Cathedral Rock

Last weekend I went backpacking in the Alpine Lakes wilderness area. Although it's not Bellingham, Cathedral Rock is a Washington State icon, and one I felt worthy of a spot in the Bellingham Daily Photo! It was cold and overcast most of the time, but the sun came out just long enough to kiss this flower with light before disappearing again.

Morning Beach

on a hot summer eve

you don't need much--

just an old fallen tree

and cool water for the plunge

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

We ventured to the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema with the girls last night. Despite the cool evening, blankets, people and chairs completely covered the village green for a chance to see a classic.

Glass Behind Glass

Art Glass at Renaissance Celebration.

The store was closed so I didn't make it inside but it looks worth a visit (without the kids I think),

Moons Over my (Belling)Hammy

Goodnight Moon.

For more Skywatch Friday images click HERE

Lavender

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly. Lavender's green.

When I am king, dilly dilly, you'll be my queen.

Who told me so, dilly dilly? Who told me so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so.

I've always loved this old English folk song; it has such a sweet melody that makes me nostalgic for my childhood. Here's a little clip of Burl Ives singing a short version of the song from the Disney movie "So Dear to My Heart."

One of the many things I meant to do this summer (and didn't) was visit the lavender festival in Sequim, Washington, "the lavender capital of North America." I've only seen pictures, but wandering through fields and fields of lavender sounds magical to me. Shannon from Sequim Daily Photo has some nice lavender photos on her blog. Anyway, even a small patch of lavender, such as this one in Birch Bay, makes for a pretty picture.

I can't believe the summer's almost over... and there are so many things I was going to do! Next year, I guess. The canoe races on the Lummi indian reservation, the Subdued Stringband Jamboree, the Anacortes Art Festival... stay tuned, dear reader, because next year I'm doing it all!

Lined Up and Ready to Go

School buses in the school bus house

make me think of

a school of yellow fish

flashing and still,

clusters of marigolds

packed tight in flowerboxes,

worn tin soldiers

waiting for the war,

or honeybees

snug in the hive.

Dancing

All types get down with The Clumsy Lovers at Boulevard Park's outdoor concert.

Out to Pasture

This chair in an alley in the York neighborhood is quietly returning to the earth.

Northwest Washington Fair

Doras and Diegos keep company with monkeys and dolphins at the Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden.

Awash

Water on a rock

could be clouds on a mountain.

Skywatch Friday: Lagoon

I had been taking pictures over this lagoon for several minutes before I realized that what I thought was a pole at the end of the pier was someone doing their evening yoga.

For more Skywatch Friday pictures click HERE.

Patience

soon, soon

the sunlight

will reach that top step

Long Line of Bubble-Blowers

Last Saturday, August 14, Bellingham's "Improv Playworks" put together Bellingham's very first flash mob. If you don't know what a flash mob is, check out these fine examples on Youtube. Basically, a big group of people storm someplace, do something silly for a few minutes, and disperse again without explanation. If it sounds ridiculous, that's the point! It spreads smiles and laughter, and puts fun into an otherwise ordinary day. For our first flash mob, we stuck with something simple: blowing bubbles. We had about 60-70 people participate, and we snaked through the hundreds of people who were at Boulevard Park waiting for the outdoor concert to begin. It was awesome to see the puzzlement on peoples' faces turn to smiles and pointing fingers. We collected an entourage of children along the way, dancing in the bubbles. It was great fun, and you can see the video on Youtube here (although I noticed it's been misdated-- it was the 14th. The 21st hasn't happened yet!)

Summer Haiku

nimble crimson canvas

ripple ripple ripple

till the wind stops

Timber!

Some see them as dollars,

income for the blue collars.

They make our state green

and keep the air clean.

Whether cutting down a fir

or wrapping arms around her,

She's the reason we're great;

the reason we're the Evergreen State.

One Bad Apple...

(or maybe two) promise to spoil this bunch.

The Conversation

She considers what he's said and turns,

hoping her disappointment doesn't show.

It doesn't matter though,

she knows she's right despite what he says.

After all, he's only a green frog.

Skywatch Friday: Dusk on the Lady Washington

"Twilight"

used to mean a time of day,

and an enchanting one at that.

click here for more Skywatch photos

The Bellingham Rock

Okay, it's another two-picture day. I had to have a "before" picture and an "after" picture!

This is the Bellingham Rock, or Graffiti Rock, or the Painted Rock, or the I-5 Rock; whatever you want to call it, it's the unofficial bulletin board for those with something to say. As you can see from the first picture, it's often a declaration of love (Sorry, Alli + Travis! Hope your love lasts longer than your message did!) or at graduation time classes will paint their graduating classes, etc. When you're driving north on I-5 you see the rock shortly before entering Bellingham.

I thought it was about time Bellingham Daily Photo got a picture of this local icon-- and why not add our own message while we're at it? So my lovely sister helped me out and we had a great time. I like the first picture with me painting the rock because it gives you an idea of how big it is. I've driven by it many times, but had no idea how tall it was till I was standing in front of it.

Thank you, sis, for snapping pics!

Tug-of-War

I couldn't post just one! The shot of the tug-of-war action at the T-Mobile company picnic was good, but I loved the faces of victory afterward, too.

T-Mobile is a big employer here in Bellingham. They have a call center on Bakerview, and several friends of mine work for them. My girls look forward to the picnic every year, with bouncy houses and face painting and all that good stuff.

My network problems I moaned about in the last post are solved. I won't go into details... not because it's boring, but because it was an embarrassingly simple fix.

If all goes well today, I'll have a new look for the blog tomorrow. I'll give the locals a hint: it involves minor vandalism and a well-known I-5 landmark, and if it turns out good it will be the new title image tomorrow.

This Birdbrain Needs Tech Support

My main computer is giving me troubles, and I can't connect to the internet with it. Almost all of my pictures are stored on it, but I have pictures from our vacation in June on the little computer I'm using now, so until I get it figured out, you guys will have to see some non-Bellingham pics! It's probably something very simple... but I'm a birdbrain when it comes to computer stuff.

So here is a picture of a grumpy peacock from Maryhill, Washington. He reminds me of my freshman-year algebra teacher, and I expect he's going to give me a scolding for not doing my homework. At least this guy has a magnificent tail to make up for his homely face. My algebra teacher didn't have much going for him, including empathy for struggling math students. But guess what, Mr. Algebra Teacher? You may have given me a C-, but I can publicly compare you to a peacock.

However, I can't figure out how to fix my network connection. Bet Mr. Algebra Teacher could.

Ellis Street Alley

empty bottles

elevate to art

in the evening light

Ol' Yeller

When we first bought our house this truck was for sale down the street. Lizziviggi liked it enough she walked down and got a picture. I can only guess the owner wasn't totally committed to the idea of selling it since the signs came off and it's been there since.

I drove by yesterday and now its for sale again!

And I want it, want it, want it...

but where would I put the kids?

Iron and Light

If I were a hard-boiled detective this is where I would be waiting for my nefarious contact to slink by and slip me the case breaking clue.

Skywatch Friday: Scarlet Sun

eerie in the haze

the familiar sun is gone

replaced, these last few days

with a scarlet one

Whether eerie or charming, click here to see more skies.

Red Sky at Night

It's rather Armageddon-like, isn't it? Rumor has it that the nearby wildfires in British Columbia are responsible for the haze that's settled over our fine city and caused our sun to turn blood-red in the evening. If we're lucky, the recent solar storms will also cause the northern lights to be visible farther south than usual. Interesting week for sun-watchers!

Also, if you enlarge the picture you can see a sunspot. I thought at first it was a faraway seagull, but when I went back and looked at all the other pictures, it's in the same place in all of them. Neat!

Room with a View

All he needs is a lamp and a martini, and I'd say he's got himself a nice living room. Of course, a room with a view like that doesn't really need any extras.

My dad took this shot just before he boarded The Lady Washington tallship for a sail. I'll probably post a picture or two of that, too, because he got some good shots!

That's the Alaska Ferry in the distance, in case you were wondering.

Playing the Blues

the blues

sound bluer

by the bay

Why Stop At One Bright Day?

They were boxes.

Shoe boxes, TV boxes, vodka boxes,

hat boxes, chair boxes, book boxes.

From boxes to blocks,

now they are

towers, cars, monsters, chairs,

castles, houses, tables and mountains.

August Theme Day: BRiGHT CoLoRs!

Buildings don't get much brighter-- or more charming-- than the Community Boating Center in Fairhaven.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants