The Bagelry

The Bagelry, downtown on Railroad Avenue, is a Bellingham institution. No visit to Bellingham is complete without one of their fresh, New York-style bagels. Bring your cash, though, because they don't take cards. Shocking, I know. But trust me-- they're worth it!

It's rare to find bagels that are made the traditional New York way (apparently they're even difficult to find in New York these days), which includes a boiling process as well as baking, and gives them their distinct, chewy center with a crust on the outside.

Eclipse Bookstore

My favorite thing about Eclipse Bookstore is the serendipitous organization system. Sure, they have some books in shelved categories, but there are also piles of books everywhere you look. As soon as I find a stack with an intriguing top book I inevitably discover that all the books underneath it are books I've been wanting to read. Who needs alphabetical order when you have serendipity on your side?

A Solid Foundation...

...and a crumbling facade house one my favorite book stores in town. The girls wanted to ride the bus yesterday so we bundled up, walked to the nearest bus stop and made our way to Fairhaven for lunch.

Weekend Reflections: Crow's Nest

Only the slightest ripple in the water disturbs this crow's reflection.

Skywatch Friday: November Trees

orange and pink

the winter sun sinks

behind the black lace

of November trees

Be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving

from Bellingham Daily Photo!

Whether you celebrate a traditional American Thanksgiving or not, it's valuable to have a day set aside to be thankful for the blessings in your life. This year, we did a Thanksgiving tree. Family members write what they're thankful for on a paper leaf and attach it to the tree, and when you're done you not only have a pretty centerpiece for the table, but a physical reminder of how much you have to be thankful for. Among our blessings: friends and family, consciousness, food, water, and shelter... oh yes, and the family dog. What are you thankful for?

Quack Quack! We're Back!

Back online, that is. After four torturous internet-free days (in which I inexplicably had lots more free time on my hands) the Comcast guy came out and replaced our busted modem. Now I can get back to life as usual-- perusing headlines about celebrities I don't care about, cackling at tacky forwarded e-mails, checking Facebook every five minutes to see if anything's changed... wait a minute. Where did all that free time go?

A Fleeting Friend

Our house guest for the last several days should be leaving the day after Thanksgiving. It's been fun but I'm ready for him to go.

Medlar Tree

We have all of two fruits on the Medlar tree we planted this spring. The fruit isn't eaten until after the first killing frost and it has had a chance to go through the "bletting" process - basically rotting. Thia snow is our first killing frost so we should get our first taste of Medlar soon!

Keep Your Friends Close and your Anenomes Closer

The interwebs are down at our house so we're relying on the magic of cell phone photos for posts until we're back online. This was at the Seattle Aquarium during the summer.

First Snow

Our first real sign of winter blew through last night. Perhaps we'll have a white Thanksgiving this year!

Skywatch Friday: Dusk

Little Squalicum Creek empties into the bay under a dusky sky.

Someday we'll be able to walk or ride our bikes from this spot to Mount Baker on the Bay to Baker Trail. This shot of Mount Baker from the bay shows just how ambitious the plan for the trail is.

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Lake Padden Cormorant

"Cormorant," according to Wikipedia, is a contraction of "corvus marinus," or "sea raven." Despite its name, this cormorant apparently likes fresh water just fine.

A little game of "Find the Gate"

No one comes this way anymore.

Harris Avenue

Road workers fix up Harris Avenue

Harris Avenue is the main street running east/west in Fairhaven. I'm pretty sure it's the oldest paved street in Fairhaven, and possibly Bellingham, but I couldn't corroborate that. It's a picturesque avenue, with brick going down the center and textured concrete on either side, ridged so the horses' hooves of days gone by could get a good grip on the hilly slopes. Hopefully whatever work these guys are doing will leave Harris Avenue unblemished.

Harris Avenue has a rich history, and it's fun to wander down the street and read the informational plaques embedded along the way. Among them are "Chinese Deadline - No Chinese allowed beyond this point 1898-1908" and "Unknown dead man displayed here 1901". It allows you to see past the charm and quaintness of modern-day Fairhaven and picture it as the rough-and-tumble wild west town it really was. For a complete listing of the plaques and the history behind them, see this article in Klipsun, the magazine from Western Washington University. The picture below is one of the plaques, obviously off the beaten path on one of the offshoots of the Interurban trail.

Late Harvest

A late crop of apples on display at the Local Food Exchange, a downtown outlet for local farmers to sell their produce.

United States Navy #7

Steam Engine #7 sits in a field at Bloedel Donovan Park. It was built by H K Porter Co. in November of 1918 for the United States Navy. After some online searching I found a picture of this steam engine abandoned in a Seattle yard in 1949.

www.steamlocomotive.info provides some great information on this steam engine.

Weekend Reflections: Oh I'm Such a Good Boy!

The dog returns

bringing his ball back for another throw.

Moments later he posed for Tuesday's post.

For more Weekend Reflections follow the link:

Skywatch Friday: Cormorants at Dusk

Some fly.

Others swim,

perch,

or stretch their wings.

Whatever their pose,

they know they look handsome

against an orange glow.

The Skateboarder

he waits for a break in the crowd

then skates, jumps, slides, lands

raspy rattle, grunt, whoosh, crash

he falls

and

he does it again

Are You Tired of Autumn Leaf Pictures Yet?

I'm not!

Sometimes...

...you've just gotta shake it all off.

Well Blended

Thirsty patrons must blend their own smoothie at the Bellingham Farmer's Market.

The Heron

The abandoned Squalicum pier offers a bird's eye view of the bay.

Weekend Reflections: Her Head's in the Clouds

Skywatch Friday: November Warmth

On November 3, the sun set on the warmest November day since 1949. Back then, the absurdly warm November was followed by a normal December and then the coldest January ever recorded. We're all walking around in our t-shirts and shorts, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Until then... ahhhhhh.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

A free bird leaps on the back of the wind

and floats downstream till the current ends

and dips his wing in the orange suns rays 

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage

can seldom see through his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied 

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

of things unknown but longed for still

and his tune is heard on the distant hill

for the caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze

and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees

and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn 

and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped and his feet are tied 

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

of things unknown but longed for still

and his tune is heard on the distant hill

for the caged bird sings of freedom.

--Maya Angelou

Salmon Fishing

A bristling bouquet of fishing poles

whip and snap and splash at sunset,

wielded by a line of diverse souls:

professors and retailers and transients,

college students and firemen

brought together by enthusiasm

for salmon.

VOTE!

If you don't, you're not allowed to complain about the state of things.

November Theme Day: Public Transportation

The Lummi Island ferry transports people back to the mainland.

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