Taking my camera out and about the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
Sequim Irrigation Festival Float Unveiling and Kickoff Dinner
The Sequim Irrigation Festival is the longest running festival in the state of Washington. 2024 marks the event's 129th year! This year's festival theme is "Mountains to Shore, Whatever You're Looking For" and will run from May 3 - 12, but the build up to the festival starts months ahead of time.
Swansonville Christian Congregational Church
The Swansonville Church in Port Ludlow was constructed in 1905 as a community gathering space for the Port Ludlow mill town. The mill closed in the 1930s, and the community of Swansonville dwindled. The non-denominational church shut down in the early 1990s. Empty and slowly decaying, until 2019, when The Friends of Swansonville formed to restore the church.
2022 Armed Forces Appreciation Day & Fly-In
Gorgeous weather and airplanes go together almost as well as gorgeous weather and boats. Yes, I give the edge to maritime adventures over aeronautic ones, but it's mighty close!
The William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles hosted a military/public safety appreciation and fly-in and so, of course, I headed out west with my camera.
The 127th Sequim Irrigation Festival
This year marked the 127th Sequim Irrigation Festival, the oldest continuing festival in Washington state. The festival celebrates D.R. “Crazy” Callen and his partners who designed and developed the irrigation ditches that brought water from the Dungeness River, turning a dry prairie into fertile farmland.
Dungeness Landing County Park
Dungeness Landing County park is small (5.6 acres with 13 acres of tideland) but lovely county park. With views of Mount Baker, the Dungeness Spit and the Dungeness Lighthouse, half a dozen picnic tables, benches, an observation tower, and a restroom, this is a great spot to walk the beach, eat lunch and bird watch.
Cruise Ships Ahoy
I've a fondness for all things maritime. Though the day went from rain, to clouds to sun, I spent a day running around taking photos of ships of all sizes in Port Townsend and Port Ludlow. With the Alaska cruise season fully underway, it's fun to hang out in Port Ludlow and watch the parade of ships.
The Rothschild House Museum, Port Townsend
Every year, Port Townsend hosts a Victorian Festival. For the Friday kick off, the Jefferson County Historical Society waived admission fees (though my donation was happily accepted) for several of their historical buildings. Grabbing my camera and my sister, we toured the 1868 Rothschild House.
Dungeness River Dike Trail
Finally! A sunny warm(ish) spring day led me to the Dungeness River Dike Trail. Starting at the Old Dungeness Schoolhouse, it's about a 3 mile in-and-out trail along the top of the levee built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1964.
Railroad Bridge
The Chicago, Milwaukee, and St Paul Railway, later called the Milwaukee Road, built the Dungeness River Bridge (now just called Railroad Bridge) over 3-4 weeks in the summer of 1915. The last train crossed the bridge in March, 1985. Of course, the bridge is only part of the 53-acre Railroad Bridge Park, which is privately owned by the Jamestown S’Kallam Tribe.
Three new birds!
Some days, it just pays off to remember to grab the camera as you walk out the door to run errands. This was one of those days. I managed to snap photos of 3 new birds to add to the bird gallery.
The American Coot (above and below) is one of the strangest birds I've run across. Giant feet, stubby wings, reddish eyes, walks like a chicken, and dives likes a duck.
The Great Backyard Bird Count
A mostly-sunny, but chilly day is perfect for the 2022 Great Backyard Bird Count. 30 minutes, 12 species, 45 individual birds. Nothing exotic or out-of-the-ordinary, but fun nonetheless.
