This Is My Town

Friday Shoot-Out: Favorite Things

2009-12-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Bagman is at it again, making me laugh out loud with his description of his choice of shoot-out themes...

"....Aside from the fact that I can't quite remember the words to These are a few of my favorite things and so I'm loudly singing, "Rainbows on lollypops, birds of a feather; gingersnaps, sourkraut don't go together, when I fly kites I hold tight to the strings, these are a few of my favorite things!" Well...it fits with the music. Go ahead sing it out loud and see!"

Thanks, Mark! Here are a few of mine...

My favorite football coach, and husband, waiting anxiously for the refs to make their call. I really love that this shot shows his intensity. I can't figure out how/why I ended up with some Html showing:(

My daughter (on the left) and her friend, her teammate, her confidante. I'm thankful she has found someone who shares her morals and values and who isn't older than her years at the age of eleven.

My son has won the Pumpkin Race every year and the pressure gets higher each year to maintain this winning streak. He takes it seriously...I am sparing you the picture of him throwing up as he crosses the finish line. He pushes himself that hard. Think he might be a little competitive?!

I love that my Coast Guard friends, from Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, are embracing our lifestyle here and learning to dig razor clams in the dark. What troopers! This picture is a favorite of mine.

Finally, I wanted a shot of my favorite drink on the counter of the stand but my week did not happen as planned - do they ever?! So I am settling for a shot of the menu from the archives that shows "The Original Dirty Debbie". It is an Americano with raw sugar, half-n-half, whipped cream and another sprinkling of raw sugar on top. It is a taste of heaven and my weakness.

Friday Shoot-Out: Faces

2009-11-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, right? I took my laptop to my in-laws' but they didn't have wifi (gasp!) so I was out of luck with posting over the Thanksgiving holiday.
This is the serious face of a soccer player. My daughter, Liz, waits to return to her position as a defensive forward.

Friday Shoot-Out: Premiere Attraction

2009-11-21T10:41:00.001-08:00

Sorry this is late. I am tired, have had a stormy week with gusts up to 80 mph and power outages, have a sick kid....Ok, I'll quit whining and get to my town's number one draw! Of course, it is the beach. Sadly, when you live at the beach you don't go as often as one would think!

FSO

2009-11-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

My apologies...I did not do a shoot-out this week. I'm tired, tired, tired and have had a busy week. I look forward to seeing everyone's beautiful church shots and I wish I had one to share! I go to church every Sunday but didn't have a single shot in my archives. This is the first week since I started FSO that I haven't posted :(

Friday Shoot Out: Skylines

2009-11-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

One of the things I hate about blogger is that I can't cut & paste in my post...or at least I haven't figured out how to do it. So go here http://www.mytownshootout.blogspot.com to read about this week's theme, Skylines.

If you are familiar at all with the weather we are having here in the PNW you will know that these photos were not taken this week. We have had rain, wind, thunder & lightening, and combine that with high tides and a big swell today for flooding as well. So to the archives I go!

This skyline is the dock area, taken from a dock.

Here is another shot at the docks showing where the crabbers/shrimpers/fisherman offload their catch, as well as some private and charter boats.

This shot was taken at Bottle Beach, looking back to Westport.

This is from Bottle Beach as well, looking inland.

If you enlarge this one, you can see that my kids are watching Coast Guard maneuvers out on the bay. You might be able to see the Olympic Mountain range as well.

This skyline shows the hills behind Grayland, which is a gathering spot in case of a tsunami.

This skyline shows the South Jetty, separating the Pacific Ocean and the Grays Harbor bay.

Thanks for checking out the skylines of the Westport, WA area.

Comments are most welcome!

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Park Landscapes

2009-10-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

Jarie Lyn chose "Park Landscapes", and I really wanted to show you a local park but the weather has been horrific so I have not ventured out with my camera. Instead, I will take you on an archive trip to Leavenworth, Washington. We enjoyed a week there this summer and found a jewel of a park hidden behind the downtown area along the Wenatchee River. The park has several loops, many picnic areas, and some beach play areas as well as a playground.

I wish I had a picture of the activity taking place on the pedestrian bridge. There were 4 or 5 boys, probably 10-15 years old jumping and diving off of the bridge into the river below and no adults in sight. Being the worrywart that I am, I asked if their mommas knew what they were up to. When they assured me that they did, we moved on. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't get that question answered. Then I had a nice little chat with my children about the stupidity of what those boys were doing! (It was not exactly deep water...the bridge had signs that said "No jumping from bridge" and they didn't have any adults with them) Enough about that...here is Leavenworth's Waterfront Park:

A view of a farm on the Wenatchee River.

Some rafters coming down from the Icicle Creek area. We tubed down this river the day before. At this time of year the river is very slow moving and fun for families to take a leisurely float.

This was my favorite part of the park. I love the row of benches. My husband and son were ready to go back to our cabin - the trail is a couple of miles long and I convinced them to go most of the way...in the heat...with full tummies...in sandals...

My daughter and I loved the light posts - they reminded us of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Leavenworth, WA, do it! It is a wonderful little Bavarian themed town set in the North Cascades.

Thank you for checking out my shoot-out. Now click on the camera to see other great parks around the world!

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Classics of Childhood

2009-10-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Ellisa, for this week's theme: Classics of Childhood. To see what our hostess is posting, go to http://ellisaathousandwords.blogspot.com/.

In my house, football reigns supreme. My son is making some great memories as the ball boy of the high school football team:

And he'll never forget catching for the Little League All Stars team, which came in 2nd in their tournament:

Living on the coast, fishing and playing on the beach are childhood musts!

And finally, here is my nephew with one of the great childhood classics of all time: getting to lick the beater!

This was a fun subject in my mind because my head has been full of pictures of childhood memories that I wish I had actual photos of which to show. Thanks, Ellisa, for the journey down memory lane!

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Sunrises & Sunsets

2009-10-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sherri chose our theme this week: Sunrises and Sunsets. I am excited to see everyone else's pictures...especially of sunrises. The reason that I say that is that I am not a morning cucumber so I rarely see a sunrise :). I had to go through my archives for this one because after the most beautiful September and beginning of October, we have had nothing but rain & clouds all week! I was even going to get my rear out of bed for a sunrise shot because I love FSO so much but alack and alas, I did not have to! The first 3 pictures are local places. The last picture was taken in Mukilteo, WA, on my anniversary trip last May. The ferry goes between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island, a very beautiful place.

5K Accomplishment

2009-10-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

I did it! I ran in my first 5K on Sunday. It was the "Bog Jog" in Grayland, WA. The run took us by cranberry bogs and if you did the 10K, onto the beach. It was a beautiful morning, though very cold. I didn't come in last, and I didn't walk at all so I accomplished my goal. My friend, Susan, convinced me to do this and I'm glad I did. We are already looking for our next race - maybe a Santa run in December!

That's me on the right (#332)...we are about to high five Susan's 3 year old son at the half way point. Isn't it sweet that her husband was waiting there to encourage us and take photos?! My hubby & kids were at the finish line to do the same.

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Silhouettes

2009-10-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to have my pick as the theme of the week! I chose silhouettes because I just love the way they look - it is that simple :)

This is from my archives but I just had to include it. This is the group my husband and I herded around the zoo for our son's field trip last year. They are looking out into the African savannah.

More recently I caught a silhouette of a ship in the fog. If you enlarge the picture you can see a surfer heading out to catch a wave!

Another foggy silhouette of a seagull preening on a pole off of the seawall.

Pelicans are my favorite birds....here is one flying by the channel marker at Half Moon Bay:

While the ocean is now closed to salmon fishing, they are running through the marina and these guys landed a nice slab that looked to be 12-14 lbs. I hope to get some dock fishing in myself.

This tree is off the side of the highway between Grayland and Tokeland, just a few miles south of Westport. We zip by it all the time on our way here and there and I have always wanted to stop for a photo. I was thrilled to be able to take a silhouette shot. I love this tree!

What a beautiful night this was and I was so lucky to get our viewing tower silhouette against the sunset.

And finally, this was one of my favorite shots from my archives of a December storm in 2008. Christmas day brought high winds, high tide, and quite a swell so the dock area flooded. Christmas festivities were postponed because my husband works for the city and was out sandbagging and driving heavy equipment to clean up the roads. It gave me a chance to go get some fun shots like this one of some (not so bright) people walking on the beach trail as the waves came up over the rocks.

I hope you've enjoyed my silhouettes. Click on the camera to see other participants' take on this theme. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday My Town Shoot Out: Building Study

2009-10-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

This week I headed down the coast a few miles to Tokeland, Washington to shoot the historic Tokeland Hotel. Rather than confine myself to my teeny, tiny town, I use my school district area for shoot-outs. That gives me a few more opportunities and keeps you from having to see the same places over and over. Tokeland is at the south end of our district and is located on Willapa Bay. The hotel is said to be haunted but I didn't catch any ghosts staring out of those windows on my shoot-out. Click here to get more information on the hotel: http://www.tokelandhotel.com/home.html

Thanks for stopping by My Town...I appreciate your comments!

Oh, yeah...I almost forgot that this is where my husband almost proposed :) We had dinner in the restaurant and his plan was to propose but the hostess put us at a table right next to people we knew...and the rest of the restaurant was empty!!! Mike chickened out and I figured my suspicions were wrong. He ended up asking me during a Sportscenter commercial later that evening. I have since forgiven him ;) It is funny, though, because fourteen years later our life revolves around sports (he coaches HS football, JH basketball, elementary basketball and Little League baseball so I guess it was an omen.

Friday My Town Shoot-Out:My favorite place to....

2009-09-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

My favorite place to get my espresso fix:

I'll have a 16 oz Dirty Debbie, please. That is an Americano with steamed half-n-half, raw sugar, and topped with whipped cream.

My favorite place to volunteer:

My favorite place to be on a Friday night in the fall:

I love that I have a bay view while watching a high school football game. GO WILDCATS!

My favorite place to get a book:

My favorite place to eat out:

I only photographed the sign because the restaurant had a fire and is temporarily closed. There is a giant ugly dumpster out front. I can't wait for them to re-open - they are very missed!

My favorite place to get a sandwich, specifically a Sweet Maui Onion Pork Sandwich:

This is The Mermaid Deli, home of the yummiest sandwiches.

My favorite place to run:

I am training for my first 5K and I love to run on this trail. You can't beat the beach view.
Here is my daughter having a peek at me with the bay behind her. This shot reminds me of the viewfinder in Toy Story! **Update - Actually, Kent is right - it looks like Wall-E!

These are the places, outside of home & work, where I spend the most time, though not necessarily in order!! I didn't take a picture of my very favorite place to be because it isn't very pretty, but it would have to be my bathtub with a coffee and a good book!

Thanks for looking!

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Animals (Domesticated)

2009-09-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Friday My Town Shoot-Out was started by Patty & Reggie Girl to show off their towns and took off from there. Fifty people now participate in showcasing their towns via the different topics chosen each week. The assignment for September 18th was chosen by Sandy from Apache Junction, AZ. Check out her post at www.flyingwg.blogspot.com/

I should probably duck and cover before I say that I am not much of an animal person.

Are you still there? Do you hate me? There's enough room in cyberspace for all of us, right?

A couple of years ago we got our daughter a wascally wabbit for her birthday. Meet Sweetie Pie:

She loves to chew on things (grrr) but snubs carrots in the house. She prefers to munch in the privacy of her cage. She'll allow you a snuggle but once you put her down, forget about catching her. She runs around and thumps her foot to let you know to leave her alone! She is house trained :) and enjoys snuggling into her pink toile bed.

My neighbor is a cat lover. She has no less than 4 cats at all times and mothers any strays that come her way. Unfortunately I think someone has figured that out because the cats keep coming!

I think this is Dahlia - most of them look alike so I'm not totally sure.

I think her cats are cute, I don't mind seeing them poking their heads out of the bushes along the driveway or hanging out in her driveway. However, the evidence my son found in my backyard while playing football, I do mind!

The picture I really wanted for this post is eluding me. I have a sweet elderly neighbor who stands out near the road with his dog several times a day. At least he did until I needed a photo of him. I held out on posting this because I was sure I'd catch him this morning but I haven't. If he is out there this afternoon I will add the shot later!

**UPDATE: Here is my sweet neighbor and his baby, Poco.**

Aren't they adorable?
Thanks for looking!

Friday Shoot-Out

2009-09-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Animals (Domesticated) coming soon...come back in a few hours!

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Aged & Weathered

2009-09-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Today's theme, Aged & Weathered is the brain child of Pauline. There are a couple of shots that I really wanted for this week but I had a flat tire today and wasn't able to go get them. Maybe they'll fit into a future post. You can hop on over to http://paulinespaddock.blogspot.com/ to see what she came up with.

Now a residence, this was once property of the Coast Guard. You can see the sign still hangs on the side. It is definitely aged & weathered. See the moss on the roof?! I wish I could remember the history on this place.

Here are some old bottles in an old window of an old house.

I don't know how comfortable I would be boarding this boat. It is an old wooden commercial boat that has seen better days.

Thanks for stopping by! I love your comments. Also, see the camera for a list of other participants in this photo scavenger hunt that shows off our hometowns.

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Windows & Doors

2009-09-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Friday My Town Shoot-Out is a weekly photo scavenger hunt. Each week someone picks a theme and we venture out into our town to showcase that theme in our town. Thanks to Kerri at www.poprocksculture.blogspot.com/ for this weeks theme: Doors & Windows. It is fun to look at my town with a different perspective and really take note of things I normally don't pay attention to.

Here are some windows on our Maritime Museum, which was originally our Coast Guard Station. The gabled dormer windows are beautiful. You shorter building is all windows to display whale skeletons, among other things of interest.

This cuppola, which is being guarded by a seagull, was made to look old. This is part of a new building built to exhibit a lighthouse lens on the museum grounds. I'd love to see the view from these windows!

Across the street from the museum I spied a boat with a pretty cool door - love the porthole and the shape of it.

Around the corner, a now closed restaurant that was once a very popular spot for locals and tourists alike. Their windows are adorable with the red shutters and lace curtains.

This photo is from our derby booth, run by the Westport Charterboat Association. The window is full of derby results and photos of great catches. This is for you, Gordon!

A wooden commercial fishing boat with old windows encased in wood.

Before we leave the marina area, I thought I'd show you some giant doors. This is one of the Westport Shipyard buildings. They build big beautiful yachts for the rich and famous and need big doors to get those babies out when it is time for sea trials.

A door that reflects our area:

These are windows of one of the oldest homes in the area. They have a beautiful bay view from these windows.

Here is another old house that seems to have been abandoned. You can see two old doors through the window.

My mom likes old windows. I think she wanted this one built into their little shed but that didn't happen so she hung it on the outside!

Last week I showed you a photo of our lighthouse from far away, on the beach. Here is a close-up of the windows at the top, where a lens once rotated to prevent shipwrecks.

Thanks for taking a tour of doors & windows in the Westport area with me!

Friday My Town Shoot-Out: Incongruous

2009-08-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-08-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

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!

Friday My Town Shoot-Outs: Outdoor Food

2009-07-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Girlichef in Indiana for this week's theme. It was fun to think about what I could capture that would reflect my area. Give me another month and I would bring you berries, cranberries, that is. Give me two and you'd see razor clams. If possible I will add a photo of a Dungeness crab on the beach from the archives of my old computer.

Here are some of the outdoor foods of summer in Westport:

One of my favorite outdoor dinners is shish kebabs -YUM! I love marinated beef, onions, peppers, and pineapple skewered and grilled to perfection.

These wild berries were growing along a trail down by the bay and I took the photo on the way back to the car. I was surprised there were any left because there was a cyclist who was chowing down on them when we first walked by!

If you really want to make my day, call me up and ask if I'd like a pound of prawns. These babies were delicious with a little garlic and a little butter. Oh, momma!

Speaking of seafood, how would you like to reel in this hog? It is a 44 lb. Chinook salmon that made some lucky angler extremely happy! He will have one sore arm in the morning!
My dad runs the local fishing derby and I just happened to be down at the docks visiting him when this beauty was brought up to the weigh station. It was an absolutely beautiful day and I had promised my boy some ice cream, which he ate outside and obliged me by posing. I was hoping he would choose the most colorful and photogenic ice cream, like cotton candy or bubble gum, but he chose Root Beer and as you can see enjoyed it very much. I wish I had thought to have him take his hat off but I like the picture anyway.

My girl is off to camp this week so I am enjoying the one on one time with my boy. This morning I took him to the local donut shop for breakfast. Now this was a special treat - I don't load him up with sugar every day! In fact, it was our first trip to the donut shop this year (it is only open during the summer). And he's so cute that when he said "Can I pick two?" I couldn't refuse him. Sucker that I am! Notice that while he's eating the chocolate donut with his right hand, his left hand is guarding the sprinkle donut!

Enough about people food, there is a plethora of outdoor food that's for the birds around here. I'll leave you with a couple of shots of the least shy hummingbird that I have ever met. This little guy (or gal) buzzed my head and wasn't at all bothered by my lurking around his favorite lunch spot. Be sure to click on these pictures so you can see just how cute this little guy is. He's a real poser, don't ya think?

Thanks for visiting my town through my lens!

Friday "My Town" Shoot Out

2009-07-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey for this week's theme: Reflections. I had several ideas that never came to fruition because my baby turned 11 today and my we had a busy week! Somehow she got 2 parties, 2 cakes, and 2 special dinners out of me.
I love the way the candlelight is reflected on her face as she prepares to blow out candles for a second time on a second cake:

A shot at Bottle Beach....I think reflection is better suited to black & white sometimes.

Bottle Beach again at low tide.

And finally a goofy shot of my sunscreened leg and painted toes reflecting the sun which really does appear in the Northwest occasionally!

Friday My Town Shoot Out: Yard Objects

2009-07-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

In the back of my mind all week has been this weeks challenge, but I didn't expect it to be just that - a challenge! Many of my photos were taken from the car as some of the interesting objects in people's yards are along the highway. I put safety first and the photos second so they didn't all turn out as I had envisioned!

Lighthouses are a big theme in this beachy town. Our city hall sign bears one and there are many of these handcrafted stone ones around town as well.

Boats that are no longer seaworthy end up in yards, or on display:

Flotsam and jetsam also end up as yard objects, as in the anchor and the driftwood that my mom has placed in her yard:

or the glass ball in my neighbor's:

During the summer, crab pots are stored in stacks near the shipyard:

and signs for fresh tuna are placed in front yards:

Wood carvings reflect the beach as well....razor clams are BIG here:

This wooden fisherman is missing his lantern - it looks like he's a schoolboy raising his hand to use the restroom!

Not all yard objects that I captured are nautical....I love this old car planter:

and the old fashioned water pump shown here:

I hope you've enjoyed viewing some of the typical yard objects you might see in coastal Washington!

Friday My Town Shoot Out/Sunday Stills

2009-07-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

I love the homepage of this photography site - the pictures at the top make me want to visit the town! The spirit of this particular blog is to capture your hometown in the weekly themes. Sounds fun so here goes....the theme this week is "textures". I couldn't help but think of the tide pools at the jetty so here is a picture that is chalk full of textures:

It seems that the next Sunday Stills theme is also textures so I'll use this pictures for both challenges and keep my eye open this week for some more interesting textures as well.

My first "Sunday Stills"

2009-07-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

At some point in my perusings of food blogs I came across a photography website, which happens to be one of my new hobbies. I have a digital SLR camera and a desire to know how to use it well! Hopefully joining in on this website challenge will help me to get to know my camera better and become a better photographer. Each week there is a different photography challenge. This week's theme: wildflowers. Luckily, there are plenty of wild flowers growing around this beachy little town. Unfortunately, I cut off the top of the lavender wild flower but I thought it was pretty, for a weed!