Hop Harvest beginning

Hop harvest has begun in some parts of the Valley. Still very labor intensive, this harvest has changed a lot since the scene depicted in this one of the Toppenish Murals. I will have my camera ready when the harvest reaches my neighborhood and document as much of the process as I can.

Harking back

The Toppenish Murals harken back to a bygone day, but so does this earlier bit of advertising ont he wall of the old Liberty Theater building.

Western Heritage

Anoterh whimsical reminder of Toppenish's western heritage is this horse in front of City Hall.

Here's Looking at You

Of all the outstanding murals in Toppenish, I think my favorite sight there is this whimsical treatment of the windows in this building on the main street through town.

Flag over Corn

The largest flag in the state of Washington flies over Toppenish and can be seen beyond this corn field.

Downtown Yakima Architecture 11

St. Paul Cathedral

Downtown Yakima Architecture 10

First Presbyterian Church

Downtown Yakima Architecture 9

Built as a Christian Science Reading Room, this classic old building has been turne dinto a performance hall. The acoustics at Seasons are excellent.

Downtown Yakima Architecture 8

St. Michael's Episcopal--right downtown

(My numbering was off--I posted two as number 6, so now I am adjsuting.)

Yakima Downtown Architecture 6

First Baptist

Yakima Downtown Architecture 6

St. Joseph Catholic Church

The original building was constructed in 1900, replacing a wooden church that was established moving the services of Ahtanum Mission into Yakima City. It was destroyed by fire in 1999. Reconstruction creatively expanded the interior space, while retaining the original facade.

Downtown Yakima Architecture 5

The Vineyard is a new congregation which has moved into this beautiful old church building in downtown Yakima. The building was unoccupied for some time, I am glad that it met the needs of another faith community.

Downtown Yakima Architecture 4

More New

Remodeling going on at the site of the former Bon Marche portion of the former Yakima Mall. I'm not sure what all is going on at this spot. I will keep an eye on it.

Yakima Downtown Architecture 3

New

A bank under construction in downtown Yakima indicates that there is some hope in the economy. (You can see the Larsen Building from yesterday in the distance at the left edge of the picture.)

Yakima Downtown Architecture 2

The Old

Larsen Building Fire Escape

Yakima Downtown Architecture 1

For the next several days I will be featuring interesting shots of architecture in and around downtown Yakima.

Old

The Larsen Building

This has long been a landmark to the city's downtown area.

Smile for the Camera

Is that you, Wilbur?

Stretching

"The best bits are at the top," seems to be the thought in the sheep barn at the Yakima Valley Fair and Rodeo last weekend.

Staying Calm

It takes steady nerves and a lot of hard work for these young people to keep these huge animals calm in the show ring.

Ready to Show

This Future Farmer of America member and her steer wait their turn in the show ring at the Yakima Valley Fair and Rodeo in Grandview last weekend.

Fair Fare

We chose Filipino food for a change on our visit to the Yakima Valley Fair and Rodeo over the weekend. Local fairs and festivals are a highlight through the Valley through the spring and summer seasons. The Yakima Valley Fair and Rodeo, formerly known as the Yakima Valley Junior Fair, has spotlighted 4-H and FFA projects since early in the last century.

Watching you go by

As we go through Naches fairly frequently on our way to Mt. Rainier, I always watch for this little outbuilding near the highway west of town. The children's faces painted in the window watching, wave you on your way up the pass.

Local landmarks

This structure stood on the highway in Naches for years and years--art deco, isn't it? That should date its origins. It was a gas station office. When modernization of the station was giving it the boot, it was moved near to twon center as a reminder of times past.

Smokey

If you live in the Northwest, you are probably familiar with the insurance company commercials that highlight some of our quirkier characteristics. "Chainsaw scultor, this is for you!" The Smokey the Bear which stood outside the Naches Ranger Station was missing for a couple of years, stolen or vandalized--I don't remember which. One of the local chain saw artists replaced him, and now he stands proudly again, reminding us to take care in the forest--especially with fire.

More River Floaters

A Canyon Denizen

Rafters and tubers are not the only ones who hang out on the Yakima River in the Canyon. We spotted this Blue Heron on a trip through the Canyon last fall.

More of the Yakima Canyon

In some parts of the Canyon the river has carved a deep gorge, but here it is a lovely bit of valley.

Sunny Sunday Afternoon

I returned home Sunday afternoon by way of the Yakima Canyon, which follows the course of the Yakima River between Ellensburg and Yakima. (In Ellensburg, some call it the Ellensburg Canyon.)

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There were several kinds of watercraft on the river, but the preponderance of them were floating on rafts or inner tubes. A fun way to cool off in the hot Central Washington sun, this was one of the groups.

Fun on the water has its sad side, though. Other circumstances later on my drive home reminded me that just one year ago this week we lost a colleague to a float accident. Jillian Ward was just 26, an extremely talented and versatile young woman, who maintained both the physical plant of our old school building and our school website. Jillian was floating with friends on the Wenatchee River when she became caught under some debris and drowned.

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Only one of the four enjoying this float trip is wearing a life jacket. Please be careful out there!

The corn is as high...

...as an elephant's eye!

Patchwork

I am off to a quilting retreat this weekend, so I thought I would leave a patchwork created by the various crops--fields, vineyards, and orchards.

Theme Day--Metal

The Granger dinosaurs don't just hang out at the lake. This metal dinosaur greets travelers near the freeway exit for Granger. (I used it on my other blog when the PhotoHunt theme was metal.)