which we could see most of Downtown Seattle and the sound.

Poulsbo

In Kitsap county, we find Poulsbo, a small town founded by a Norwegian, Jørgen Eliason, in the 1880's.

A Sleeping Charlie

The little Miss Charlie is having a nap. Thought you'd like to see her.

Lowell Riverfront Park

This is a house across the Snohomish River that I've photographed before but never from this angle. There's rumors of a little rain coming our way and today we see further hints of same in the gowing array of clouds. We've had very little rain for our region this month and the snowpack is below half what it should be for this time of year. Some water would be nice.

Everett Farmer's Market

We drove to Everett to check out the farmer's Market there and here are a few images of what we saw there. Lots of flower vendors to bee seen along with the food concessions and the crafty folks.