From branch to water's edge

Not counting gulls, coots, mallards, and Canada geese, a sampling of waterbirds at Coulon Park, Renton.

Cast, in order of appearance: Belted Kingfisher; Common Merganser (female); Hooded Merganser; Gadwall; Common Merganser (male); Pied-bill Grebe; Clarke’s Grebe; Barrow’s Goldeneye; Northern Shoveler

Schoolroom interiors

 The second elementary school in our neighborhood to be torn down in the last ten years.  I took these shots of some of the old classrooms, outer wall sheared off, through hurricane fencing, while fending off a suspicious security guard.

A 2014 Melange

Here it is the end of the year already. I can't believe it. I'm going to sum it up by posting a bunch of 2014 shots that never made it to the page at the time.

JANUARY

Busker, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Japanese garden, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Spa Lit

FEBRUARY

Pub, Seattle

Capital Hill, Seattle

MARCH

Coal Creek, Cougar Mountain, Washington

Antique store, Renton, Washington

APRIL

The dancers

MAY

Vintage Ford, Florence, Oregon

JUNE

Boulder, Salmon La Sac, Washington

Salmon La Sac, Washington

Rock, Salmon La Sac, Washington

JULY

Paint, Portland, Oregon

AUGUST

Cobbles, Portland, Maine

Docks, Portland, Maine

Pub wall, Portland, Maine

Gum, Boston

Dulles Airport, Boston

Dulles Airport, Boston

SEPTEMBER

St. Edwards' Park, Washington

OCTOBER

Ferry dock, Orcas Island, Washington

Sunrise, San Juan Islands

Pilings, San Juan Islands

The Cascades, San Juan Islands

East Bay,  Orcas Island

NOVEMBER

Crows, Renton, Washington

Wall,  Langley, Washington

Ferry deck, Puget Sound

DECEMBER

Xmas 1964

In honor of this week's Sepia Saturday, here's a quartet of snapshots from fifty years ago, Xmas 1964. Lyndon Johnson had just been elected president. I was 10 and in 4th grade. I had long moved out of my cowboy phase, through my spaceman and jungle explorer phases, and was just entering my spy phase.

Yours truly with new soprano recorder. Note my bespangled stocking and the note for Santa attached to a poker. Perennial moneyplant and a Native American basket on the mantel.

A frenzy of unwrapping. Looks like a board game (as well as new small table and chairs) for my sister. Note the awesome television. A portrait of Henry James sits atop the bookcase.

My sister and her new Raggedy Anne. Note the Morris Graves "blind gull" print and another gloomy art piece.

And off to church, in Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy.

Holiday

The annual holiday lights at Bellevue Botanical Garden.

I have quite a complex mixture of feelings at this time of year. Being non-religious is no small part of that. Also, several members of our family have passed away at Christmas. This wistful song from the "Charlie Brown Christmas" exemplifies my mood.

Still, like a cat and a laser pen, I do love colored lights, especially when they're as unique as these.