Every Town has its Ghosts

_DSC2186Ghosts are good for business, and Port Townsend, Washington has its fair share of stories. Manresa Castle is haunted by a heartbroken woman, whose love never returned from the Great War, and a Jesuit priest. A Lady in White wanders the grounds of Point Wilson Lighthouse and is, allegedly, a bit of a snoop; she is forever rummaging through drawers of the keeper’s quarters. Fort Worden has its orbs and Man in Blue. I imagine if you started inquiring, every building downtown would have some sort of strange occurrence or shadowy figure. Sensitive people claim to “feel” their energy.

Whether the stories are true or not, they add an element of mystery and adventure to a trip, and this is one of the reasons I love visiting Port Townsend. I only ever feel “haunted” when I’m in the town’s antique stores, though. There’s something about being surrounded by the wares of a thousand departed souls that really gets to me. Maybe one of these days when I’m wandering around with my camera, I’ll catch something other than a landscape.

Here are a few shots from my last weekend trip. Anything look out of the ordinary to you?

Point Wilson Lighthouse and Grounds

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Fort Worden

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Port Townsend

I spent most of my time at Point Wilson and Fort Worden, so I didn’t have many shots of town. What did fascinate me was the Tarot card reader who is parked along the main street. Her boots are just visible beyond the door.

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Back on Whidbey Island and safe from ghosts!

Rock Face Icicles

How’s this for textures?  Having spent a couple of hours in the snow, and suffering from numb fingers, I almost missed the cascading  icicles on the moss-covered rock face on the way back to the car.  What’s five more minutes in the cold anyway?   This ended up being my favorite shot from the Sunday photo walk.

Shuksan

Sure, the rich summer meadows and rainbow spectrum of wildflowers may be a bit more exciting in a landscape shot, but there’s something calming to me about Mount Shuksan in the dead of winter.   Walking through compact snow that muffled each crunch of my boots,  finding beautiful frozen objects with each turn, I quickly forgot it was below freezing.  The fact that I had been cold didn’t even register until I was hit with the sting of warming fingers back in the car.   I just love this time of year!

Cold Details

The first photo walk of the year was with Andy, and we traveled up Mount Baker Highway for some pictures of snow and ice.   It’s bare and dry in Bellingham, but an hour up the road it’s still a winter wonderland, and it will be for some time.

It is really difficult to take a decent picture of snow-covered things!  Without much contrast, the camera doesn’t pick up the small details your eye sees.  So, I tried to find what color was available.  This small, ice colored branch is one example.  More to come this week!

Driftwood Alley

I felt like I was missing a limb today.  We had sleet, snow, hail, rain, and the most beautiful skies I have ever seen….and me without my camera to capture the Skagit Valley weather!  By the time I made it home from work, it was dark and uninteresting.     

So instead, my photo journey through Coupeville, Washington continues….which isn’t a bad thing because I love this “driftwood alley”.  But, if you could have seen the skies today?!  Wow. 

It all happened so fast

Between the piles of the Coupeville Pier, seagulls were swimming back and forth.  I got plenty of pictures of that, but then one took flight.  If I hadn’t already been in the process of putting my camera away, I could have gotten more shots.  Sometimes good moments happen too fast!  I am happy with this one, though.

October Forecast

I wanted a picture of the sunset to usher in the last quarter of 2010.  I had high hopes for 2010, and I can’t say it has been a bad year, but it’s definitely been a tough year.   With a little trepidation and a lot of excitement, I walk into October thinking of my trip to Ireland and the preparations I’m making for my future beyond that.   Who will I meet in Dublin?  Will I be able to drive on the wrong side of the road without incident?  Will I be picked to taste test Scotch Whisky and Irish Whiskey at the Jameson distillery?  Time will tell. 

Camera:  Canon 40d
Location:  Whatcom County road

Under Cover

During a meeting in room 245, I noticed the rain.  Again. 

And, I of course forgot my umbrella for the 100th time.  Luckily, David has a few at this desk, so he brought me one on our coffee break.  Pictured here is the Lexus of umbrellas.  In addition to its one red triangle, it also boasts a squishy red handle that dubs as sort of a stress toy.  I envy it.  He wouldn’t share.  Grrr. 

Camera: Motorola Droid
Apps: PicSay Pro
Location: Employee parking lot; Burlington, Washington

Umbrella

 

Rain?  In Western Washington?  Noooo. 

Andy and I took a shopping trip to La Conner on Saturday after test driving some cars.   I got the pleasure of sharing this enormous Henry Weinhard’s umbrella with him, which had been aquired from a golf tournament sometime ago.   It’s no wonder everyone assumes we’re a couple.  But, rest assured World, we are still happily besties and more like brother and sister than anything resembling a “couple”.