Sedro-Woolley

Sedro-Woolley was founded on a can-do spirit brought by hard working folks as they made their way into the great forests of the area. This tradition of hard work and community was well documented by photographer Darius Kinsey whose works are on display in town and at the Sedro-Woolley Museum. The downtown is decorated with historical murals, large cedar statues carved by chainsaw and hand finished, and attractive gas lamp replicas.

This mural artist signs his name with a Bible verse. On this one it’s Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

This signature is hard to see but it’s Fredrick Sutliffe again and the Bible verse posted on this mural was John 3:16~

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Until it closed in October 2010, Holland Drugs of Sedro-Woolley was the oldest continuously operated business in Skagit county outside of LaConner. Its roots began in 1889 in the old town of Sedro on the north shore of the Skagit river as one of the first businesses near Mortimer Cook’s original general store. Seventeen-year-old Albert E. Holland arrived in old Sedro on July 15, 1886, and was immediately hired by Cook to be his clerk. Holland parlayed his original drug store into one of the largest pioneer fortunes in Sedro-Woolley.

1 John 4:8 ~ ^“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

This looked like the newest mural on the side of a Mexican Restaurant.

The Bible reference from Fredrick on this one is Rom. 6:23 ~ ^“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This very large mural is painted on the side of a building that defines part of the outdoor space called Hammer Heritage Square in honor of the Hammer family, pioneers here from the 19th century.

The artist signed his work in the form of a wanted poster. Madd Artist. Name: John Maddox-Alias: The Bald Dude-Last Spotted: Fighting the Mural Deadline-Crime: Brush onslaught with the intent to paint- Gang Members: I won’t list them all. At the very bottom it says In Memory of Bill Bowley +.

This chain saw carving by Phil Finton won 4th place in 1999 at the Loggerodeo Chainsaw Carving Contest.

Loggerodeo is an annual event held on July 4th in Sedro-Woolley, the chainsaw carving capitol of Washington State and the Pacific Northwest.

Daddy’s Little Logging Princess. I didn’t get a closeup on who carved this one. There were several other carvings along Metcalf Street in the historic business area of Sedro-Woolley.

Sedro-Woolley was a fun stop on Dear and my Fall drive in the early part of October to areas of the Skagit Valley. It would be interesting to head out to this town on the 4th of July with ear plugs to see the chainsaw carving contest in action.

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday for S is for Sedro-Woolley. Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger’s team of ABC’ers for keeping us all in line.

I’ve decided to add one more link for this post called Our World Tuesday.

Speaking of saws, there is a noisy one in action in our basement today as Dear is framing out a niche that has needed attention for a long time. He will be adding shelves to the space that I get to fill up. That’s dangerous. Before and after photos to come after completion. Yikes! Thanksgiving is next week!

Discovery Park Seattle

We woke up to a beautiful day on Friday November 6th and decided to explore a part of Seattle we had never been to before. Discovery Park is located in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood, and is the largest park in the city. Entry is free. The Discovery Park Loop Trail is a designated National Recreation Trail, 2.8 miles long with an elevation change of just 140 feet. It passes through both forest and open meadows, offers extensive views, good prospects for bird watchers, and can be hiked or jogged year-round.

We walked to the highest point on the Loop Trail. A sign points right toward a viewpoint near the old chapel that looks out over the South Meadow. What you see from this viewpoint is the Puget Sound, The Olympic Mountain Range and Bainbridge Island.

The little white World War II chapel perched on the hill at Discovery Park has been given historic landmark status and given a second chance to remain standing on a spot that overlooks Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Before there was a park here, this area was Fort Lawton and it is thanks to the fort that this large park is available to Seattlites who wish to explore an urban trail.

While Fort Lawton was a quiet outpost prior to World War II, it became the second largest port of embarkation of soldiers and materials to the Pacific Theater during the war. The fort was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list. Fort Lawton officially closed on September 14, 2011.

One of our goals while at Discovery Park was to see the light house on West Point. We stopped at the visitor center and asked about driving to the lighthouse and we were happy to learn that since we were 62 or over we could get one of 8 special parking permits to park at South Beach close to the West Point, otherwise we would have had to hike there. If we were prepared it would have been easy enough for us to take the South Beach Trail and walk/hike but on this day we were happy to drive.

The West Point Lighthouse has a Victorian-era Beacon. It was built in 1881.

North Beach on Shilshole Bay.

South Beach on the Puget Sound looking towards the West Seattle Bridge with Mt. Rainier barely visible. Squint and you can see it.

This last mosaic is a photo of South Beach with a couple navigating the rocks on the left of the photo. I zoomed in on my photo to get a closer look at them. When I took this photo I didn’t realize we’d have a nice encounter with this couple. They had hiked down to the beach. When we made it to our car and started back to the visitor center to hand in our parking pass we saw them starting their walk back and we decided to roll our window down and ask them if they wanted a ride back. They were happy to accept and we learned they had just arrived the day before to the Seattle area from Milan, Italy. They were here for a very short time to see their daughter who was attending a special course at the University of Washington. We were happy to share our experiences in Milan with them. They were navigating our city by bus and other public transportation.

We would like to visit Discovery Park again in the future to see more of the park in a different season.

I’m linking up to Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life. Click over to see more mosaics from around the world.

We have enjoyed a quiet weekend with a mix of rain, high winds and a little sunshine. We were home mostly except for church this morning and have eaten all of our meals in. Why do I feel like I need a pat on the back for that or that you even need to know that? Hope you had a good weekend in or out!

Thank You for Friday & Everything Else

Last weekend Dear and I were visiting our eastern Washington kids. On Saturday while the guys worked hard on a home project, Jamie and I attended a Paint Party. The party was put on by Raggedy Rose Vintage Designs ~ Make and Take Sign Parties. They have a Facebook Page.

First we got to pick our wood board in whatever finish we liked.

We got to choose the stencil with a saying we wanted to add to our board. The equipment was all provided along with great spaces to create. So many paint colors to choose from. The hostesses went around helping us and giving us tips.

After we painted the lettering and symbols we let the paint dry somewhat and then we peeled off the stencil and got to see our final results. When things were good and dry they screwed in a hanging wire for us.

There was a little glare on the photo of this one which is our daughter in laws. Mine is the one at the top of this post that says thankful & Grateful.

Here are the gals with their new creations ready to take home. For a non-crafty person like myself this was not as scary as I thought it would be. Everything was so well organized and things explained well. It was a lot of fun. We got home in time to relax before we enjoyed dinner with the guys.

On Monday we got to enjoy a wonderful double rainbow just out of our kid’s door.

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

¹⁷So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” Genesis 9: 13-17

I posted this Russian Beet salad, Vinegrette, that was a family favorite growing up on Monday. You can find the recipe at Mennonite Girls can Cook by clicking here.

On Tuesday we drove the five and a half hours back to our home in Western Washington.

I’m thankful and grateful for God’s goodness and love towards us. For our visit with our kids in Eastern Washington. For enjoying creative endeavors. For Dear and Dan being able to complete a house project together. For God’s provision for our son in giving him a good helper in Jamie, (Genesis 2:18 (ESV) Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”) For the rainbow and God’s promise to us. And on a lighter note…good food!

I’m linking up to…

Foodie Friday and Everything Else at Rattlebridge Farm

Five on Friday with Amy at Love Made My Home

Friday’s Fave Five with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story

Escape from Seattle…

…to the country.

We were greeted by many country creatures upon our arrival.

We’ll be busy being country mice for a few days. I will get caught up with bloggy world here and there. Meanwhile back on the other side of the Cascades these warnings are being issued.

The latest look at the forecast models this morning shows they are still calling for a major windstorm this evening and tonight. This morning would be a good time to do your final preparations in case the power goes out in your area.

Right now a powerful low pressure center carrying the remnants of Typhoon Songda is off the Oregon coast. It’s expected to track inland across the Washington coast into southern British Columbia — a text book scenario to a damaging wind storm in Western Washington.

We have our home prepared and people in place to watch and let us know what’s going on…

InSPIREd Sunday…

Steeples and bell towers from the road in Spokane, Puyallup and a message in Colville Washington.

Peace Lutheran Church in Puyallap Washington.

I think this is the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane taken from Providence Sacred Heart Hospital. I plan to take an up close and personal view of this cathedral in the future.

For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

I saw this verse on the side of a building in Colville, Washington.

We are having a nice visit with my cousin and friend from college who married my cousin. The weather has changed here with wind and rain and lots of leaves falling.

We took a selfie. We are eating well with an egg scramble for breakfast, cucumber salsa, and pulled pork sandwiches with beans and coleslaw for dinner and a shrimp cocktail chaser that my cousin Jim served up. Oh and there’s a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for dessert.

Tomorrow Jim and Jeanie head to Canada and a ferry ride to Vancouver Island. We are inspiring them by watching the survival show “Alone” that was filmed on Vancouver Island. Have you watched that show?

Linking up with InSPIREd Sunday hosted by Sally and Beth! Thank you!

The Washington State Fair

We woke up on a semi-cloudy day and I convinced Dear that it would be a good day to “Do The Puyallup”. It was Thursday September 8th and we were hoping the crowds would be light at the fairgrounds.

We stopped at our local Safeway to buy our Senior discounted tickets for $7.50 each and hit the highway south to the town of Puyallup, pronounced, (pew-Al-up). We parked for $10.00 across the street from the Blue Entrance.

The Washington State Fair, commonly referred to as the Puyallup Fair, is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. The fair continually ranks in the top ten largest fairs in the United States.

The crowds were very light on this morning which we appreciated. There are several things you might notice at our state fair and fairs in general.

There are lots of temporary fences or barriers to herd people in the right direction or keep them safe. Turkey Legs are a popular feature at the fair.

There are many food options and several non-fried options. I wonder what the difference is between Carmel Apples and Caramel Apples?

This fried option was tempting but we didn’t give in. There were several Elephant Ear stands all around the grounds.

We chose the barbecue option for our lunch at the fair. There were many barbecue options. We also indulged in a fair scone.

Besides the world’s largest Outlaw Grill we happened upon the grower of the world’s largest pumpkin (1st Prize) taking a photo with the men in blue from Pierce County Sheriffs Department. I think the officer on his knee next to the grower might be her son but I didn’t ask. They resemble each other and they are holding hands and look at the sunglasses.

I found the Grange displays to be very interesting. “Stop by to view this unique display of agricultural art. Showcasing a unique blend of creativity and agriculture, granges from all over Western Washington display their finest at the Washington State Fair. Granges serve an important role in agriculture and community.”

There were several more than these four. Left to right: Easthill Grange with a John Muir Theme, Humptulips Grange with a Christmas theme, Lewis County Pomona Grange with a Field of Dreams theme, and Mason County Pomona Grange with a Pollinator’s Paradise theme. There were many varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, eggs, canned goods, and honey.

Flowers were being judged in this building also. This next collage is of some of the dahlia arrangements.

Of course you shouldn’t miss the farm animals. Cows, horses, goats, sheep, chickens, lamas, and pigs, oh my.

The chainsaw wood carvers were busy at work and had these fun displays.

This bench was an example of fine craftsmanship and very unique. Created by JQ and selling for $4800.

Another great area of the fair we visited was the arts building that housed the home arts including quilts and foods and fine art and photography.

I really do admire quilters and their patience in getting these works of art started and finished!

We came away from the fair with purchases from the Blacksmiths and I didn’t get a picture of their area at the fair, a fire poker and a dinner bell. Dear seems to remember that we attended this fair once before in the 28 years that we’ve lived in Washington. I don’t remember being at this fair before. Katie and I attended the Evergreen Fair, a smaller fair closer to home. When we lived in California we attended the Pomona Fair and the Ventura County Fair.

Do you attend fairs in your part of the world?

Monday Mural

When we were in the Northeastern part of Washington state I took a solo country roads drive to see what I could see. This is a mural on highway 395 between Chewelah and Colville in Addy. Definitely country as opposed to rock an roll…

I’m linking up with Oakland Daily Photo for Monday Mural.

The Barn Collective

These are the final allotment of my farm scenes and barns from Northeastern Washington that I took in August.

I’m linking up to The Barn Collective hosted by Tom the Backroads Traveler.

I’m posting this next photo on all my posts that go up on 9-11, remembering.

InSPIREd Sunday- Colville

I copied the description of this church from their webpage.

We are a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church located in Colville, WA. We are a Reformed church. Our prayer is to reach out to this world with the good news of the gospel. We proclaim God’s free grace in Christ, we worship our Lord in Spirit and in truth, and we seek to grow in unity and maturity in the Lord.

Emmanuel Presbyterian Church…is a worshiping body of believers, united to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and nourished by means of the public ordinances of Christ’s Church. We are a local congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, a conservative, Reformed, and Presbyterian denomination.

The Word “Orthodox”…

…in our name means: “committed to correct teaching and doctrine.” We are unswervingly committed to the whole Word of God as the divinely inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word from God — the only rule of faith and godliness.

I took these photos in August while visiting our son and daughter in law.

To see more of InSPIREd Sunday posts from around the world go to the link up hosted by Beth and Sally.

We are having a beautiful weekend here in the Seattle area. We celebrated Dear’s birthday yesterday and tomorrow we are looking forward to a start of a new series at church called God and Politics. Should be interesting and of course it’s timely. Hope you are having a peaceful weekend.

Here, There and Everywhere…

Here are some fences and signs and other things that Dear and I have seen together as we travel here, there and everywhere.

On the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State.

Signs from Fort Langley, British Columbia.

A fence along the river in Fort Langley.

All is well with our electrical at this old house. Today, Wednesday, is a shopping day with our daughter. The neighborhood kids are rising early for the start of school in our district. Thursday is the first day of an Estate sale at my neighbors so cars and people will be filling our street. Friday is Dear’s birthday and we are meeting our western Washington kids for dinner. So far the weekend is free. How’s September shaping up for you?

Linking with Lesley for signs, signs.

Also linking with Tex*Wis*Girl for Good Fences #129.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Category Archives: Washington State