Saturday, August 27, 2016

The Oriental Limited [1929] and MORE

From our collection ...

Imagine the year is 1929. The economy is rolling along and people are calling the decade "The Roaring Twenties". You're living in New York City, have a good job and about ready for a vacation. How about a trip across the country to see the newly developing Pacific Northwest and perhaps even go on across the Pacific Ocean to the Orient (as they called it back then). You might stop by a Travel Agent's office to see what's available and pick up the brochure you see below. Remember, there are no planes, so the fastest and most relaxing way to travel is by train. This brochure, published by the Great Northern Railway, in 1929, is designed to introduce you to the train. Can you, for just a moment, mentally go back in time and imagine how this trip might look to you?

The Oriental Limited
Great Northern Railway's name train across the continent.
Published 1928

[Click on images for larger view.]


Great Northern Railway passenger representatives
are travel experts well qualified to aid you
in planning your trip.


The efficient crew, veterans all, and natty in their
dark blue uniforms, are all attention to
welcome the Oriental Limited's guests.

All about The Pullman Sleeping Cars

Separate dressing rooms for women and men

A complete barbershop is available as well as
Valet Service!

A daintily furnished boudoir and lounge room,
with a shower, provides for the feminine guest.
A ladies' maid is available for a manicure!

All about the Dining Car

Seasonable delicacies, prepared in spotless kitchens
and served at reasonable prices, are features of the
menus on the Oriental Limited.

All about the Observation Car

Extra high windows make it possible to view,
with the greatest ease, the diversified and
beautiful scenery en route.

Telephone service at terminals is but one of the many little
conveniences that add to travel enjoyment.

Splendid views along historic river highways are
obtained from the Oriental Limited's deeply recessed
rear platform.





The reason we collect these old brochures is that we love trains, but more than that, we have a fascinating look back at the culture of these times. Just months after this brochure was published the Stock Market crashed in October, 1929. The Great Depression ensued and was not declared over until ten years later. So, we're curious how many people still made the trip across country or, even further, to Asia.

From the Journal ...

Third trip this summer to Volunteer Park Dalhia Garden ...

Bee at work!



All of these dahlia photos taken on the morning of
August 23rd 2016








If you like the dahlia photos, be sure to see our earlier posts on July 15th and August 5th.

Ships Spotted ...

First morning Ferry from Bainbridge Island enroute Seattle
August 19th 5:38 AM

Hyundai Container
August 24th 7:33 AM

August 24th 4:58 PM
Afternoon sunshine turns the Sound into
a sea of sparkles

Afternoon Sailing on Puget Sound
Afternoon of August 24th

Bainbridge Ferry near entrance to
Eagle Harbor
August 25th 6:35 AM

Luxury Yacht Tamsen
The taller mast must be near 100' ... wow!
August 25th 7:17 AM
 More info on Tamsen here.


NYK Deneb
August 25th  6:16 AM
NYK Deneb Info from VesselFinder.com


August Skies ...

Easy to see the smoke from forest fires in
the Olympic Mountains in this sunset snap.
August 19th  8:20 PM

August 23rd  8:00 PM
How do you like the clouds?

August 24th  7:53 PM
Sunset --- Olympic Mountains
August 26th  8:17 PM
Smoke from fires in the Olympic Mountains added
to the colorful sunset.

This will be our last post for August. We're taking a little end-of-summer break and will see you again in September. Thanks for stopping by John's Island.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Full Sturgeon Moon

From our Journal ...

The Full Sturgeon Moon
August 18th, 6:17 AM
Native Americans had interesting names for the full moons. Here is this month's explanation from Space.com: "The Full Sturgeon Moon - when that large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like Lake Champlain is most readily caught. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because the moon rises looking reddish through sultry haze, or as the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon." Moonset today in Seattle, per TimeandDate.com 6:30 AM. Exact time for Full Moon in Seattle was 2:26 AM. When our photo was snapped this morning the phase was 99.9% waning. Is that TMI, or what? :-) The very light bands of pink were there ... not an enhancement. On the opposite horizon the sun was just about to rise and lighting up the sky with that pink light of dawn.

Colorful sunset, August 16th, 8:10 PM
Olympic Mountain Range creates the horizon.

Container Ship via Moonlight.
August 18th, 5:10 AM
We could have checked AIS data on VesselFinder for the ship's name, but forgot to do so. We'll just enjoy the photo.
U S Coast Guard
USCGC Bertholf
August 17th, 10:32 AM
"USCGC Bertholf is the first Legend-class maritime security cutter of the United States Coast Guard. She is named for Commodore Ellsworth P. Bertholf, fourth Commandant of both the Revenue Cutter Service and Coast Guard." Wikipedia

Monday, August 15, 2016

HMCS Saskatoon

From our journal ...

We took advantage of Seafair Fleet Week to tour ships in harbor for the event. In this post we'll share a few photos taken as we toured HMCS Saskatoon. We appreciate the Canadians' participation in Seafair and looked forward to stepping onto Canadian soil, so-to-speak, right here in Seattle. Fleet week was August 2nd through 7th.  Seafair is an annual tradition in Seattle and includes a big parade, ship tours, and hydroplane races on Lake Washington.

Royal Canadian Navy: HMCS Saskatoon
Kingston-Class Coastal Defense Vessel
Docked at Pier 69 Seattle
August 3, 2016

Going aboard for tour of the ship.
The ship is a part of Seafair Fleet Week 2016


View from bow.


Inside Bridge

Navigation System

Used for training purposes.
(This is definitely NOT John)
:-)

Flag storage.
Flags are still an important part of
naval operations.

Info on HMCS Saskatoon from Fleet Week Guide.
From our collection ...

Since we visited a Canadian ship we thought we might as well share another page from the Canadian calendar we featured in our post for Canada Day on July 1, 2016. This 1977 publication by Texas Refinery Corp was to honor Canada and it so happens that the days of 1977 were aligned just like 2016. The August pages featured a photo of a wheat farm.



Texas Refinery 1977
August
More from the Journal ...

Snapped on walks ...

Artist at work!
August 11th

Too red to pass up!
August 11th

New way to tour the waterfront!
August 3rd

Ships ...

Most of our ship photos are taken from home looking out over Puget Sound ...

M O L Partner
Container Ship
August 10, 9:12 AM

Matson Container Ship
August 5, 10:50 AM
China Shipping Line Container Ship
Can you imagine the SIZE of the letters on the ship's side?
August 9, 5:32 PM

Alaska Marine Tug and Barge
August 14, 8:21 AM
Fog on the Sound is not unusual on summer mornings
and normally burns off in an hour or two.
UASC UMM QASR - Container Ship
Heads into a fog bank this morning, August 15th
No worries ... they have radar!

Holland America MS Maasdam
at Pier 91 today.
Sails later for Alaska ...
A charter cruise for Prairie Home Companion fans.


August skies ...


August 7, 6:52 AM
Note the low clouds in distant valley.

August 13, 8:13 PM
Just before sunset.

August 13, 8:20 PM
We liked the contrail!

August 12, 8:11 PM
Sun setting into a narrow band of clouds to the west.
We expected color ... but got more than expected ... see last photo!

August 12, 8:14 PM

August 12, 8:48 PM

Picturesque Scenery - 1910

Souvenir Folder - Picturesque Scenery Souvenir Folder Picturesque Scenery along the line of Great Northern Railroad, Montana, Idaho, and Was...