It's not Farewell

We've greatly enjoyed the opportunity the City Daily Photo has given us to step back and observe our beautiful city as a visitor might see it - noticing the people, places and details that we would otherwise pass by in our daily rush.

However, as our families have grown over the last several years that rush has become a stampede and it's all we can do to keep up with the daily reality of school schedules, homework and chasing after the next generation.  Rather than let Bellingham Daily Photo become a chore that must compete for time with all the others, Lizzi, Lorelle and I have decided to let it wind down for the time being so we can focus on our families.

We are humbled by the support and generous spirit the City Daily Photo community has shown our little blog over the last several years and would like to thank each of you for the time you have taken from your own busy days to swing by our blog for a visit.

Happy Winter Solstice

 

The Labyrinth Walk in Eastsound on Orcas Island.

 

 

On a side note, I'm sad to say that I can no longer keep up my half of the daily end of Bellingham Daily Photo.  I enjoy taking pictures and will continue to do so, but with two young daughters, I just do not have the time or energy to post daily.  Thank you for taking the time to visit and I hope you drop in occasionally to see what we are up to.

A Beach in Miniature

I just stumbled across this photo and have no idea where it was, but I was struck by how much this looks like a diorama of a beach. 

On the Forest Floor

These mushrooms were poking up through the fall leaves on a recent hike in the woods.  I did a quick search online but couldn't find anything that looked like these.  Any mushroom experts out there know what these are?

Skywatch Friday: World of Color

On our last night in Disneyland we wandered over to California Adventure to watch the World of Color display over the Paradise Bay Lagoon. Jets of water and laser dance over the lagoon in time with music from many of Disney's movies combined with footage from the film projected on sheets of water.  A few fireballs are mixed in for impact as well. Well done Disney, well done.

Tow Mater!

We left Bellingham behind last weekend for Disneyland so BDP is going to follow along for a few days. 

Tow Mater came cruising down the street as we entered Cars Land in California Adventure.  Cars Land is new and its incredible.  You feel as if your actually standing in Radiator Springs. I"ll get some more pictures up over the weekend.

Katie's Cupcakes

 

Everyone needs a little treat sometime, right?  Recently, my daughter and I visited the cupcake shop in Fairhaven made famous on the Food Network's show Cupcake Wars.  They won the top prize and I can certainly tell why, simply yummy.

The End of a Rainbow

This fantastic rainbow greeted me as I drove down to the bottom of my street.  I scrambled for my camera and was able to capture one shot before it began to disappear.

Duck Pond

A lazy dazy ducky day at Whatcom Falls Park.

Chill

 

A very chilly morning greets visitors to Bayview Cemetery. 

Eagle Eyes

As we were playing down at the beach this weekend and throwing rocks into the lake, I noticed we had someone watching us.  This beautiful eagle was perched high at the top of a nearby tree and surveyed the lake for his next meal.  Even from high up, he was magnifying.

Flying over Mount Rainier

My husband flew to Arkansas last month on business.  He snapped this lovely photo of Mount Rainier on his way down south.  I was awed by the mountain's beauty and the fantastic day.

Sunset

Last week as the sun set it peeked out from underneath the clouds and turned the entire sky and underside of the clouds orange.  I scrambled for the camera but by the time I was set up  it had started to fade.  It was still a beautiful sunset though...

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Bellingham Daily Photo!

Thankful for Family

Wishing all of you a warm and happy Thanksgiving.  I couldn't be more thankful for my fantastic little family.  Tomorrow we will join even more family, and enjoy a fun and chaotic day filled with laughter and great food.

Lower Fork

 

On a nice fall day, my family enjoyed a peaceful fall drive to see some colorful falling leaves. Thankfully, my husband grew up in rural Whatcom County and was able to take us on some back roads that I never knew existed.  We crossed the Nooksack river a few times.

Morning's First Light

Remnants of last night's rain catch the morning light.

Raptor Ridge

Lizzi and I ditched the kids last weekend and got out for a brief hike up to the Raptor Ridge viewpoint south of Bellingham.  These rustic stairs are the beginning of the final ascent up out of the forested valley floor to a rock cliff that forms the viewpoint.  The morning was cold enough that snow flurries greeted us at when we reached the top.

Rates

How do our downtown parking rates compare with yours?  It never feels like too much for me, I can usually reach to the bottom of my purse for whatever is there to cover it.  But then I rarely park downtown during the weekdays, usually just on weekends and they are free.

Layover

 

Looking northeast from Anacortes towards the Cascade Mountains in Canada.  On our last trip to the San Juan Islands, we missed our scheduled ferry by three cars, so we enjoyed a few hours on the beach.

Silhouette

This is one of the trees in Memorial Park that I was hoping to catch the fall colors on last weekend.  I think this one may be even more striking in silhouette.

Unwanted

One last pumpkin shot for the end of the season.  I think its a little sad the way some of left over pumpkins are just left to rot in the field. 

On a side note, I turned in my ballot yesterday.  I'm a little sad that there are no longer polling places in Whatcom County and I wasn't able to collect my little "I Voted" sticker to wear the rest of the day.  I hope everyone votes today and proudly wears their stickers!

Docked

The Anacortes Ferry Terminal as seen from the beach.  This ferry had just arrived from Sidney, British Columbia.  As the cars unloaded, those of us waiting for our ferry to the San Juan Islands had to wait behind a locked gate as customs agents processed the cars and then swept through the ferry.

Memorial Park

We took the kids to memorial park yesterday to play in the fall leaves before they are gone for the season.  The park is centered around a memorial sculpture to honor local service members killed in the line of duty.  It's kind of a forgotten park, tucked between my daughter's elementary school and the freeway, but it is covered in lawn and spotted with huge old trees.

Skywatch Friday: Morning Trickles In

After a week of rain, a touch of color this morning suggests we may see a little sun today.

For more skywatch images visit:
SKYWATCH FRIDAY

Trick or Treat

 

This year's Jack-o-Lanterns carved out at Back Lane Gardens.  It is looking like we will have a very wet evening for trick or treating, but my kids are super excited despite the rain.

 

Happy Halloween!

Maze

Recently, my family visited the small town of Prineville on the east side of Oregon.  Prineville's claim to fame is being the home of Les Schwab, the tire company.  Our fun activities included a trip to a pumpkin patch with a big hay bale maze.  Most of the kids seemed to enjoyed running on top of the hay rather then exploring the inside of the maze.

 

The Birth of a Jack-o-Lantern

Lizziviggi digs in and hollows out a pumpkin at our annual pumpkin carving bash at Back Lane Gardens.

The Tasting Table

Despite growing up just five minutes from Cloud Mountain Farm, until this year I had never attended the annual fruit festival they host.  This tasting table was the highlight of the day for me.  Nearly every imaginable variety of fruit was available to try.  One side was dedicated to different apple, pear and asian pear varieties.  The grape table ranged from from eating grapes to different types of champagne grapes. Another table had quinces, berries, currants, peppers...I can't begin to remember what else.

Inflation

 

Luckily, it was free to use today.  But back in this door's day as a pay toilet the jump from 5 cents a use to 10 cents was probably a steep increase.  I bet people paid it though.

Sugar Pumpkins

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I've never baked a pumpkin pie from scratch, but this fun display at Bellewood Acres kind of makes me want to try.

Bayview Cemetery

With Halloween creeping around the corner, misty photos of cemeteries and headstones seem appropriate.

Music

 

A beautiful arrangement of guitars and banjos decorate the wall at the New Green Frog.

Gathering Circle

The Firs Christian Retreat Center is a 7-acre campus set amongst the trees in the Geneva neighborhood.  The campus can accommodate up to 220 people staying in a variety of dorm style units.  Its been a neighbor of mine for several years now, but until recently I had never explored more of its grounds then what can be seen from the road.  I was suprised at all there was tucked back under the trees.  

It's Been 2 Amazing Years

 

Happy birthday to my youngest daughter!  She is sweet, playful, just a little devious and I can't wait for more birthdays to come.

Tractor Pull

The kids enjoyed a tractor ride at a recent birthday party.

And the Fog comes Rolling In...

Summer may have come late this year, but it's been beautiful since it arrived.  With the exception of a brief sprinkle in early September, we haven't had any rain since mid July. The morning fog has been starting to set in though, and by this weekend we should get our first real rain in nearly three months!   

Searching for Light

 

The rooftop skylights at Geneva Elementary school give students as much light as they can in our increasingly grey fall days.

Night Neon

 

A late night staple downtown is 20th Century Bowl.  The bowling alley has around for fifty years and I hope it continues another fifty.

Date Night

 

After a wonderful dinner with my husband, of the best pasta in Bellingham, at D'anna's Cafe Italiano we had these yummy drinks at The Fountain Bistro.  It was the perfect nightcap for a great evening.

Pumpkin Patch

We've been having the best October weather I can remember. By afternoon the temperatures have usually been getting into the 70's and there hasn't been any rain since early summer...perfect conditions for fall colors. Today we're heading out to Cloud Mountain Farms for apple tasting.

Skywatch Friday: In the Morning

Joggers and kayakers were already circling Lake Padden when I arrived to wait for sunrise.

Bellewood Acres

Long known for their apples, Bellewood Acres branched out into the craft distillery business last year.  We picked up a bottle of their apple vodka last weekend.  I'm not normally a vodka fan, but it was quite good.

Window

 

This wooden screen in the window of a house in the Columbia neighborhood caught my eye.  What a wonderful way to still achieve some privacy, but allow the light in.

Camouflage

It might be hard to tell, but there is a pretty knobbly stump under all those ferns and moss.

 

 

Moon Over Mountain

Twilight hits Mount Baker and the moon rises high in the sky.

 



Weekend Reflections: Still Waters...

...are perfect for weekend reflections.

Complexity

Imagine how many different hands worked to bring this one steam engine to life - from the designers and drafters to the miners of the coal and ore, the welders and boilermakers, the riveters and fitters, the engineers and conductors and the passengers who paid to ride behind her.

Adrift

I can think of worse ways to spend a day!