ABC Wednesday W is for...

Winning!

The kids treated hubby to a baseball game

 for Father's Day,

so we found our way to Seattle on Sunday,

for our first visit to "The Safe".  Safeco Field.

The Mariner Moose

was part of the pre-game activities...

...but later found his way into the stands to watch.

I think this mother and daughter
sitting in front of us
would have been satisfied
no matter who won.

W is also for "The Wave",

which traveled around the stands at least three or four times.

 Ichiro at bat! He got on base and scored in the sixth inning.

It would have been enough, but another run in the seventh made the final score 2-0 Mariners.

We were pleased to "root root root for the home team"

ABC Wednesday is here.

AngryBirds

Have you ever played Angry Birds? I have not played the game Angry Birds. I have not seen the game Angry Birds played. I am barely cognizant that there is a game called Angry Birds and have no idea on what device it is played.

But if you want to see some Angry Birds, just take a look at these guys.

...or should I say these gulls?

Does Angry Birds have a sound track? I imagine it does. If they needed inspiration for it they could have come and listened to these guys---er, gulls. They came every day while we were in camp. Yelled for a while, then left.

They seemed to be yelling at this gentle bird, who also came, took a look around quietly, and stood with dignified stance taking in the whole screaming match.

I liked him.

Did you find something Odd this week? Share your odd findings by linking your post here. And hey, how about a comment once in a while, okay? It's only fair.

Odd Shot--another sign

Another "What's so odd about that?" shot.

Clues began here at my other blog with Saturday's post.

You see, I don't do memes over there, but I do want you to go have a look.

The most revealing clue, in case you haven't guessed the connection by then, will be published Tuesday morning. Then all will be clear about this sign which stands adjacent.

Seattle Cloud Cover



Seattle Cloud Cover is the name of this art installation in the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Garden.


When I first saw it on our visit last month, I thought the elements had discolored the clear  panels bordering and sheltering the walkway.


No, my son told me--it's supposed to be that way. So we looked at the guide I had downloaded and printed out.  The "glass bridge incorporates images discovered in nature of the changing sky."

Perfect for a spring Skywatch.

You will find other Skywatchers here.

Skywatching took my breath away.

I couldn't find a place to pull over soon enough--and when I did, other drivers with cameras pulled in behind us.

Skywatch is here.

Anachronism

My Odd Shot for This Week

I usually have my Odd Shot up earlier on Sunday afternoon, but since it really is Odd Shots on Monday, you will have to give me some leeway here. And after all, I am the Odd Shots Boss.

We went on a picnic this afternoon and a drive and just got back a little bit ago. On the way towards Bickleton from Goldendale, after we passed through Cleveland this old farmsite against the backdrop of the wind turbines fascinated me.

Now, I must assume that you have not heard of these places--though each has its fame. Goldendale is a small town (population just under 4000) and the site of the largest telescope available for public viewing. You don't have to be a scientist to just go to the Goldendale Observatory and take your turn looking at stuff. Regular folks do it, Boy Scout troops, school classes, etc. Lots of fun exhibits aswell. Goldendale  also lays claim to the Maryhill Museum just down the road and Stonehenge.

Really. Look it up.

 Bickleton is famous for its Bluebird Trail--birdhouses along the roads and lanes in the countryside around the town invite the colorful creatures to nest there. And colorful!!! Too quick to get a picture but the brilliance of the blue was darting here there and everywhere as we came through the area. Bickleton is also famous (if you are old enough to remember and from around here) for having its entire graduating class one year in the late eighties appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Yes, all seven of them. All boys. And Johnny invited them back to meet a class of seven young ladies from a school in Nebraska. Thirty years ago when we visited Bickleton the population sign at the edge of town said 90. The same sign is still there--or one just like it.

Cleveland boasts the oldest rodeo in the state-- and a carousel which is over 100 years old and completely refurbished at the rodeo grounds. The population is 20.

What did you find odd in your world this week?

Lock up your garbage--Odd Shot for Monday

Being country bumpkins, when we visit large cities we often find things that are definitely odd to us, though pretty normal to those who make their homes there. Like locking up your garbage.

Ours here--in very similar containers--might be bothered occasionally by a stray dog, but never so much that it would warrant these efforts. Things are much more casual in the country.  In fact, our garbage man will go behind the gate and get the can if we forget to put it out by the road. If we are to be gone over the week, we must remember to ask him not to do that, as the extra courtesy does not extend to returning the can to the back--and a garbage can  by the road for days on end is a definite security problem.

And yard waste?  yes, I understand in the suburbs to separate it from other stuff, but what yard waste is there in this concrete jungle?

What did you discover that was odd this week? You might find what I've been posting over at 365 during the last week to be odd. Some really fun stuff from our city jaunt.

Working

While we were in Seattle last weekend, we visited the Fremont neighborhood and the Fremont Sunday Market, where we saw some interesting things for sale. Vendors doing their jobs, so this is my first Thursday Men (and Women) Working post for quite some time.

So, if you are wondering who is working here, the young woman at the left is taking orders for food being cooked inside that amazing pigmobile's kitchen.

Here are a couple more workers--LOL--vendors of not sure what--taking a break.

Fremont is a rather interesting neighborhood, always known for something unique even when we lived in Seattle years ago.  The picture in my current header is a sculpture in the area called "Waiting for the Interurban" enhanced by folks who like to dress the figures, and joined by my son, DIL, and hubby.

And Fremont's troll has been hanging out this week at my blog 365 No Themes No Memes.

Finding the Cranes--Part 4 of our adventure

The adventure started here.

We had come full circle plus some, and found the turnoff to the viewpoint which we had missed on our first pass along that way and we found this view into Marsh Unit 1.

We parked so we could get closer.

This must be the place!!!


We knew that the cranes moved around to different areas of the refuge at different times of the day, but this was a good sign. (no pun intended---well, maybe an advantageous opportunity for a good pun.)





There in the bottomland they were--thousands and thousands of them. This was quite a good distance away--the binoculars and zoom lens were essential to the view.

A real telephoto lens would have been even better, as this is the closest view I could get with the camera. We could definitely hear them even at that distance.You can see a close-up of a sandhill crane here. 

We had driven around in circles and figure eights, and did give our new All Wheel Drive a good test on the gravel roads. It handled like a dream in some places we might have hesitated to take one of the other cars.  After seeing the cranes, we headed for home with a stop for dinner. The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival 2012 is already on our calendar.

Part 3--Continuing the search for the elusive Sandhill Cranes

Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

After spending some time watching the  the enormous gaggle of geese, we determined to try the other location where we were  told we would find the cranes. So off we go again, through more of the Mid-Columbia farmland.

We followed the map and went north toward the Potholes Reservoir, then turned and headed across the causeway atop O'Sullivan Dam. Wind ablowing, the water in the lake was rough. We were glad we weren't there for fishing.

Partway across the dam was a rough turnout and evidence of a road down into Marsh Unit 1. We parked and went through the turnstile next to the gate.

It was pretty obvious that vehicle traffic was not welcome, at least at this time.

We hiked down a way into the area, but, not knowing how far we would have to go, and not prepared for a lot of hiking yet, we went back to the car.

When we got to the other side of the dam, we found the road where we had come out on our first attempt. This sign was no surprise, but we had not had such a warning when we started from the other end.

Now, when we had been traveling north on that road earlier, I had seen out of the corner of my eye what looked like a piece of black plastic or a ablack garbage bag stuck on a branch in the pond.

Whoa! Stop! Wait! What is this?

 Huge black bird. After a few snaps he decided he didn't link us hanging out there, so he took off.
My research suggests that he is a Great Ccormorant. Compare this picture--right click and open in a new window so you can look side by side. If someone can identify him more accurately, I would appreciate it.

The ducks at this pond didn't want me to photograph them either. You can just make them out in the center of the picture flying away from me.

Will we ever find those four foot tall red-heads? Watch here for part four.

We knew they were somewhere--Part 2--Our search for the elusive Sandhill Cranes.

Part 1 is here.

We had followed this loop through the Wildlife Refuge and out to the highway and back to Othello without seeing any Sandhill Cranes and very little wildlife.

Back in Othello, the next step of the adventure started here:

"Why McDonald's?" you might ask. "Is that where the famous four foot tallred-heads were hanging out?"

No, we stopped for caffeine and the facilities. But when I headed out to the car I saw a group who were sporting binoculars, and what might a group of people in the midst of the Sandhill Crane migration wearing binoculars be looking for? So I approached them and took my map and was told to go look for them at the Marsh Unit 1 Viewpoint. Hubby had had a similar conversation inside while waiting for his soft drink, but was told to go to the Royal Lake Viewpoint. I had read in the guidebook that that was a good place, and we had just come back from the vicinity of Marsh Unit 1, so we headed out to the Wildlife Refuge again.

Look familiar?

This time we went straight.

We saw sagebrush.

A lot of sagebrush.

After climbing a ways we stopped and looked back down into the valley from which we had come.



Before too long we found our turn.

Another section of Mid-Columbia region farmland.

A little windy.

Well, okay, a lot windy.

Okay, a whole lot windy.

But we found the Royal Lake Viewpoint.

Well, what do you see?

At this distance it's hard to say.

A Gaggle of Geese!

More later. Part 3 is here.