Hood Artistry

I don't know why, but this truck really caught my attention.

Hot Rod School Bus

How come my school bus never looked all shiny and fast like this one?

Hot Rod School Bus

Happy July 4th to all my American friends!

Lotus Smile

Another from the car show - I think this car is smiling.

Lotus

Round & Round

There was a car show in Stanwood this past Sunday. The weather was perfect! There were lots of classic cars, hot rods, a bus, a motorhome and even a semi truck! I'll be sharing a few of my favorite pictures over the next few days.

World Bird Wednesday - The Rooftop Roost

The Granary in Stanwood

 

Springman at the Pine River Review is the host each week for World Bird Wednesday. Start your day's bird watching by clicking on the logo above.

Juvenile Eagle

When I was out and about today, I was pretty stoked to be able to capture this wonderful juvenile eagle.

Whatchu lookin' at, Willis?

Skywatch Friday - Tuesday Sunset

We had a nice sunset on Tuesday. Unfortunately, my vantage point is not the greatest. But here it is anyway!

There is a wonderful team behind the Skywatch meme each week - Klaus, Wren, Sandy, Fishing Guy and Sylvia! Click on the banner above and go see what skies others are sharing from around the globe!

Weekend Reflections - Legs

From a car show in Stanwood last June. Shiny! Shiny!

Legs

James at Newtown Area Photo is our host each Friday for Weekend Reflections. Click on the logo above to see more great shots from around the world.

Old Barns - Better Days

This Barn Has Definitely Seen Better Days

Click on the icon above to see more old barns. This meme is hosted by Tricia at Bluff Area Daily.

Mellow Yellow Monday #45 - Amber Glow

Amber Glow

Photo Information
Location: Amtrak Station, Stanwood, Washington
Date: November 21, 2009

To see more fun pictures with a yellow theme, or to share your own, click on the Mellow Yellow Monday badge below. Drowsey Monkey hosts this wonderful meme every week.

The Train, It Is a Comin'...

Hooray! We are getting our own Amtrak stop in Stanwood. Originally scheduled to open in June 2009, it is now due to open in September. Amtrak Cascades rail service will then be available with 4 scheduled stops each day. I just love to ride the train and can't wait for our new station to open.

There isn't much to look at right now so I'll share pics of the finished platform at a later date.

What a Difference a Week Makes

We came home early from work today because there was talk of shutting I-5 North down at the Arlington / Island Crossing exit. The interchange itself was closed because of water over the ramps and at one point only two lanes were getting through. Rather than risk getting stuck without an alternate route home, many employees left early including us.

The docks at our community lake are under water except for the floating section at the end. You can't even get to them unless you are wearing hip waders.

Community docks under water

The Stillaguamish River went over its banks and flooded the valley between Silvana and Stanwood.

Stillaguamish Valley between Silvana & Stanwood

It is just amazing how much water is around here when just a week ago we still had plenty of snow on the ground from the storms at Christmas.

The Stilly was scheduled to crest this afternoon at record levels. Many people will have a mess to clean up when the river finally recedes. I am thankful we are not affected at our house.

Hope your weather is good today wherever you are.

Power is still intact

Surprisingly, we haven't lost power...yet...knock on wood.

It has snowed off and on all day today, and it is snowing right now. I think we only got a few more inches, but it is hard to tell because of the drifting.

I checked the weather forecast a while ago and every day through Christmas calls for snow showers. We might just have a white Christmas, although I think it is likely we'll have rain before then. I think it will warm up too much for snow.

Still don't have the Christmas tree up. Shame on me. I know I have to do it before Wednesday. Scrooge is alive and well inside me.

Here are some pictures from yesterday as promised. It seemed strange seeing snowmobile tracks around here. I bet those people who own them never thought they'd be able to use them close to home. Usually you have to go up into the mountains to play.

I told you it was cold outside!

Downtown Stanwood

Snowy Farm with Snowmobile Tracks

I took the dogs out in the back yard earlier today and let them play. Our other camera shoots video so here's one of Jelly and Buddy having fun. Honestly!

All this snow has been hard on the trees. When I've been out shoveling, you can hear the tree branches cracking and snapping under the weight of the snow. Even our neighbor's cherry trees have been hard hit. These are thick trunked trees that seemed impervious to the snowfall, until now. It really is a shame. These trees are very pretty, especially when in bloom in the spring. Ahhh, spring...kinda hard to think about spring (or is it) with all of the snow. When the broken branches get removed, it might open up our view to the lake though.

Trees a few days ago

Trees today

Cracked Branch

I also took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood. As expected, a few vehicles didn't make it up the hill last night. It's hard to tell from this shot, but trust me, the upper part of the hill was nasty.

Looking towards the steep hill - Merry Christmas!

In fact, our good friends' son's car wouldn't be able to make it up the hill today so he was going to park it in front of our house. He was on his way to the airport in Bellingham. Unfortunately, he couldn't even get to our neighborhood in it. We met our friends at the Park-n-Ride to pick them up after dropping off their own vehicle for their son to use to get to the airport.

Karl has enjoyed driving the truck in the snow. We drove up the hill with no problem. Good thing we have the truck. The Toyota is not going anywhere anytime soon.

It's Buried

It promises to be an icy commute tomorrow. I'm working, Karl's on vacation, so he'll be stuck at home unless he digs the car out. :-)