Mount Rainier - Seafair - and More

Recent Snaps

Today

Full Sturgeon Moon
as seen from home about 4 AM

Another shot of the moon this morning ...
clouds moving in.

Arrival of Ovation of the Seas
just before dawn.

Best capture during today's walk along the waterfront.
Kingfisher. And 1st time to see one here.
Making lots of noise which alerted me.
Just delighted to get this capture!

Yesterday

My 1st in person visit to Mt Rainier National Park
 in 20+ years.  Perfect weather, clear blue skies.

The tall trees are impressive.

Getting this close to the mountain is simply amazing.
This view, in person, is just hard to believe.

The wildflowers were past prime but I couldn't resist
snapping this Indian Paintbrush ... one of my
favorite wildflowers.

Steps to the Skyline Trail at Paradise.
This is a "must-do" walk.
Not difficult, but elevation near 5,000 ft has an effect.
Be sure to note the words on the steps.

Mt Rainier
August 11, 2022
from Paradise

Paradise Trails

Looking from the trail to the South
over the Lodge and with
the Tatoosh Range of the Cascade Mountains
in the distance.

Early August and SEAFAIR '22

USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) at Pier 90
Seafair is an annual event in Seattle.
The pandemic cancelled the event in 2020 and 2021.
3 Main parts of the event: Hydroplane Races on Lake Washington,
Blue Angels in the air, and Maritime Fleet Week, which
includes visiting Military Ships like CG 57 in photo above.
Learn more

My favorite part of Seafair is seeing the visiting Military Ships.
 This year we have ships from the USA and Canada.
I found it interesting to see that ships display medals of honor.

Spotted this Navy Policeman early Monday, August 1, walking
the deck of the USS Champlain. He looked serious
and well prepared for any unwelcome activity.

This is one of two Coast Guard vessels guarding Pier 90
while the Military Ships are here.

Most of my photos, here on the blog, are snapped while on my daily morning walks. However, a few are taken from other locations. The next three are taken from home.

Late afternoon arrival of USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53)
on Monday, August 1. The ship will be docked at Pier 90
during Seafair Fleet Week. Public visits are allowed.

Early morning arrival of a cruise ship, Monday, August 1.
Also docked near the Cruise Terminal is the M5,
Largest Single-Masted Sailboat in the World.

Another shot of the M5 docked in Elliott Bay Marina.
More Info on M5 in International Boat Magazine

August 6th ... First time to ever see this many runners pass me
on my morning walk. Wondered if they were from the Military
Ships visiting and docked at Pier 90.

Someone had time and chalk.
Unusual!

Doesn't appear to have anything to do with Seafair.

A piece of driftwood I picked up.
Sort of amazing to see all that was growing on the driftwood.

The last few weeks I've spotted lots of bunnies on
almost every walk.

Check out Saturday's Critters. It’s a great spot for sharing critter posts.

Early morning sun peeking over the ridge to the east
of the walk path. August 6th.

Couldn't resist snapping this.

Reading up on this ... The plant creates these little cotton-like webs,
which float away with tiny seeds to germinate in new locations.
Similar to a cottonwood tree.
The craftiness of nature amazes me!

Expedia Group Security on duty.  😉

Spooner Berry Farms are located near Olympia, Washington.
[About 68 miles (109km) from this stand in Seattle.]
This little stand in Seattle is where you can buy flats of
berries picked fresh daily. The berries available depends on
when they ripen. Early summer = Strawberries.
Then Raspberries, then Marionberries, and
finally Blueberries. I bought a flat of Blueberries here on
Wednesday, August 3rd. I've been buying berries here
for years. They are the BEST berries I can find in
Seattle regardless of price.

A little different way to get the exercise in.
I will stick with walking.

Fishing fun. I am surprised at how FEW people I see fishing
in this area. August 5th.

Boating fun. Again, I don't see many people out in Puget Sound
in small boats like this. I think the guy wondered why I was
taking his picture. August 5th. Primarily, it was just
an unusual sighting.

Got one!

I see this Great Blue Heron frequently in shallow water
near Pier 90.  August 6th.

It appears the bird has some damage to its right wing.

The Heron is amazingly efficient at capturing food.

This is the same bird on the same day but from a 
different angle with a mirror-like reflection.

Great Blue Heron - August 6th - near Pier 90, Seattle

Birder friends ... What do you make of the white stripes
 on the bird? I first noticed them when back home looking at
these pictures. At first, I thought they were reflections of
sunlight, but now, I am not so sure. I wonder if it is
just a natural look of the feathers?

Expedia Group built this overlook spot as a part of their
new global headquartes located here. I call this spot "the steps."

Looking northeast from the steps to the Expedia Group
Campus and the Grain Terminal, downtown in the distance.

"The steps" is the spot where I stop for a moment when starting
each daily walk to take a photo to record the sky conditions.
In the winter I'll be remembering this beautiful, clear morning.

Mount Rainier, August 6th
Clear sky, but left over haze/smog colors the sky.

Closer look, Mt Rainier, August 6th, from Elliott Bay Trail

Beautiful clear morning, looking East on the waterfront
walk. Saturday, August 6th.

Humans had fun overnight leaving rocks on this stump.

MSC Container ship departing Seattle, probably for Asia.

A Foss tug.

Anchored, not far from Grain Terminal 86.
The Terminal has been closed since early July for maintenance.
This ship may be waiting for clearance to dock at the Terminal
for loading grain.

An unusual moment.
Early morning ... cruise ships arriving in Port.
The Princess ship, headed my way, will dock at Pier 91.
The ship behind, Norwegian Encore, will dock at Pier 66,
closer to downtown.
First time I've been able to get this scene in one frame.

Heading to shore.
Canada Geese.

Looking East.
This is my turn-around spot on my walks.
At this point, I've walked about 1.2 miles.
This photo and the next 3 = August 6th.

Found some breakfast.

I believe this is a Robin.

Google Lens says this one is a 
Common Starling Sturnus Vulgaris

Be sure to notice the name of the ship.
To me, it seems funny to name a ship Phenomenal Diva. 
One definition in the dictionary for
DIVA = a self-important person who is
temperamental and difficult to please.  Hmmmm 😊

Image on a sign along the walk path.

Terminal 86 Grain Facility
[Official Port of Seattle Photo]
Learn more

August 6th, looking mostly West with the empty Grain
Terminal and the Cruise Ships docked at Pier 91.

Important Look Ahead Weatherwise.

From Old Farmer's Almanac ...

From NOAA ...

Benjamin Franklin — 'Some people are weatherwise, but most are otherwise.'

Closing thought ...

Learn to:

listen without judgment

be happy without answers

talk without a cell phone

tolerate distress without drugs

feel your feelings without stuffing them

accept your past without denial

face your fears without avoidance

live without excuses

celebrate without alcohol

smile without taking a selfie

dream without fear

create without criticizing

give without reservation

love without conditions

be real without explanation

ask for help without shame.

     Christopher Ian Chenoweth