fourpointedstar

In today’s language, this house belongs to a one-percent-er, but I have a hard time feeling jealous of them. After all, if I had millions (or billions), I’d want a home in that exact spot as well.

It probably goes without saying, but you can’t go very far in Seattle without seeing Mount Ranier. When we took the tour of the harbor the sun was setting and illuminating the snow cap.

When you go on vacation there are typically photos that you know about before hand, but this photo, I don’t think I could have anticipated even if someone had mentioned it before our trip.
If you stand on the loading platform for the Bainbridge Ferry you can see this one tree that is missing in the treelike along Wing Point. But the windows along the platform are highly reflective; all of them except for the one window that allows you to line up the Space Needle with the empty spot in the treeline.

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We stayed in a VRBO in the building to the right of this photo, and walking out to this patio / sidewalk each day was so welcoming. There was a variety of restaurants and entertainment along the first couple of floors and then housing in each building’s higher floors. Down near Skillet was the alleyway that leads up to Pike Place Market to the North, and as you can see, the stairs down led to the waterfront walk. But…don’t ask about the rent.

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We took a sunset boat ride out into Elliot Bay on our second to last day in Seattle. The colors in the sky were spectacular, and they mixed so well in with the colors on Pier 57. I hadn’t brought my wider lens, so I’m a bit sad that it’s so tight to the edges, but I love the colors!

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This might be my most serendipitous shot from our Seattle trip in October. Sarah and I were walking back to our VRBO that evening; Sarah wanted to look at a chocolate shop, but as we passed Union Street, the moon caught my eye. My feet were tired and I didn’t have my tripod with me, so this was taken with my Sony propped on top of a circular railing over the 3 story drop onto Post Alley. I probably took more than a dozen photos in my attempt to capture the scene; the ferris wheel would stop rotating, someone else would bump the railing, or I wasn’t standing perfectly still … but in the end I captured this 4 second exposure and only later discovered that it included Venus!

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Our human sense of scale is often inadequate for what is around us; that tugboat is huge, longer than a semi truck. But that tugboat pales in comparison to even the small “lake” that it’s floating in, Lake Union.

The shadows from the melting ice or snow rolling down the glass were the perfect addition to all of the angles in this photo.

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I think most people think of the Golden Gate Bridge or Hollywood or the beach when someone mentions California, but Bakersfield and the surrounding area in the south is so very different. As we flew over the mountains, my coworker mentioned how much he enjoys the mountains and the vistas they afford – something that California can definitely offer in spades.

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I remember the first time that I experienced the “Sneak Pass”; we lived in Pensacola at the time, and the Blue Angels were flying their end-of-the-season show. The Diamond formation flies off to one side, and while you’re looking over to the left and the right, one of the Solos sneaks up behind the crowd. Even today, knowing that its going to happen, it’s still impressive!

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