Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Here in the western U.S. the eastern sides of our mountains are dry. Stripped of wetter forest lands they can offer a longer view and different perspective.
See that tiny white dot at the bottom of this shot? It’s a barn though it almost looks like a rock that’s tumbled down the mountainside. Humans don’t look quite so big and important at this scale.
We stopped in Leavenworth on our way to eastern Washington. It’s a small town in the Cascade Mountains that has styled itself as a Bavarian village. The Cascades cooperate with craggy spires and a dramatic backdrop.
The town is adorned with lots of murals, hanging flowers, and ornamental woodwork. Above is a Starbucks entrance unlike any I’ve seen before.
Businesses seemed to embrace the “das,” “der,” and “haus” theme. Leavenworth is the first place I’ve ever seen lederhosen sold. And now I know where to go should I be in the market for gnomes.
Lake Wenatchee State Park is a convenient stopover near Stevens Pass. We diligently made camping reservations but the week before Memorial Day we didn’t really need them.
The weather was cool and winds really whipped across the lake. It definitely wasn’t beach time yet.
We recently took our first camping trip of the season. We’ve been planning/hoping/threatening to head to the east side of the Cascade Mountains almost as long as we’ve lived in Sequim. This year we sat down with a calendar and declared that the time was right in late May.
Though we had the time set aside, the route and specific destinations were fuzzy. A week before we left we pulled out a road map, two camp guides, and fired up Google Earth. In about an hour we had a plan. This is not my usual style. I’m a capital “P” Planner.
We were headed for the drier side of Washington but traveled up the wet side of the Cascades to get there. These shots are from Deception Falls near Stevens Pass. The first shot is the Tye River. The next two are rainforest scenes…appropriate since it was – yes – raining.
This month’s City Daily Photo theme challenge is “shadow and highlight.” I’ve given peonies from my garden a starring role. Their ruffled petals are animated with an interplay of light.
Click here to see other interpretations of today’s theme.
Coffee breaks. Do people really take them? I don’t remember a time when I put my work aside, walked away from my desk, and sat down to a cup of coffee. Heck, there were times when I considered myself lucky to have time to choke down some lunch at my desk. Maybe that’s why, now that I’m retired, I take a long time to read our painfully thin newspaper and sip tea or coffee…slowly. And I’ll have a second cup if I please. That’s a small luxury I enjoy a lot more than the moment actually warrants.
Speaking of breaks, I’m taking a short break from blogging. I’ll be back by early June. See you then!
Another thing I like about this time of year is that the songbirds are back. Their music fills the air. This little Pavarotti held a lovely concert the other evening. (The zoom on my new camera is great but this shot isn’t as steady and sharp as I’d like.)
“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” David Attenborough