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PARADISE DAY – May 14, 2018

Just another beautiful day in paradise! This morning’s walk was around Coupeville where I always see wonderful things. I hope you enjoy the walk today.

First stop an immature Bald Eagle. It’s not a very good photo but it sure was beautiful sitting high atop that tree.

Inmature Eagle

A little further down Front Street I spotted this great reflection shot of an anchored sailboat resting in Penn Cove.

Sailboat Reflection

This time of year the flowers are blooming and the rhododendrons are everywhere. These are beside the United Methodist Church. The church was built around 1900 after the first one burned to the ground. Here’s the history of our Methodist Church.

Methodist Church and Rhody's

This time of year the deer are having fawns and need a lot to eat, no matter what it takes. I caught this deer pulling down and munching on the leaves of a tree branch.

Deer Eating Tree 1  Deer Eating Tree 2

I hope you enjoyed that little walk, I sure did. I hope to walk with you again real soon!

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WE’VE GOT ISLAND SPIRIT – May 2, 2017

Time to get your shoes on and go for another beautiful walk around Coupeville.

This morning I noticed that everyone I ran into had a smile on their face and offered up a hearty “Good Morning”! I believe it was for a couple of reasons. First, we just wrapped up another four day stint of cloudy and rainy days ending with clear skies this morning.

Secondly it’s because of where we live, in the town of Coupeville on beautiful Whidbey Island. It was like everyone had the “Island Spirit”.

Come to find out not only do we have “Island Spirit” but we also have the “Island Spirit. That’s right, the Island Spirit Cruise Ship was docked at the Coupeville Wharf this morning. It’s a cruise ship that sails around Alaska all summer long. My guess is that it’s on the way up to Alaska for the summer. No matter what, it makes for a pretty picture!

Ship Island Spirit 1

Ship Island Spirit 2

With this fabulous weather there’s a good chance we’ll get to do this again tomorrow. I hope to see you then.

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THE BLUEST SKIES – April 26, 2018

Perhaps you remember the song from the 60’s, “The Bluest Skies You’ve Ever Seen Are In Seattle”. Well here on Whidbey Island that song was never truer. I believe the sky was bluer than I’ve ever seen it!

Now here’s what I’m talking about:

Pink flowering tree against the blue sky.

Pink Flowers Blue Sky

Red flowering tree against the blue sky.

Red Tree Blue Sky

And of course the Coupeville waterfront against the blue sky!

Coupeville Waterfront

WOW, what a morning. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did, it was really spectacular!

Tomorrow the weather starts changing back to spring but this short summer teaser sure was nice.

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IT’S OPEN, WOOT – April 25, 2018

Before I get started I would like to thank everyone that commented on Monday’s blog. It’s great to know that so many of you appreciate my efforts.

It’s amazing what a couple of days will do. When I went out for today’s walk I found the trail that was closed Monday, going to the Town Park, open! Not only was it open but it had fresh gravel on it filling the ruts that had formed from the winter rain run-off.

Trail Open

As I’d mentioned, the trail runs along a high band bluff and could be subject to sluffing and slides. The trail runs along the top of this bluff.

Trail Bluff

It’s been a while since I’ve taken a photo of the Coupeville Wharf but I couldn’t resist this great old green boat parked at the dock.

Wharf and Boat

About half way through my walk I spotted one of our rare “White Deer”. This one was roaming with a small herd.

White Deer

It was a beautiful day for a walk and I’m really glad you all joined me. I’ll see you again real soon, around town and on the trails.

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FRANK AND I ARE BACK – April 23, 2018

Hey everyone, I’m back and so is Frank. Actually neither one of us were really gone, Frank was out there hunting for food like always and I was in full hibernation mode.

I don’t like walking in the rain, strong winds or the cold and that’s all we’ve had for a very long time. I’ve been hold up in my wood shop and remodeling our bathroom. I don’t know how “regular” I’ll be but I’ll work on doing better. I know there are a number of Whidbey Island readers that no longer live here and enjoy revisiting this beautiful place.

This morning the sun was peaking through one remaining cloud.

Sunrise Reflection copy

Along the way I spotted Frank the Great Blue Heron sitting on a rock along Penn Cove hunting for his breakfast.

Frank

I was disappointed to find one of my favorite little trails closed this morning. It runs from the center of town up to the Town Park. I’m not sure if it’s temporary or permanent. As I mentioned earlier, we’ve had a very wet spring and the trail runs along a high bluff. Perhaps it just a precaution until things dry out. The high bluffs around Whidbey Island have been known to collapse, especially when saturated with water.

Trail Closed copy1

Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me and I’ll try to do better as we move toward summer. I really appreciate you all walking with me!

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WHITE CHRISTMAS – December 25, 2017

We would like to wish everyone of you a very Merry Christmas! We were blessed this year with a White Christmas, the first one in ten or twelve years. That is a rare occasion here on the island indeed.

This what we awoke to early this Christams morning.

Christmas Snow

This is our back yard a little later in the morning, after we opened the presents that Santa Clause had brought.

Snowy Back Yard

Have a wonder Christmas, or what every holiday you celebrate and we’ll do the same.

If I don’t get back to you before New Years, have a great year ahead and we’ll catch up soon.

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FROSTY MORNING – December 6, 2017

WOW! What a beautiful morning. These chilly mornings are providing some incredible light for photography, I love it!

On my short 2.5 mile walk I took 75 photos which I finally edited down to three. I really didn’t want to bore you with the rest. So let’s get started.

Walking down Front Street, along Penn Cove, going into town, I spotted this beautiful yacht with incredible sky and water reflections.

Yacht on Penn Cove

When I got to the Coupeville Wharf I did not walk out and around the building as I usually do, it was way too slick with the frost on the wood deck. Instead I took this nice photo.

Frosty Wharf

Walking up the trail to Coupeville Town Park I looked across Penn Cove to capture this sleepy little community, in the haze, on the other side.

Across Penn Cove Fog

I hope you enjoyed the walk and these photos as much as I did. With any luck I may have some more tomorrow as our clear cool weather continues.

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NOLYMPICS – December 5, 2017

This morning it was absolutely beautiful outside. It was a chilly 34 degrees F and the sun was oh so slowly rising. I decided to head for Ebey Prairie because I thought the Olympic Mountains would be spectacular in the morning sun with a bunch of new snow on top.

This us what I expected to see: (This is from January 2016)

Sunny Olympics

This is what greeted me:

Cloudy Olympics

It’s a nice photo but where are the mountains?

On the other side of the island Mt. Baker was just the opposite with a large amount of nice fresh snow reflecting the morning sunshine.

Mt Baker

Along the way I spotted Mr. and Mrs. Clause. They were a couple of the nicest wall hangings I’ve seen. I don’t know what they were made from but they sure did look real, or maybe surreal!

Mr Mrs Clause

Speaking of Santa Clause, look who came by our house last night and gave us some candy canes.

Santa Clause Firetruck

Every year the fire department travels the streets of Coupeville with Santa and his reindeer spreading Christmas cheer đŸ™‚

Thanks for walking with me and I look forward to having you join me again real soon.

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“COOL” MOON – December 4, 2017

If you’re reading this on Facebook please click the link below to see my full blog. Also I appreciate when you forward it to your friends, thanks!

In case you weren’t paying attention, last night we had a “Supermoon” which some people called a “Cool Moon”. It was a the only full supermoon of 2017. The moon appeared 7 percent larger and 16 percent brighter than usual since it was at perigee.

All I really know is that it was beautiful and bright. Here it is as I left the house for my walk.

Cool Moon

A little closer to the Coupeville Wharf I captured this stunning photo of the Supermoon over the wharf and reflecting on Penn Cove.

Cool Moon & Wharf

As I was walking along I spotted a guy doing something in a garage. I just had to stop and talk to him because the garage was just recently restored with the help of Ebey Forever Fund. They help preserve old buildings in Coupeville and the Ebey Reserve.

He was the owner and told me that the garage was built early in Coupeville’s development which means sometime between 1853 and 1865. The wood used to repair the structure was all from the same era. He pointed out a cedar corner board that had some material in the nail holes. The wood came from an old farmhouse from that same era and the material was wallpaper. It’s now good for another 150 years or more.

Old Garage

Thanks for walking with me and I think we’ll do it again real soon. It’s supposed to be nice for most of the week ahead.

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Christmas Lite – November 29, 2017

I apologize for the lack of blogging but the weather has really been bad lately and not conducive to taking photos. This morning it was nicer but remains dark for a long time, again making photographing of my wee island town difficult. The sun just starts to break over the horizon at 7:40 and it rises very slowly. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Anyway, I did get a couple of photos this morning so get your shoes on and lets got walking!

A friend of mine said that he’s going to decorate his house “Grizwald Lite”. I think I know what he’s talking about. Here are a couple of screen captures from “Christmas Vacation” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.

Grizwald

Whoville

Here’s “Christmas Lite” and I really like it!

Decorated House copy

On my way home I swung by the Coupeville Wharf and it looked like the seagulls were having a convention. I wonder what they were all talking about?

Seagulls at Wharf copy

With another break in the weather I’ll be back tomorrow or not! Keep your shoes on đŸ˜‰