Heading out...

...onto the bay for an early morning workout.

Mugwumps

Good to see Thee Blair Street Mugwumps back in town and listen to them playing downtown today. Had not seen them since Wooden Boat Festival last September. This fun little band from Eugene, Oregon will be playing at Sirens pub on Water St. tomorrow night. You can listen to some of their good ol' music Americana here.

Barefoot Spinner

Spinning yarn is something Rebekah Cadorette enjoys demonstrating on Saturday mornings at Port Townsend Farmers Market. Rebekah's beautiful woven work can be viewed, along with more information about her, at 3strandshandwovens.com

The first day of each month is theme day for the City Daily Photo community and this month feet is the subject. See many creative posts on the theme today from the world over. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

On the hook

At this morning's early light, the schooner Merrie Ellen lays peacefully on the hook in Port Townsend Bay.

Sky watch...

...over Mt. Baker at predawn this morning as seen from Point Wilson Lighthouse.

Visit skies from the world over today at Sky Watch Friday.

S is for Sea Glass

One of the pleasures of beach walking for some here on the Quimper Peninsula is collecting sea glass, also known as beach glass or mermaid tears. These little fragments of discarded glass items (mostly bottles) have been rolled and tumbled by sea water, rocks and sand for years and are washed ashore daily by wave and tidal action. The glass pictured here was collected by my wife, Nancy, on a three hour stroll last week along Port Townsend's North Beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The Seattle Times recently published an article written by Port Townsend freelance journalist, Ross Anderson about the growing popularity of sea glass which can be read here.

Visit many more S posts today at Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday.

Memorial Day

We'll be away for the Memorial Day weekend so an early post today in rememberance of those who gave their lives in service to our country. This was taken a few months ago on a frosty morn at Fort Worden's Military Cemetery. A safe and enjoyable weekend to all.

Sky Watch

Sunset tonight over the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Visit many wondrous skies around the world today on Sky Watch Friday.

R is for Ruffles

As mentioned in yesterday's post on J Pod, we followed these orcas northward along the west coast of San Juan Island for about 40 miniutes last Friday morning. One of the easiest orcas to identify in the J pod group (which at the moment numbers about 25 whales) is the big fella named J1, seen here swimming three abreast with two other orcas. He is also known as "Ruffles" because of the slightly wavy trailing edge of his six foot dorsal fin. His estimated age is about fifty eight years old. Ruffles was the first orca of J pod to be identified in a study that began in 1976, thus he carries the number 1. More about the pods that make up the Southern Resident Community of orca whales can be found here.

Can't say enough about the great service PS Express whale watching and wildlife tours provides for visitors to Port Townsend. Thanks to Skipper Pete Hanke and his family who use their many years of experience in the business to make a trip with them an enjoyable and memorable adventure.


Many more R posts can be found today at ABC Wednesday.

Cruisin' with J Pod

Enjoyed a great visit to the San Juan Islands over the weekend which included taking a Port Townsend whale watching vessel at Puget Sound Express to Friday Harbor. We departed Port Townsend on Friday morning and caught up to the orca whales along the west coast of San Juan Island. A beautiful day it was as we cruised along so close to those magnificent animals watching them move northward so gracefully near the shore.
J Pod is one of three groups of orcas that frequent these waters and includes only about twenty five whales. More tomorrow about the whales and whale watching services.

Sky Watch - Opening Day

A crewman aboard the schooner Alcyone is seen high in the rigging tending the main gaff topsail during last Saturday's opening day of the boating season in Port Townsend. With bright sunny weather and a good breeze for sailing, the bay was busy with boaters enjoying the day.

See skies from around the world today on Sky Watch Friday.

Q is for Quimper Peninsula

A sunset arrival by ferry to the Quimper Peninsula city of Port Townsend.

The Quimper Peninsula and its communities can be seen and navigated with the Google map in the sidebar of this blog. A clip from Wikipedia describes the peninsula as follows: The Quimper Peninsula is a narrow peninsula forming the most northeastern extent of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state in the northwestern United States of America.
The peninsula is named after the Peruvian-born Spanish explorer Manuel Quimper who, in command of the Princesa Real, charted the north and south coasts of the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the summer of 1790. The Spanish had given the name Quimper to today's New Dungeness Bay, which George Vancouver had renamed New Dungeness. In 1838 Charles Wilkes gave the peninsula the name Dickerson, but the U.S. Coast Survey renamed it with Quimper's name.[1]
The Quimper Peninsula is defined by Discovery Bay to the west, the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the north, and Port Townsend Bay to the east. From the ismuth it extends approximately seven miles to the north-northwest and then curves to the northeast for another four miles before terminating at Point Wilson. For most of its length the width is less than four miles. This peninsula forms the westernmost boundary of Admiralty Inlet.

Visit all the Q posts today at Mrs Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday.