The Forgotten Lands

Recently the family and I took trip through the easternmost portions of the state of Washington.  It is a bit surprising to realize that this is area is has experienced the white man longer than virtually any place else in the state of Washington.  Kettle Falls, was first visited by David Thompson in 1811 and and Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Colville opened in 1825.  In 1838 the Jesuits arrived and built St. Paul's Mission.  Not to mention that first peoples had been gathering around Kettle Falls for probably 9,000 years.  It is easy to overlook this sort of thing, as the history of Western Washington seems so much more important.  Tonight St. Paul's Mission, as it sits on a bluff above the Columbia River.  Note the pine trees were not there in the heyday of the mission, it would have been agricultural land, the Jesuits wanted to make the Indians into good farmers.

Hang On!

"Hang On!"  Were the fateful words of Monorail driver Willis Kirk (no relation to Capt. Kirk) just as his red train crashes into a steel girder at the Seattle Center.  Apparently the breaks failed and the fail safe break system also failed. This incident occurred on this date back in 1971.  It wasn't the first Monorail accident, there we a couple similar accidents in 1962 and 1963, however this did lead to 26 injures.  It wasn't to be the last accident either, a fire on the blue train basically ended the monorail as means of mass transportation in Seattle.  After the fire calls were made to have fire escapes built into the trains and the system.  Things only got worse from there and the project was scrapped.  Tonight views from the Monorail.

Departures

In little more than 24 hrs Seattle lost it's greatest clown and greatest hitter.  Both are sudden reminders of the relentlessness of time.  Both will affect the city for months and years to come.  
J.P. Patches was Seattle to those of us that grew up here, before and after school were spent with the Mayor of the City Dump.  I should say J.P. Patches came to represent Seattle those of us that grew up here, for when we were watching we were to naive, to pure to assign values and titles to him, instead we watched because we enjoyed him.  Only later did we associate him with youth and a time when Seattle was a town of homemade characters, such as,  Ivar, the Smith Tower, the Space Needle and J.P. 
Ichiro on the other hand for me at least arrived later in life, I realized almost from the start that he was something special, in an age of steroids and human growth hormone there he was, a human with super human abilities to hit a baseball.  I remember watching his first game, a late inning sacrifice bunt, that turned into a base hit and the rally that won opening night on the way to winning 116 games.  I knew then that he was special.  He was always special when the M's were good and when they were bad, Ichiro was always Ichiro.  I watched and listened to games because he was playing, it was not unique, his type of baseball.  The game had been played his way before, but since the Great Depression.  The names Ichiro chased were not names recognizable in an age of the home run, but to the true student of the game, the names stirred excitement, Cobb, Wagner, Keeler and Sisler, all Hall of Famers, all lost to badly deteriorated new reel footage and dusty library books.  As my son got old enough to watch the game, I would stop him so he could watch Ichiro and he became his favorite player.  Truth be told, Ichiro isn't the greatest hitter in the game any longer, and his request to be traded and his trade to the Yankees is probably merciful, in a baseball sense.  It is painful though, and it is hard to phantom that Wednesday's ball game could be the last time he plays in Safeco Field.  My son's reaction was to fall back against the wall and ask why as the sadness and disbelief broke through his voice.  Understanding the baseball sense or not, I felt the same way.  Once again baseball proves that it was invited to break your heart.  Tonight's photo is from Spring Training of this year.  Little did I know that this would be the last time I would witness Ichiro play as a Mariner.  

Thoughts From the Road

Maybe it's the ambitious nature of our trip or just bad luck, whichever it maybe this trip has challenged us.  Gale force winds, ravenous mosquitoes, budgetary State Park closures and flash floods have gotten in our way and dimmed our enthusiasm.  Through it all though, the good moments finding fossilized seeds, really delicious coleslaw and the dead calm of the Columbia at dawn.  All in all not so bad.

Off To the Road

The family and I will be leaving for the road soon.  The best part of the road is seeing something new.  Or seeing something special again, either way each corner and crest of the hill brings anticipation.

Mexico

About 1993 or so, I went to Mazatlan with a friend.  I didn't really have that much fun, its seems I was much older then and didn't like enjoying myself.  I was mostly struck with the poverty of the place and how the town was basically split into three, the rich folks, the poor folks and tourists.  I have stayed away for years because of a simple reason, that I didn't really enjoy myself.  Now high morals masked the lack of fun, with ideas that we rich Americans should not perpetuate the Mexican lack support for its people dumping a Pesos here or there toward children selling Chicklets.
Well I recently went back and Mexico is still poor, but I have gotten younger in my old age, this time I had a lot of fun.

Sunny Days

Well the arrival of summer has finally come, like most years we wondered if it would actually arrive.  With it the long sunny days that make eight or nine months of rain worth it.  What better way to enjoy a sunny evening than a trip to the Meadowbrook Farm to watch the elk in fields.  By the way, thinking of a place to hold a reception, the Meadowbrook on a summer evening is pretty nice, with Mount Si and a herd of elk.  Anyway tonight recent photos of a trip to the Meadowbrook.

A Lack Of Respect

So today is the 597th anniversary of the death of Jan Hus.  Jan was burned at the stake in Prague back in 1415.  You see Jan had some problems with the Catholic church and specifically with indulgences (sound familiar?).  Eventually the Church got fed up with Jan's free thinking and put him on trial.  During the trial Jan said he would recant if his views of Church wrong doing were refuted by the bible.  July 6th is a public holiday in the Czech Republic and Hus is considered the first Church reformer.  That said, the birds don't seem to be too impressed as evident from the amount of droppings on Jan's statue.

More Great Fires

Today is Independence Day, it is bitter sweet day for Ellensburg, as it is the date of the Great Fire.  Anyone who has spent much time in E-burg knows the wind blows and July 4, 1889, was no exception.  It is believed fireworks were the cause of the blaze that started in J.S. Anthony's Grocery Store on the east side of Main Street.  Within hours most of the town lay in ruins, ten downtown blocks and 200 homes wasted.  Also wasted was Ellensburg's opportunity to be the state capital.  Oddly it wasn't until the late 1990's did fireworks finally get banded in the town.  

A Place of Significance

35 years ago, Ellensburg's downtown was added to the National Register of Historic Places, thus recognizing its worthiness of preservation.  Downtown Ellensburg looks like most Western railroad towns; a few blocks of red brick building that are 2 or 3 stories high.  When I moved to Ellensburg, the building housed actual business and a couple antique stores.  Now days its mostly Antique stores and tattoo parlors.  This is a result of changing tastes with regards to body art and increased pressure on small business by big or bigger box retailers.  In Ellensburg's case it is from Fred Meyer and whereas the presence of the big box neighbor didn't help the small businesses, it did show off the dysfunctional nature of the Ellensburg business district.  The reality was that the landlords charges too much rent and business owners had become complacent as well, providing only limited choices.  The consumer had to purchase what was sold in town or go to Yakima or over the hill to Seattle, for real choice of goods.  The result was the old guard sold out or shuttered their stores.  This has all led to a downtown that is more geared to not the locals and families with streets named for them, but to the college student (which was not catered to in my time there) and the students turned residents.

Not Easy to Define

Back in 1956 Eisenhower on this date, Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.  It is also known as the Nation System of Interstate and Defense Highways Act.  Probably the greatest public works project in American history.  Whereas the Interstate is good for getting from point A to point B, it is sterile and mostly lacks the personality of the US Numbered Highways.  I could wax on about this, but there is an upside, the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 has given us vast stretches of old Numbered Highways, many of which are untouched by time.  As awesome as a world without Interstates seems, it would have meant a loss of the old highways. 

Mount Vernon

Today is the 122nd birthday of Mount Vernon.  The town had been around much longer, first settled in 1870, but it took until 1890 to incorporate.  Even then it took three tries to finally win favor with the courts.  The first two attempts were foiled by Judge Cornelius Holgate Hanford, who believed that the laws of incorporation in Washington Territory were unconstitutional.  Inexplicably Mount Vernon tried to persuade Judge Hanford a second time and that failed as well.  It was not until April of 1890 until the town tried again and this time eventually won the right to put incorporation to a vote.  On June 27, 1890, the an overwhelming majority voted to incorporate.  To celebrate this a guy drives a traction through town.

Time To Take Another Turn

Today I am a year older.  I'm ready to leave the last year in the dust.  This coming year promises to be an interesting one, I am looking forward to the possibilities.
 

A Tip Of the Hat to Kenneth Arnold

Tonight we celebrate Kenneth Arnold.  I will agree with anyone who says this would be better if Kenneth Arnold was a family friend and I have photos of him at christenings and backyard barbecues.  I can't say that, because Mr. Arnold was not a family friend.  Moving on, on this day back in 1947, Kenneth Arnold was flying his airplane from Chehalis to Boise when near Mt. Rainier he saw them.  Arnold saw 9 objects "flying like a saucer would."  Kenneth Arnold was first person ever to report a flying saucer or UFO.  Take that Roswell!  While refueling in Pendleton, Oregon, Arnold described his close encounter to the editor of the local paper and within two days the AP had picked it up.  Before Arnold there had been a total of zero reported UFOs, after Arnold, 150,000 and counting.  So, here's to a true trailblazer, Kenneth Arnold.  I will agree with those who will say that an actual photo of a flying saucer would be really cool, heck even pictures of flying saucers would be cool.  Instead the visitor's center and the Grand Coulee Dam , it sort of looks space shippy.  
Enjoy
Dan

Well, It's That Time of Year

My Birthday is coming up and I will be a year older.  For the last couple of years I have been taking road trips to celebrate this event.  I was going to do so again this, but something got in the way.  So we have postponed the road trip until mid July.  I am very much looking forward to that event.  Anyway in honor of the birthday road trip a lonely highway photo.  This is the Sunset Highway (US 10), about 7 or 8 miles east of North Bend, near Weeks Falls.  
Enjoy
Dan

Yippee For Summer

Summer in Seattle can be an elusive beast, like the Yeti or Nessie.  However when the clouds break we are treated to dry weather and sunshine.  It this very reason we live in the part of the world.  So here is to more sun and blue sky. 
Enjoy the summer. 

It's Father's Day, So It's A Post About Father's Day

Alright, this could be a post about my Dad and what it is like not, having him here on Father's Day, but I don't really want to go there tonight.  Instead, I like to express just how thankful I am for my family.  My wife and son make me very happy each and everyday.  I cannot consider what the world would be like for me without them.  So tonight, a photo of the family and a lady stealing our stuff.

Connecting To The Center Of The Known Universe

Today the Fremont bridge turns 95 years young.  For those who many not realize, the bridge connects Queen Anne and Westlake with the center of the known universe.  I was late, or nearly late to work many times because of that bridge, which apparently opens about 35 times daily and when I lived in Fremont that meant every time I needed to go anywhere.  The bridge is Fremont partly because it reflects the quirkiness of the neighborhood and also because it is the most enduring symbol of the neighborhood.  Happy Birthday Fremont Bridge.  

A Long And Winding Road

So today marks the 42nd anniversary of the last Beatles song to reach number one in our hearts and number one on the charts.  The Long and Winding Road, the worst Beatles song ever.  I have long held this song in contempt and Paul McCartney with it.  Come to find out, it's not all Paul McCartney's fault, we also can thank Phil Spector, who would later ruin the Ramones.  Apparently, Spector turned a sappy pop song, into a really awful sappy pop song.  In a bit of irony this song was number one on the charts when I was born.  Anyway what does Phil Spector and a Beatles song have to do with a photography blog, well nothing really. Except as a vehicle to use a completely average photo of a long and winding road.  The photo is of old US 30 in Oregon snaking East toward its final destination of Atlantic City, NJ.  This long and winding road wasn't ruined by Phil Spector but Dwight Eisenhower and the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.

Have You Ever?

I don't know about the readers of America's Finest Blog, but I see things every once in a while that peak my interest.  Things that bring about the what, when, where or why sort of questions.  I've noticed over the years that just east of the Hobart store is a ball field named for Johnny Lazor.   I have thought to myself, who is this Johnny Lazor, did he build the field, own the store or what?  Come to find out Johnny was from Taylor, Washington, about 2 miles north of Hobart and ended up playing ball for the Boston Redsox during the War.  He got his start playing for company teams in the 1930's and was discovered by his manger on Bremerton's Northwest League team.  So Johnny Lazor, an example of the American Dream and namesake for the Hobart ball field.