Skyscraper Sunrise 11 18 14

Downtown Seattle, WA, USA
November 18, 2014
about 8 AM

We were going to post our final installment on the Great Ship Calendar this morning but didn't have it ready for publication at the deadline (ha ha). While we were working on the installment the sunrise lit up the skyscrapers. Two Union Tower is the tall one at 56 stories. The exterior glass acts like a mirror reflecting the sunrises over on the eastern horizon. For the first time in over a week we have a few clouds at sunrise. The cold, clear skies were great, but we are ready for some milder temps and a few sprinkles. 

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Great Ship Calendar from 1973 [August - September]

The MICHAELANGELO
Naples, Italy

The ROTTERDAM
Rotterdam, Holland Harbor

Background info on this post is here.
To see months February and March look here.
To see months April and May look here.
To see months June and July look here.
More from the 1973 Great Ships Calendar in the days ahead.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Cold House

Winter Morning
Southwest Montana, USA

This morning, November 16, 2014, at 5 AM the temperature at this location, according to the National Weather Service, was 0°F (-18°C). Although this photo is from our 2006 archive, when we were there, our friends tell us the snow arrived so the scene probably looks about the same today. This was our favorite Mountain Bluebird home. We hope the little birds are "south-of-the-border" now!

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.

Great Ship Calendar from 1973 [June - July]

The QUEEN ELIZABETH II
St Thomas, Virgin Islands

The President Wilson
Hong Kong Harbor

Background info on this post is here.
To see months February and March look here.
To see months April and May look here.

In the comments section, we recently received an excellent question: Why are ships usually referred to as "she"?  We did some research and found many different explanations. Here is our favorite answer from the U.S. Navy History website ...

A. It has always been customary to personify certain inanimate objects and attribute to them characteristics peculiar to living creatures. Thus, things without life are often spoken of as having a sex. Some objects are regarded as masculine. The sun, winter, and death are often personified in this way. Others are regarded as feminine, especially those things that are dear to us. The earth as mother Earth is regarded as the common maternal parent of all life. In languages that use gender for common nouns, boats, ships, and other vehicles almost invariably use a feminine form. Likewise, early seafarers spoke of their ships in the feminine gender for the close dependence they had on their ships for life and sustenance.

More from the 1973 Great Ships Calendar in the days ahead.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Cold River

The National Weather Service reports 9°F (-13°C) at this location in Southwest Montana this morning. At this temperature ice begins to form on the Madison River. The photo is from our 2006 archive.

Here in the USA we are experiencing our first winter blast over most of the country. Yesterday, it was colder in Texas than some parts of Alaska. We need to check the Old Farmer's Almanac to see what they are predicting for this winter, which is still, officially, over a month away.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Linking up today with Skywatch Friday

"Bear"ly Fenced Ranch

Now here is the scenario:  On a beautiful morning in October we're on our way to Yellowstone National Park, flying down a wide-open highway, through ranch land and open country, at a pretty good clip. In this part of the world, where a ranch gate is common and often a status symbol, we flew by the Curlew Creek entrance and said, Whoa! What was that on the gate entrance? We actually had to turn around and take another look ... it looked so authentic from a distance ... yep, the little bear is there ... now that is pretty cool!

What is that crawling up the Curlew Creek gate?

Is it alive?

Is this a cute little bear or what?

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.

Maybe this post just "bear"ly qualifies for a link up to "Good Fences" : - )

Mid-November Trees around Seattle

We got many nice comments on earlier posts featuring fall colors and trees around Seattle. Here's an update with photos taken on recent days ...

Just about peak color
on these young trees
in our neighborhood.

Our first photo in October 20 post looked
at these same trees but from the
opposite direction.

A couple of cloudy day shots ...

In Volunteer Park
Seattle, WA

Closer looks ...

Sometimes just looking skyward gives
a palette of colors.

We saved closest for last.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.