Happy Weekend of Eat!

Years ago, our group of friends decided there needed to be a holiday to brighten up the long stretch of late winter. The days are dreary and cold, and it's a long time between New Year's and Easter, when we drink a lot and eat a lot, respectively. So we created our own holiday, one that dispenses with the formalities of any religious or political trappings, and focuses on the best parts: getting together with our best friends, eating decadent food, drinking as much as we want (during the day-- gasp!), and just hanging out and having a good time. Everyone brings a movie to share, and we watch whatever is brought, no questions or complaints. Oh, and then we do it all again the next day. We dubbed this celebration of food and friends the Weekend of Eat, and it's always the last weekend in February. I invite all my friends around the globe to celebrate the Weekend of Eat with their loved ones-- it's all of the fun, and none of the obligation, of your typical holiday.

This wonderful picture was put together by a very creative trio who make magic with the camera-- my friend Chad, my sister Melanie, and my brother-in-law Andy. I'm sure I'll be sharing more of their work in the future.

Skywatch Friday: Clouds over Kayak

Kayakers in the Northwest
think all weather is best!

click here for other skies.

Crows and Tree

This stripped-down picture of crows in a tree barely looks like a photo... but it does look a lot like the wallpaper I want for our entry hall!

Village Books

Three employees share a story and a laugh at Village Books, the best li'l bookstore in the whole wide world! Well, according to me, anyway. See previous Village Books-related posts with Heliconia Growing, Garth Stein at the Chuckanut Radio Hour (which is put on by Village Books), and The Village Green.

The Road

The high road is a lonely one
But his steps still echo
long after he's gone.

chair and snowdrops

yesterday the moss was brushed off
and my youngest girl sat,
eating her lunch
amid the sunshine and snowdrops

Found Art

This is my kind of Where's Waldo hunt...
Simple, fast and easy.

Libra

"Libra" by Mexican sculptor Sebastian graces the sidewalk outside the Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher building. Nineteen of his pieces will be on display in Bellingham until the end of the year at which point they will begin a Canadian tour.

SkyWatch Friday: Islands and Bay

The sun sinks behind Orcas and Lummi Islands.

Beyond them lies Vancouver Island and British Columbia's capital city, Victoria. It is easy to forget that a good chunk of Vancouver Island actually lies south of our beautiful Bellingham.

Fore more Skywatch Friday photos click HERE.

Frozen February... Fresh February

I thought it would be interesting to compare last February to this one, so I posted two pictures today. Can you guess which is which?

Turn

"Turn" by Lee C. Imonen is one of many interesting sculptures at Big Rock Garden Park. When I took this, it reminded me of a dinosaur's skeletal spine. Looking at it now, the angle isn't as obvious, and it could be a weathered, rickety bridge.

Western Shadows

Delicate branches shade a brick wall at Western Washington University.

Valentine Sunset

sunset on Valentine's Day
just as beautiful
if you're with a lover
or just skipping rocks

Emerald Heart

Happy Valentine's Day
from
Bellingham Daily Photo

The Boardwalk at Boulevard

The old boardwalk at Boulevard Park connects the park to a small point farther south on the bay. A new portion of the boardwalk was completed several years ago to continue the boardwalk south to Fairhaven. Plans are in development to extend the boardwalk from Boulevard Park north to the site of the now defunct Georgia Pacific plant in downtown Bellingham.

Skywatch Friday: The Peace Arch

Happy Olympics Opening Day!

In honor of the Vancouver Games, I'm posting one last shot of our Peace Arch in Blaine, Washington. This picture, like the last two I posted, was taken at the Olympic torch run. It was difficult to take the shot without getting masses of people in it! That's why the bottom is cut off, but I decided it turned out nice enough anyway.

We 'Hamsters have been expecting to be inundated with travellers for the Olympics, as we are only an hour south of Vancouver. However, as far as I can tell there hasn't been a discernible difference. Maybe that will change, but either way it's fun to be close.

Click here to see other skies.

Unite! Blog! Human rights for Iran! // Bloggers Unite

Unite! Blog! Human rights for Iran! // Bloggers Unite

For our City Daily Photo friend, Amir Sadeghi, who was arrested in Tehran February 8 for posting pictures on his blog of the brutal police clampdown on protesters December 7. Please keep him, and the 55 other photographers and journalists who have been arrested in Iran, in your prayers.

Posted using ShareThis

Olympic Torch Run at the Peace Arch

Here's a shot of the Peace Arch just as we were arriving in the pre-dawn hours to wait for the torch run. It was, naturally, one of the coldest mornings all winter (which won't mean much to you midwesterners and New Englanders... and perhaps even the Floridians this year!) and it was quite misty and atmospheric.

The Peace Arch was built in 1921 to celebrate over 100 years of peace between Canada and the United States. It stands astride the Canada-US border, so if you pass underneath you go from one country to the other. On the US side is inscribed "Children of a Common Mother" and on the Canada side it says "Brethren Dwelling Together in Unity."

On a wistful note, I wish our southern border was as open, friendly, and peaceful as this one.

The Olympic Torch...

...is right behind that guy. Well, anyone could get a picture of the Olympic torch, but how many people have a picture of that face?

That's okay, he was just doing his job-- and taking it very seriously, I might add. Anyway, everyone else was in very high spirits for the Olympic torch's only visit to US soil for the 2010 games. The torch-bearer for this run was Washington state's Philip Mahre, a skier medalist from the 1980 and 1984 winter games. He picked up the torch at the US-Canada border at the Peace Arch in Blaine, WA, and carried it south and then back north into Canada in a loop that lasted about two minutes. And there you have it, the torch's somewhat anticlimactic visit to US soil.

I have such a good picture to show for it.

The Last Supper

So here I am, posting two rainbow-hued photos in a row. This mural in downtown Bellingham is a contemporary take on a well-known old painting, "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. This version is by artist Connie Porter. I walk by it often, and it always brightens my day.

rainbow stacks

rainbow stacks
dishes click clack
stacks in front
click clacks in back

Duty

This dog had pretty well tired himself of swimming after the tennis ball and came over to say hello. Concerned that his dog would shake himself dry on us, the owner threw the ball again in an attempt to draw him away. The dog stood for a moment and eyed the floating ball with tired eyes, but after some coaxing performed the duty he knew he must.

The Lap of Luxury

The Lighthouse Suite at the Hotel Bellwether stands watch over the Bellingham Marina.

A stand alone unit, the suite has two living floors and a private observation deck on the third floor. This hotel "room" is 900 square feet - about 200 more than our first house!

Skywatch Friday: Silhouetted by the Sunset

This statue of a fisherman at Zuanich Point Park is in honor of those we've lost at sea, and a physical prayer that all others will return safely home. The softly lit islands in the background are Lummi on the left and Orcas on the right.

Click here to see more skies.

Mossy Steps

green moss-kissed steps
so vibrant on their own
does it matter where they go?

Who cares about a groundhog's shadow?

It has rarely dipped below freezing here all winter. Now with the early arrival of birds and blossoms, it not only feels like spring, it looks like it too.

Mount Baker Theatre Chandelier

This light lit
my grandad's face
before and after
a Keaton show.
Eighty year later
my daughters embrace,
watching ballet
under its glow.

Theme Day: Wood

This ancient remnant of railroad trestle through Whatcom Falls Park is all that remains to remind us that trains ever ran through town. This Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific track, built in 1916, used to connect Larson's Mill to Bellingham Bay. The only current train route is around the edge of the bay.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants