While driving through downtown one of the things you would have a hard time missing is this huge mural on the side of the Labor Temple. This is The Olympia Rafah Mural Project. It was created after the death of a young local woman in Gaza. I'm showing you this mural not to make any political statement whatsoever, but merely to show you another piece of what makes Olympia the city it is. If, however you would like to read a little more about this wall and what it represents click here.

Back in high school my best friend John and I took the photography class they offered at our high school. We really had a blast. Most of what we shot at that time was black and white, which I really grew to love. The teacher would give us an assignment of what to shoot such as stop action, or textures, or whatever. It got to the point we carried our cameras just about everywhere. I saved up my money and bought my first 35 mm camera, a Yashica TL Electro X. It was a simple camera, but still delivered pretty good photos for the price. I believe I paid about $135.00 for it. One particular weekend my parents decided we were heading to Seattle for the day. John and I grabbed our cameras, a couple rolls of film and off we went. I have quite a few good shots from that day, but this one caught my eye as I was going through them. Why not? The Space Needle is a northwest landmark, and my contribution to Remember Whensday.

For more Remember Whensday photos click the link below.

Waaaay back in July I showed you this fountain on the Capitol Campus. Well, this past Saturday (Halloween) night my wife and I headed there to take some photos before going out to dinner. Besides hob-nobbing with the Governor and her husband we managed to snap a few shots before our stomachs started growling. The reddish-pink lights they had trained on the fountain could be seen from quite a distance. I thought it would be great for Ruby Tuesday.

For more Ruby Tuesday photos click the link below.

Often, when a building outlives it's usefulness it is merely torn down and replaced with a larger more modern one with twice the office space, but only a fraction of the character. Sometimes we get lucky though. Sometimes the public speaks out loud enough that one of these old gems lives on. This is the case of The Old Thurston County Courthouse. For a short, but interesting explanation click here.

Visit the world that is The Monochrome Weekly by clicking the link below.

Since Halloween and the November CDPB Theme sort of crossed paths I thought it would be fitting to share these gates that mark the entrance of The Masonic Memorial Park in Olympia.

Happy Halloween everyone!

This evening after my wife and I got off work, we decided to head out and take some pictures. We hadn't been to the State Capitol in a while so off we went. As it was just about dusk we were trying to get in as many photos as we could before it turned completely dark. I'll probably share a couple of other photos in a few days. They had colored lights on the fountain which was beautiful. We took quite a few there, then moved on to the Legislative Building. The lighted dome at night really is impressive. While we were there we noticed some people with children in costume so we decided to check it out. They were heading to the Governor's Mansion to Trick or Treat. My wife said "Well, we don't have any kids with us but let's go see what's going on anyway". I didn't think the people in line would appreciate us walking right past them but my wife taunted and double dog dared me to go for it. I couldn't help it, I folded. We headed up the driveway past the hundred or so parents and kids that were in line. When we got up to the front of the mansion this is what we saw. Governor Christine Gregoire and her husband, the First Gentleman Mike Gregoire were dressed up in Toy Story costumes handing out candy to the kids and having their picture taken about every thirty seconds or so. It looked like everyone including them was having a pretty good time. Again, since our kids were with grandma, not with us tonight, we didn't have to stick around long, just enough to snap a couple of photos then on our way we went.

From our recent trip north to the Seymour Conservatory in Tacoma, I give you Orchidaceae Colmanara Wildcat "Bobcat" as my contribution to this week's Floral Friday. I really liked the way the light made the colors so vivid.

For more wonderful Floral Friday shots click the link below.

The mornings are a little darker, a little cooler each day it seems. By the time we get off work, stop off at the grocery store, then make it home this is about the only light there is. I can't wait for the weekends this time of year. Then we can actually get out and do something in the daylight.

Future Farmer of America? Nope. Future wife? You got it! Seeing as it's time for Remember Whensday again, my wife Krise was kind enough to dig out one of the old family albums and bare her cute little grin for all the world to see. As you can see in the lower left corner this photo was taken in April of 1981. She was four years old and hard at work on her grandma's John Deere plowing the garden with her trusty helper Mickey. The thing that really gave her the qualifications for the job was the Mack Truck hat. That sealed the deal.

For more Remember Whensday memories click the link below.

As I mentioned, this past Saturday after work I headed to Capitol Lake to photograph the beautiful fall colors. While I was there I was fortunate enough to catch this guy chillin' on a log, as well as a variety of colorful foliage. Down at the other end of the lake however, there was a miracle a happenin'. A seagull that walks on water. Of course as soon as he saw me he just stood there as if nothing was going on. Show off!