Even on the cloudy days Seattle is wonderfully photogenic. From the water this view of the Olympic Sculpture Park with the Space Needle above pops against the dark afternoon clouds.
Returning from Tillicum Village and Blake Island we passed Alki Point Lighthouse just as a rainbow reached down and just about touched the lighthouse.
It had been a day of off and on rain but brilliant sun breaks. By the time we were returning it was around 8PM so with the glow of the low sun and the rainbow, Alki Lighthouse was spectacular!
It's been a long time since I've been to Tillicum Village altough I recommend it often to visitors and to locals who haven't been there.
Tillicum is celebating their 45th Anniversary and invited some friends to celebrate; we went with a few other members of the KPVCB and were treated to a private reception before the salmon dinner and NW Native American dance show.
The weather went from rain to sun and back several times and overall was perfect; a beautiful day and evening with wonderful company.
Happy Anniversary Tillicum Village!
Tillicum Village is located on Blake Island - not far from Seattle. Blake Island is a Washington State Park accessible only by boat. Tillicum Village, the marina and a few facilities are located on the north end of the island and the rest of the island has some camping, trails and great beaches and views.
The black & white newspaper stands out against the colorful background of magazines. The guy in the blue large checked shirt, just made it all the better. I did adjust the levels a bit to really make the newspaper "pop".
Just as you can find unusual and hard to find foods in the Pike Place Market, you can find out of area newspapers and a wide variety of magazines.
Ally, nephew Colin's girlfriend, participated in the Savor Seattle food tour with me (below) but prior to the start we got one of the classic Market shots - sitting on Racheal the Pig at the entrace to the main market area.
Rachael, the pig, is a giant piggy bank and very successfully raises money for the Pike Place Market.
She is the creation of Georgia Gerber, a local artist living on Whidbey Island and one of my favorites. I have one of her little otters on my deck which I just love.
You can see Ally in one of the pictures below sampling the cheese and further down you can read about her kayak adventure.
There is a new tour in Seattle and I had the opportunity to participate in one of the "practice" runs.
Savor Seattle food tours will officially start business next week and is a great option for locals and visitors alike.
The tours are amazingly well orgainized. When you arrive you recieve a "goodie" bag with the itinerary, map, menus, suggested eating spots, napkins for the generous tastings and a bottle of water. Each participant wears an ear piece so they can easily hear Angela Shen, the owner and guide, as you walk through the noisy market.
Rather than try and describe the tour, I'll quote and link to the website - it is all that it says it is and I highly recommend the tour for both locals and tourists.
"Explore Seattle’s Culinary Riches! - Savor Seattle Food Tours specializes in guided walking food tours of some of Seattle’s tastiest neighborhoods. Our signature tour invites you to sample the gems of Pike Place Market, a beacon in Seattle’s vibrant culinary scene.All of our tours emphasize the histories of places and the people who give them life. We highlight local artisans and restaurants whose foods are revered throughout Seattle and beyond."
It's June and today it felt like June! (Notice the difference in clothing from the posts below - just two days ago)
The sun was out, Mt Rainier was out and it was wonderfully warm.
I spent some time with a travel writer and his photographer wife in Port Gamble, then Poulsbo and introduced them to Andrew at NW Electric Boat Rentals and he took them on a late afternoon cruise. The report later was that they loved it! Watch for the story in the Vancouver SUN in the next few weeks/months.
I got quite a few pictures around Poulsbo, went home and got Jim and we returned to Poulsbo for dinner and I took a few more pictures.
This is toward the end of the kayaking day and the dock girl for Olympic Outdoor center was pulling some of the kayaks in for the evening.
Kayaks can be rented on the Poulsbo waterfront from Oympic Outdoor Center and they also have a variety of guided tours; something for everyone.
Colin's girlfriend Ally is visiting again from Texas. Ally who thinks anything below 70 degees is cold. (Colin finds anything above 80 degrees to be Hot).
The Plan: Colin would kayak from Seattle to Suquamish. Ally would take the ferry from Seattle and then they would kayak together to Blake Island, have dinner at Tillicum Village, spend the night on Blake and return the next day.
I picked Ally up at the ferry and Colin kayaked from Seattle. They got their gear together and left for Blake Island at the appropriate time to catch the incoming tide going through Agate Passage. They were on their way! You can see from the pictures that the weather was not warm - just barely OK, but there was promise of more sunshine as the day went on.
Later in the evening we heard that they were heading back through Agate Passage, had been spotted by friends and were eventually headed our way. As predicted, I got a call a while later asking us to send the tram to the beach.
Ally and Colin had apparently gone through Agate Passage and had a discussion on tides, and currents and weather and decided to stop for lunch. The discussion continued and at some point they decided to abort the trip. Probably a good call. Did I mention that Ally had never been in a kayak before?
This is Colin coming in from Seattle - happy to be across the Sound and probably happy to see Ally, or just smiling for the camera as his mother has taught him so well.
Colin, with the possibility of a seven week adventure kayaking the inland passage home from Alaska later this summer, has been taking practice paddles in his new kayak and is in great shape - not to mention a natural at just about any water sport.
About the aborted trip: both seemed quite happy with their decision, spent the night in our cabin and today worked on the bank clearing the brush and some medium sized trees so the tram can run up and down to the beach unobstructed - worked out for everyone.
The Suquamish Garden Club held their meeting recently at Jerry and Sharon Reitan's prioneer cabin on Woodpecker Hill.
The house has a long history with multiple uses over the years and has been beautifully restored by Jerry.
The Reitan cabin sits on 75 acres at the top of Woodpecker Hill with a beautiful view, out over Big Valley, of the Olympic Mountains.
Jim, with brother-in-law Kevin McDonald are on the porch.
The Garden Club met at the house for a pot luck dinner, then took the trail down the hill to Jan Hurd and Jim Goldsworthy's house which is fairly new and started with no garden at all. They have brought in soil, compost, rocks and with Jan's artistic talent have designed and built a spectacular garden.
I love the glow on the house as the sun was getting low - this was about 8PM on one of our longer days of the year.
Kids and water!
The Bremerton fountains, this one in front of the conference center, offer constant entertainment and fascination for kids and adults.
With the addition of the new Fountain Park, Bremerton now has a great collection of fountains along the waterfront well worth the trip to see and enjoy.
Here's the picture I went to Brownsville to take, when I got distracted by the geoducks being unloaded (post below).
Whenever possible I like to swing through Brownsville and just look around for photo opportunities. The colorful fishing fleet and reflective marina waters often produce good photo subjects.
Visiting the Brownsville marina to take some pictures I was there as the geoduck boats came in and unloaded.
The lighting was good, the scene colorful and I couldn't resist taking pictures of the entire process (more pictures on KitsapImages.com).
We just had relatives visiting (see posts below) and Chris was facinated by geoducks. I am sorry I didn't know that we could go and watch the unloading - it would have been a great field trip for everyone!
As I took pictures the crew saw me and offered some of the geoducks with broken shells.
I have never cooked geoduck, but because of the extensive conversations recently, and because they were harvested in front of our house, I decided I should give it a try. The crew gave me instructions on cleaning and skinning them, which worked perfectly and now I have several pounds of geoduck and I'm looking for recipes.
Searching the beach for treasures - super low tides uncover areas of the beach only seen a few times a year.
Low tide, morning light, fluffy clouds, lighthouse and kids - perfect.
Out-of-town relatives and the lure of Point No Point beach came together at a -3.7 tide. Where the beach at high tide can often be narrow and driftwood can block the way, during a low tide there is unlimited space for dogs and kids to run unobstructed.
Miles of shoreline with tide pools and treasures to be found. Point No Point never disappoints but this was a wonderful, magical, fun day.
Another sure sign that it is June is the blooming of roses of all kinds.
Early morning is the perfect time to photograph roses, warm sun and wonderful colors. This picture was taken around 6AM after a light overnight rain.
This rose was given to me as a gift from a very good friend's daughter when they visited years ago. It continues to remind me, year after year, of my friends and their visit.
We're heading toward the longest day of the year and with the early mornings I have been waking up as early as 4:30 when the birds start their chorus before sunrise.
In June, when the sun rises around 5AM, it warms the north side of the guest house which doesn't see sun many months of the year.
As much as any time of the year it is obvious why this property was named Sunrise Acre.
The guest house, built in 1905, is the original residence on the property.
The hanging piece on the tree is a glass garden spirit made by Mesolini Glass Studio on Bainbridge Island. I have two that watch over my garden.
I bought this peony plant at Boonebrier Farm two years. First year didn't get much, last year one bloom and this year two blooms - the plant seems to be winding up for a big year next year!
Boonebrier Farm is located on 7 rolling acres of woods and pasture land on the Kitsap Peninsula near Kingston, Washington. They have over 185 varieties of peonies, and 80 varieties of Siberian iris.
Well worth the trip just to see the beauty and variety. Check out their site where there are many more examples instead of my one flower!
Walking through Winslow (Bainbridge Island) with a writer on assignment, we were checking out the shops when we passed this one with the paper mache dog, accompanied by its real life friend.
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