Thursday, October 31, 2013

Seattle Great Wheel

Are there tourist attractions around you that you've never checked out?  For John, the answer was "yes" until this week when he finally took a ride on Seattle's Great Wheel.  Reading the reviews on the web, it appears most folks enjoy the ride although it does get kind of pricey for large families. The views are spectacular on a clear day.

The Great Wheel is on the Waterfront


More tourist attractions, as viewed from the
 Great Wheel, in this photo:  The Space Needle
and, at lower right, Pike Place Market

A transparent floor in gondola allows
some interesting views.
Looking south, over the sports stadiums,
Mount Rainier in the distance.
Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Big Leaf Maple Love

So many big-leaf maple trees and yet one gets special recognition. And it's not even still standing. When the tree got old and became a safety hazard to a nearby trail it was cut down. And some people loved it so much that they memorialize the tree by placing fresh flowers on the stump. The tree gets its own Facebook page (click here) and has been written up in the Seattle Times (click here). John keeps an eye out for the tributes on his walks around Green Lake and thought you would enjoy seeing some of the flowers placed during the last year. Have you ever loved a tree this much?



Around Halloween last year

Last January










Irish salute!


Thank you for stopping by John's Island.



Sunday, October 6, 2013

Dahlia Garden End-of-Season

John stopped by the Dahlia Garden this past week for one last 2013 visit.  (Please see our post about the Puget Sound Dahlia Garden earlier this year here ) The beautiful garden display will soon be over and many of the flowers are already in decline. Below are a few with beauty left to share.














Overview
Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Sunrise at Sea

From one of John's recent voyages please enjoy this brief video.


There was no crowd along the railing on the Promenade Deck on the morning this sunrise was recorded. For one thing, most cruisers are more likely to party late into the night than be early risers to catch a sunrise. This is on the port side of the vessel, looking east, of course, as we were southbound about 30 miles off the coast of California, somewhere in the area of San Francisco.  For those of you with larger screens and a careful eye: Pause the video at 33 seconds and below and a little to the right of the sun ... you will see a dark figure coming out of the water. Yes, it's a whale, and it jumps completely out of the water with a big splash on return. At the time, we paused to wonder if the whale was saluting the sunrise?  Wish we had zoom on video but no such luck this time.

Here is a shot of Promenade Deck on a sunny afternoon at about the same place were the sunrise was watched the following morning ....


And here is a self-portrait of our founder ...


And, lastly, another sunrise photo ... this one at the Port of Los Angeles, our destination.  John calls this an "industrial sunrise".


Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Under Lions Gate

Hello friends, followers, and visitors. Since our last post we've slipped into the best (in our humble opinion) season of the year:  Fall. Just last week John was aboard ship again and travelled from Vancouver, BC down to Los Angeles on the Golden Princess. This was the ship's fall "repositioning" cruise. Folks who are not regular cruisers may be unfamiliar with the term. It really is simple and just boils down to this:  Ships that have been, for example, sailing from Seattle to Alaska every 7 days all summer will end their season and head south for cruises to warmer locations for the winter. Repositioning cruises usually are short and take place just once in the spring and fall. Now, with all that said, let's get on to the video. Vancouver is such a beautiful city ... Leaving there on a cruise ship is always highlighted by sailing out of Vancouver Harbour through Burrard Inlet and under the Lions Gate Bridge. Enjoy the experience as you watch the video ... be sure to turn up your volume and enjoy the Cheers!


Thanks for stopping by John's Island.

Autumn Transit

The usual gallimaufry of images with an emphasis on the seasonal change as we move through autumn. Trees In my neighborhood. [Click on image...