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!

Living in the Pacific Northwest

As I walked away from breakfast yesterday morning, hot coffee cup warming my hands, camera bag on my back, and raindrops collecting on my eyelashes, I smiled.   To live happily in the Pacific Northwest, one must learn to accept the ever-present clouds and look for something beautiful to photograph on all of those gray days. 

The quick trip I made to Port Townsend this weekend for my friend Erica’s birthday not only afforded a few snapshots, but a few chance meetings and new discoveries.  It was a great weekend.  And because I need to save my energy for the two American Lit papers I still need to write today, I’ll stop here and just show you the pictures….

Eagle sighting distracted me, and I missed my ferry by five minutes. I was actually okay with that!

  

A little red on the gray-blue horizon
A glimpse of a lighthouse behind a colorful hillside
A little bit of color along the road
At Fort Worden State Park

 

Rust, peeling paint, and a shallow DOF...this is what I love!

It’s the End of the World

Ok, another gross exaggeration on my part.  But, it is the end of the summer, and I’m taking it out REM style.

That’s great, it starts with a wedding cake
Pauli, Karl tie the knot
Listen to my heart drop
Cheating boyfriend
Hit the road
Moving forward with this heavy load

Can’t seem to find the eye of the hurricane
bittersweet 4.0
Tapping out equations on a Casio
Flying home, feel alone
Return to battle false hope blown

Trying to distract myself to save myself
Leavenworth, sunburn
Feeling my stomach churn
San Diego, whiskey drinks
Uh-oh CEOs and patios
Riding an Irish horse
Never really good, of course

Parking ticket
Italian night, Snookified
Whiskey texting
Unforgiving

Bloodletting, endless mire
Talking through a forest fire
Dreams that wake me up at night
30 bucks will be required

Vancouver
Fireworks, Croatians on the patio
Salmon swimming up the street
Pride, rainbows, vibrating rings and other things
Timbits in a box
Photo projects for the lost

Port Townsend
Ferries, lushes, sacred places
Lighthouse, wishing rocks
White wine, warm sand, open spaces

Bassett dates, never late
Andy Pants, birthday plans
Flight to Dublin booked on Droid
New friends and Jameson

Photo walks, photo days
Blogging, jogging
Canons, Nikons, Droids, iPhones
Birthdays, weddings, bachelorette
Forgiving, forgetting, moving on

Chris, Jess, Ella Rayne
It’s really hard to maintain
The smile, the laughs, when thinking that I’ll miss you before you’re gone

The other night I dreamt of old  friends, now in a deep divide
Hugging, smiling once again
Reconciling, moving forward
Shaking off the mire

Yes, it’s the end of the summer (as I knew it). 
And I feel fine.

Camera:  Canon 40d
Location:  Fort Worden, Washington

Knock Knock

“Knock knock,” Ella says.

I know the routine.  “Who’s there?”

“Boo…” she continues.

I then ask her the only appropriate question, “Boo who?”

“Boo penguin!”  She giggles, knowing the joke makes no sense, but she can’t remember how it actually goes.  But  she’s five and it’s cute, and I love her to pieces.  We spend the next half hour online looking up real “knock knock” jokes and laughing obnoxiously at the punch lines. 

I was looking for just one photo to capture the essence of the day, which included a trip by ferry to Port Townsend.  I realized this one of my niece, which so perfectly highlights  her blue eyes, was the only possible choice.   My family lives in Minnesota, and I’ve never before in Ella’s life spent so much quality time with her.    I am so blessed to have been given this perfect day and all its little adventures. 

Camera:  Nikon Coolpix 100
Location:  La Isla Mexican restaurant;  Port Townsend, Washington

The Sacred Place

Some of my girlfriends and I took a ferry out to Port Townsend yesterday and decided to start a new tradition.

One weekend each August we’ll buy a bottle of chilled white wine and make our way down to the beach below the lighthouse.  We’ll lay in the sun and eventually make our way back to town, following the beach the entire way. 

This picture was taken just before the long walk back into Port Townsend.  As I gathered the stones that made this shot I realized how lucky I am to have the friends that I do – friends who let me make them the subject of pictures.  Friends who are worth sharing the sacred places of life.  

I lush you ladies!  You know who you are!! 🙂

Camera: Nikon Coolpix 100