Well, I had every intent to go and photograph the rolling stock and locomotives in Snoqualmie today, I have probably done that close to a dozen times over the years. But alias I found myself at work for 3 hours this afternoon so that was shot. I did manage to get a couple shots of the river above the falls before it got too dark. One will be featured tonight. I am struck by the how for the first time in years work actually trumps so much of what I want to do, and how my kid will demand the rest. Simple things like calling a friend, I've tried to find time for over a week now, and yet no luck, are monumental tasks. This is one reason I have not been scanning photos since just before Christmas, the other was I kind of got burned out a little bit. But I am planning on starting back into scanning in March, hopefully work and the kid will allow for that. I am looking forward to it, I need to see other photos.Dan
Today marks 114 years since the first Northern Pacific passenger train reached Ellensburg. So here's a picture of the train depot in Ellensburg. It wasn't there when a the first train arrived, a small wooden depot was, this lovely old building was openned in 1910. I have many fond memories of walking down to the tracks in my early days in Ellensburg. Back then the Burlington Northern had abandoned the old Northern Pacific line over the Cascades, mostly due to the tunnel at Stampede Pass was too short for container traffic. So the depot and the yard were quiet. I remember sitting out on a loading dock taking in the early evening sun and realizing as I scanned the horizon, that this was the west, the golden hills and the endless blue sky, a scene that I figured was nearly the same in countless towns across the west and as far east as Minnesota. Peaceful and beautiful, even the McDonald's and Burger King signs down by the interstate seemed to be fit into the scene well. Eventually the trains came back, and I had to trade the peaceful old train yard and depot for the lonesome sound of a train's whistle on a cold and dark December's night.
We were in Snoqualmie this evening, I noticed tulips starting to bloom, the daffodils in the front of our house are starting to peek through as well. But tulips always will remind me of the ol' 3rd Street house, it was a run down old place the years I lived there, but for each spring, it was then the tulips came up, and we enjoyed them. Their reds and yellows made us feel a bit better about the world and our lives.
Tonight's photo is one that I have always enjoyed and I have wanted to share for quite some time. However for one reason or another I have not got around to sharing the photo until now. It is a photo of my Uncle as a wee lad. I have no idea what you call the thing he is sitting on, but it's way cool and I wish my boy had one. Enjoy
Dan
About a year and a half ago, my family and I went to have our pictures taken at Gas Works Park. I'm not much for being on the other side of the camera, but that's another story. To kill time while we waited for the photographer to show up, I took photos, of the machinary and other rusting pieces of the Park's past. Looking at stacks and pipes it reminded me of Charles Sheeler's photographys of the River Rouge Ford Plant. Here are a few photos from that morning.
I was able to get a photo printed in the Snoqualmie Valley Record, as part of their photo contest. I didn't win but that's another story. Thanks to those who helped convince me to actually submit this particular photo. 
What is the Whalebone Tree, well it is an Elm tree in Ellensburg with a jawbone of a whale coming out of one side. How the whalebone got there is a bit of a mystery, a 1976 Ellensburg Daily Record article, states that some residents can remember the whalebone in the tree as far back as 1909, although it is evident that the bones were in place sometime before that. Apparently there were two whale bones, one on each side, but in 1929 one was cut out and given to the owner of the Ellensburg Lumber Company to hang in his office. Even then it took quite a bit of cutting to get the bone out of the tree. The town legend goes that an old retired sea captain moved into the house and brought the whale bones with him. It is thought that when whalers moved inland they would place whale bones in their yards to let other former whalers know that they could stop in. The house itself was built as a parsonage for the Church that had burnt during the 1889 fire. It seems that few believe that any of the pastors that stayed there brought the bones. As late as 1999, I can recall articles in the Daily Record about the tree and the mystery sea captain that left the bones. I haven't been able to get much information that is more recent, save for a photo taken sometime prior to Summer 2002. In fact I am not certain the tree and the bone are still entact, last spring I drove past was I thought was the right house and I don't remember seeing the tree. I would be interested to know if the tree is still there.Dan
Now I have been known to write things on my hands, especially in middle school. So we'll give Sarah a pass on that one, it is not like she is really doing anything all that important. I mean rilling up a bunch of angry Conservatives isn't really that tough, its like making a hornet angry. It just comes natural, and I suppose so does Sarah's ability to get liberals all tied up in knots, with her folksy speak and that naive small town persona, they dislike her. But there is something that Sarah, angry Conservatives and angry liberals all have in common, they are really useless. All their combined anger just creates more waste and a bunch of dialog about what is wrong with liberals in America or what is wrong with the Tea Party people or what is wrong with Sarah. Complaining does not create leaders or solutions, just hot air and we have enough of that.
El Nino is the best, especially in the Northwest. Now if you really like skiing or winter sports you will disagree, but sorry, El Nino is still the best, mid-fifties and sun in February you can't beat it. Oh, so what California is slipping away, and the rest of the nation is suffering one of those worst winters even type winters, in the Northwest the winter has been lovely. Instead of being cooped up inside because of wind and rain, we can get out and do stuff in the outdoors. This is especially nice when you have a 3 year old son. Al Gore told me climate change is bad and we are all going to suffer because of it, but warm and dry February days really are sort of nice. In celebration of the latest coal power plant in China (I believe 3 have opened, during the time it took to write this blog entry), pictures of us enjoying dry and or warm winter days.
It is glove time again, Quin just had another birthday, well in January. Anyhow, the astute readers of this blog will remember the wonderful entries entitled, Quincy and the Glove and Quincy and the Glove Redux. So there is really no need to go into great detail about the glove or Quincy or why we do this. What I can say is that for the first time in about two and half years the boy was as easy to work with as the glove. This go around, the pictures were taken at the Interbay Playfield, next to the old Great Northern Train Yard (Balmer Yard), thus incorporating two of the boy's main passions, baseball and trains.
Well, I had every intent to go and photograph the rolling stock and locomotives in Snoqualmie today, I have probably done that close to a dozen times over the years. But alias I found myself at work for 3 hours this afternoon so that was shot. I did manage to get a couple shots of the river above the falls before it got too dark. One will be featured tonight. I am struck by the how for the first time in years work actually trumps so much of what I want to do, and how my kid will demand the rest. Simple things like calling a friend, I've tried to find time for over a week now, and yet no luck, are monumental tasks. This is one reason I have not been scanning photos since just before Christmas, the other was I kind of got burned out a little bit. But I am planning on starting back into scanning in March, hopefully work and the kid will allow for that. I am looking forward to it, I need to see other photos.
