Nothing quite like an Overcast Sunday Afternoon in Skagit...

Panels above are Deception Pass; Panels Below are Anacortes Harbor and Rotary Park.  Great places to seek solitude and thoughtfulness on a warm and rainy Sunday evening....

Artist Point is deluged by Snow in mid July...

More pictures here..

Interesting Sky Tonight

A warm and wonderful Ski to Sea

Farmville

• Farmville America
• Location: A Backyard in Bellingham, WA
• Early Conditions: Wettest April on Record, Coldest May to date

More Pictures here

This is My Son

This is my son.  He has spent barely eighteen weeks in his mother's womb. Already the world has asked him many questions: 


Are you healthy, my son? 
Are you willing to come into this world?
Will you be like us?


But what questions will you ask of the world, my son?

Will you ask about Who or What? Or will you ask Why?
Will we roam the world  my son, and together ask Why?


Why is the ocean so sea-green on a beautiful, bright day?
Why are the heavens so filled with light on  a clear, dark night?
Why does the Red Robin sing so loud as the crimson sun sets?
Why do the tallest trees grow on the most forbidding mountains?


For you are my son, and I am your father. May we roam the world forever together and ask Why.  Because you are my Son and I am your Father and  the World shall Love You and You shall know Truth.

On the Dairy Field Trip...

Planting Fruit Trees...

What does it mean to plant six fruit trees? Does it mean you will have more fruit? A less expensive grocery bill? Or is it enough to say, "I created this with my daughter; we chose these trees together, carried them home on a sunny day in a wheel barrel, read the instructions on the 'bare root' plastic sack, and bermed our apples, cherries, and pear trees with river rock from our backyard." And all these moments, especially this glorious spring planting day, will now live in my mind as perfect, happy, and laughter filled forever.

Happiness is an hour at the butterfly exhibit....

 

 

Happiness is an hour at the butterfly exhibit at  Pacific Science Center in Seattle...

Global Warming or King Tides?

I took this picture while hiking Horseshoe Creek on January 22nd. I have never seen this bench wiped out in the 6 years Ihave been hiking this beautiful trail, which is located at mile marker 38.4 on WA Highway 542 (Sunset Highway). The NookSack was incredibly full that day, but I still saw one crazy river Kayaker (unusual in January!) plunging down the surging currents amidst the boulders. He looked completely happy and confident. I was above the river when I first saw him, and so followed with my eyes as far as I could. He got caught in one whirlpool, did a 360 and shot right on out of it with no more hesitation or concern than I give to a muddy trail.

A light dusting of snow

Snow dusted the streets of Bellingham last night. We will have more this week..

How do they grow them this big?

At Stoney Ridge Farm in Everson, WA:

Blaine Harbor on a Beautiful Crisp Fall Morning

Took a walk out to the Marina  in Blaine.  The Blaine Harbor is looking more refreshed than the last time I saw it. It was a beautiful Sunday morning with clear views of  White Rock, the Georgia Strait, the Peace Arch, and  even Vancouver Island.

Mount Baker August 24, 2010

Mount Baker, Whatcom County WA

More Mount Baker pictures...

The 100th Anniversary of the Whatcom County Fair

 Any county fair that features a live birth of a calf,  dozens of rides for children, and the "Quichua Mashis" in one evening is all right by me.  Personally, all this city boy really wants to see each year is all those cows... 

 

Heaven....

Tonight is the night before the July 4th celebration on the Bellwether waterfront in Bellingham. As a warm up, a local band played tunes from the '70s, '80s, '90s  at Boulevard Park while the first of the "nights on the green" started in Fairhaven.  The summer sky at Boulevard Park was perfect tonight : clear, a little cool, some gentle breeze -  just like you would imagine a summer in heaven. You live for days like that here. When they happen, they are magical.  We are predicted to have rain for the Fourth; and then some 70 and even 80 degree weather next week.  Good idea to soak it up. Might be the warmest week of the year thus far.

The Tomato Shtick...

We are finally starting to get sunny weather in Whatcom County. Some beautiful days - light overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon (with some surprisingly strong wind at times) and long beautiful evenings and sunsets. Voila! My tomatoes, planted in early May, are finally taking off!:

Tomatoes will grow in Whatcom County. Like all other vegetables, you need to adapt to a short (but sunlight intense) growing season, wind and rain. Some do this with greenhouses. This year I have 12 different varieties that I am growing. One, a pear tomato named "Jolly Elf ", seems popular here in the Northwest.  It certainly has a distinctive shape:

Bellingham Bay on Father's Day 2010

You won't glimpse much marine mammal life in Bellingham Bay. Plenty of bird life, signs of fishing industry, etc.   But I am guessing that because of the long industrial history of the salmon canning facilities, gas plant, pulp plant, chloroform production, shipbuilding and repair, ttreated lumber operations, the landfill/dump etc. that there may not be enough of a healthy bay to sustain what marine mammals need to survive.  But there certainly is a lot of other activity going on.  Every now and then, however, I see this sea lion...

How is your vegetable garden surviving all this Spring rain?

We are paying now for the beautiful January and February we had.  It was a rough, but I think my tomatoes are going to make it.  Next year, I won't do this without a green house.  If you are in doubt about how your garden is supposed to look, you can visit the master gardeners at Hovander Park in Ferndale from 9:00 AM until Noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Their greenhouse is currently hosting some very healthy tomatoes.

The 2010 Ski to Sea

The Ski to Sea was pretty low key for us this year.  I thought it was less well attended than other years, but I did not stay for much of the afternoon. We had great fun anyway...