Edmonds Kind of Day

As good as it gets. A sunny Saturday morning, in Edmonds.

Fort Worth at Night

Looking at the Fort Worth Skyline from the banks of the Trinity River. From Brittanica online.

Plotting and Planning

Who says planning is not half the fun of going on a trip? Glenn and Nancy are busy exploring options all over Texas and have far more ideas than they can possibly carry out. First stop is Fort Worth. Nancy's 5th great grandmother, Ruth (Smith) Brown, is said to have been one of the first eight White women in Fort Worth. Such a distinction! Ruth owned 320 acres in northeast Tarrant county on one side of the Trinity River, and her son-in-law, Ransom Loving, owned 320 acres on the other side of the river, their land touching at one corner.

Ruth moved to Texas with two of her daughters and their families in the mid 1800's as part of the Peter's Colony in Denton County, but the hostilities of the Indians made it unsafe and they moved into the Fort. Later census records show the families living on streets that are now part of the main, downtown city center, Belknap, Throckmorton, and Taylor to name a few. We've decided to stay in one of the hotels adjoining Sundance Square, downtown Fort Worth's trendy entertainment and shopping district.

From the Sundance Square website:

History...
Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth is rich in Western history and lore. During the great cattle drives of the late 1800's, Fort Worth was one of the major stops on the legendary Chisholm Trail. Cowboys on the trail would visit downtown Fort Worth for some much needed recreation. The downtown area was filled with saloons, gambling parlors, shooting galleries and dance halls, which attracted a rough mix of gamblers, cattlemen, outlaws, and lonesome doves.
The area was named for the Sundance Kid, who with his partner, Butch Cassidy, was a frequent visitor to the area, then know as Hell's Half Acre. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, well-known participants in the "Shootout at the OK Corral," could also be spotted from time to time in Sundance Square. Most of the buildings in Sundance Square date from the turn of the 20th century, and have been beautifully restored to provide a wonderful architectural view of the past. The red brick streets and lush courtyards add to Sundance Square's authentic aura.
A few of the notable buildings in Sundance Square include the Knights of Pythias Hall (1901), the Land Title Building (1889), and the Jett Building (1907), which features the Chisholm Trail Mural painted by Richard Haas in the mid 1980s and spans the building's southern façade. The mural commemorates the Fort Worth segment of the Chisholm Trail cattle drives of 1867-1875.

Today...
In Sundance Square, you'll find something for everyone. The many restaurants range from casual to elegant, from intimate dining to a family-style atmosphere. Lining the blocks, you'll find notable stores like Barnes & Noble, Jos. A. Bank, Pappagallo Classiques, Leddy's Ranch at Sundance near other small speciality boutiques. Sundance Square is also home to one of the world's finest concert/performance halls and is a premier address for urban residential properties. Day or night, there's a high-energy ambience in the air in Sundance Square. A feeling of excitement, innovation and fun.

A Wintery Mt. Washington in 2008

Winter 2008 on Hood Canal. We've been visiting the same spot on Hood Canal several times a year since 1999 and the color and beauty of each season never fails to delight. The first shot is looking north toward Mt. Washington in the Olympic Range and the second a close-up of the "main event."

Ohio Genealogy Trip

First glimpse of my great great grandfather's farm near Canton, Ohio. We were fortunate enough to meet the current owners and to discover that the property has only changed hands twice since the mid 1800s, and to our utter delight, we were taken on a tour of the barns and house, all of which were original. Amazing.

Ohio Amish Country

This photo was taken on my cross-state drive across Ohio this summer. It was a rendezvous of four cousins, a whirlwind genealogical research trip. We started out in Canton, but with branches of the family on both sides of the state, we enjoyed a relaxing midweek road trip. It was my first visit to Ohio and with it came many other "firsts" such as this glimpse of another way of life.

Glenn with the Camera

Glenn took the camera for a drive one night at sunset and caught the sky reflected in the windows of this old abandoned building in Union, Washington on Hood Canal. He should take the camera more often. I love this photo!

Hood Canal Delights--Never Ending

Taken from Hiway 106 heading west out of Union.

Another one...

This brought a chuckle, a heron, sitting on the seat (not the bow or the stern) of an old boat as if he belonged there. Notice the starfish all over the dock. Photo taken on Hood Canal.

Great Blue for Heron's Snag

Photo taken on Hood Canal where we spent a relaxing week away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.

Just Fluff

Another photo from our recent trip to Hawaii, this one of a lanai visitor, caught in early evening.

Perfect Timing

Spotted doves are everywhere in Honolulu but photographing them is a bit tricky. They constantly bob their heads up and down as they dart here and there looking for bits of food. I won't tell you how many pictures I snapped before I caught this one in my view finder. Yes, he managed to swallow that chunk of whatever it is.

Flash of Brilliant Color

Sailing

Liquid Gold at the End of the Day

Along Waikiki Beach on Oahu in Hawaii, at sunset.

Linnet

The common house finch, known in Hawaii as "Linnet" or "Papayabird." This one serenaded us on the lanai at sunset.

Sunset in June on Hood Canal

Wild and Beautiful

Multi-colored berries growing on the shores of Hood Canal.

Fish Hawk

We were treated to an evening show each night from the deck on Hood Canal as groups of Osprey (sometimes called Fish Hawks) circled overhead, soaring, swooping, and diving (feet first!). They make a little chirping sound that does not at all sound like it could come from these powerful birds of prey.

Among Giants

Taken in the Olympic National Forest in Washington state.

Beachcombing

Beachcombing, photography, digital enhancement. Fun!

Showing Off

We're home from a week away at our favorite spot to kick back and DO NOTHING. Hood Canal, our home away from home. These gulls came withing minutes of our arrival to see what we were all about. They put on quite a show. What fun for the camera!

Honu: Green Sea Turtle

A tale for Wednesday....

Kauila
Hawaiian Turtle Goddess

Hawaiian legend, as reported by historian Mary Kawena Pukui, tells the story of a mystical sea turtle named Kauila, born on the black sandy shores of Punalu’u, in the district of Ka’u on the Big Island of Hawaii. Kauila was born the daughter of two supernatural sea turtles, the mother named Honupo’okea and the father named Honu‘ea. Honupo’okea came out of the ocean to give birth to a very special egg, the color and shape similar to a piece of kauila wood. She buried her special egg in the sand to be warmed by the Hawaiian sun until ready to hatch. Before returning to the sea, Honupo’okea and Honu‘ea used their flippers to dig deep into the earth forming a fresh water pond near their precious nest. After a time, Honupo’okea returned to the black sandy beach to wait for her special egg to hatch. Soon the egg cracked open and a beautiful baby turtle emerged - dark and glossy, like kauila wood. Mother and daughter made their way to the fresh water pond to live until Kauila was old enough to be on her own. Kauila made Punalu’u her home and would often rest at the bottom of the fresh water pond. The air bubbles from her breath would rise to the top of the pond delighting the children of Ka’u. Kauila loved all children and would sometime change herself into a little girl so that she could play with and watch over the children on the black sandy shores. The people of Ka’u cherish Kauila for her fresh water pond that gave them drinking water and for ensuring the safety of their children.

From the Turtle Tales World Turtle Trust, a collection of legends, personal stories, and aphorisms about turtles and peoples' profound experiences with them. Honu is the Hawaiian word for Green Sea Turtle.

Photo taken on island of O'ahu, September, 2005 and enhanced in MS Digital Image.

Thursday Challenge: Tree

This week's Thursday Challenge is "TREE"(Timber, Forest, Branch, Leaves, Wood, Bark, Trunk, Lumber, Saw, Maple Syrup, Amber, Family Tree...) I couldn't decide between these two photos taken last fall in Hawaii.

Winter Moon

Early Morning on Hood Canal

Looking east from the cabin in the early morning mist on Hood Canal. Another photo taken using time lapse.

Winter Color

Looking west on Hood Canal.

Keeping an Eye On Us

This gull stood guard on the deck railing one day and did not take his eyes off us. Love the way they can swivel their heads!

Another Heron

Herons are notoriously skittish, and of all the times I have tried to photograph one, this was by far the closest I have ever been allowed to approach. This Black Crowned Night Heron clearly saw me from quite a distance and kept his eye fixed on me at all times, but he let me approach and linger quite close to him. The experience far outweighed the resulting photo!

Fun with Time Lapse

Barrow's Goldeneye

Most of the waterfowl kept their distance last week where we were staying on Hood Canal, but I managed to sneak up on this lone Goldeneye. We saw lots of Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, and Barrow's Goldeneye, all very striking in their crisp black and white garb, and often in large groups.

Evening Light on Hood Canal

The ever-changing weather, reflected light and constantly shifting clouds made for some breathtakingly beautiful scenes.

Glenn with the Camera

Every once in awhile, my husband, Glenn, manages to get the camera away from me. Good thing, since he is a talented photographer! Guess it's time to think about a second camera.
A group of about 30 small gulls entertained us last week lining up on the railings and sitting on the pilings on Hood Canal. We enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing week away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. Here are just a few of them caught in the camera's eye.

Reflections on Hood Canal

A True Star

Originally, this was a disappointing, nearly colorless shot of a starfish seen through the waters of Hood Canal. Here it is after some doctoring in MS Digital Image.

Hibiscus Revisited

Here's the original hibiscus photo taken in Hawaii last September.
Here it is with a little doctoring...
And again...
And one more time...

Kawaiaha'o Church

Taken on the grounds of the historic Kawaiaha'o Church in downtown Honolulu.