This harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) was hunting for lunch in the Port Angeles harbor when he caught my eye. He was moving fast and dove as much as he was above the water.
Lumbering town
Logging and lumber was the lifeblood of the Olympic Peninsula in the early days of European settlement. Many communities in the Northwest started their lives as the company towns of lumber companies and housing was often provided to workers by “the company.” Typical worker homes were distinctive by their size – small – and style – simple. This one is located on a good sized lot and could have been built independently.
There’s a short row of these typical houses in Carlsborg. Their tiny sizes are sometimes in evidence with odds and ends that live on the front porches.
Some of them are partly hidden by trees and shrubs and all are on small lots.
This one has a bright coat of paint and the late addition of a second story tacked on that I framed out of the shot.
The ramp on this one is another recent addition but the house itself is a good example of the classic company house.
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Two Dutch Shell oil drilling platforms are being readied to leave the Port of Port Angeles soon. This rig, Noble Discoverer, has been loaded onto the semi-submersible MV Blue Marlin for transport and will be the first to leave.
Polar Pioneer, which has been here longer, will be loaded onto its transport and is scheduled to depart next week. These rigs are enormous. I wasn’t able to get a clear shot but you may make out two rather large boats to the left of the rig.
Dockwise Vanguard is the semi-submersible transport ship onto which the Polar Pioneer will be loaded. Both rigs are destined for the North Sea. Their routes haven’t been announced but these rigs are too large to transverse the Panama Canal so they’ll probably take the long way round…Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego in South America.
I don’t know if this support vessel will be part of the entourage. I titled this post “Parting is such sweet sorrow” because Port Angeles has been grateful for the business these rigs has brought to town.
Winter abstract
Another shot of the wild winter Dungeness River.
Random goodwill
We were in Port Angeles not long ago. Walking at the waterfront I came across the rock, above, on the sidewalk.
Later I found these rocks on the edge of a cement planter.
Then came this one nestled on a sculpture.
Finally, I found this.
Christmas angel
This is one of the most interesting Christmas angels I’ve ever seen. Found in a shop in Poulsbo last week.
Sluy’s Bakery
Back in Poulsbo again, here’s Sluy’s Bakery, a Poulsbo institution. Established in 1966 it offers classic sweet pastries, cookies, and breads that keep people coming back for more. Last week its windows were decorated with gingerbread houses made by owners and employees.
Lots of little houses were on display. Look carefully and you can see some of the sweet rolls displayed in the front window.
On my earlier post about Poulsbo on Wednesday a couple of comments expressed curiosity about the attraction of the Pacific Northwest to Scandinavian settlers. Authors Ruth Kirk and Carmela Alexander address this in “Exploring Washington’s Past”: Conditions on the Kitsap Peninsula paralleled Norwegians’ home-country landscape: a long coastline with many harbors where they could pursue fishing; dense timber for logging; and, once the trees were cut, stumpland to transform into farms.