Daisy-scaping

An abandoned pasture, taken over by daisies, never looked prettier!

Camano odds and ends

On the drive off the island, ML and I pulled into this Antique/junk store on the side of the road.  This little display was so colorful and cheerful that we couldn't pass it up.  The store itself was more junk than otherwise.  The outside displays were the best part of it.

 We stopped at the Wooden Boat Museum at Cama Bay, where they store the old fishing boats from when Cama Bay was a fishing camp, and they restore old wooden canoes.  I thought the interior of this was beautiful, and got caught up in the curves and lines and design.

Then I had to try it in B&W because it was such a strong visual image I had to see how it translated.

 And if any of you are wondering---yes, it IS possible to live on Easy St.  Just move to Camano Island!!  There was even a street with my first and middle name.  Fun!  My favorite street sign was "Loon Asea", which made me laugh, even if there wasn't a place to get a photo of it.  Someone in charge of road names there has a good sense of humor.

Macro Monday

I love lacecap hydrangeas, and the way the center looks like some undersea plant.  Those little individual blooms, before they open up, are so exotic.

 I also can't resist the color of the petals--the beautiful blue that blends into a soft purple.  Is there anything quite as pretty as hydrangea blue??

Beach Treasures

Don't you love the contrast of the interior of this mussel shell against the seaweed?

 A white jellyfish (although why they call it white when it is obviously clear) draped over some rocks.  I found the lines radiating out from the center intriguing.  There were a lot of these, all different sizes, washed up on the beach.  Having shoes on, I didn't have to worry about being stung---that and the fact that they were dead.

 A Dungeness crab, left over from some gull's dinner, but not yet picked to pieces.  It almost looks alive.  He was about the size of a small dinner plate.  YUM!!

 The upper reaches of this beach were composed of small rocks and intermixed with broken, tumbled, smooth shell pieces.  It had a salt and pepper look to it.

 There were California poppies blooming along the edges of the beach; this one caught my eye, contrasting with the cool grey of the driftwood behind it.

 There were little resort cabins at this beach---an old fishing camp that had been "modernized" and turned into a resort.  The cabins are little more than bunkies---there is electricity and refrigeration, but no cooking (other than a microwave) and the bathroom/bathing facilities are in a separate bathhouse.  BUT--these arre right on the water---just an incredible view.  And, if you are willing to put up with neighbors right on top of you, thin walls, and the glorified camping atmosphere, the cabins are inexpensive and the beach/view is wonderful.

                        

Someone after my own heart---gleaning treasures from the beach and decorating their "home".

Beaching

I could never stay long enough on the shore, the tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought. - Helen Keller

My sentiments exactly.

I grew up in Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan, and we were fortunate enough to have a family cottage where we spent the entire summer.  Beach and sand and waves and gulls are in my blood; to me, there is nothing as relaxing and soul-satisfying as being on the beach, hearing the waves, smelling the "beachiness", feeling the sand, looking for treasures.  I can just feel myself unknotting and opening up.  How fortunate I am to live here where the ocean is an easy drive away.

It was a perfect day--Mt. Baker was shining in the distance, hovering over the water like a dream.

 Is there anything as intriguing as piles and piles of drift logs?  The child in me wants to make a play fort.

Or, if you are lucky enough, you can find an old tree, hollowed out, with an opening big enough to walk into--the perfect pre-made fort.  And yes, I did go in (a little way).

 As the day went on, the early morning haze lifted and Baker became clearer and clearer.  Not only Baker, but the Cascade range and even Mt. Rainier were visible.  On the other side of the island, we were able to see the Olympics.  Perfect, perfect day!!

 I love a good rocky beach.  There are so many treasures waiting to be discovered there.  And, there is something incredible soothing about the sound of waves shushing in and out of the rocks at the edge of the water.

 By the end of the day, Baker was in its full glory.  We were high enough on the island that we could look down on the water and see all the variations of color.  Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.  Who could not love a day like this??

Good omen

 Yesterday was another one of those absolutely gloriously perfect days, so ML and I took off with cameras, sunscreen, picnic goodies, and bags for gleaned treasures and went up to Camano Island.  Neither one of us had been there before, but it's an island you can get to without having to ferry, and there are two State Parks and multiple beaches.  If it's a beach, I am there.

We were hoping to see some interesting wildlife while we were out beachcombing, and voila---there he was, my personal omen.  I feel that any day I see an eagle is a good day.

 The day just kept getting better......

...and better.  THis guy was up in a Doug Fir at the top of a bluff---he must've been at least 400' above me.

Every Princess Deserves a Castle

Nicki over at Bended Road Photos posted some of her recent Disney photos, and it inspired me to put up some of my views of the quintessential castle.

The sun was starting to set, and the angle was just perfect to illuminate the top of the castle while leaving the rest of it in the shadows.  Those spires just glowed against the sky.

                                                                   Sun-lit and soaring

 The first shot is the standard reflection shot of the castle, but the reflection itself was so neat that I just couldn't pass up shooting that.

 Looking toward the castle from Frontierland.  It made me feel like I was in the little town surrounding the castle.

                                         Do many people notice the castle from this side??

 If you stand on the upper platform at the railroad station, you get a great view of the castle down Main Street, above all the crowds.

whataday!

Yesterday was one of those days that make people say "THIS is why I live in Seattle."  When the sun comes out, there is no more beautiful place (unless it is at the ocean, of course)

I took advantage of the sun and dry weather and went out to Rattlesnake Lake to do a little walking/hiking.  Me and about 300 other people.  Note to self:  don't go out to RS late in the afternoon on a sunny warm day--especially on a holiday weekend.  There were people ALL OVER the place...even though the lake is still high, even little tiny bits of exposed shoreline had been co-opted, sometimes with only room for a folding chair.  But, I wasn't there to swim, or sun--I was there to hike.

I hiked the length of the lake, and then I went a short distance up the trail to the ledge, mainly because I hadn't come prepared to hike all that way and certainly wasn't going to do it solo (although there were so many people on the trail it felt as busy as downtown).  There were still stretches of the trail where it was empty and quiet and more what I had come to enjoy.

 Occasionally the sun would come at just the right angle through all the trees and illuminate just one branch of a Doug Fir, making it glow in the dark shade.

 And I don't care how many times I see it---just a glimpse of that jade green water through the underbrush just makes my heart sing.  I mean--LOOK at the color of the water!!!

 Of course, I managed to find a Magic Window, too  (AKA a puddle)

 And there, by the side of the trail, completely unexpected, was a daylily!  How on earth did that get there?  This isn't a wild daylily--this is a cultivar.  The yellow blossoms were like sundrops amidst all the greenery.

 And, as a perfect end of the day, "our" mountain caught the sun against the clouds.  Gorgeous!  I am so blessed to live where I do.