Friday, February 7, 2025

Snow Stamps Skies Ships

Welcome to John's Island. In this post ...

1. Snow in Seattle.

2. Vintage stamps from my stamp collection.

3. Colorful Seattle skies.

4. Ships spotted recently.

5. Nature snaps.

Enjoy all or scroll to a segment of interest.


Snow in Seattle

Since groundhog day, February 2nd, we've had a week of truly wintery weather. Snow has been with us, off and on ... small accumulations at night resulting in slushy, slippery morning commutes.

[click on images for better view]
The snow seems to annoy one of my hummers.
The good news for the birds ...
so far, the temps haven't been too cold.
Upper 20s to lower 30s F
(about -2C to +1.6C)

A sunny morning allows a look at the snow
accumulation on the Olympic Mountains.
The shadows help reveal the foothills.

The snowcover on homes across Puget Sound
reveals a community in the Bremerton, WA, area.
Near bottom, State Ferry running between
Bainbridge Island and downtown Seattle.


How is this snow related?
Well, when out snapping the two images prior, I happened 
to notice Robins in a nearby tree. This isn't a great capture
but it tells the good news ... spring is on the way.


Stamps

Over the years I've shared items from my stamp collection. It's time for another look. I'll tell you in a moment what sparked featuring stamps in this post.

The stamps above are called "Poster Stamps."
In the early part of the last century, people
enjoyed collecting Poster Stamps. The stamps
were usually issued by companies
 as a form of advertising.

The Northern Pacific Steamship Company
issued these stamps as a way to encourage
travel on their ships. The NPSC ships
sailed between US Pacific Northwest
and Asia ... usually Japan.

It's a bit of a challenge to get a nice large image of a stamp ... I start by scanning them at 600 dpi and then editing in photo software.

Just one stamp, greatly enlarged.
The title on this one ...
Deck Scene - S S Northern Pacific

Postage Stamps ...


Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804
honored in 1954 with this 3 cent stamp.

Critters are frequently on stamps ...

The American Bald Eagle 6¢ stamp was issued
by the USPS in 1970 as part of a block of 4 stamps.
See next image.


In this block:
American Bald Eagle
African Elephant Herd
Haida Ceremonial Canoe
The Age of Reptiles

Looking back into my stamp collection was sparked by a postcard I received from my niece. She knows I love old postcards, but I don't think she was aware of my stamp collection. Her postcard is a perfect blending of the two collections. The image on the card features vintage stamps!
Postcard from my niece! 😊
Thank you Emma!


More from the stamp collection in future posts.

Love critters?
Check out Saturday's Critters
AND, another great spot
for sharing It's a Small Town Life


Skies

Looking out from Seattle, across Puget Sound, to the Olympic Mountains in the distance ...

Sunset Panorama January 23, 2025
The scene along the western horizon can't be
captured with just one shot, so I had to put
together a panorama.

January 26, 2025

Clear sky after sunset January 28, 2025

Go and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site! 

Ships

CMA CGM Container ship arriving Seattle
January 18, 2025

The military ship is roughly 4 miles from my window.
The sailboat provides a nice scale.
Olympic Mountain Range in the distance.


Low morning clouds lifted just in time to snap
this shot of an Evergreen Container ship
headed southbound to Tacoma, WA

Yes, there's a ship in the stamp collection. 😊


Nature

While out on a recent walk, I noticed this plant with
silvery white pods that reminded me of silver dollars.
Snapped the picture above, got home and used
Google Lens to discover it's called a
MONEY PLANT! 😊
The scientific name is Lunaria biennis.
Have you ever seen it?



While out on a walk on January 31, I happened to 
notice these Daffodils breaking through and
buds looking strong. The scientific name is
Narcissus. Daffs are very well adapted to our
Pacific Northwest climate and are always some
of the earliest to bloom! I will try to give updates
on these beauties.

I often like to wrap up a post with a closing thought. Today's is one I recently found on Social Media. It may take a moment but the thought comes through perfectly describing the state of the Union in the good ol' USA ...


Thanks for stopping by John's Island. 








2 comments:

  1. ...John, that poor hummingbird, our left months ago and so did our robins. the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Corps of Discovery Expedition was amazing. You have some gorgeous skies to enjoy. Our granddaughter, Liza is home from the hospital. Take care and be well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The hummingbirds around in that cold are amazing to me. I always thought of them as warm weather birds. Love that postcard with the stamps on it. Such a thoughtful item to send to you. Your niece knows you well. There is a cargo vessel in port here this weekend. An ice breaker led it safely to Summerside.

    ReplyDelete

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Snow Stamps Skies Ships

Welcome to John's Island. In this post ... 1. Snow in Seattle. 2. Vintage stamps from my stamp collection. 3. Colorful Seattle skies. 4....