Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
We visited the newly repaired Railroad Bridge last Sunday morning. There was lots of traffic on the new trestle.
There were plenty of walkers and furry buds.
Runners blew past.
And lots of bicyclists, too. It was a wintry morning but plenty of people were enjoying the bridge again.
The new trestle on the Railroad Bridge has been completed, opened, and dedicated. After nearly a year since the old trestle was damaged in flooding, I can humbly say it was well worth the wait. Thank you, Jamestown S’Klallam!
The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, which owns the property, led the $1.53 million replacement project and solicited grant funding to contribute to the work. The new steel span has fewer piers in the Dungeness River and was designed to help restore the river’s salmon habitat. Railings are high on the new deck but there are plans for an observation section.
S’Klallam tribal elders performed a blessing ceremony last week at the formal opening of the bridge. Cedar boughs were blessed and used as a ceremonial “ribbon” to cut and visitors at the ceremony brushed the sides of the bridge with boughs as they traversed. We are blessed to have this beautiful span which is also a link in the Olympic Discovery Trail.
I emerged from an elevator in Seattle to this wall of plants last month. This was the first time I’ve seen this sort of massing of greenery indoors. It was a pleasant surprise.
Up close it’s easier to see the framework for all this plant life but the overall effect is vibrant, a welcome reprieve from the city.
We went from wet to freezing overnight the other night, from flooding to frozen. The new year launched with the coldest night yet, 18 degrees F (7 C.). It gets cold like this when the skies are clear. This gives us frost, not snow.
It snows here when freezing precipitation travels south from the Frazer River Valley in British Columbia. So far it’s kept the snow to itself. But it’s certainly cold enough to bundle up.
I had fun with my camera in 2015. Here are favorite shots through the year.
Today’s City Daily Photo theme is “Photo of the Year.” This is one of my personal favorites from 2015.
To see other choices from around the world click here.
The Shafer Baillie Mansion in Seattle offers an insight into the modern life of the wealthy a hundred years ago. We can also see early versions of today’s technology. The shower above is a pioneering form of shower massage.
Here are the shower controls. Happily this was not in our room. I don’t require staff for daily activities but can see the appeal of a lady’s maid to confront these controls every morning.
I was taken enough with this phone and light switch to photograph them but neglected to look carefully enough at this early communications device. I think it’s an intercom.
Sadly the fine, detailed craftsmanship that made so many places beautiful is largely a thing of the past.