Fences - Skies - Trains - Planes

Good Fences ...

Could this fence also be a good Sundial?

We like the ornaments on posts.

Fitting for city-slicker fence.

Fence or wall?

Linking up today with Good Fences.  Thanks Tex!

Good Skies ...

April 3rd - near Sunset
Seattle, Washington, USA

April 3rd again - later

April 6 - See the rain?
For perspective ... The dot in lower left is an auto ferry.
This is looking over Puget Sound to the west.

April 6 Sunset
Olympic Mountains

April 7 Sunset

April 8 - Afternoon sun on Puget Sound

Linking up with Skywatch Friday  Thanks to the Skywatch hosts!

On Track ...

Planes riding trains?

Enroute Boeing Factory

For Railfans ... Nothing but Power

Power Headquarters Pacific Northwest Region
Balmer Yard - Seattle
BNSF

Over 100 car Container Train heading
into Seattle.
Space Needle on the left.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Southern Pacific Sunset Route [1890s]

From our collection a little flyer to get you interested in a trip across country (and quite possibly one of the oldest travel brochures you've ever seen) ... the Southern Pacific Sunset Route ...

Unfolds into a little map illustration showing the trip from San Francisco to New Orleans ... or vice versa ...

Western part ...

Middle part ...

Eastern part ...

How much did it cost and how long did it take?

All the details ...

"To break the monotony of life is to live longer and better."  ....

Bevys of northern ladies on a shopping bent? Read on ...

"It is a grand journey, however, and is rich with memorable experiences." ...

The back cover ...

This little brochure is one of the oldest in our collection. How old is it? It's hard to say exactly, but let's put it this way:  When the only competition was a stage coach, and it took more than four and one-half days to go from New Orleans to San Francisco on the train, and cost $15 for a sleeper ... well, you get the idea.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Wishing You a Blessed Easter

From our collection of old postcards ...

This card features a stained glass window in a Memorial Chapel in Fort Worth, Texas.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Rainier National Park - Vintage Poster [circa 1925]

Poster published by Brown & Bigelow about 1925.
Size is about 30" x 40"
Originals in good condition are rare.

History ...

The Northern Pacific Railway (NP) was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly 40 million acres (160,000 km2) of land grants, which it used to raise money in Europe for construction. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in western Montana on Sept. 8, 1883. The railroad had about 6800 miles of track and served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. In addition the company had international branches to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The main activities were shipping wheat and other farm products, cattle, timber and minerals; bringing in consumer goods, transporting passengers; and selling land. The company was headquartered first in Brainerd, Minnesota, then in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It had a tumultuous financial history, and in 1970 it merged with other lines to form the Burlington Northern Railroad. (From Wikipedia)

About the Artist ...

Gustav Wilhelm Krollman (1888 - 1962) was born in Vienna, Austria and trained to be a portrait painter at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He served as an artillery officer in the Austrian Army during World War I. While serving he painted portraits of members of the general staff of the 12th Army Corps. Before coming to the United States, he studied and travelled in England, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Rumania, and Czechoslovakia. In 1923 he immigrated to the United States and settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. By the late 1920s he was working for the Northern Pacific Railroad as an artist for the railroad’s promotional travel poster campaign specifically to create posters that would attract visitors to the scenic locations along the rail route.  (From an article written by Linda Andrean and posted online, 2011.)

About the Mountain ...

An Icon on the Horizon - Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems. A lifetime of discovery awaits. (From the National Parks Service - Mount Rainier website)

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

M. S. Tatsuta Maru [1930s] -- Skywatch -- and More

From our collection of old postcards ... M. S. Tatsuta Maru ...

The Tatsuta Maru postcard from 1930s - perhaps early 40s.
17,000 Gross Tons
Orient - California Service
N. Y. K. Line

Back of the unused card.

Enlargement of the information on back of card.

Ship history ... from Wikipedia ...

The Tatsuta Maru, also known as Tatuta Maru, was a Japanese ocean liner owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha (N.Y.K. Line). The ship was built in 1927-1930 by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Nagasaki, Japan.

The Tatsuta Maru was built for the trans-Pacific Orient-California fortnightly service. Principal ports-of-call included Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kobe, Yokohama, Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

In December, 1941, the liner was part of an elaborate Japanese deception plan to mask the unannounced attack on the US Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor. She sailed from Yokohama on 2 December bound for San Francisco with the task of exchanging American evacuees from East Asia for Japanese nationals in the United States. She was scheduled to reach the US on 14 December and despite rumours of war the American press wrongly concluded that meant nothing was likely to happen for some time.

The master of the ship had sealed orders to turn around at midnight on 7 December and return to Japan while maintaining radio silence. Subsequently, the Tatsuta Maru was requisitioned as a troopship for the Imperial Japanese Navy.

On February 8, 1943, Tatsuta Maru was torpedoed and sunk by the enemy submarine (USS Tarpon) 42 miles east of Mikurajima. Some 1,400 Japanese soldiers on board were killed.

Recent Skywatch ...

Sunshine streaming through the cherry blossoms.
March 26th.

Linking up today with Skywatch Friday.  Thanks to Skywatch hosts!

A flower we couldn't pass up.
Do you know what it is?

In Port this week ...

Northern Hawk fishing vessel
at Pier 91

We love ship names.

Bulk carrier "Chris" departing Elliott Bay
on March 28.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

All 50 State Flags on Postage Stamps [1976]

We spent most of March posting First Day Issues of the Official Birds and Flowers of the 50 United States of America. Now, from our collection, stamps with the State Flags.

In the American Bicentennial year -- 1976 -- the U. S. Postal Service issued postage stamps with the flags of the 50 States. First look at the sheet may leave the impression that they are all out-of-order, but they ARE in order ... just happens to be the order in which the states were admitted to the Union ... and that does seem appropriate for a Bicentennial celebration.

Here's the sheet of stamps ...

When viewing the whole sheet, note the interesting similarities and the few that are decidely different. Most have a blue background. We're proud of our green (Washington) and amazed at Maryland's design ... almost a racing flag. And now, for those of you who want to take a closer look ... some enlargements ...

We considered doing these one-at-a-time in a series ... JUST KIDDING! Seriously, though, don't you find flags interesting?

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Don't Miss the Sleeping Giant [Vintage Ad 1940s]

In this vintage ad from our collection, we see a couple enjoying a meal in the dining car as the waiter points out the window at the "Sleeping Giant" in the mountains ... What do you think ... do you see it?

This old advertisment and the artwork leaves us with a smile. Do you think the artist has exaggerated the giant in the mountain? : - )

We sure enjoyed all the comments on yesterday's post. What a range of comments! If you missed that post it's worth looking at just for the comments. Thanks to all of you who left a comment!

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.