Category: Photographs

#allhoppedup Fourth Fireworks

A few years ago, Suzi and I went to the Hillsboro Hops game on the Fourth of July and watched the fireworks afterward. This year, we decided to do the same thing, but with even more family.

We were a little farther from the baseball action this year, actually beyond the outfield instead of along the third base line. That resulted in being even closer to the fireworks. It seemed like they were directly overhead.

I was back to having only my cell phone to take pictures. It’s not what you want for fireworks, but they remind me of the fun we had, so mission accomplished.

What a great time!

Hearts, Part VIII

Our local Dawson Creek park has a tunnel high schoolers pose in for their senior portraits. Its interior is painted black, now flat black, so taggers can use chalk instead of spray paint. This gambit is only partially successful. Regardless, after a quick pressure wash and a fresh coat, it’s primed for more artwork.1

I found this set of hearts on a recent walk there with my dad.

Be Kind! Rewind!
Tweet! Tweet!

  1. Actually, I don’t know if:

    • Chalk “tagging” is allowed
    • The flat, black paint is merely an attempt to encourage already-illegal behavior to be less destructive, or
    • Someone in facilities accidentally grabbed flat paint instead of the original, glossy black paint to cover over some earlier tags and people are taking advantage of the accidental chalkboard.

    ↩

Morning Pole

A couple of days ago, as I walked from the parking lot to the MAX station, I heard a mourning dove. The previous morning, I’d heard a dove and quickly found it, not in the trees, but on the power lines. This day, I didn’t see it on the power lines or in the trees.

With a little more searching and looking from another angle, I found the dove on the pole. He was peering down, watching the commuters.

This picture is interesting because all the diagonal lines make the pole look bent and leaning.1 It’s actually straight up and down and not bent. Looking at the sky to either the left or right of the pole seems to change the perceived bend.

  1. If you know me, you’ll also know I find this picture interesting because it’s of a pole. That’s enough! ;-) ↩

Westward into the Fair Complex MAX Station

This past Sunday, the camera in my Google Pixel 2 just quit working. After a nice online chat with a Google representative and an RMA in hand, the phone is off to be replaced. In the meantime, I’m carrying my old Samsung S6 with its cracked screen. After all, how else could I capture these early morning MAX station pics with incoming trains?! ;-)

May your commutes be as peaceful as mine.

Northwest weekend

This past weekend, Suzi treated me to a weekend in the Sound. We stayed in Tacoma, at the same place we’d stayed a few years ago.

We got much-needed rest and explored Point Ruston and Point Defiance Park. A ferry ride to Vashon Island sounded like a good idea.1 We visited the lighthouse at Point Robinson Park and ate in Vashon.2 On the ferry ride back, we were one of eight vehicles. There’s not a lot of people headed from Vashon Island to Tacoma late Saturday night.

The next day, we decided to head to Seattle. Somehow we ended up in West Seattle, along Seacrest Park. I’m sure the view of downtown would have been spectacular if the tops of the buildings weren’t dipping into the clouds. Since we were already pretty much there, we stopped by the Alki Point Lighthouse, then headed back downtown where we caught a larger ferry to Bainbridge Island. We walked downtown, exploring a cool little bookstore, some fun little shops, and the local art museum. After eating, it was time for the drive home.

Thank you, Suzi, for a fun birthday weekend!

  1. Did you know that people just sit in their cars on ferry rides? That’s like not looking out the windows when riding an airplane. Some people… ;-) ↩
  2. After deciding not to wait 3 hours (!) for a table at May Kitchen. Seems a reservation there is a good idea. ↩