Seasonal Shifts

I saw my first true fallen fall leaf this afternoon. How could that be on August 31st? Some of the trees have been shifting colors a bit, true. But falling leaves! When I ventured North last Friday the lavender fields were giving evidence of their seasonal shifts. Some rows were trimmed for winter while others remained dressed in their colorful lavender best. You could almost hear them say, "it's coming, autumn is on it's way". And honestly, as some of you know from last years posts, it is my favorite. Apologies to spring, summer and winter. Bottom line, get out there and breath in the last days of summer with all their flowery wonder. It's good juju while it lasts.

Northern Friendships

Took a vacation day Friday and had a wonderful visit with my friend Carole in the Northern part of the Northwest, where the wind blows and sea scents abound. My camera was hot by the time I headed home. Thanks again Carole, it was a wonderful day. Happy Birthday!

Where the Sea and Sky Come to Mingle

Thank you Senator Kennedy.

Your kind heart,

good intentions,

support for those with less

and willingness to take action

again and again and again

until you simply could no more...

will be missed.

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"
"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her and just at the moment when someone says: "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"
And that is dying.

Henry Van Dyke

Spring in Idaho

The locals hadn't even gotten their boats out on this lake in Idaho when these folks were cruising around in their colorful kayaks. Pretty fun to step outside and find them on the beach shortly after taking photos of mist and empty sand in the same spot only an hour or so before. Hope your week has moments of unexpected color.

Looking Back and Through

Looking back in time at Fort Nisqually in Tacoma gives folks a sense of what they would have been looking through about one hundred and seventy plus years ago. In this case, light entering rooms through glass windows which was a huge luxury. Imagine being snowed in during the winter and looking through these wave and bubble covered panes for weeks on end. We have it embarrassingly easy in this day and age don't you think? What invention are you most grateful for?

Aaarrrggghhhhh

I was hanging out at the Port Orchard Yacht Club dock a couple of Sunday mornings ago. It was cloudy and fun light for making pictures. Seems when the weather is good I can't stay away from water reflections.

Not much wind and no boat traffic so the water around the boat barns was glassy still. Actually the whole area was quiet.

Farther out at a near by dock sat the Mad Jack II. After much camera clicking I gave one good Aaarrrggghhhh to the Mad Jack before departing. I'm guessing the folks watching from inside the Yacht Club were thinking, be on yer way matie.

Knowing what the Northwest summer looks like from the waters edge on a gray day is nothing like seeing it from the perspective of my friend at Family Fusion. Be sure and check out her garden!

Also, if you are thinking about northern CA or Portland, Oregon travel, check out Art Spirit's site for some wonderful trip pics.

And finally...if you need a little mood shift try THIS. It has a slight blip at the beginning but hey, whats a blip between friends.

Oh and I keep forgetting, if you have any interest in my other dabblings those can be found at Sea Mist Studio right next door. Come on by.

At What Point

At what point do you know they are engaged

in the environmental talk taking place?

When what's going on below the waters surface

becomes more important than their shoes.

Lurking Behind the Glass Museum

What lurks behind that glass museum I'm always going on about is this. As you descend the ramp below the cone, one of Tacoma's waterways is revealed. A few more steps and you realize right below you is a promenade and large pool. It is the sight of rotating glass installations. I've been trying to get back here since the day I happened on the actual installation. It's interesting from above, but...

oh my gosh, when you stand on the other side of it, looking back at the hill across the water and up it's, well, it's wonderful. That contrast between the soft curving clear glass and the architecture makes a kind of cool flaming magic.

And with a quarter turn to the left,

another interesting contrast engulfs your senses.

The only thing missing is experiencing this at night. The whole piece is cleverly lit but I have yet to be in town late enough to see it. I'm not sure how long the instillation will be in place but I hope to catch it at sunset one evening. Well see.

Shaking Things Up

I think it's time to shake things up a bit.

How about a little Jazz?

Harmony?

No, let's go with some Good Time Rock and Roll.

Turn your speakers up and click HERE.

Lingering Within

A few more of those who linger within the Museum.

Hung Out To Dry

All kinds of things are hanging about at the History Museum.

Stabig(w)sali

Funny how we can pass things without seeing them. In this case the plaque above went un-noticed by me until recently. It is placed in the sidewalk that runs in front of the Washington State Historical Museum where I have walked often.

I'm guessing the word you see at the top of the plaque MAY be written in Lushshootseed, the language of the North West Salish Tribes living in the Puget Sound region. Very few are left who speak the language but there are numerous efforts afoot to hand the language down to the next generation.

Stabig(w)sali...a place for the storage of important things/possessions.

The perfect definition for what goes on inside.

I've mentioned the museum before when writing about it's architecture.

I thought you might like to have a look inside

and meet some of the folks living there.

The journey through time, depicted in the various areas,

is revealed in conversations between the characters

and historical background.

The lighting is effective and draws you into the conversations.

As planned, history comes alive, right before your eyes.

Creating all the life size people depicted in the scenes

out of the same sculpting medium

really keeps things flowing without interruption.

And at some point you begin to feel

more like a participant than an observer.

As you walk along and realize this is only one portion of the museums offerings, the reality of all the hard and well done work really sinks in. We are very fortunate to have this stabig(w)sali nearby.

I have more photos from my short visit. For now, if you would like to know more about the Washington State Historical Museum in Tacoma go HERE. If you would like to listen to the pod casts developed for the museum go HERE. But to get the full effect, when in the area, be sure and make the museum one of your stops. It was really fun to hear the reactions of the visiting children.

Orchids to You

Compliments of Sumner

Compliments of a nursery in the town of Sumner from a stroll through last year. Hm, wonder what's going on there now? The summer still has a few weekends left. Maybe I could...