Recent Favorites

UPDATE - October 3, 2026

Not ready to publish a full new post. After many years blogging, I'm slowing down. This post, Recent Favorites, was originally published on September 8, 2026. I'm adding a few new things via this update, October 3, 2026.

The world's largest single mast sailing yacht, originally known as Mirabella V, now known as M5, was in my view the last week of September. A photo seemed necessary for the blog.  😊

I'll include an especially nice sunset on October 2nd in honor of Fall and the new month of October.

I'm happy summer has gone with its heat and smoky skies. Fall is definitely here with cooler days and trees turning to autumn colors. I'll close this update with a photo of downtown taken early in the morning from Kerry Park, a popular Seattle overlook.

Now on to the post as published on September 8th. Thank you to all who have left me kind comments on the post. No need for new comments unless you just want to. Happy Fall!

Hummer

These images are all of one of my hummers, a male Anna's Hummingbird. Most photos of hummingbirds are taken when they are at a feeder. I felt lucky to catch this little bird perching in a tree right next to my deck. Of course, he was keeping an eye on the feeder on the deck. Hummers are very territorial and will try to chase other hummers away from a feeder they consider to be thier own. More interesting info from the Cornell Lab Bird Academy:  “At first glance the male Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is solidly green. Then with a twist of his head, he reveals a flash of shiny red brilliance. This color show is made possible by the way the feather microstructure reflects light differently as the viewing angle changes. During his spectacular aerial courtship displays, he advertises this red badge to female spectators by orienting toward the sun. This colorful element of surprise is key to his mating success.”

Linking to Saturday's Critters

Skies

Looking across Puget Sound,
to the west, I see Bainbridge Island.
It's unusual to see clouds forming at ground level.
Weather conditions must be just perfect ... and they
were on September 2nd.

The clouds to the west seemed unusual on 
September 5th. I was so tempted to take this image
and add some arrows to point out the face of
a dog. Do you see it in the right side of the image?

I miss a lot of sunsets around here in the summer.
Well, with Daylight time they are so late ... around 8 - 9PM.
By that time I'm done with snapping pictures for the day. 😊
Going forward, I hope to see more, like this one on Sept. 5th.

Flowers

On a recent sunny afternoon, I visited a nearby community garden. It's one of those gardens where community members have a small patch of land where they can grow plants of their choice. I was impressed with the work my neighbors have done and snapped several pictures. Thought these flowers worth sharing. Nature creates beauty so easily.

On the water ...

September 5th
Want to sail around Elliott Bay?
Check out Seattle's Tall Ship Sailing Tours

State Ferry.
Probably Seattle - Bremerton
Alki Beach/West Seattle in background.

Evergreen Container Ship departing, July 25th.
Evergreen Line Shipping

ONE Container Ship departing, July 30th
One Network Express

MSC Bianca Silvia arriving, August 22nd
MSC Shipping

Oceania Riviera arriving, July 20th
Oceania Cruises

Seattle today ...

Tuesday morning, September 8, 2026
from Kerry Park viewpoint.
On the right ... Mt Rainier, about 50 miles away.

Reflections ...

Blog wise, the first half of this year was focused on the Bald Eagle nest near Big Bear Lake, California. I was totally fascinated with Eagle parents Jackie and Shadow and the new eaglets they brought into the world, Luna and Sandy. The story did not end perfectly, as Jackie passed away due to illness. The Ojai Raptor Center tried to revive her, but was not able to do so. As far as we know, Luna and Sandy have successfully departed their birth area and are now in the process of establishing new home territories. More good news ... Papa Shadow may have a new partner.  Bald Eagle Kaydee, a banded Bald Eagle, about 4 years old has been visiting the nest area for a couple of weeks now, and appears to be interested in Shadow, and he, it seems, has welcomed her.

Shadow and Kaydee, September 3rd
Thanks to Friends of Big Bear Valley.org FOBBV

Thank you for stopping by John’s Island.