October 7, 1938

No, it isn't my birthday. And no, I wasn't born in 1938. However, I just discovered that 1938 had the same alignment of days as 2011. If only I'd realized this back in January! You see I have an old 1938 calendar on the wall here. I like the name and design: "It's The Wheat" ---  It seems fitting for Montana where a lot of wheat is grown and where we maintain a secondary office for the Island. I took the calendar off the wall today and snapped a photo of the page for October. Maybe I will post the pages for November and December later at the appropriate time. Not that time is a big deal at John's Island! Anyway, do you like antiques? (If not, you may not like our name sake!!!) Most of all, thanks to all of you for looking and commenting!

Better Traffic

It's once again time for our Executive Team to leave the Island and head to the Rocky Mountains for the annual Autumn Retreat.  This year we were close to our destination when we encountered some interesting traffic. We wondered what our colleagues back in Seattle would think about this. Although we were delayed slightly, we liked it better than what we encounter back home.

In the photo below, we see the usual one who fails to conform. Management needed as usual.

We especially liked the dog, who seemed to be having the most fun.

Got Steam?

Recently, on a walk in Seattle, our executive team was impressed with this industrial site. It brought up the question:  How many cities have their own steam plant?  We have no idea, but we like the way this one looks especially on one of those "ohhh-so-common blue-sky-days" in Seattle.  The location of this plant is actually pretty close to the Elliott Bay waterfront and so we wonder if it uses sea water to make the steam. If you know, leave us a comment. We did find a Wikipedia article that gave us some info, but didn't answer the sea water question. It seems like the answer should be yes.

Another shot of Seattle Steam Company showing a little bit of steam escaping.

Have a good day and thanks for stopping by John's Island. And we hope there is nothing here to get anyone steamed up!

A Seattle Evening

A few nights ago I was expecting a colorful sunset based on the clouds and a small opening in the overcast to the west. Ahhh, it didn't happen, but still, the lights of the city looked good to me. Sometimes I look at this scene and wonder how many homes I can see. (Not to mention offices.) Hope you enjoy the scene as I did.

Shorter Days Ahead

Hello friends, followers, and visitors. Here at John's Island we like to celebrate the seasons. It's hard to say, but perhaps Fall is our favorite. S. S. Porter did a good job of capturing the essence of the seasons back in 1906 when he published postcards like the one above. For those of you who live in parts of the world where there is only one season (weather-wise) there are times when I admire you, but most of the time I think you're missing something.

Back in 1906 things were a bit less complicated and, apparently, it was easy to send Marie this card with only her name, town, and state, and, oh-by-the-way, Rural Route #1. Wish the stamp was still there, but it is gone. The price was right for delivery though: one cent in the US.

We extend to all of you wishes for a fine Fall.

Sweet Pea Festival

Hello followers and new visitors! Welcome to the Sweet Pea Festival on John's Island. Yes, the peas have finally bloomed. We planted the peas back in early March and here is how they looked in mid-April ...

and then in June in the pots with green checks ...

and now, here are some of the blooms in early July ...

Sweet peas are kinda hard to photograph. Well, they are really small, and they move around with the slightest breeze. Also, you need a lot of good sunshine to really bring out their beauty.

Although I think sweet peas are pretty, I think their fragrance is even better! You are missing something if you have not enjoyed the fragrance of a bouquet of these flowers!

Thanks for stopping by the Island. Hope you are all having a fine summer!

Summer, At Last!

Here at John's Island Headquarters, summer has finally arrived, officially at least, with the summer solstice. 

People have been talking about summer for so long now that it seems almost anti-climatic. Most think of summer starting right after Memorial Day, and by their measure, we're already nearly a month into the great season where the "livin' is easy."  Our executive staff here has gone fishin', well sorta, as illustrated in the card, published by S. Porter, Chicago, in 1906.

Perhaps you've wondered where we've been. We are taking a break from our fast-paced publishing and enjoying some relaxing activities for a while. Hope you are doing the same.

We're especially looking forward to our Sweet Pea Festival, which will occur here on the Island when the peas bloom!  (Progress photos below.)

Seeds planted in early March, here is how they looked in mid-April ....

And then, a few days ago, in the pots with the checks ....

We are quite amazed with mother nature's work. No, none of us here have taken the time to spool those little tendrils around the netting as the peas grow. It's all done automatically.

We are not sure when our Sweet Pea Festival will occur, but when it does, we will post some pictures for you. They are beautiful, but the fragrance is even better.

Now, for those of you who like the vintage card, Porter produced one for each of the seasons and they are fairly rare now. We put them on the wish list and finally found all four.  If you are like us, you will want to see the other three right **NOW** and so, here they are, and we will feature each one in a larger format as we get to that point on the calendar.

Even though these cards were published 105 years ago, the sentiment, at least, shows that some things haven't changed.  Until our next post, we wish you all a fine summer. We always appreciate your comments and thank you for following.