A Birthday

Happy Birthday to Okanogan which turns 105 today.  Okanogan should not be confused with the other towns named Okanogan that did not vote to incorporate on this day in 1907.  Those towns have either ceased to exist or changed their names.  Of Okanogan's 318 residents 75 of them voted in the 1907 election, with the yeas carrying the day 74 to 1.  By 1914 Okanogan had wrestled the county seat from Conconully.  Tonight's photo is of the Okangan County Courthouse.

More Rides

Tonights photo is one that brings back fond memories.   This is my Dad's Landcruiser.  I remember riding in the back, there were two benches over the wheel wells, no real backseat, and bumping around on the road to Lake Fontell.  I think those drives with my Dad were some of the happiest memories that I have of him and I.

The Bigger Picture

There is a school of thought that says everything is predetermined, no not like the Final Destination films, I digress, so lets move on...There is a school of thought that says that everything is connected and there is a school of thought that says everything has a reason, there are no actions or moments that do not have a greater meaning in the greater scope of the universe.  That is to say that this sentence has a greater meaning and that it has been considered and typed for a purpose greater than to expound on the previous sentence.  This sort of thought makes it easier to deal with some of the awful things that might occur in life, and puts a nice spin on kids dying of lets say cancer.  Kids dying of cancer is really lousy.  Kids die of cancer because their lives were meant to inspire and enrich those that they came in contact with, it helps the grieving come to grips with the event.  If you believe or are open to consider the three ideas presented above, consider the following.  Photography, the good, the bad and the family snap shot, has a greater purpose than to record a memory or a moment.  The process of recording and saving an image has a greater reason that we may ever be able to understand. 

Public Water

On this date back in 1888, Mayor Moran of Seattle, suggested that the Cedar River be used to supply the city with water, as the existing system of springs and pumps was severally strained by Seattle's population of 40,000.  The city council decided to put the idea to a public vote, in November of 1888.  The citizens of Seattle where to be asked to fund a pipeline from Rock Creek to Seattle by okaying $1,000,000 in bonds.  However days before the election it was discovered that the ordinance that authorized the special election was illegal.  The City Council then decided to postpone the vote until July 1889.  The bond measure was ensured passage by the events of June 6, 1889 (the Great Seattle Fire).  The bond passed 1875 to 51, you have got to wonder what the 51 where thinking, or maybe they were some sort of Proto-Tea Party type gang.  Anyway it would be another 10 years for the pipe line to be build, as is the speed of government.  Tonight, photo the Cedar River and Taylor Creek at Bagley Junction.

More Of What We Drive

Tonight's photo could have been taken for several reasons.  It could be a picture of my Grandmother and my Grandfather just didn't understand the focal length of a Kodak Brownie's lens.  It could be of the tree, which is impressive.  For purposes of this blog we'll assume it was car, truth be told reason one is most likely.  Anyway, what a car it is, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Station Wagon. 

POVA

So tonight, I'll take a moment to not talk about the cars we photograph and instead talk about the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad (POVA).  I could talk about the car I drove when I parralled the POVA tracks from Tiger to Metaline Falls, instead I'll focus on the POVA. 
The tracks were originally laid as the Idaho and Washington Northern Railroad 1909.  They were originally funded by Fredrick Blackwell, who owned much of the industry in the northeastern part of the state, including the lumber mill at Ione and the cement factory in Metaline Falls.  Blackwell fell on hard times and sold off his assists and in 1916 the I&WN became apart of the Milwaukee Road and remained that way until 1979.  It was in 1979 that the year old Pend Oreille port authority purchased the rails from the Milwaukee Road, which was in process of liquidating all western assests.  The purchase ensured that the largest employers in the region (the cement factory in Metaline Falls and the Ione lumber mill) remained opened and thus saving 1/3 of the full time jobs in the county.  Since 1979, the POVA has operated excursion trains and actually added to its mileage through lease and trackage rights with the BNSF.  So tonight's photo is of the POVA tracks at Box Canyon Dam, the bridge is on the National Historic Register.   

What We Drive

This week and maybe next week and for all the weeks that follow, I've decided to really take a good long look at the topics that shape our world.  Like whether middle class is really in the $175-$275k income bracket not the $200-250K somebody thinks, or the $50k that the Census Bureau statistics show.  Actually, I am kidding, I see no real point in arguing the whether gray is gray or grey is grey.  So instead, a look at the car in family photos, everyone has one, photo that is, of a car.  Whether or not it is of the car alone or with somebody and the car, everyone has a photo in which a car is purposely in the photo.  It could be because the car is status symbol or that represents something to the photographer.  There is a conscious or unconscious decision to have a picture of a loved one with the car, it simply doesn't just happen.  So realizing it or not, the car is brought into the family and thus we can look back at our lives with cars as a benchmark.  A benchmark of America at that moment and of the our families.  Tonight's example kid, with Chevrolet.

Gone Fishing

Today would have been my Dad's 69th birthday.  It is the first one we have not been able to celebrate with him.  Needless to say it is a bit weird.  And even though I miss him, I am happy that the pain and suffering has abaited.  And I bet the fish are biting.
Happy Birthday Dad.

Blowing in the Wind

Word today out of Ephrata, Katana Summit will close it's wind power tower manufacturing plants as there is little or no interest in building towers beyond 2012.  This because the tax credits for wind power expire at the end of the year.  This is unfortunate on a couple levels, one wind power isn't a bad idea and two good jobs are not easy to replace.  So unless Congress acts you will not see many more of these wind towers being put up.

It Goes Wtihout Saying

Today it rained for the first time in nearly seven weeks.  An epic dry spell for Western Washington, in fact only three more days would have tied the all time record from 1951.  To mark the occasion the Times ran a story, the headline read, "It Didn't Take Much Rain to End Dry Spell."  This doesn't surprise me, after all measurable rain would necessarily end a dry spell.  Tonight picture is of dry weather, note it is dry weather because there is no rain or evidence of recent rain in the picture.

Martha S

Today is the 64th anniversary of the Martha S's first run at the Keller Ferry.  She is one of three ferries that still cross the Columbia River in the United States.  The others are, upstream at Gifford and downstream at Wahkiakum County.  The Martha S is the only Columbia River ferry run by the State of Washington, the Gifford ferry is run by the Colville Indian Reservation and the Wahkiakum ferry is run by Wahkiakum County, albeit with some financial help from the State of Washington. 
The Martha S, is also commonly known as the Keller Ferry, she was built in Coulee Dam after World War Two, so I could not find why it lists Seattle as her port of origin.  She's not named for Martha Washington, but for Martha Shain the wife of then Highway Director Clarence Shain.  I suppose that is a honor, I can hear the conversation now, "honey we'll named a twelve car ferry after you, it will take over at Keller Ferry, Happy Anniversary!"  Or something like that.  Martha will be forced into retirement next May, when her replacement the Sanpoil will take over the nearly 125 year old ferry crossing.  The Sanpoil is named for a local group of first peoples.  Whereas it is great that we name our ferries after the tribes and have for 50 years, there is something to be said for naming a state motor vessel for the Highway Director's wife, it reminds us of a time when, naming a twelve car ferry for the Keller run really wasn't that important or at least the name didn't need to have some sort of significance. 

Ride On

Well, here we go, both parties have spoken and now the fun begins.  Now is the time when Americans get to see and hear countless political ads about how terrible somebody is or how a particular party wants to save the earth by taking your job away or another party wants everyone to work in factories building bombs and tanks while raising your taxes to further cut their own.  Then in November we'll all get to vote for party or candidate that has the type of corporate backing we are comfortable with and a year from now it will appear that nothing has changed.
This time around the whole process seems disingenuous, one party is railing on about corporations being people, when the idea is nearly as old as the nation,  1819, to be exact, Dartmouth College vs Woodward.  Point is the Supreme Court in 2010, simply affirmed the rights of corporations and unions to exercise their 1st Amendment rights.  Furthermore it is disingenuous for either party to point a finger at the other over this idea, as both parties greatly benefit from the recognition of corporate person hood,especially in the realm of campaign spending.  Then one party believes that another party has chosen to save the earth, not American jobs.  Right, so its earth vs. the middle class.  The statement is repulsive in the sense that it is simplified to an idiotic level and it also that it shows no actual understanding of cause and effect, poison the planet and humans will evidently suffer, I'd like my kid to see things much as they are today and not be telling his kids and grandchildren about snow or trees or whatever.  Finally, it shows a lack of ingenuity why not embrace capitalistic greed and the environment, it's not easy, but either is most the good stuff in this world. 
Still this is finest nation around, after all we let Lyndon LaRouche out of jail. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Besides the Other Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas is called the most wonderful time of the year, but in Washington State, that's not true.  Sure Christmas has presents and the baby Jesus, but it is usually gray, wet and cold.  September in Washington State, does celebrate with presents, but there aren't under trees, they are warm days, cool nights and sunshine.  September is usually the best month of the year and if it is not, then we are grumpy.  Five days in we are doing well, it is a wonderful time.
Dan

First Day

Today my son started school, to honor that we took the first day of school photos.  Then it was off to school.  Things have changed since 1975, I walked to kindergarten by myself.  The boy takes a bus. A bus that either my wife or I need to be present at the bus stop at time of pickup or drop off.  Also today there were a lot of parents taking a lot of photos with nice to better DSLRs.  I don't remember parents really hanging around the first day of school to take photos and if they did they used Instamatics.  Anyway to honor the first day of school a picture of my son. 

So it begins

My son starts school in the morning, I say this with mixed feelings.  It is a wonderful and joyous moment, my boy is growing up and that is a special feeling.  The outside influences are troublesome, but we hope we have raised him right.  It's living by the school year that is most annoying.   For so long we have been able to do as we pleased, now we must consult the official school calendar before doing anything and worse yet we will be doing this for at least 13 years.