Before the rain today. . .

More cherry blossoms -- CLICK on PHOTO to enlarge and see the detail!

Sky Watch Friday #20 A GEOMETRIC SKY!

If you want to join Sky Watch Friday blogging, go here for the blogroll.
Skywatch

Click on these to see the geometic sky beter.

Blossoms on trees and blue skies Wednesday. . .

ABC Wednesday - Year 2 #8

Go here if you would like to join us for ABC Wednesday. . . Mrs Nesbitt


There are a lot of historical homes preserved for our heritage history in Vancouver, Washington.

I could have showed you the Hidden House, (1863 -- L.M. Hidden moves to Vancouver to begin a life of civic contribution. His brick company has turned out more than 100 million bricks for such landmarks as The Academy and St. James Church. 1885 L.M. Hidden House is built with bricks made by his Vancouver company.)

OR the Covington House, (Covington House (log cabin) built by Richard Covington who came from London with his wife to teach children at the Fort. Oldest existing school building in the county.)

or Slocum House (1867 Slocum House is built. First elegant mansion in Vancouver. Moved one block north of its original site in 1966 to rescue it from urban renewal. Now in Esther Short Park and used for theatrical productions.)
OR
the Padden House whom our latest freeway is named for or many others. Remember, our town just celebrated our 150th birthday of incorporation last summer but was a Fort before that.

There is a big poster in a gazebo at Esther Short Park that tells you how to get to them. Historic sites in Clark County Map

The ones I focus on today are on that map in a row on one block on Evergreen Blvd. in west Vancouver.

First is the Simpson House. . . I could find no information on this home but I wonder if it has some connection to the Simpson House Inn in California? It is next door to the other two homes I am featuring today and the architecture looks similar in some features. As you can see, it is also labeled -- without a date tho.



Then there is the Eddings House, also on Evergreen Blvd in west Vancouver. I could not find a thing about him on the internet. Guess I need to go to the museum and find out more about the historic register for Vancouver.



The last one of the three I took photos of is the Cushing-Caples House.

This house was once the home of Charles W. Cushing. He was well known in Vancouver as a talented painter of houses, signs, and carriages. The house was purchased in 1890 by John W. and Harriet L. Caples. They were employed in the fur trade; and Mrs. Caples worked as an interpreter at Fort Vancouver.  During the twentieth century the house came to be known as the Fort Vancouver Seamen’s Center. This house is a fine example of the pioneer or homestead style of houses, with subtle Victorian details including the scroll work on the front porch. Built circa 1888. Listed on the Clark County Heritage Register in 1996. This property now houses a private business.

Well, there you have three historical homes on W. Evergreen Blvd. For a better detailed view, click on photos to enlarge. They will not be original size since I made them smaller to fit the collages.

Winter beauty . . .

OK, I was out running errands and saw lots more flowers for Spring's arrival. BUT my darn batteries were dead. I don't know why -- must be something wrong with the charger because they were just charged. Oh well, this is a beauty I took and didn't get a chance to post it last month.
Sometimes dried up weeds and flowers have an interesting look for photographers. I took this photo about a month ago after the snow was all gone and I was out walking the trails, searching for something interesting.



Thanks, Sharon!

Sharon gave me this award. I appreciate her thoughtfulness. In return, give it to anyone that stops by and wants it.

Monday Odd Shots: I Met Tony Tiger in person!!!!!!!!!!!!

The symbol above is for a new meme that Katney started recently .


I was coming out of Walmart with my Propel water packets that I ran in for and saw Tony! In case you aren't familiar with Tony Tiger, he is the spokesman for Frosted Flakes cereal. "They're greaaaattttttttt!"

I guess they were offering kids a photo with him free. I told the ladies who were taking the photos I didn't want my picture taken with him. I had my own camera and wanted to take a shot of Tony myself if it was ok. I think they were so shocked, they said nothing so I took my photo, paid for my items and left. Of course, as you see, Tony was cooperative and even posed for me. . . good 'ole Tony. (I sure love Frosted Flakes!)

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #20 (I think)

If you want to join us, go here: Blue PantherE

I am trying to re-write this from memory because Blogger won't let me get to the post I wrote that was missing the graphic and link to Blue Panther. Thank God for Image Shack which hosts my photos today since Blogger isn't working. . .

As I walked out of the elevator Saturday just after lunchtime, a young girl approached me and asked me, "Why didn't you come to BINGO last night?"

At that moment, I realized yesterday was Friday and I had missed it. I guess I had gotten busy in my apartment and forgotten to go. You see, we have BINGO on Friday nights in our community room in this apartment complex. This young girl was visiting her grandmother, who is a new resident. I had made friends with them when they were moving grandma in one day recently. The following day, the granddaughter saw me in the community room with a small group playing a table game and stopped by to say hello.

A few days ago, this Grandma had told me her granddaughter was coming to visit for the weekend again and I talked her into bringing the granddaughter to BINGO. Then I forgot to go!

Youngsters are a real blessing when they show a caring attitude as this young girl did. This bronze statue in the park shows a young girl handing a grandfatherly looking gentlemen some flowers. It reminds me of the child who missed me and who is my blessing this week.

Having problems with Blogger again. . .

Well, I am having trouble with blogger again. I wrote my blessing post for Sunday and then went to get the info to add to top to link to Blue Panther and I keep getting thrown off, trying to access my post I wrote. I will keep trying even tho it is after 12:30 AM --oops with Daylight savings time starting today, it is an hour later.

White Daffodils say its SPRING!!!!!!!!!!

Recently, I found yellow daffodils in bloom and this week, white daffodils all over the place! Next flower search is for Iris!
CLICK ON EACH TO SEE BIGGER.

Sky Watch Friday #19

If you want to join Sky Watch Friday blogging, go here for the blogroll.
Skywatch

We might have gray skies but I see buds on the trees and lots of diffrent birds recently. Not sure what this is -- maybe a crow? I guessed right. The major consensus is a crow as it is too small for a raven.






 

Some walking trail friends. . .

One of our walking trails follows Burnt Bridge Creek and along the way, there are ponds for many creatures that make Vancouver a natural habitat. These two are examples. I took their photo last week..

ABC Wednesday - Year 2 # 7

Go here if you would like to join us for ABC Wednesday. . . Mrs Nesbitt

G is for Gladiolas and graffiti!

There it was, right in front of me. . .

I don't know what kind of bird this is but I was walking across the Walmart parking lot and looking at the many seagulls there when I spotted this bird in a small tree right in front of me! I was so close to it, I almost didn't see it. . . something made me look down from the sky (probably so I wouldn't trip over a curb!!!!!) and there it was. It was nice enough to let me take a photo from several angles. It doesn't look very happy . . . If anyone knows what it is, I would love to identify it. Thanks!
CLICK ON BIRDS TO SEE THEM BIGGER. jennyi over at Tnet identified it as a Starling. A Google search explains how the birds were transplanted to the United States to make a connection to Shakspear's plays.

Monday Odd Shots #4

If you are looking for my "Building Bridges" post, it is right below this one.


The symbol above is for a new meme that Katney started recently .


The wording on this is my odd shot. Now, I ask you, how many cable TV's do you see parked there? "Cable TV CUSTOMER parking only" would be better sounding to me!

Building Bridges -- March 2008

RuneE is sponsoring this monthly challenge on the first Monday of every month. Building Bridges is subject to open interpretation. I have taken a very wide and literal interpretation for this month. . . They are still "building" this bridge and it should be finished this summer but I couldn't wait to share it with everyone. We have been wanting this for years. Now, it is built to celebrate a special event for the Northwest commemorating Lewis and Clark's expedition in our area.

Our city, Vancouver, Washington is almost finished with this bridge. It is a pedestrian bridge and starts near the old Fort Vancouver replica,


crosses over Hiway 14 and ends at the Old Apple Tree Park,


famous for having the oldest apple tree in the northwest.

This is a photo of the architects plan that is posted across the street from the Old Apple Tree Park. Click on photo to read more about it on the sign. You can also read more about it here: Confluence Project Along the Columbia River. The project itself is a bridge between Washington history and the present day.


I took this photo in a moving car as we were headed west on Hiway 14. The bridge is almost finished. It was supposed to have a completion date of 2007 so we are anxious to use it soon.

Hope you enjoyed learning about my first entry for "Building Bridges." I will update on this challenge when I get to walk across the bridge on its official opening day this summer.

Blog Your Blessings Sunday #19

Go here if you would like to participate: Blue Panther

PLEASE CLICK on the photo to enlarge so you can experience the beauty as I did. . .


Sometimes its hard to choose a blessing to focus on for this project because I have received so many. So to make it simple, I chose a photo I took recently while on a hike in the city. If you walked by this "object" on the ground, you might understand why I found its simplicity something special, my blessing for this week.

Since you didn't walk by it, I hope you clicked on it to enlarge it and see it for what it really is. It's not just a rotted out tree stump -- it's a thing of beauty! Look at the intricate curves of the outer bark. Is it really just one tree or many trees grown together as one? I will never know because I didn't see it before the trunks were cut off to this level. I just know that when I saw it I had to take a photograph of it.

Did you see the heart shape in the upper-left? (It is the second part down on left top.)I can also see a hippo and a duck or a rabbit with short ears. But I also see how the autumn leaves have snuggled in to seek refuge and protection from the winter snows and how the things around it pale into comparison. The beauty of this simple object at the end of its life stands out above the grasses, the weeds, the colors around it. It's a thing of beauty and I'm glad it came into my life. Simple things are such a blessing! May there always be simple pleasures to bless our lives.

Looks like SPRING is here early!

These are the flowers I came across this week in my walking travels.