Saturday, May 10, 2025

May Days

I decided the paw prints should stay. 😊
Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach, Oregon.
One of my favorite snaps from a recent visit.







The Blogger I Am*

I wander through blogs like a garden in spring,

Stopping to ponder each post that they bring.

A tale of a tulip, a memory shared,

A chuckle, a sorrow, a moment laid bare.

 

With coffee in hand and a curious mind,

I follow the trails that others designed.

Sometimes a poem, sometimes a prose,

Sometimes just watching a bluebell close.

 

I pen a reply with humor or grace,

Trying to brighten a faraway place.

A note in return, a ripple of cheer—

Proof that a blogger has truly been here.

 

For blogging’s not merely words on a screen,

It’s building a bond in the spaces between.

We write, we reflect, we visit, we roam—

And somehow this circle feels warmly like home.



*Blogging friend Baili suggested I add a little poetry to my blog after leaving her a poetic comment she enjoyed.  I've left similar comments for other bloggers and they seemed to enjoy it, so I thought I would give it a try here.



New Books

     Clouds

Clouds ... How to Identify Natures Most Fleeting Forms
by Edward Graham
I discovered this book thanks to an excellent review by
blogging friend David on his blog Travels With Birds
The beauty of this book is in the art of the illustrations.


     Sharp

I subscribe to a health newsletter published by
the Mayo Clinic Press. This book was mentioned
in the newsletter and I decided to add it to my Kindle.
This is truly an interesting book by 
Therese Huston, Ph. D
(I snapped a picture of the Kindle for the photo above.)




Stamps

USPS Birds and Flowers for all 50 States
Stamps issued 1981 - 20¢

Fleetwood was a company, later known as Unicover, that specialized in creating and distributing stamp-related collectibles, particularly first day covers. The story of the stamps above begins in 1978, when Fleetwood hired father-son wildlife artists Arthur and Alan Singer to create 50 original paintings of state birds and flowers. When U.S. Postal Service officials saw the high-quality paintings, they immediately decided to issue 50 stamps, one for each State, showcasing the father-son team’s watercolor paintings. Arthur created the birds, while son Alan painted the flowers. Each stamp is unique – making it the first series of its size to feature original artwork for each different stamp. At the time of their issue, these stamps were the most popular in U.S. Postal history.

Enlargment to show detail.
For Washington State, our flower is the Rhododendron
and our bird is the American Goldfinch

In a previous post I mentioned my stamp collection and got a lot of postive comments. So, as we go forward, I'll be sharing more of it.

USPS 1996 Souvenir Sheet
Endangered Species

Collectors enjoy these “Souvenir Sheets” published by the Post Office. Souvenir sheets are essentially small sheets of postage stamps, often commemorative, designed for collecting or display rather than for postal use. They usually have a wide margin and an inscription or design commemorating an event. There isn't a strict definition, and they can be single stamps, small sets, or even larger sheets, as long as they are smaller than a standard sheet of stamps. The one you see here celebrates Endangered Species. The stamps were issued in 1995 and had a value of 32¢.


Enlargement to show detail.
Top left: Brown Pelican
Top right: California Condor
Bottom right: Woodland Caribou
Bottom left: San Francisco Garter Snake

See lots more critters at
Saturday's Critters




Ships

Imagine my surprise when I spotted this ship.
I always like to get a shot of Coast Guard vessels.
Wow, zooming in, I noticed it is
Vietnam Coast Guard.
What are they doing in Puget Sound?  😊

The National Geographic Venture
At anchor, April 22, near the Marina, in this photo.

In another capture ... I didn't notice until looking
at the image on the computer ... someone out in a kayak.
It's fairly unusual to see this out on the Sound.

Holland America's Koningsdam
arrives early morning April 23rd.
The cruise ship season is underway. 

My first time to see the Hapag Lloyd MS Europa 2.
MS Europa 2
April 23rd

Washington State Ferry
on its run between Seattle and Bainbridge Island.
In the background ... West Seattle and in the distance
Vashon Island and Colvos Passage

Click to see the large view what I hope to show you ... 
a tug pulling a barge of containers ... probably from Alaska.
Notice the distance between the tug and barge.
Mariners beware of the tow cable! 😂


Looking out over the sailboats in the Marina, a
bulk carrier at anchor, and in the distance, a
Matson container ship. In the far distance,
the Olympic Mountains.

Early morning departure of MSC container ship on
May 2nd. Note the small load of containers ...
probably due to the tariff situation.

I always enjoy catching a sailboat. This is an
unusually large one. I could not identify a name other
than the 15 on the mainsail.

Maybe this should go in the SKIES section.
Afternoon sunshine on the water creates
an interesting look. There are literally
hundreds of sailboats in the Marina ...
and most of them STAY in the Marina. 😊




Skies

April 13 Full Moon on Puget Sound

Just before sunset on a cloudy, somewhat
stormy, afternoon.
In next image, taken after sunset, note 
the rain in the far distance,
creating an unual sky effect.

Unexpectedly captured a chopper too.




Blooms

Wrapping up this post with some blooms I thought worth sharing ...

These are tulips along my driveway.
I kept watching them as they bloomed
this Spring, and couldn't help stopping
 to snap a photo of them in bright sunlight.
So beautiful!

OK, I can hear you saying, What's this? 😊
This is my Cottonwood Tree which I
planted in June, 2023, as an expiriment to
see if I could grow a tree. LOL. I've posted
about it two times before. I think it's looking
pretty good!
Starting a Cottonwood Tree Experiment
and
More on my Cottonwood Tree



I am amazed at my neighbor's Wisteria. He is quite
the gardener and has been training the plant to grow
along the edge of his deck for years.

Here is what Wiki says about Wisteria:  Wisteria is a woody, deciduous vine in the pea family (Fabaceae) known for its fragrant, pendulous clusters of pea-shaped flowers, typically blue-violet, but also pink or white.





Closing thought ... 

When I first saw this back in 2019
 I thought it was pretty accurate.
Today it is getting a little bit scary.
😊

Thanks for stopping by John's Island!








Saturday, April 5, 2025

Spring has sprung!

Spring has sprung!

I told AI I was putting together a post for my blog and
giving it the title Spring has sprung.  I asked for an
image to use with the post. Here is the result ... I like it.
How about you? Now, I know some of you don't care
for AI, but the genie is out of the bottle and we better
learn how to get along with the genie!

Out on a walk in the neighborhood, I spotted these Crocus
blooms.  Nature is an amazing creator.

Update: April 10 2025
Thankful for the beauty of nature.
Linking up with Michelle's
Thankful Thursday



In earlier posts this year I captured the Daffodils in this
traffic circle from the time they broke ground until they
bloomed. Here is one more look with almost all of them
in bloom.

Skies

It's all about the clouds.

Looking across the Sound this fog/cloud phenomenon caught 
my attention. It looks strange, doesn't it?

A good while after sunset but still plenty of light 
in the western sky beyond the Olympics. Go and check out more Skywatch 
images at the Skywatch Site!

Ships

I like to catch a sailboat alongside a large
container ship ... it's nice for scale.
This view is looking west from Seattle
across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island
and the Olympic Mountains in the distance.
The ship is the Honiara Chief

A MSC - Mediterranean Shipping Company - vessel
arriving in port in the early evening. Note the way the
containers are stacked ... plenty of empty space on this ship. 
This view is looking across Elliott Bay toward West Seattle,
and Vashon Island in the distance.

Update: April 14, 2025
The Carnival Spirit arrived in moonlight
this morning at 5:15AM. The Spirit is the
first cruise ship of the season to dock at
Cruise Terminal 91.

Superior Spring Publications

LivingBird
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a member-supported unit of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, which studies birds and other wildlife. What they say about themselves:  “We believe birds are a gateway to caring for the natural world.” They publish LivingBird which I’ve found to be the premiere birding magazine. The image above is the cover of their Spring 2025 issue. Check out their website for lots of free birding information.

Linking up with Saturday's Critters


The Methow Naturalist
A Quarterly Journal of Natural History

Within the last year I discovered The Methow Naturalist (TMN). For one who is interested in the evolution of nature and humans, it is an amazing find. TMN is published quarterly and the image above is the Spring 2025 cover. If you are open to studying nature and human history, check out their website. Warning: Your assumptions (beliefs) about why things are the way they are may be challenged. 

Closing thought ...

A screenshot of a positive morning routine
found online that is worth repeating. 😊

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.



Saturday, March 8, 2025

It's About Time

Reminder:
Daylight "Saving" Time begins
tomorrow morning at 2:00 AM
(March 9, 2025)
in USA 

100 years ago there were no smartphones to check for accurate time. At that time, the most accurate time was provided by Western Union Time Service. This little folder (cover image above) was issued to advertise their service to banks, stores, and offices. How did they know the exact time? They got it from the United States Naval Observatory, where a telescope was used to track time by looking at the stars. How did they get time from the stars? By measuring the time it takes for the Earth to rotate exactly once a period of 24 hours could be determined precisely. (I know, if you're a Flat-Earther this is problematic, but just go with the Earth is round this time. 😉) What does all this have to do with Western Union? Once accurate time was determined at the Naval Observatory a signal was sent daily over the Western Union Telegraph System to update clocks all across the nation.

Click on image for larger image ...
possibly readable.


Learning Table Manners, postcard from 1939 ...

An old postcard from my collection.
This one is titled "Learning Table Manners"


Postmarked July 17, 1939
To Mrs Lucy Graves, PO Box 94, LeMoille Illinois
no ZIP code 😉

Ok, I flipped the card so you can read the message.
I love the way J. E. Stelzer signed the card
with his nickname "BROMO" as in Bromo-Seltzer ...
a headache remedy invented in 1888.


I love the title and description.
Enjoy more critters at Saturday's Critters!

Daffodils

Spring time is Daffodil time in the Pacific Northwest. In my last post (Feb 7th) I included an image of daffodils breaking the ground. Out on walks, I continued to watch those Dafs and snapped a few more pictures of the progress. I combined those pictures into the collage below.

Same Daffodils, different days.
A little over a month from breaking ground to bloom.
[Click on image for larger view.]

Nature makes an ordinary traffic circle
look pretty good.

Stamps

More poster stamps to share. The stamps below were issued by the Northern Pacific Railroad in the early 1900s. This group is titled Wonderland Series 7. 

10 Stamps Wonderland Series 7

Clockwise from top left:
In the Heart of the Cascade Range
At Canon Beach Near Astoria, Oregon
On the Summit of Mt Hood, Oregon 11,225 Feet High
A Glimpse of the Columbia River

Clockwise from top left:
Mt Rainier Wash 14,408 Feet High
From the Summit of Mt Spokane
The Gallatin River Montana
Sport on a Mountain Trout Stream
The Celilo Falls Columbia River
Green River, Cascade Range Wash

Skies

March 5 - Clouds and Sun near sunset
looking across Puget Sound to
the Olympic Mountains

Another March 5 capture after sunset.
The thing that interested me ... the shadows of
the rain falling from clouds in the distance.
The Chopper was a happy coincidence. 😊

This week's question ...

Do you get ads ... ALL OVER ... when moving around the Internet? I sure do and some of them are amusing. I have an example for you below. It's a screenshot of an ad from an investment company. I do like the art ... the couple ... who don't look old ... enjoying something to eat with their dog along side. I made one modification to the ad. Can you find it?  😂


Closing thought ... 

By Richard Paul Evans

Thanks for stopping by John's Island!

May Days

I decided the paw prints should stay. 😊 Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach, Oregon. One of my favorite snaps from a recent visit. The Blog...