Hood Canal Bridge

We live on a peninsula. You can get here without taking this bridge on State Highway 104, but from anywhere north of SeaTac airport it’s a long drive around. This view is looking east towards the Kitsap Peninsula.

An old farm above Discovery Bay

Defining the western edge of the Quimper Peninsula is Discovery Bay. Here we see part of an old farm that overlooks the bay. There was a grass fire near here that I couldn’t get to as the highway was closed.

Big Valley Farm

Taking the long cut through Big Valley to the Bainbridge-Seattle Ferry is definitely worth if if you have the time.

Bywater Bay Lagoon

Bywater Bay State Park is just north of the Hood Canal Bridge and adjacent to the Shine Tidelands State Park. Don’t ask why we need two contiguous parks. They’re there. This lagoon fills up at high tide and empties as the water goes out. The stream cuts the sand bar that would otherwise connect the island of Hood’s Head to the Peninsula. You can usually see a heron or two here and occasionally, an osprey.

Tiny Waterfall on Rocky Creek - Brinnon, WA

Rocky Creek Falls in Brinnon, WA has been on my list of places to visit for a while. It’s a short and easy walk from the road, though it has no signs to mark its location. The bright mid-day sun made my shots of the falls themselves pretty ugly. The creek below the falls was shaded, though.

The trip made a nice outing for a warm summer afternoon.

The idea was to just get out of town for a day. No big deal. Phil B. from the photo club had posted some pictures from last year’s Battle of Port Gamble on the club site and I thought it would be fun to take the camera down and play with black and white conversion. Here’s a slideshow of the Flickr photoset.

The Battle of Port Gamble

It turned out to be much more than a photo op. The people involved, members of the Washington Civil War Association, take their history seriously. The costumes were painstakingly recreated to be as authentic as possible. When we asked questions of several participants, we were treated to well informed short bits history lesson.

You may remember history as being dry and boring, consisting of dates and names that required rote memorization. When history is someone’s passion and he or she shares that passion, history transforms from a distant and dry subject to something personal. So, the day turned out to be much more than expected. Not only was it a great opportunity to take photos, it was both fun and informative. I’ve already put it on my calendar for next year.

These old glass pieces sat in an antique store window in Friday Harbor

With the Hood Canal Bridge down, Puget Sound Express offered a two-for-one deal on tickets to Friday Harbor in the San Juans and whale watching.

We did see some Orcas on the way back but didn’t get close enough for a decent shot. It’s great to get out of town and play tourist some times.