Sunday, July 28, 2019

July Blooms, Skies, and Ships

⁓ Blooms ⁓

One of the first 2019 blooms at the Dahlia Garden
Volunteer Park, Seattle, Washington
Snapped on July 22nd
Summer is rolling along. Seattle's July has been comfortable and lots of rain keeping things fresh and green. I'm still faithful to my 2019 resolution to walk about 3 miles daily. In March I posted about those walks every day. I'm still taking a few photos on every walk but have decided to publish fewer posts for a while. This past Monday I stopped by the Dahlia Garden at Volunteer Park for the first time this year. Dahlias are late bloomers and, this year, even later than usual, due to our cooler and wetter spring. I snapped a few pics of the early bloomers like the one above. I've posted on this garden several times before and many of those posts can be seen by clicking on this link. I plan to return to the garden in August and September for more pictures of my favorite flower.

Tiger Lily seen along the walk at Green Lake
on a rainy morning.


⁓ Skies ⁓

Although I'm usually up early in the morning, the last few years I have not seen many sunrises from home. My view to the east is not conducive to that. However, my recent walks around Green Lake have blessed me with some beautiful sunrises. Here are a few recent snaps ...

Just before sunrise.
July 22, 2019  5:11 AM
at Green Lake, Seattle 

July 12  6:30 AM

July 21  5:36 AM
Clear as a bell morning.

July 22  6:00 AM

Snapped as I walked around Green Lake on July 20th and thinking about
 50 years since mankind reached the moon.
July 20  6:56 AM 
July 24  6:16 AM
July 26  5:10 AM
Another very clear sky.
⁓ Ships ⁓

I walked up to the top of the hill to snap a few shots on Friday morning, July 26. It was sure a beautiful morning but I was disappointed to see the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas power plant putting out a lot of pollution. The first pic below tells the story. It's probably not that much of a big deal, and the Port Authority sure would not say anything to upset the cruise line. These ships add millions to the local economy and, as we know, the dollar takes priority over the environment. Ovation is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean line.

Overview of Pier 91 Cruise Ship Terminal
July 26, 2019  6:55 AM
from top of Queen Anne Hill, Seattle, WA
Ovation of the Seas is in port July 26th.
She has been doing the 7-day round trip to Alaska
this summer from Seattle.
She arrives and departs every Friday.


The "North Star" viewing capsule is fascinating.

Must be a good view from the capsule.
This ship is the only one I know of with this feature.

The North Star can rise to a height of
approximately 250 feet above sea level.

Really zoomed in ... note the people inside.
This was well before the ship departed.
More images of this attraction can be seen
at this link.

Colorful Hapag-Lloyd Container Ship
departing Friday morning, July 26th
Container ships are leaving Seattle with lighter loads recently.
I do not know why.

Almost a traffic jam of ships.
Cruise ships arriving Seattle July 14th  5:00 AM
The 3rd vessel on the right is the fuel barge which
will serve one of the cruise ships.
Unusual ... Star Princess arriving this morning with a tug assist
at the stern. Wondering if they were experiencing trouble
with their stern thrusters.
July 28, 2019

**Special info for all my regular followers** 
I'll be taking a blog break soon and this may be the last post for a while. In the meantime, thanks for your comments and be well.

17 comments:

  1. ...beautiful images, I take the skies any day! Good to see you back.

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  2. I always enjoy seeing your doings, John. And we all need a break from blogging now and then. Just don't forget to come back one day. :-)

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  3. Beautiful set of pictures. I am already looking forward to the Dahlia pictures you will get later. Love the sunrise shots and of course the ships.Impressive looking ships.

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  4. Beautiful photos. Enjoy your break.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  5. Super photos. Have a great trip.

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  6. Gorgeous views and I like those flowers. That viewing capsule is something. I am sure I would have to go up in it for the view.

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  7. You get some great morning and evening sky shots. enjoy your break.

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  8. Those dahlias are gorgeous! I've always liked the unusualness of the various types. The ships sure are interesting... but yep, they are not good for some of the environment. Your sinrises are so beautiful... I'm partial to sunsets here, especially having previously lived in a ninth floor apartment with west-facing windows, and now we're in a third floor apartment. It faces north-northwest, so it's not the same, but thill interesting skies. Lots of blessings to you! Enjoy your time off!

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  9. Hello, the dahlia is beautiful, lovely flowers and images. The sunrises and lake views are beautiful too. It is nice to see the ships in the harbor, great capture of the moon. Enjoy your break. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week ahead!

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  10. Hi John- It is good to hear from you-it has been awhile. Great photos there. I'm taking a break too from my blog- hear from you again. Regards. KEV.

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  11. Hi John

    Trevligt att läsa att du också är blommornas vän. Här har vi inte haft lika tur med nederbörden och den senaste veckan har vi haft extremt varmt - växterna lider i torkan.

    Underbara bilder av soluppgången!

    Ja, tänk att människan faktiskt besökt månen, fortfarande svårt att förstå.

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  12. Beautiful blooms and skies. Glad to hear your continuing with your walks.
    Enjoy your break.

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  13. I love seeing Seattle through your eyes. Watching the ships coming and going through the sound. Visiting the parks and enjoying the gardens and flowers. These are some of the things that make Seattle so lovely.
    I was a bit taken by surprise at the "North Star" viewing capsule . . . not sure if I would want to go up in that or not, LOL. John, you are a proud resident of this beautiful city and a magnificent spokesman and tour guide.
    Thank you for another wonderful and informative post.
    Connie :)

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  14. you are such an inspiration dear John!

    i am amazed by not just your powerful and absolutely beautiful shots but your spirit :)

    my best wishes for your walk resolution my friend ,may you complete it with absolute health peace joy,amen!

    your sunrises made my eyes teary don't know why :) worth framing and hanging before eyes indeed ,it's spiritual experience to have look of them ,what an amazing photographer you are !

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  15. Such a wonderful selection of photographs.
    Happy August Wishes - enjoy your blog break.

    All the best Jan

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  16. Those flowers are so perfect they don't look real! I just put your blog on my favorites list on my sidebar so I'll know when you come back! I love taking a walk with you! Enjoy your week!

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