Taken from right down in the front row at our oldest daughter's high school concert Friday evening. We loved it. Man those kids are good. Last time they impressed us with an all string version of Led Zepelin's Kashmir. This time it was The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. Very cool.

Click the link below to see more Sepia Scenes shots.

Recently in these previous posts here and here I showed you a very similar view of Capitol Lake here in Olympia. I showed you a news clip explaining the "invasion" of the New Zealand Mud Snails and the fact that they are not that easy to eradicate. Well as my wife was driving to work this morning she noticed the lake was a bit lower than usual. Quite a bit. That meant that they were draining the lake, then hoping the backfill of saltwater would help kill the little monsters. After work we took a drive to this familiar vantage point so we could show you the difference between today and your last view of the lake. For a better explanation of what is taking place click here.

This shot taken just as my wife was getting off work a few days ago. Take Mother Nature, add a little Orton-ish treatment and there you have it, my SkyWatch Friday contribution.

For more SkyWatch shots click the link below.

Tonight I went thumbing through the old snapshots. I ended up (translation: my wife chose) this shot. Taken in 1966 I would have been 9 or 10 at the time. Living in Tacoma we had headed over to eastern Washington, Spokane to be exact to visit family. On our way home we stopped off at a relative's ranch. While there I had the chance to ride one of the horses as well as feed Bambi, a small deer that they were taking care of at the time. Later it was to be released. As you can see by the smile on my face this was one more good memory in the making.

Click on the link below to see more Remember Whensday shots

Last weekend we made another trip north to Tacoma. Every couple of months or so we visit the Seymour Conservatory at Wright Park. This time when we walked in it was more fragrant than I ever remember it being before. There were tulips, hyacinth, daffodils and much much more.

I thought this shot would make a nice contribution to Ruby Tuesday.

Click the link below to see other Ruby Tuesday shots.

Recently I've seen a few posts with some pretty interesting mannequins as the subject. There was this one by Jacob at Ocala (Florida) Daily Photo. He was right too. They qualify for hideous. Then, not to be outdone Frank over at Tampa Daily Photo found this example. She looked slightly familiar but I couldn't quite put a face with it. So when we were downtown the other night enjoying our evening walk and happened upon this rather large tough looking gal I just had to share. I'm not quite sure what that is on her left foot or what happened to her other sock or shoe or whatever, but there was something about the look in her eyes that was beginning to creep me out. I stood there, took the shot, then got the family and walked on. She did not look like the type of lady that I wanted to make mad.

On Saturdays I get off work at 3:00 and my wife is off at 5:00. Sometimes I take that couple of hours and go look for more places to photograph. That is what I did yesterday. My wife told me that the tide was out and Mud Bay would be a good place to go, so off I drove. When I got there I pulled the Cube over at a wide spot on the shoulder. I grabbed my camera, locked the car and started over the embankment at the end of the bridge. The area just off the road was nice and dry as the water doesn't really ever make it up that high, but as you walk down the slight incline you encounter slick, slimy, muddy, soft dirt and rocks. The spot where this shot was taken is about 5 or 6 feet below the spot where, while standing perfectly still, my feet first slid a few inches then suddenly flew out from under me. It's really pretty amazing how in a split second our reflexes kick in. My first reflex that kicked in was my right hand (the one holding the expensive camera) gripping the camera a little tighter and holding it straight up above me. Then my left hand went behind me to try to catch my fall. Nope, didn't work. Mud on my sweatshirt, pants, buried in my watch band, you name it. I managed to stand up a few seconds later and brushed as much off as I could. I continued on down and took a number of shots, meanwhile letting the mud dry before I got back into the car with the nice cloth interior.

Today after work we stopped off at home, picked up the kids and dogs, then headed for downtown. I've told you before, downtown Olympia is an interesting colorful place full of activity and people, all hours of the day and evening. As we were walking along my wife suggested we stop at the Olympia Hotdog Company and see how the food is. Actually it was pretty good, especially the size. Big ol' footlong dogs, pretzels, orders of fries or nachos big enough for 2 or 3 people. If you look close you can see the ladle of cheese being poured over the mountain of chips that was my wife's nachos. If you look in the lower right corner of the photo you'll see they have a table and four chairs set up. We sat there and enjoyed our meals while we watched the characters of the night go by.

So that is what this appears to be as I drive by this interesting fountain. Please enjoy your weekend!

Submitted By Guest Blogger (Krise)

P.S. Don has a flu bug so I gave him a break tonight. He should continue your regular scheduled programming tomorrow. Thank you for your advanced cooperation.

Spotted in the lobby of the Hotel Olympian. Ask your grandma if this would make the terrorists talk!

Taken Sunday evening. The path around Capital Lake is one of our favorite places to walk.

To see more contributions to Watery Wednesday click the link below and enjoy!

This morning was Krise's first ultrasound. Everything looked just fine and pretty much confirmed the due date of July 13th that we already had. As far as determining the sex, no outdoor plumbing was spotted so they say it is a 75% chance that we're going to have a little girl. There'll be at least one more ultrasound down the road a couple of months, so we'll know for sure then. For right now the only thing that matters is Mom and baby are both healthy and doing fine.

Remember back in December when I posted these three little balls of feathers? Several people commented on the fact that they should have been monkeys, not birds. Well, as we were walking through downtown the other evening we spotted these three fellows sitting in a store window. Now, that looks a little more traditional doesn't it?

Click the link below to see more Monochrome Weekend photos

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Last night I told you I took my wife out to dinner for Valentine's Day. Well, here's a so-so shot of the inside. It's a great little place called the Urban Onion. It's located inside the old Hotel Olympia/Olympian Apartment building which I showed you in a previous post here. It's a real cozy, comfortable place to eat. The menu has everything from burgers to pasta to fish. They also have something I haven't tried yet, sweet potato fries. I hear they're good. Maybe next visit I'll give 'em a try as well as getting a better shot of the inside.

This evening I took my wife out to dinner for Valentine's Day. Tomorrow I'll show you where we went. After we had eaten and were heading back to the car we couldn't help but enjoy this sight. The street lights and traffic lights reflecting off the wet sidewalk really caught our eye. Looking down the street on the right you may recognize the lighted awning of The Performing Arts Center which I showed you back in August.

Here's wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day and a wonderful weekend.

For more Weekend Reflection shots click the link below.

On the heels of last yesterday's post I thought I should bring you all up to speed on what has happened to our beautiful Capitol Lake. It seems that the New Zealand Mud Snail has managed to not only set up home there, but multiply like you wouldn't believe. That has closed the lake for an indefinite period. For a more in-depth explanation click here to watch a short news clip.

Taken on the way to work this morning. This dock is located at the Capitol Lake Interpretive Center.

For more Watery Wednesday shots click the link below.

Shot of the stadium at Tumwater High School. Go T-Birds!!

This collection of corks is on display in the front windows of Ramblin Jack's restaurant in downtown Olympia. And no, not a one of them have my name on them.

For more Monochrome Weekly shots from around the world click the link below.

Plumbing (and related hardware) upstairs inside this building.

SkyWatch Friday downtown at Puget Sound Energy's Plum Street Substation.

For more electrifying SkyWatch Friday photos click the link below.

After last nights post of the artistic halibut tile I thought I'd better take a few steps back and show you the rest of the tiled wall along an alley in downtown Olympia. I tried searching for the origin of this project but had no luck. My wife and I think it may be part of the sister city program between Japan and the United States. I wrote about that in a previous post here.

Not your typical Watery Wednesday photo? Well, we couldn't pass this one up. My wife and I found this tile (part of a much larger tiled wall) while walking through downtown Olympia. It may be a bit corny for Watery Wednesday but it is my wife's favorite seafood (which she can't even eat right now while pregnant). Boy, talk about some fish lips!

For more wet and wild Watery Wednesday shots click the link below.

This "Night Depository" drum is attached to one of downtown Olympia's historic buildings, The Security Building. Click here for a brief history. I think you'll find it interesting.

Every day from the moment we get out of bed until we end our day we're faced with decisions. What sport coat would look good with what slacks, for the ladies which purse goes with which shoes, white bread or wheat. At some point the owner of this truck had a decision to make.

Amongst the CDP bloggers the monthly theme for February is "Wood" and seeing as Washington is the evergreen state what else would I share besides some homegrown timber?

To see more contributions to theme day click the link below.