Happy Halloween

We hope these guys don't show up at your door tonight looking for treats ...

The image is from this publication by The Union Pacific Railroad ... not sure but probably 1920s - early '30s ...

Happy Halloween ... Thanks for stopping by John's Island.

Orange Delight - Sunset Oct 29 2014

Sunset colors covered so much of the sky last night that we thought the best way to show you the scene would be a short video ... just 20 seconds or so ...

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Hurricane Ana's Remnants

Several days ago the Inland Northwest Weather Blog posted some interesting information explaining how the remnants of Hurricane Ana (just missed Hawaii) would end up here, in the Pacific Northwest.

Late Tuesday, just before sunset, the storm clouds were coming in as we snapped this photo ...

Those of you who follow Seattle's weather know that rain here is rare. (Just kidding, of course.) But this is truly rare to see a hurricane's remnants circle back to the east. Just another new aspect of "Global Warming"?

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

The Greatest Season?

John's favorite season is Fall. Yes, there is a lot to be said for the other seasons, but there is a special glory about Fall. The trees in this photo seem to express the glory.

"Happiness is a journey, not a destination."

-- Albert D'Sousa

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

PS Thank you for the GREAT comments on yesterday's post ... No, I'm not going to be out there either! Ha ha!!!!

Off The Grid

No, we're not going off the grid. But recently we were in the great state of Montana [aka The Treasure State] and saw a place that IS off the grid. We had to stop and take a photo ... take a look ...

Yes, that spec in the center is someone's home. No power lines to this place. Closer look at the home below ...

As it happens we know the folks who live here and have actually been in the home. It's a wonderful, cozy place. There are absolutely no worries about a neighbor turning up their stereo too loud! We think this is a pretty neat idea but just not sure we are ready for this degree of isolation. In the top photo you can see an irrigation channel running across the foreground but what's harder to make out is the Madison River running right across the center. For a fly-fishing enthusiast this is paradise.

Running across the first photo above you will see a fence line. We suspect it's probably along the property line of a ranch where cattle are grazed during parts of the year.

So, we wonder ... How about you? Would you consider/enjoy living Off The Grid?

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Deep Blue Sunset

Somehow Monday's rather unusual sunset conveyed our mood for this past week.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Since we consider our blog here as somewhat of a virtual journal and/or diary we will mention that recent weeks have seen health care systems rocked by the Ebola virus as it spread from Africa to the USA. The past week saw more senseless death in Ottawa and in yet another, nearby, school shooting in Marysville.

Leaving this week behind, let's consider the photo:  as one sunset is dimmed by storm clouds there is still hope with the next dawn.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

America's Most Beautiful Water Trip

No, John didn't make up the title for today's post ... it is the opinion of the Washington State Ferries as expressed in a little brochure dated 1959 that we are showing you parts of today.

Cruise the "scenic circuit" ... that would be a circle trip around the waters of the Pacific Northwest, USA and Canada.

The cover art on this little brochure just seems to be done so much better than a lot of today's advertising ...

There is a "Welcome" from the Governor, at the time, Albert Roselinni.  [He was the 15th Governor of Washington State and served from 1957 to 1965.  He passed away about 3 years ago, in October, 2011.] There is also some "Visitor Information" ... some of it still applies today, but don't count on those addresses or phone numbers.  Note that "dark glasses and suntan lotion" are "necessities."

Overall map of the area, remember ... this is 1959 style ...

Six things not to miss ...

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Mid-October Fall Color

This year, in general, fall colors don't seem quite as spectacular as years past. There are exceptions, of course, like the trees along the street above.

More common, still pretty, trees that have more yellows and browns, like the one below ...

City scene with the dumpster on the street ... nature shines above it ...

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Now and Then Fall Colors

Aspen trees in the Rocky Mountains as they appeared a few days ago ...

The same trees 8 years ago (2006) about 2 weeks later in the season ...

Thank you for stopping by John's Island. Thank you to all who leave me the kind and encouraging comments!

Remote Valley

We recently spent a few days in a part of the USA that is largely unknown to most of her citizens. Some would call it the middle of nowhere, others a peaceful escape. Fishermen love it for the scenic beauty, and one of the best fly fishing rivers in the world ... the Madison. Named after the river, it is known as the Madison Valley. Here are a few photos to give you the flavor ...

US highway 287, looking south, traverses the remote valley ... notice the traffic, which is normal ...

The Madison Mountain Range ...

Much of the valley includes a series of "benches" ... geologists tell us they are the shores of an ancient lake ... note the benches in the shot below ... also visible in the first photo above ...

The mountain known as Sphinx ... can you see the sphinx?

Below, known as Fan Mountain, it's to the west of Lone Mountain, the home of Big Sky ski resort ...

Sunset, October 4, 2014, in the forgotten valley ...

Do you see the face of the sleeping giant in the mountain? (small rectangle) Is that another giant in the cloud above? (large rectangle) OR, have we simply had too much coffee?

And where is this?

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Steam Fog

About 9 AM on the morning of October 3rd we were enroute to Yellowstone Park and stopped by the Campfire Campground area along the Madison River just below Hegben Dam in Southwest Montana.

It was a cool, crisp morning and skies were mostly clear. We were surprised to find steam flowing up from the river. We've seen this before but not very often. The conditions have to be just right ... the water temperature has to be higher than the air temp just above to create the steam. The slight air movement was carrying the steam to nearby trees and shrubs and creating a surreal look.

We did a little research on the web and discovered that this condition is called "steam fog." USA Today featured the photo below of some guys fishing on a lake when similar conditions occurred.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Visit to Yellowstone [2014 - 4 - Great Falls]

In Yellowstone National Park, October, 2014

What you don't see in the photos below are the five or six (large) buses in the parking lot at the head of the walkways to spots to take these shots ... literally hundreds of tourists ... many appear to be international guests ...  almost all of them clutching their cameras, cell phones, iPads, tablets, etc ... taking photos of the same scene.  Perhaps the difference with our shots is that we don't try to get in the photo. : - ) We're not trying to prove we were here ... just want to remember the beauty of what we saw.  It was a beautiful afternoon and perhaps you can see where they came up with the name ... yellow stone.

The Great Falls of the Yellowstone have been an inspiration to many artists. We found a great book that features a lot of this art ... Drawn to Yellowstone by Peter H. Hassrick ...

The book covers artwork featuring many of the other scenes in YNP, as well, and we recommend it to Yellowstone fans.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Half and Half Sky

October 11, 2014

Well, maybe it's not exactly half of the sky in these photos, but you get the idea. A storm cell with heavy rain moved through the city just about sunset. The storm moved on and left mostly clear skies. This was a little bit unusual for the time of day and season for Seattle.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Linking up today with Skywatch Friday.

Visit to Yellowstone [2014 - 3 - Coyote]

In Yellowstone National Park, October, 2014

October 3rd ... After lunch at the Lake Hotel, we headed back toward the western entrance. Stopped briefly, just after leaving the Lake Village junction to snap the picture below looking across Yellowstone Lake to the Absaroka Range of mountains in Wyoming ... most of the snow on the Absarokas is fresh ... we had rain in the lowlands and snow in the highlands here in the Rocky Mountains around October 1 ...

From Wiki:  "The Absaroka Range cross the Montana-Wyoming border, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park and the western side of the Bighorn Basin."

In the photo below, on this fall afternoon, the sun is sinking a little lower in the sky and casting some long shadows in this scene as we look across the Madison River to the south. We do not know for sure, but suspect that the dome in the right portion of the photo is what's left from some volcanic activity centuries ago ...  Yellowstone is, of course, an active volcanic region. The scientists say it is not a matter of "if" but simply "when" the next eruption will occur. It may be today, tomorrow, or thousands of years from now. When you visit YNP ask the Ranger at the entrance for a Park Map. The map will show you the rim of the caldera. It's pretty amazing to consider what you're driving over as you tour the Park. 

As we drive through the Park the long shadows tell us it's a fall day ... and this one was a beauty ...

There are plenty of sights around to remind you that the fire is not far below the surface ...

Lastly, for this post, a pic of the coyote we spotted ... they are fast, determined movers ... this one moving through the tall grass ... and the capture leaves something to be desired, but at least we have the record ...

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.