Leavenworth-the Rest of the Story

First, some unusual vehicles we spotted this year. The first one was parked in front of our hotel, and is owned by them. We got a big laugh at the comment painted on the passenger side rear panel. It's an old Mercedes vehicle, last licensed in 2023. Since then, the State has hugely increased the …

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Willkommen in Leavenworth

Welcome to Washington’s Bavarian Village (well…not exactly, but close enough if you don’t look too far under the facades of the buildings). We are here again, in the Eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains, for the International Accordion Celebration. The weather has been as perfect as we can remember for the end of June (partly …

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A few World Cup fans have reminded me how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is.

There are numerous posts on X this week, from soccer fans visiting Seattle for the first time. They all rave about Seattle’s natural beauty and the sunny mild weather. Many mention the good food at our many local restaurants. I was born and raised in Seattle, and I never take it for granted. So I …

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Tide’s IN! Picnic Point County Park on a warm afternoon

On Sunday, late in the afternoon, we drove over to Picnic Point County Park on Puget Sound. It was warm, in the 80s, and the parking lot was busy, but not quite full. The Park is on the west side of the shore-hugging railroad tracks, and there is a multi-level pedestrian bridge over the tracks …

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My lucky day in the backyard

Just sitting out in the yard with my soft drink, listening to the bird songs from the trees around me. Who showed up? Female Downy Woodpecker. https://videopress.com/v/4POomk5p?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Female Downy Woodpecker But the real show happened a short time later. I am thrilled that my phone captures such good video, silently. https://videopress.com/v/ZtvthE9w?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Mama and Papa feed …

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Just sitting out in the back yard.

This is the first video I’ve gotten without the sliding glass door between me and our Northern Flicker. https://videopress.com/v/LEDJrHk7?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Northern Flicker loves our suet Some still shots. Northern Flicker Hydrangea getting ready to flower And a couple of Chestnut-backed Chickadees loving the hot-pepper suet. https://videopress.com/v/0iDNofCH?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Chestnut-backed Chickadees And no yard is complete without a squirrel …

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Is Seattle really ready for the Soccer World Cup? Let’s check and see.

Just today, from overnight, this is what went on in Pioneer Square, the downtown historic district. https://twitter.com/KatieDaviscourt/status/2065909744918007810?s=20 Street takeovers by young people who block off the intersection and drive their cars around, skidding and throwing people every which way. This is near the soccer stadium where the first matches will be played on Monday. By …

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Outdoors Friday. Sunny day, Puget Sound, Brackett’s Landing in Edmonds.

I parked on a side street above the beach, and walked down to the ferry terminal. The Washington State Ferry goes to Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula. The day was a perfect as it gets here in Western Washington. While I was there, two cruise ships went by, on their way to Alaska from Seattle. …

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There is Beauty in the Belly of the Beast

The Belly of the Beast is the capitol of Washington State, Olympia. We drove down there yesterday so we could sign a couple of petitions, one for voter ID in Washington, and the other to repeal the new "Millionaires Tax" which is an income tax. Lots of nice people were at the signing-we were lucky …

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Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #400: The Rule of Three

This week, our friend Tina is running things, and she asks us to slightly alter the photographic "Rule of Thirds" which divides the space into thirds, both vertically and horizontally. Instead, she asks us for a subject containing three elements. Three's a crowd? Let's see. In the above photo, there are just three spectators in …

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