A Rare Find

So it was a beautiful day today.  To mark the occasion, the family and I went to the Mercer Slough in Bellevue.  We found this gem behind the Winters House.  It is an old boiler house that proved heat to greenhouses in a rhododendron nursery. 

A Birthday

Today is my sister's birthday, so happy birthday.  Not only is she one of the finest humans on the face of the earth, she is also a faithful reader of America's Finest Blog.  

Mayuary

It's back, yes Mayuary that February like month that comes on the heals of New February.  All told the weather this year has, thus far, been rather nice and in fact New February was much more like April than the recent past.  However the last 48 hours have been cold and wet, with temperatures in the 40's and there has been about 1.5 inches of rain as well.  But it's suppose to be in the 70's by Monday, so with that in mind here's a picture from a warm May day.
Enjoy
Dan

Hooray For Jefferson

Today marks the 209th anniversary of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the nation at the cost of four cents per acre.  It is hard to believe that it barely passed through congress and there was great concern about whether or not Jefferson could even negotiate the treaty.  Consider the nation without it, well for starters us Westerners would be likely Mexicans or Canadians or some hybrid of French, British and Spanish settlers.  Another odd thing about the Purchase, Jefferson waited until July 4th, to announce the deal.  Consider that in the modern world, it would be politician suicide.  The wait did allow one Merriweather Lewis to start planning and purchasing supplies for a trip west from St. Louis.  Tonight a photo of a goat trail just outside of Pomeroy that Lewis and Clark and their party used on their return to St. Louis from the Pacific.  

Sad News

Today I received word that my friends are selling their 1984 VW Campmobile.  This particular van has not been running for about a year since an engine fire.  I hoped that they were going to be able replace the charred bits and drop a Subaru boxer engine in the thing and it would run for another 25 years.  That may still happened but with new owners.  As mentioned in last June's post Rust In Peace, this van was once mine,  I had bought it from a mountain climber who had bought it from a nice family on Mercer Island.  The transmission was a bit balky and it didn't like stop and go traffic but it was a great van from a great time in my life.  

More Kids Playing Games

Tonight a photo of Quin playing chess.  It is somewhat impressive that a 5 year old can sit through a game of chess, but then again Quin is impressive.  Or at least that is my opinion.

It's Earth Day

Today is Earth Day and instead of blathering on about it's merits or what have you, I am going to focus on one thing, local sustainability.  Now here at America's Finest Blog not being a subject matter expert has never stopped anyone from stating their opinion.  Tonight will be no different.  From where I sit the most important thing that we can do it, is to foster local economies.  Whenever possible we should buy local and if we cannot find it local then we look to our neighbor.  If our neighbor does not have what we need, we look a bit further out and this should be the step until we find it.  Now I know you can't buy a locally produced video game console, but if we demanded more locally produce items and an then followed through by not buying things made elsewhere we will be heard.  In the end products made in China and third world that is killing Ma Earth the fastest, they are made with dirty power and then sent over the oceans in ships that use dirty power.

A Great Day For Americans

Today is the 50th anniversary of a great moment in the history of the United States of America.  It is a day all Americans should rejoice in, as it is the anniversary of the arrival of the Belgian waffle.  The Belgian waffle is made with a yeast batter not pancake batter and is server with strawberries and whip cream, throw in a runny egg and some bacon you have the perfect American breakfast.
Prior to April 21, 1962, Americans didn't realize what they were missing, that changed with the opening of the Seattle World's Fair on April 21, 1962.  On that day Walter Cleyman began selling waffles to fair goers.  Cleyman first sold Belgian waffles at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, would go on to sell a half million waffles at the Seattle World's Fair, over 100,000 more than in Brussels.  Thus changing the course of history and breakfast in America.

Kids Playing Games

Tonight for no real reason, kids playing games.  Fear not quality blogging will return.
As an aside, I really thought there would be move photos of kids playing games, I remember playing games very often in my youth.  I guess they weren't photo worthy in a film age. 

A Tip of the Hat

Tonight a quick tip of the hat to an old favorite of America's Finest Blog, Jamie Moyer.  Tonight he broke a nearly 80 year old record to become the oldest person to pitch and win a Major League baseball game.  Moyer is 70 days older than Jack Quinn who had held the record since September of 1932.

Lincoln, R.M.S Titanic and Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern

Today is both the anniversary of the death of Abe Lincoln and sinking of the Titanic.  It also could be mentioned a fast food chain openned it's doors today leading to countless deaths because the over 99 billion served.  Such tragedy for a single date. 

It is also the anniverary of the founding of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad which was to run to Canada and over the Cascades to Spokane and beyond.  That didn't happen.  The line ran from Spokane to about Coulee City and from Seattle to North Bend.  The North Bend location is odd since the maps the company published showed that they were planning to cross the Cascades at Stevens Pass not Snoqualmie Pass.  The line was also completed to Canada.  The railroad's greatest accomplishment, other than getting the Northern Pacific to buy the line even when they were not interested in purchasing it, was that it brought labor and supplies to the site of the Snoqualmie Falls powerhouse.

Tonight since I don't have photos of the Titanic or Abe Lincoln, a picture of the Snoqualmie Train Depot on the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern.

Enjoy

Dan 

The Center of the Known Universe

The Republic of Fremont once had it's own time zone and a rocket pointed at city hall.  It also has Waiting For the Interurban which maybe is the center of the center of the known universe.  It's quirkiness really symbolizes neighborhood.  The piece was created by artist Richard Beyer, his work can be seen all across the Northwest.  Beyer passed away this week, so in honor a couple of his works.

 

  

It's April 11th Again

Since it is April 11th again, I thought I would post another picture of my Mom.  This time picture that my Dad enjoyed the most.

Happy Easter

Today is Easter, which means a day of eggs, ham and family.  It's the later that makes it all worth while.  So since it is Easter, I thought I would show some photos of Easter's past.
Enjoy
Dan

Tooth

Well I missed my 700th post, self indulgence thing.  I could do a 701st post thing, but I'll wait a bit, maybe for number 705, which will be the 700th published post or maybe 800th.  Fascinating. 
Of greater importance, my son lost his first tooth tonight, completely unexpectedly.  He spit it out in the shower.  The tooth fairy will be visiting tonight.  I was so very happy for him and sad for me, one it means his is getting older and therefore so am I and two now his smile will include holes and gaps, which cute on one level are gaps and holes on another.  So tonight a picture of the boy's dear old dad with holes and gaps in his smile.

April Fools

Happy 102nd birthday to City Light, created from the Department of Light and Water back on April 1, 1910.  City Light was created largely because the public were not fools and feared monopoly control of elecric services.  Private utilities didn't much like City Light, especially when it started building dams on the Skagit River, as that meant they would further lose out on the Seattle electric market.  City Light also was responsible for the town of Cedar Falls and Rattlesnake Lake.  Both the townsite and the lake are very important to those of us living in the upper Snoqualmie Valley. 

Seward's Folly

Today marks 145th anniversary of the purchase of Alaska.  For us Seattle folk this is a very important date, as much of the city's success is due to our proximity to Alaska.  Tonight, Mt. McKinley from a 727.

Milwaukee Road

In 1909 the Milwaukee Road was completed on this date.  Consider Seattle circa 1909, three transcontiential railroads from the East, three lines running to British Columbia and two lines running to Portland and points south.  Add to this numerous steamship lines to points across the global, Seattle was an amazingly easy place to get to considering there were no passable roads to connect major cities in Pacific Northwest.  Of course in June of 1909 the Coast to Coast race was "won" by a Model T and the rest they say is history.  Tonight a picture of the Milwaukee Road near Snoqualmie Pass.

Enjoy

Dan 

Tangible Things

I walked with my boy on the trail that once had rails of the Milwaukee Road's Monroe Branch when I realized there is more to leaving that meets the eye.  The boy and I came across some old railroads ties, stacked and off to the side.  He asked what they were for and I explained, the rails were affixed to the ties.  Then it dawned on me, this trail and the rails of the line that preceded it, are crucial to my being.  It is the Milwaukee Road that employed my Great-Grandfather.  It is the Monroe Branch that brought my Grandmother to Tolt from Wisconsin.  In Tolt she met my Grandfather. Without this line, my Great-Grandfather would not have had a job in Tolt to transfer too.  My Grandmother and Grandfather would not have met, my mother would still be in the aether, as well as I and my son.  I exist because of this line.  Knowing this, it is even harder to leave this place, it is to leave behind this history for myself and my family.  95 or so years ago this line brought a family that left their history in Wisconsin to move west,  it is a degree of solace to know that in the end that decision is what allows me to sit and type now. 

A Few Moments in Coulee City

So on the anniversary of the creation of the Port of Coulee City, which by the way mostly maintains a park, medical clinic and moorage for 25 boats, I thought I would give a few thoughts on Coulee City.  Coulee City has a couple memories for me, one is the A La Cozy Motel, where my father and I stayed several times when we would go fishing at Banks Lake.  Every time I pass the place I am glad to see it there.  The other memory of Coulee City is when my Mom and I went for a drive to the Grand Coulee Dam and we stopped for lunch in Coulee City.  My Mom was a bit sceptical about eating in town, I assured her it would be fine, and it was, she raved about the turkey sandwich, it was real turkey.  Funny how a town of 600, two hundred miles from home can hold so many memories.