Kent and Lake Washington

Everyday we do something. It's nothing major and doesn't require much effort, but we do something. Usually it's a walk.

For example, yesterday we took some things over to Tom and Bonnie's place. Afterwards, we headed out to find Historic Downtown Kent. 

It wasn't hard…and not especially exciting, but, you know, you make your own fun and we did.

One of the big features of our walks is taking pictures. We both are on the lookout for photo opportunities. That's fun, working together to come up with ideas for pictures.

As always, we found a lot of flowers. But we also found an old grain mill; trains; hand-made jewelry; eagles; turtles and a lot more. We always find plenty of subjects and we always get a lot of walking done. 

Yesterday was at least a mile+ in Kent and, today, we went over a mile and a half along Lake Washington. Mind you (and I'm bragging here), this is after my rehab exercise. I did 50 minutes on the elliptical and 'ran' for 3.9 miles. Hooah!! 

OK, we dropped the stuff off at Tom's and then went towards downtown Kent and a Pawn Shop. I'm haunting Pawn Shops and Thrift Stores looking for a polarizing filter. I don't really care what size it is, I just want it to use with my Point N' Shoots (PNS). When I need it, I intend to just hold it up to the lens and shoot through it.

Field Expediency. It's a wonderful thing.

LSS, (TLS!) I saw a pawn shop and we pulled in to take a gander. Hahaha, it sure looked open but it was closed. I left the mini there and we started our walk around.

Right across the street, we came upon…FLOWERS!! I know!! Huge surprise, right!?!?!

I was trying to shoot with the lens zoomed out, the telephoto effect but…not too much. I totally didn't see the bricks there. My big complaint with PNS is that when the sun is shiny you can't really see the screen. Well, I can't anyway. I was sorta taking a guess and trying for the flowers. But the bricks are more interesting than the flowers.

Stubborn, I kept trying to keep back and shoot long. It sorta worked here…the flowers are kinda compressed. Sorta…almost.

Almost made it. It'll be fun to keep experimenting.

Just beyond these flowers and on a side street off the main road we found this park. It was designed as a commemoration of Kent and its Sister City in Japan.

In the center was a beautiful gazebo. Can you imagine the fun of providing live entertainment for the town with the City Band? 

Some things were better back then. 

Walking past a bar, I got this shot. They had flower boxes on top of the railing ringing the outdoor patio. Ah, these crazy Seattlites, if the rain stops they all want to rush outside to eat and drink.

They look like pencil shavings…right!?!

Then, down a bit from the park and across the tracks…oh, the tracks. The train goes right through the middle of the city. I was hoping a train would come rumbling by.

Anyway, we came to this…grain mill. Whatever it once was it was abandoned now. It showed.

Naturally I shot a lot of it in B&W. Looking for angles and perspective.

I'm also interested in character…

I know, "What'chu talking' bout, Willis!?!"

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm getting artsy-fartsy. And not the good kind either.

A detail of the aged wood was so good in color (yeah, that one above there is in color), I thought I'd do it in…B&W. 

Quit griping.

Then, in B&W, it's a shot of the wall…texture, patterns.

The end of the building. 

Nice in color, it must be just as nice in B&W. Which one is better?

Going for the idea of setting…weeds, abandoned building, atmosphere!! 

Yes? No? Hah!! It was still fun…and Carol likes it.

Then, WE FOUND A LADYBUG!! 

Hahaha, like kids who've never been outside.

And a thistle. You know what else is a thistle?

An asparagus, or a broccoli or some kind of vegetable I don't eat.

Honest.

Oh, dramatic clouds. We got a couple that day.

We even got a rainbow…a weak, little one but a rainbow. It didn't show in this picture, but it was there.

Honest.

And if it is dramatic in color then it must be terribly dramatic in … B&W.

Walking along, we came upon a Dogwood Tree in bloom.

Right behind it was this…and I forgot its name. 

Hydrangea?

Then I heard it….the faint whistle of a train coming through the town. I ran…OK, I hobbled on over to the tracks to see it.

It was huge and it was LOUD!!

I swear, when he sounded his horn with the roar of his engine I was overwhelmed…I was pushed back by the enormity of it. It scared the crap out of me…like always.

I don't like scary movies, it's just "Let's see how we can kill someone else" kind of garbage. Doesn't really scare me, just puts me off. Now this, this presence scared the crap out of me…almost to the point where I couldn't think.

Here it is powering by the Kent Train Station.

Also seen here. Big regret is that I didn't, with a football buddy from Rio Hondo, try and buy the Whittier Train Station and turn it into a bar. What a great building.

Down the street another park and this. Kent does murals. A lot of them.

So I shot it in color and then...

I shot it in…B&W.

Which one? Me? I like them both.

Grates. Great, eh?

Then this. There was an empty lot between two buildings. They painted a, scene, on each side. Trees and such.

Then!!! I heard it again!!

The lonely wail of the train…coming round the bend…

This one was just moving one car but he was laying down tracks (hahaha, that was intended!) He was speeding!!

It was a LOT closer and a LOT louder. I stepped back, involuntarily, from it as it roared by.

What a feeling!!!

It was…almost too much for me.

Back to the street again and in the park with the mural, we found these...

Nicely done!! This arrangement, this display of different flowers layered in.

Then Carol spotted a Gem Store with hand-made jewelry…that they weren't shy bragging about.

There was a lot of metal work bugs and artwork around the gem store and so we think they also did this, our second ladybug of the day, on the wall of a Pest Control Company.

Both artistic AND educational…win-win!!

Then, heading back to the Pawn Shop and the car…on the side of a building set off the road…

THESE

AND, I got a winged insect, too!!

Love the simplicity and beauty of the Daisy.

Can't take a bad picture.

That was the end of our Big Adventure in Kent. It was OK. We may go back…there were other streets to walk along.

But back home we broke out the two black felt panels we had bought earlier. I was thinking it would make better pictures if we could 'black-out' the background and concentrate on the flower.

So Carol found two small panels of black felt. Back to back it works. Singly, they let light through and appear gray. But, back to back it makes a dramatic background and pushes the flowers out, towards you.

And this one. It accentuates the color and makes it stand vibrantly out. You get the color without distractions or confusion.

Me likee!!

Today we headed to Lake Washington for a walk.

Starting off, we looked back and were rewarded with this view of Mt. Rainier. Oh, and Lake Washington. You can see the beach area there on the right side. People, kids mostly, were out and in the water. Brrrrrrrrr….

Carol's cousin and good friend, Adrienne, passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. She was living in Ecuador and was struck down unexpectedly. Her birthday is the 2d of July and Carol wanted some unusual way of sending her daughter, Charlene, a birthday card. 

So, she wrote a birthday greeting in the sand along Lake Washington.

It was a beautiful day. A really nice day with a high around 76.

I know, heat wave. And it gets worse…tomorrow is suppose to be 86!!!!!!! The horror…the horror...

But, the crazies get out and run…

Show-offs.

And she was still running.

Whew, Carol and I were winded just watching her. So, a moment for reflection. In the shade. 

Some of the flowering brambles.

And the geese…illegal immigrants from Canada. No papers, no nothing. Taking food away from American ducks.

The animals!!

Down at the Moorage. All kinds of small watercraft. And water lilies.

So, EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!

These lilly pads were in the shade…that's the dark blue color on them…shade. Yep.

Ahhhh, Moon Doggie. I wondered where you went after the Beach Movies ended. Bought a small boat and moved to Seattle, did ya!?!

It's Summertime!! Berries are ripening.

More shots of the Moorage…and the lily pads.

And this baby. Out there just beyond the lily pads.

Then, we spotted those two love birds. Taking the sun on a beautiful Seattle Day.

And, finally, we spotted this guy. He flew in so we could see his brown and white mottled body and wings. A young eagle out practicing flight and looking for a bite to eat, too.

I don't know why he is so bob-tailed…is this just normal for eaglets? We could tell he was immature by his coloring. What a treat!!

A good day and a good walk. We logged over a mile and a half walking. Then it was home for some tasty and delicious Turkey-burgers served up on a toasted wheat bun with Lite Mayo, mustard and a spring salad. 

I'm not real keen about Turkey Burgers.

 Not keen at all.

A great day in the Emerald City.

Hooah!!