Pigeon in the glass, alas . . .*

What is it about windows that attract us? Especially ones we can't peek through, on old buildings, and with broken glass?

They are a mystery, an unseen world, a view into something unknown. And if there's a pigeon on the windowsill, well, for a photographer that's BONUS!

Taken in Bellingham, Washington.

UPDATE: We were back in Bellingham a couple of days later and the windows are now all boarded up. Heavy sigh.

*With apologies to Gertrude Stein, for transmogrifying her famous poem, "Pigeons on the grass alas."

Photo copyright ©2019 Carol Leigh

"B" is for "Bellingham." "B" is for "Boats."

Last week we went up to Bellingham, Washington to see author Louise Penny at the Mt. Baker Theatre. (Great talk, highly recommended if you're a fan of her Inspector Gamache/Three Pines series of books.)

So the next morning we hit the fishing boats at Squalicum Harbor. All three of these are cellphone shots, with a panoramic photo at the top, and then my usual up-close, frame-filling boat "bits."

A fun evening at the theater and then a delightful photo walk among the boats the next morning. Feeling so lucky.

©2019 Carol Leigh

Latest work: "Lone Tree Sunrise"

A solitary tree alongside Bellingham Bay, Washington, up close to the Canadian border. Photographed with an iPhone and then processed in Photoshop. Across the bay is the Lummi Reservation and Lummi Island.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

A good day on the Washington coast

We did a bit of off-island exploring yesterday, heading up and along the Washington coast, staying as close to the water as possible. We passed lots of farming communities, white swans foraging in shallow, temporary ponds and lakes, hawks on posts, a huge eagle nest with two eagles keeping watch, barns, and much more.

I find it so exhilarating to be on a road I've never been on before. Giddy, even.

We took Chuckanut Drive up to Fairhaven (Bellingham), checked out the ferry terminals, found some piles of fishing nets (on private property, but not TOO private, anticipating being shooed away and having my apologies at the ready, but no problem, no one cared).

Wandered around the historic district in Bellingham, had a fantastic lunch at Skylark's Hidden Cafe, with a most friendly server. (I heartily recommend the Grilled Coppa Caprese sandwich.) And then we headed north again, traveling around Bellingham Bay.

And that's where I found them. Fishing boats. A huge harbor of them. And fishing nets. Much better and more accessible than the ones I trespassed to reach.

The day was just perfect -- cool, no wind, big white clouds, blue skies, a little bit of rain that was minimal and lasted no more than a minute, if that.

So here you see some of what I saw ... A fishnet float, a ventilation vent on the side of a galvanized metal building, a solitary sailboat moored offshore, a nautical guard dog, making sure we didn't come aboard without the captain's permission, and some cool weathered numbers indicating depth on the side of an old fishing boat.

All in all, the trip took around seven hours, allowing us lots of time to travel slowly, stop often, have a leisurely lunch, wander around a bookstore, walk the docks, etc.

A very good day on the Washington coast.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!