Cruisin' for a million

A million dollar lottery ticket sold at Cruisin Bill's on Yakima Avenue May 11 has not yet been claimed. Hmmm. Wonder where the winner is? Does he even realize he has a winning ticket? The ticket holder has 180 days to claim the winnings. Perhaps he is researching his tax options. Or maybe he figures that the million will still be worth a million in 180 days, but claiming it now and investing it, the amount could depreciate.

Gap to Gap breakdown

Today is the 25th Annual Gap to Gap Relay. This cyclist was having some problems as I drove by. (Couldn't frame a better shot because the light changed to green.) The Gap to Gap includes several divisions. Teams can do it as a relay or individuals can do the portions of the race themselves. The kid's division includes roller-blading as well as running, biking, and kayak. The adult kayak arm of the race was cancelled this year for the second time in its 25 years. The waters of the Yakima River are running very high and very fast, making it unsafe for the competition. The kids kayak on a lake.

More Gap to Gap details are at the event's website.

Tall Ships

We went to Pasco to see the tall ships. There are two of them in port for a couple of weeks. We did not know the schedule, or the exact place to find them, so we arrived when they had left the dock taking visitors on three hour tours. (Watch out, Gilligan!)
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I waited for this shot to get that juxtaposition of the old style and the jet ski. One of these ships was featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Old

When the Northern Pacific Railway bypassed Yakima City in 1884 at its original location which is now Union Gap, more than 100 buildings were moved on rollers to be closer to the railroad terminus. Though this does not date back that far, it is an example of an early business still functioning in its old building.

And so my friend saw me pull out my camera...

...and hunch down at the blank side of the cinderblock building.

"You see things. I don't." she stated.

Does that camera in you pocket (Mine doesn't fit in the pocket any more.) make you observe differently? see more?

'tis the season

Promise of things to come

eating well

We always eat well when we cook over the campfire. We are away from the Valley cmaping this weekend. This is from the same weekend last year.

forest

We are away from the Valley this weekend, camping here.

My sunset skies

I had to take a long way home last night to find the perfect spot to get this Mt. Rainier Sunset.

We're headed there today to camp for the weekend. There is a promise of beautiful skies for the entire weekend--just as you will find beautiful skies from all over the world at SkyWatch.

hops

Workers affixed the twine to the op trellis in the last couple of weeks, and earlier this week were training the vines. When they do this they start the vines twisting around the twine--othewise they don't go where they are supposed to. Hops can grow as much as a foot a day in the summer, and it almost seems like some of the vines have done so since they were trained.

stile

stile--(noun)
1.a series of steps or rungs by means of which a person may pass over a wall or fence that remains a barrier to sheep or cattle.
I've been wanting to get a picture of one of the three stiles along the freeway between Grandview and Sunnyside for a long time. This is a drive-by shot--taken at 70 mph, so it is what it is. (No, I was not driving.)
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These stiles allow access to irrigation weirs on the other side of the freeway fence. My presumption is that they allow irrigation district workers known as "ditch riders" to do their job without traipsing across acres of a farmer's field. The term ditch rider may have gone out of usage as more of the open irrigation ditches are piped. The ditch riders used to travel along the pathways next to the ditches to access the equipment.
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Have you ever seen a stile -- or heard of one outside a nursery rhyme? Is there some other anachronistic object in your community that draws your fascination as these stiles do mine?

Promise Fulfilled

Referencing last Monday's post.

Drop In

Mt. St. Helens did -- 29 years ago this morning. What a day that was!

Ringing a chord

Last night we traveled to the Tri Cities to join friends at the Columbia River Chordsmen's Barbershop Extravaganza--themed: Love is in the Air. While most of the show was simply enjoyable and fun, the headliners were extraordinary. Can you tell which of the "3 Outa Four" are related? Since the two boys on the right (Eric and Ian Christensen) grew up singing with their dad Duane (left) you can imagine how well their voices blend. But it takes four for a quartet, and Lowell Smith is the perfect complement to the family. (In fact, he had previously sung with their uncles.) This group from the Portland area won regional competitions last month and will go on to sing in the international barbershop contest in Anaheim. They'll be hard to beat.

"Ringing a chord" -- The program for last night's performance explained: When the four parts each sing a pure note--perfectly on pitch and without vibrato--the chord will actually produce overtones. the listener can hear more than the four notes written in the music. When the voices product this full pure sound, it is called "ringing a chord."

Another barn

Not in best repair, but still seeing some use.

The horse

Okay, hang in there, this is going to be a little confusing. Here is how the conversation started.

She: "Could you see the mountains this morning?"

We: "Yes, I can see them from my yard."
"Isn't it a beautiful day--we had a clear view of the mountains."
"We could see both of them on our way here."

She: "Did you see the horse?"

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(That question got nothing but blank stares.)

You may have to click this to enlarge it for a better chance of seeing the horse. You see, it is apparently common knowledge around here that when the snow melt reaches a certain point there is the image of a horse on Mt. Adams. See it there, near the top?
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That's what beautiful blue skies bring us in the Yakima Valley.
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Find other SkyWatchers here.

Spring offerings

Rimrock

Rimriock Lake is the first point you reach going west out of Yakima on White Pass. It was incredibly mirror-like at the east end of the lake when we passed on Friday. Farther west the water was rippled.

teapot

Technical difficulties lately so here's a bit of deja vu from here. The Teapot in Zillah was built as a protest during the Teapot Dome Scandal in the late 20s. It served as a filling station for many years, was moved for a time to Naches, and later returned to near Zillah, where it was once again set up as a filling station. Out of business now, it awaits eventually to be moved into town as part of Zillah's heritage.

Apromise of color

Everything is late this year.

Remember the hay.

Barnwatch

I love this barn which sits near the freeway in Sunnyside. It was moved to this hill when the freeway was constructed, and there were various rumors about what it was going to be made into. That was about 30 years ago, and it still sits. I hope it sits there for a long time so I can look at it when I go by, but any chance of it being made into a restaurant or anything else have deteriorated like its siding.

Barn Watch against a spring sky. See other SkyWatchers here.
And hopefully this makes sense of the previous post, which was supposed to be scheduled for tomorrow.

Couldn't resist another angle

It's the season.

Middle School Baseball team stretch before a game.

Still a bit breezy

Sideways Day

40 mph winds make everything sideways in our part of the Valley today.

Crops 6--hay

Canyon Shadow

Shadows were falling across the Yakima Canyon the last time we drove through. This photo can be clicked to enlarge for better viewing. It's Theme Day once again for the Daily Photo crowd, and the theme this month is "shadows".

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants