Daisies and the North County

An evening drive led me to Toad Mountain for the sunset. Winding up the road with my eye out for a good vantage point brought me to an open view at the end of the road: an open building lot for sale. Imagine having this view from your back deck!

A Very Mediocre Sunset, but a Great Evening

Not magnificent, nor glorious. I will not be remembering the brilliance of this sunset in the years to come. What I will remember from this evening: great friends, champagne, laughter, and more laughter... which is better than even the most beautiful sunset.

For more Skywatch Friday images click HERE.

Family at the River

Mommy's hand is soft and steady,

brother's strong arm is outstretched.

Is it enough to convince her

to get her little feet wet?

Shadow Bouquet

morning light meanders

bestowing glow

on my homely wall

except for the rays

that stayed behind

to linger on the flowers

Ripple Effect

like a wizard's wand

plopped in the river

this twig is trying

to part the waters

Oh so juicy!

One of my favorite things about summer is displayed in abundant heaps at Youngstock's farm stand.

International Society of Arborists Pacific Northwest...

...Regional Tree Climbing Competition

Whew! That's a mouthful of a name for tree-climbing fun. Anyway, this gentleman was nice enough to pose for me while he waited to be "rescued" in the climber rescue category of the tree climbing competition. This event is usually in Seattle, but this year they chose our lovely Elizabeth Park since it has so many huge climb-worthy trees.

The Working Boat

She has none of the stately grandeur of the Lady Washington, but a life of hard work and purpose gives her an authentic patina the Lady has long forgotten.

The Lady Washington

Evening light graces the Lady Washington. Along with her sister ship, the Hawaiian Chieftain, she will in Bellingham Harbor through the weekend.

For more Skywatch Friday images click here.

Lynden Windmill

A few days ago I realized we haven't posted any pictures of our nearby town Lynden. So yesterday we drove the twenty minutes or so it takes to get there. The kids were happy, because Lynden is home to the biggest, coolest playground in the county. Lynden is a farming town of mostly Dutch heritage. This shopping center's design is a nod to the Dutch background of Lynden's residents. Yesterday we played at Lynden's Million Smiles Playground, grabbed some lunch at Dutch Mother's restaurant, and got a pie to take home from the Lynden Dutch Bakery. What a fun day!

I Ssssssssee You

Comfortably nestled into himself,

we stare at each other.

Both are grateful

for the glass barrier.

James

The zoo was fun, but a tired boy is ready for home.

Sunlit Quilt

Another one from the Sunnyland Stomp: Sun shone through this already sun-adorned quilt at the Front Porch Quilt Gallery on Franklin Street.

Sunnyland Stomp 2010

This was the first year we participated in our neighborhood's annual art walk, the Sunnyland Stomp, by hosting our friend Chris Murphy who does oil and acrylic paintings on glass as well as pen and ink work. About 20 neighbors participated including the Greencardz, Montalvo and Berger gallery pictured above. The weather was perfect and turnout was great - we're already looking forward to next year.

The Barn

In younger years she was the heart of the farm,

the keeper of cows, hay and tools.

Now she slowly returns to the soil she helped work.

Skywatch Friday: View from Sumas Mountain

The sun sinks behind our Canadian neighbors.

Happy 3rd Blogoversary, Skywatch Friday!

Deer's Ears

it must be a relief

as far as what deer believe

to see the person with the big black thing

and have it go

click

not bang

Sunset Pond

behind the half-empty strip mall

beside the busy interstate

just before industrial Irongate

you can find beauty

at Sunset Pond

Go! Fight! Win!

with the rustle of plastic poms

and a strong blonde voice

she captivates

future cheerleaders

Bellingham Daily Photo's One-Year Blogoversary!

A slightly smooshed, rather windblown, very sea-sprayed cupcake sits in front of a view of Bellingham from Zuanich Point. You can tell by the focus which subject I found most important. Mmm... cupcake. I highly recommend sea-salt sprinkled chocolate-- it was very good! Anyway, we are celebrating one whole year of Bellingham daily photo madness. The madness is on our part, not yours. What were we thinking? Taking on a daily photo project with two small children, a house we're trying to remodel ourselves, jobs, and wanting to have an actual life too? Well, we wouldn't change it for anything! This project has dragged me out of the house on many a day I would have stayed home doing something boring, like vacuuming, in order to get the next daily photo. Not to mention, I love it that I now speak regularly to friends all around the world... and if I'm lucky, maybe we'll get to meet someday.

Whatcom County Relay for Life

Here's the reason we didn't have a post yesterday: We were at our local Relay for Life event from Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. For those of you unfamiliar with the Relay for Life, it's a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, which raises money for cancer research and programs for those stricken with cancer. The Relay for Life is an overnight event in which lots of teams participate, and someone from the team must be walking the track at all times during the event, which lasts 20 hours. Bellingham's Relay for Life is an unusual one in that we close off a portion of downtown for the track rather than using a sports field like most towns do. The bags in the photo here are candlelit luminarias, each one decorated for a person who has had cancer. Some are in celebration of those who have won the fight, and others are in memory of those who died. It's a very personal, emotional event for ejvig and myself, since we both lost our moms to cancer. Still, there are big strides being made in cancer research right now, and I'm hopeful that there will be fewer and fewer luminarias every year.

Skywatch Friday: Baker Backed by Blue

I'm certainly not going to complain about finally getting some blue skies! Still, cloudless blue skies aren't very photographable. Here's a mountain in front of it, which makes it a little more interesting.

See other blue skies here.

Cooling Off

We 'Hamsters are loving the (finally here!) summer temperature. Luckily, our highs are in the low 80's, unlike the rest of the sweltering States. Sorry, triple-digit bearers! Our hearts are with you!

Sweet Face

A friendly employee at a store in Fairhaven has a greeting and a wag for everyone.

Greeting Card

Roses are not only red,

Violets are violet, not blue.

Here's a greeting card picture

From Bellingham Daily Photo to you.

Watching Fireworks

I was going to post another picture of fireworks, but I liked the picture of my youngest girl watching the fireworks better. Watching the expressions of the children during the big fireworks show is even more fun than watching the fireworks themselves. It's a little grainy, but I like the color reflecting on her face.

Happy 4th!

We watched last year's show from our good friend's boat in the marina. What a great way to see the fireworks!

Happy Independence Day from Bellingham Daily Photo

Night Light

The rain has stopped.

The dog-walkers and fishermen disappear indoors as night envelopes the harbor light.

Skywatch Friday: Silhouettes at Play

the sun sets

they're tired, they're hungry, their pants are wet

yet

they leave with regret

Check out other skies here!

Check out the skywatch post on my oft-neglected other blog here!

Theme Day: Reflections

Shoot, I always forget about theme days! So now that I've belatedly caught on, here's my second post of the day for the July theme day: Reflections. Has your heart fallen sideways lately? Or perhaps turned green with jealousy? Well, even a sideways heart is still a heart.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

SambAmore at Boundary Bay

Ahhh, summer. Once again time for Yogoman's Wild Rumpus in the Boundary Bay beer garden. Last night Yogoman Burning Band brought their friends sambAmore along for a performance. The Bellinghamsters approved! There was wild energy and a lot of smiles going around. Thanks for an awesome show, guys!