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.
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| [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) |
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| A sunny morning allows a look at the snow accumulation on the Olympic Mountains. The shadows help reveal the foothills. |
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| 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. |
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| 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.
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| Just one stamp, greatly enlarged. The title on this one ... Deck Scene - S S Northern Pacific |
Postage Stamps ...
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| Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804 honored in 1954 with this 3 cent stamp. |
Critters are frequently on stamps ...
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| The American Bald Eagle 6¢ stamp was issued by the USPS in 1970 as part of a block of 4 stamps. See next image. |
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| In this block: American Bald Eagle African Elephant Herd Haida Ceremonial Canoe The Age of Reptiles |
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| Postcard from my niece! 😊 Thank you Emma!  |
More from the stamp collection in future posts.
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| 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 ...
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| 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. |
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| January 26, 2025 |
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| Clear sky after sunset January 28, 2025 |
Go
and check out more Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!
Ships
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| CMA CGM Container ship arriving Seattle January 18, 2025 |
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| The military ship is roughly 4 miles from my window. The sailboat provides a nice scale. Olympic Mountain Range in the distance. |
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| Low morning clouds lifted just in time to snap this shot of an Evergreen Container ship headed southbound to Tacoma, WA |
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| Yes, there's a ship in the stamp collection. 😊 |
Nature
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| 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? |
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| 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.
...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.
ReplyDeleteThe 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.
ReplyDeleteHello John,
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to see the hummingbird in the snow, great capture of the Robin. They are year round visitors here. Your stamp collection looks awesome, being an animal lover the stamps with animals are my favorites. Your niece knows you well sending a postcard showing various stamps. I love the views of the ships with the mountains in the distance. Your sunsets are gorgeous. Thank you for your critter post and sharing your link. Take care, have a wonderful weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
Bravo for your niece, John. What a perceptive (and kind) little girl. Your stamp collection and your post card collection are of great interest to all of us. If ever I find myself in Seattle I shall insist on a private showing! History is written in postage stamps, of course. Sadly, postal systems in many countries are under threat and some countries have already abandoned postal services. I am always very interested in nature depicted in its various manifestations and featured on stamps, and I am always eager to get a new, unblemished stamp if I can. Sadly, many countries only glorify and cherish their wild nature when it is under threat and sometimes even already extinct. It’s probably safe to conclude that your current administration is not going to celebrate endangered fish in California! All the best from snowy Ontario - David
ReplyDeleteBeautiful landscapes, birds and stamps. When I was a child I collected stamps too. Have a nice weekend !
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the beauty of Seattle and the beauty of stamps with us. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the ships and it's amazing that you see hummingbirds year round. We have big flocks of Robins here in Florida right now and it's warm....come on down! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteLindos sellos. Me encantaron las fotografÃas de los atardeceres. Te mando un beso.
ReplyDeleteSo many fabulous photos.
ReplyDeleteLove the Robin and glad spring is on the way, though we are having freezing rain right now.
Great stamp collection you have.
Breathtaking skies.
John, you are such a well-rounded person. I learned something new every time you publish a post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! I am not sure which I enjoyed the most! I collect stamps and postcards too. I had not heard of those poster stamps before, like tiny postcards! I'm in southern Oregon, Rogue Valley, and the snow from last week (Monday-Thursday) is just melting off.
ReplyDeleteSnow in Seattle seems very cold to me. Our Daffodils won't show themselves until March and I am looking forward to it! I like those stamps. Vintage images are of interest to me. Thank you for linking up and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.
ReplyDeleteHello John and thank you for a lovely post with so much to see and enjoy. From 'Snow in Seattle' right through to 'Nature Snaps' it's a great post.
ReplyDeleteHere in the UK we have daffodils breaking through the ground nicely, perhaps Spring is just around the corner? Well, perhaps a few weeks yet, but it will be coming and I do like the Spring season.
For the time being I wish you some more happy February days.
All the best Jan
Thanks for the wonderful eclectic gathering you made here. I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to more like this, John. Sending hugs.
ReplyDeleteAwww I see the Eaglet in the nest on your American Bald Eagle Stamp! I like how your camera picked up the snow flakes falling in your first photo of the Hummingbird. I wonder what those red berries are in your photo from your Jan 31st walk showing the Daffodils sprouting up from the ground! It was a pleasure reading your post and admiring your photographs, even looking close enough to enjoy the tiny details!
ReplyDeleteOh such a beautiful blog💖Love the wonderful mountains and the pretty birds..All of it💖
ReplyDeleteDear John, I've seen your comments on several blogs so I thought I'd come for a visit. I can't get out in the winter here (2 feet of snow), and I've been wondering what to post. You've inspired me with your stamp collection. I have one of those too, buried in the basement, but I immediately thought of our art collection. I'm sure it and the stories that go with it could keep me posting well into March., So thanks. And don't talk to me of Daffodils emerging!
ReplyDeleteI love your snow shots, your sky shots, you stamps and everything. I love your marine shots as well.
ReplyDeleteMy mother spent some time in Seattle when young. Somewhere I have a bunch of old poscards of Seattle from the late 1940's. I need to dig them out, scan and then post them.
The shot of the hummingbird is excellent, John! What a capture! The daffodils in my neighborhood are already blooming, and of course there are camelias and magnolias - even in winter we have a lot of color around here. Your niece is such a wonderful girl to send you this card, how very sweet. Your sky photos are so very beautiful - I envy you for the view of the Olympic mountains.
ReplyDeleteThose snowy mornings and slushy commutes have their own kind of charm, don't they? Your stamp collection is fascinating as always, John, especially those vintage "Poster Stamps." It's amazing how such small items can hold so much history and tell such interesting stories. How often do you get to add new pieces to your collection?
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful variety in this post! The money plant is a neat find, too.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely mix of wintery Seattle, stamps, skies, ships, and nature photos.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful, John.
i surely missed your blog dear John!
ReplyDeletemy words fail when it comes to appreciate the beauty of your captures :)
enjoyed the post thoroughly ,your series of post card is really amazing and pretty .i am lucky to find in mom's old huge trunk some so i immediately feel connected to these !
your niece 's post card and message is sweet and reflects her love for postcards :) it's definitely is family hobby i guess :)
oh my your sunset are hard to look away from .the first one is spell casting and breathtaking simply !!!!!!!!! so well captured .good to take a panoramic image ,it's beauty deepened with this !
ship sailing photos are great as as well.
thank you so much for brightening up my day once again dear John!
health peace and joy to you and family!
Dear John :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing photo, and a good photo of the Hummingbird in the snow. We have robins all year round here, but unfortunately no hummingbirds, You have a stunning stamp collection. The one you enlarged reminded me that it was a time when both men and women wore hats! My great grandfather was a hatter, and owned a shop where he made and sold men's hats I really like your animal stamp collection, and it was a sweet gesture of your niece to send you the postcard with the vintage stamps. Beautiful sky shots John, and I enjoyed seeing the sea vessels with the Olympic Mountains in the background. My daffodils have been in flower for several days now, and other bulbs are starting to sprout, which brings me to your question about the Money Plant. Did you realize that your first thought about the pods was correct! They are also known as "Silver Dollar" plants. Yes John, I have not only seen them but grow them in my garden. The flowers are purple, and known as "Honesty" here, and when the seed cases are dried they make lovely everlasting arrangements.
All the best
Sonjia.
Hello John,
ReplyDeleteI loved the post, lots of interesting images.
I liked the sunset and the money flower;
Ah, the daffodils are beautiful despite having a tragic history in their
mythology.
The stamps tell stories of a time and there are some so beautiful.
An axe convincing the forest is hair-raising; those who suffer the most from all this are the most vulnerable.
Here in Brazil, despite all the technology that helps and contributes to a regression of values that is almost scary. Words are distorted to suit groups. When everyone stays in their bubble, wars are announced.
Thank you for your visit and your comments that enrich our publications.
Peace and Good, to you and yours.
Janice.