November Skies

Unusually Dry November

November 16, 2023   4:26PM
My view is looking west from Seattle,
across Puget Sound, to Bainbridge Island,
and, in the distance, the Olympic Mountains.

November 24  5:07PM
In the view is Elliott Bay Marina,
where more than 1000 sailboats are moored. 

November 24  3:18PM
In this view a cross-Sound ferry crosses
the sun's reflection.

Space Needle Webcam
November 24 early morning screenshot

Note - November 28:  The last 6 days have been exceptionally unusual for Seattle. We've had 6 days of mostly sunny skies, dry and cool. This is only the 3rd time this kind of weather has occurred, for this time in November, since official records started in 1870.

I know ... it's not a sky photo. 😊
But, I just had to include it.
While on one of my walks, I spotted this leaf.
It impressed me that the leaf was still attached to
its "petiole" ... I didn't even know what to call it
until I got home and Googled it.
Have you ever seen a petiole that long?  😊

Western Adventure - 97 Years Ago

Riding the Ridge of the Rockies - 1926

Click on images for larger view.

Thanksgiving Joy to You

 From my collection of vintage postcards, Thanksgiving Joy to you.

Thanksgiving Joy
Early 1900s postcard.

Back of the card.
Postmarked Nov 23 ... 1901?
[ 122 Years Ago ]
Stamp - One Cent - Upside Down
Hello Mabel ... 😊
Feeling well just now.
Going to spend Thanksgiving
at home.
Iva.

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Mostly Skies

Northern Lights

The northern lights, or the aurora borealis, are beautiful dancing waves of light that have captivated humans for millennia. The 3 photos here were taken in the Southeast part of the United Kingdom just recently. All 3 photos were sent to me by blog follower and friend Richard. Thank you, Richard, for allowing me to share these beautiful captures.

Today's Sunrise

A screen capture from the Space Needle webcam
at about 6:40AM, November 17
Don't miss Mt Rainier (near the middle).

Another screen capture from the Space Needle webcam
at about 7:00AM, November 17
Unusually clear morning. 

Yesterday's Sunset

A perfectly clear day and, of course, I just kept
snapping as the sun was setting across
Puget Sound and slipping behind Bainbridge Island.
The last photo just fascinated me with the trees
looking to be ablaze.

And as long as it's sunset time, how about some
hummers feeding at sunset?
Linking up with Saturday's Critters.

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Lucky

November 13, 2023

I spotted a bird clinging to a utility pole about 200 feet from my window today and I wondered if it would remain in place long enough for me to get the camera and snap a picture. I do think I got lucky to get the capture below. The next step was to ID and using Google Lens it quickly showed up as a Northern Flicker. 

Later, as sunset approached, I noticed a hummer at my feeder. Again, I wondered if the little bird would remain in place long enough for me to grab the camera. And again, I got lucky. Surprisingly, the hummer stayed in place and kept feeding even as I got close. Near the end of the day their priority seems to be to drink as much as possible before settling somewhere to spend the night.

[Click on images for larger view.]

Later still, the sunset created a beautiful, colorful sky. That made the 3rd lucky photo of the day.

Autumn Color

Autumn around Seattle

Tree color this autumn has been unusually nice.

We had a sunny day and I went out for 
a spin to capture some pictures of the trees.

All pics in this post taken Wednesday, November 8

To others living in the Northern Hemisphere ... Did you have unusually nice tree color this fall?

Thick, tall trees are common in some of the
urban area, such as here around Woodway.

Of course, Washington is the Evergreen State.

The autumn color on the Evergreen trees is
GREEN, as it is all year. 💚😉

“Anyone can love a rose, but it takes a lot to love a leaf. It’s ordinary to love the beautiful, but it’s beautiful to love the ordinary.”

     MJ Korvan

This Morning's Seattle

360 View of Seattle

Thursday morning, November 9

I enjoyed the 360-degree view of the city this morning thanks to the Space Needle Webcam.

41°F (5°C), mostly cloudy, fog in places.

The video starts looking West then moving to the North and all the way around. Don't miss Mt Rainier down South. The camera is atop the Space Needle at approximate 605 feet (184m) above ground level.

"A sunrise is Nature telling you that it's time to cherish another day on Earth. Enjoy life."

     Urbn Madl Ui

Colorful

Early November

Brought this leaf inside from a tree in my backyard.
One of my goals is to quit taking nature for granted.
The color change from summer - green - to autumn - red
is perfectly documented.

A tree in the neighborhood that amazed me.
Isn't it a beauty?

Turns out this is an Eastern Redbud tree.
The thing that fascinated me here ...
the heart shape of the leaves.

Eastern Redbud tree leaf 💛

Looking across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island
on a recent stormy afternoon. Love the clouds.
And, of course, a few colorful trees.

Way after sunset ... The thing that caught my attention
was the little sailboat in the marina ... first one
to put up their holiday lights.

November 7 just after sunset looking southwest.
Olympic Mountains in the far distance.
About 40 miles (64km) away.

---

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”

      Vincent van Gogh

Yellowstone's Original Explorer

 The Original Explorer

Riley's Northern Pacific Monograph #1
by Olin D. Wheeler
1901
25¢

This copy originally belonged to Wade B Dille
Just had to include this ... look at that signature!

First pages inside ...
Yellowstone National Park
World's Wonderland
by Olin D. Wheeler
St Paul, Minn
W. C. Riley, Publisher
1901

Note the illustration ...
A Train of Park Coaches
> This is the way they
saw the Park in 1901 <

Great Falls of the Yellowstone
Lower Falls
(ca 308 foot - 98 meter -drop)
One of my favorite spots in the Park.
Still awe-inspiring today.

I love old travel memorabilia. This little booklet, and the history it tells, fascinates me. 😊 

From the Oxford Dictionary …

memorabilia

/ˌmem(ə)rəˈbēlyə/

noun

objects kept or collected because of their historical interest, especially those associated with memorable people or events.

Closing thought ...

As we go through the winter months, it's my intention to focus John's Island on memorabilia from my collection. While I've stated that my primary reason for publishing a blog is to create a sort of virtual journal of memories, sharing booklets and printed material may not seem to fit. Quite the contrary. The collection (most of it) has to be stored away and having some of my favorite items here on the blog makes them much easier to access. 

Best regards to all of you.

John