Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Incongruous

Our theme this week: Incongruous. Meaning: out of place, ridiculous, inconsistent, contradictory. This was a tough one. Do I say that every week?! I mean it this time. I don't know if I've done Mary's theme justice but here we go:

This is a pizza oven...in the middle of nowhere. Well, not nowhere, but it is just sitting in a lot at the docks all by itself. It does not get used. I'm guessing someone had big plans for it at one time.

I think this place is ridiculous...argh, matey, if ye don't eat all of yer fries ye will be walking the plank. And what's with the boat & pirates on the top of the metal carport thing? I don't eat here.

I'd like you to meet Dutch, our local speed limit enforcer. Why is he "out of place" or "ridiculous"? Because he isn't real! He sure fools the tourists, though. Last year I created a scavenger hunt for my daughter's birthday party. The girls had to have their photo taken with Dutch. While we were there, some tourists pulled up to ask him directions - he looks that real!

The Westport Lighthouse is pictured below. To see why it fits the theme, scroll down to the final two pictures.

I stood on our beach trail to take these pictures. Looking back to the lighthouse, it almost blends in with the trees. I made a lovely arrow so you can see where the lighthouse sits. I took this shot, then turned and took a shot of the beach without changing any settings. I hope this gives a clue as to just how far the lighthouse is from the beach. This lighthouse is out of place!

If you ever visit our Westport Lighthouse, which I think is a must see here in our town, you'll see that the lighthouse used to be on the beach. No, the lighthouse wasn't moved. We have gained land since it was built, and of course trees, so the landscape is a little different than when it was built. One thing's for sure - you can't beat the view from the top on a clear day. It is spectacular!

Hope you've enjoyed the oddities I could find. Be sure to visit other contributors by clicking on the camera (no pun intended :).


**UPDATE**

Oops, I left out the most incongruous thing I found! I can't believe I did that. A few years ago this house had a toilet sitting next to the parking meter! I thought that was hysterical. Not sure what happened to the toilet but the parking meter (the only one in town) is still there. Pretty out of place, ridiculous.....incongruous!

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Signs.

This weeks theme, thanks to Si, was amusing or interesting signs. Difficult challenge, Si! Apparently we aren't too clever with our signage around here. However, I did not come up totally empty handed.

Sometimes shooting my town is rather challenging because the roads are pretty busy - after all it is tourist season! So I would like to introduce you to my assistant, and guest photographer this week, Liz. My daughter took most of these photos for me out of the car window while I played chauffeur! Someday (a looooong time from now) she will chauffeur me around!





My husband thinks this is really goofy - a "Welcome to Westport" in someone's yard. I think it is friendly but wish it was outside of the ugly chain link fence!



Here is the official "Welcome to Westport" sign. Both of these signs were made by chainsaw carvers. We used to have a chainsaw carving festival but the carvers thought our town was running a catering company, as I like to say, and the festival is no longer.


A reality of living near the ocean is the possibility of a tsunami. We have signs all over town advising people of the direction to evacuate. Our local school is an official "assembly area". If the real deal were to happen (we have had 3 false alarms in my lifetime) I would not stop at the school unless I had a death wish as it is barely above sea level. If I had to guess I would say....2o feet above sea level. Head for the hills, people!


On to brighter topics...I just noticed this street sign near my parents' home and thought it was clever. I wish that were my street's name. I live on a street named after a boring, ugly tree. And I am a beach bum, or at least I was on Wednesday when it hit 93 degrees here!



One day, my kids and I were toodling around and noticed this new sign that had popped up. This place used to be for sale, as is every other house in the area, but I'm guessing it has sold and someone plans to show off their remodeling skills. Or maybe they left out the "out" part of the sign. Either way, it cracked us up.


Speaking of cracking up, someone at this house has a sense of humor. Gotta love the airmail. However, they can't spell. Never heard of "New Yokr" before. At least they spelled "Olympia" correctly. A few months ago I about had a fit when a giant DOT sign hanging in the nearby town of Montesano, WA read "Olmypia". People, it is our state capitol, can we not spell it correctly? Do they not have spell check in the road sign program???!!! I was happy to see it corrected the last time I drove through.

So here's a sign that I pass on my way to and from work and I was so excited to photograph it. However, when I pulled up in front of it for my assistant to get the shot I was so disappointed to see that they had taken the funny part down. Just the day before there had been a sign underneath that read "chicks $3. FREE ROOSTER". I chuckled every time I passed it. Guess someone finally took them up on the offer.

There are at least 4 of these signs around:

My daughter is very excited about this one. She is the only one in our house that likes oysters so she gets to go with her Poppa (my dad) to the oyster feed each year.

Here is another annual event that gets me excited:

This festival is my favorite and I think the sign is awfully clever. There were a few photographers there with some spectacular work. One of them had amazing local shots of pelicans and beautiful sunrises. Another had captured hanging basket reflections in water drops. I have lens envy. Seriously. I need a zoom lens and I really want it before fall sports start!

Enough whining and on to the winery...

I think this place is just adorable and so is their sign. Gotta love the lighthouse, which is a little tasting room! Everything is better "By-the-Sea" if you ask me.

Well, thanks Liz, my little photographer in training. You are a real trooper. And thanks to all who visit our little town via cyberspace. Hope you enjoyed your stay!

Bath Bubblers Recipe

Mix the following ingredients in a clean, dry, plastic bowl using gloved hands:

1/2 c. baking soda

1/4 c. corn starch

1/4 cup citric acid

3 Tbsp. Epsom salt

Mix the wet ingredients in a cup using a dropper:

4 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp witch hazel

10 drops essential oil of your choice

Few drops of food coloring (do not mix colors)

Use the dropper to take out the wet mixture in small amounts and add it slowly to the dry mixtures , mixing constantly with gloved hands.

Mix in all the liquid in this manner. The resulting mixture should be crumbly.

Divide the damp mixture equally among muffin tins or disposable cups and pack very firmly.

Let rest undisturbed for 24 hours.

Un-mold the bubblers onto aluminum foil or wax paper and let dry for 2 days.

Wrap the bubblers in saran wrap.

Use as gifts or enjoy in your next bath!

Coming soon...

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Signs and the bath bubblers recipe.

I will do my best to have it up before Friday is over, Pacific Standard Time!

Thanks for your patience.

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Relaxation

Lena from New Jersey chose our theme this week: Relaxation. I like it! Thanks, Lena.

One of my very favorite ways to relax is in a hot bath with a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and a great book. If I'm lucky, my daughter will make these bath salts again for me (her science project was "bath bubblers" and they turned out great!).



Every time I leave home, this is the view I have of the Bed & Breakfast across the street. The proprietor has set up two Adirondack chairs looking out at the bay and guests can take their glass of wine out and relax with a view.


While the B&B stays pretty busy, most people who come to Westport to relax stay at the state park. Sites are a very short walk to the beach and it is a popular place!



And what could be more relaxing than fishing? Here my husband and son angle for some perch off of the dock. My brother and I spent a lot of time fishing off the docks when we were little. The best bait? Red licorice, I kid you not!


Here is a shot of the marina by night. The water is so calm and the sky so pretty that it is a very relaxing sight. Some of the charter boats are getting ready to take off on a little search for the chicken of the sea. It's tuna season and a lot of people seek relaxation on a charter trip. That would be action filled relaxation!



Here's a spot that I think is a little piece of heaven. I sometimes walk from my house and take a book or my camera. At the end of the boardwalk are two benches that are perfect for relaxing with your book, soaking up the sun, or just gazing out over the beach. I took the second picture with a slower shutter speed and asked my daughter to get up and walk away after I pushed the shutter button. The best part about this spot is that not many people know about it so I rarely encounter other people.



Finally, my favorite place in town, the supplier of the ultimate relaxation tools: the library. I love the way this place looks at night when it is lit up.


Thank you for visiting my town through my lens.

Friday My Town Shoot-Outs: Power

My Shoot-out is a little late due to a family vacation - yeah! We had a great time rejuvenating and shooting around someone else's town but I have to admit I was thinking about how I was going to portray power in my town in a timely fashion :)

The fuel that fires me is God's power...I chose a page from the book of James because it is a favorite. Now I realize I should have shot Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Ah, well.

The power that keeps my house running and my bank account low would be the PUD power. I wanted a shot of the meter zipping around but they have changed to digital meters. Bummer!

And finally, I have lived by the ocean my entire life, save my college years. I have always been amazed by the power of the ocean. It is full of life, yet can take a life in an instant. When you stand at the shore and look out to the ocean it is hard to believe that this magnificent Pacific ocean just rolls in and out, sometimes gently and sometimes like thunder, but doesn't take over this little peninsula! This picture is from my archives....on Christmas day of 2008 we had high tides and a big swell. The docks flooded and the waves crashed over the rocks, right at these (brilliant) people's feet.

Thanks, J9, for the topic of power!