This helicopter was working above White Pass Ski Area as we drove out of the Valley the other day. I could not get a glimpse of what was being carried in the bucket or basket. Did it have anything to do with the work nearby from yesterday's post?
Headed west on White Pass the other day we encountered these workers high on the cliffside. I am not sure what they were doing.
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!)
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.
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.
While we are talking about wind and wind machines, here is a shot of the blade of one of the wind generating turbines that was under construction last fall in the Goldendale area. You can click this photo to enlarge it so that you can better see its size in relation to the other vehicles on the road. This blade itself is probably twice as large as the entire agricultural wind machine shown yesterday.
A winter visit to Mt. Rainier National Park involves a four hour drive each way for us--but it's worth it even if the mountain only takes a brief peek from the clouds.
...that this photo taken one year and three days ago will not be the status until after we return tomorrow.
We are heading out today with our tiny teardrop trailer for an adventure on our way to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving with our kids there.
On the way home we also pass this collection that I call the "Graveyard of Rusted Automobiles." What classic might emerge if someone chose one to restore? I always want to get a chance to wander 
On the way back to the Valley from Maryhill, we could have stopped at the Toppenish Wildlife Refuge, where on one visit we saw this Long-Eared Owl. (This will enlarge if you click it.)
Just a hint of how isolated Maryhill is--my husband ponders one of the sculptures in the exhibit as a semi passes by on State Route 14. We will head up that road and find something closer to home in tomorrow's post.
There is a new outdoor sculpture exhibit each year on the grounds of Maryhill Museum.
The fascinating display of the Théâtre de la Mode features doll like figures clothed in the fashions of the post WWII couturiers. In the aftermath of the war, the French fashion industry wanted to regain its position and help to spur the nation's economy. Shortages, however, made it impossible to create the life sized models of the fashion designs. They creatively resorted to a custom of the middle ages--dolls.
Peacocks roam the grounds of Maryhill Museum. This is one who was hanging around outside the cafe--possibly hoping for a handout.
An interesting addition to the collection of sculptures by Rodin is this exhibit illustrating the steps in castin a bronze by the lost wax method.
