The Smith Tower – Seattle, Washington

At forty-two stories, 462′ (141 m,) the Smith Tower was the tallest building in Seattle for fifty-five years, 1914 to 1969. On a vacation some years ago, we enjoyed the history of that building and climbing to the observation level near the top.

From the NW corner,  eleven-year old Steve stands before the Seattle Space Needle seen here to the north.

                      Eastern Elliot Bay forms the waterfront of Seattle.

And the view south is the old King Dome, which we thoroughly toured earlier, with the King Street Train Station (with tower) and I-5 in the distance to the left, here looking south

         Thanks for viewing, zoom in for a closer look and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

Island Beach State Park, Early Morning

Yesterday, July 2nd, I crossed Barnegat Bay at sunrise to the boater’s access path on New Jersey’s “Island Beach State Park,” enjoying an early morning walk at the edge of the Atlantic.


The last two images display nicely under higher zoom.

As always, thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

 

A Northbound Adventure to the End of the Road – Part One, Prologue

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It was late August. Summer jobs were finishing and my friend and I wanted to do something different before returning to school. “Let’s drive north, as far as we can go!”

(Three-second pause …) “Ok!”

Although my 1962 Austin Healy Sprite was slightly damaged by a rear-ending just a week before, its fun handling characteristics and open-air ambiance was an easy choice of vehicle, not to mention great mileage for college kid’s stingy budgets.

There was little debate, and in the warm, humid air of a New Jersey evening, we decided, …the trip was on.

Back in 1966, there was no internet or Google Maps. Preparation was more fly-by-wire as our available time and financial resources didn’t allow many options besides just …going! The Sinclair, Mobil, or Exxon paper maps were our planning media, and if it wasn’t on the map, we’d have to resort to local advice along the way.

Below is the 1098 cc Sprite as it appeared ten months prior our trip, when it was …clean! (“FANG,” the dog, agreed to be the model!)

See Part Two here. 

As usual, click on or stretch for a closer view, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clearing the Air – of Fog… and Raising the Bar

My last post featured a barely visible bridge across the Delaware River near where George Washington famously crossed from New Jersey to Pennsylvania on Christmas Day, 1776. That experience was interesting because of the heavy air and dense fog, but the picture  didn’t quite convey the ambiance.

I like the following two images a lot better however, near where George Shaw has gained some notoriety…

Background Of These Images

Jeanne and I were in Canada at “Niagara on the Lake,” which hosts the Shaw Festival each year, …the second largest repertory theater company in North America, staging plays written and inspired by George Bernard Shaw. Located on the shoreline of Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Niagara River, this quaint little town is about 24km (15mi) north of the Falls.

These positive slide film images were taken from the scenic Canadian Niagara Parkway on April 23rd, 1997.

As always, thanks for viewing and you can click-on or finger-stretch to zoom in. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂 

Rebirth in Great Smokey Mountains, Zoom-in Version

 

There is a wonderful five mile one-way roadway just east of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the foothills of Mount LeConte, the third highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at 6,923 (2010 m.) The auto turn-outs allow access to old growth forests, streams, waterfalls, wildlife and more. Recently, Sandy Paws and I found unexpected tranquility, and almost complete silence, among the resurgence of forest life, ten months after devastating fires sorched the region.

A short walk from one of the turn-outs, leads to a small summit, elevation 2,900 feet (884 m) as shown photographically in the last picture above, and located on the topo renditions here.

Special thanks to Crow Canyon Journey and Jessica for zoom-in attributes, and Le Conte spelling respectively! M 🙂

As usual, click on the image for a closer look, and thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

Changing Seasons and Summer Memories

Eleven years ago this week, returning to New Jersey from a business trip to Rhode Island, I stopped by this charming little 19th century coastal community known as Watch Hill, RI. Among the shuttered and closed buildings was this Book and Tackle shop 

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At the time, I wrote of the town’s story and the unique practice of the shop,  its signage asking  patrons to simply take what thay want… and leave a payment under the door.

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Although more extensive, and unwanted development never occured, the Book and Tackle Shop, as seen to the left above, is now gone.

 

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The Seaside Merry-Go-Round stood empty, stripped of its carousel figurines and “summer glow and song.”

🙂 Thanks to Gina for the framed gift. 🙂

..As usual, click on the image for a closer look, and thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂

 

Martha’s Vineyard, (Two) – Magnificent Summer Cottages in Oak Bluffs

 

These colorful unique cottages date back to the late nineteenth century within a community of picket fences, pocket parks, and even an outdoor tabernacle. They are found in an intriguing area of shaded narrow streets and pathways ideal for walking.

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In addition to pondering the value of being a house painter in Oak Bluffs, one would be a bit envious of those who choose to rent here; close to shops, restaurants, waterfront parks and the harbor.

Read more on Wikipedia, here.

As usual, click on the image for a closer look, and thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂