Sunset at Sea,10:25 pm

After our second day on the ship and an entire day at sea we stood near the stern of the ship watching a late sunset. It was 10:25 pm and there was still time left before full sunset.

Cumberland Cement & Supply Co. (PG 200)

The Cumberland Cement & Supply Co. in Cumberland, Maryland. From 1921 until moving to LaVale in 1984 the CC&SC made their living as the largest cement block manufacturer in Western Maryland here on Eutaw Place along the railroad, just off of North Centre Street.

Volunteers

These sunflowers grow annually at my in-laws from the cast offs at their bird feeders. The finches usually feast on them.

Summer Sky Festival 2014

The bi-annual balloon shindig at Green Grove Gardens in Greencastle, Pa. became the Summer Sky Festival this year. We got there early enough to get what, at the time, were good seats for the balloon launch and glow. Far enough from the live band to enjoy it and have a conversation with the guy next to you. Early in the evening the threat of wind almost cancelled the launch but a window of good weather opened and the balloonists took off like mayflies on the river. Later a few of the remaining balloons entertained the growing crowds with a balloon glow.

Anchorage Fire Department, Station 1

Anchorage Fire Department, Station 1, 100 East 4th Avenue, Anchorage Alaska. Anchorage Fire Department currently operates out of 13 stations . Station 1 covers the downtown areas. Known as the Big House it was on F street between 4th and 5th back in 1916. In the 1960's it moved to the corner of C and 6th Streets. In 2001 the new and current station was built at the corner of A and 6th. Station 1 houses 2 engines, a truck, a haz mat and a medic. The engines run more than 2,000 calls annually. The museum house on of their original 1922 American LaFrance engines.

The Embassy Theatre

Mifflin County's Finest and Most Luxurious Theatre. Built in 1927, the Embassy sits along South Main Street in Lewistown, Pa. Built as a motion picture and Vaudeville theatre it was originally built in 1916 and in 1927 was completely redone to open as the Embassy. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Vancouver Traffic

Sunday morning traffic entering Vancouver, British Columbia.

Tlingit Tribal House

The Tlingit Tribal House in old Fort Seward in Haines Alaska.

Taking Care of Business

This is the tail of Elvis Presley's Conair 880, the Lisa Marie. TCB. Taking Care of Business!

Cape Spencer Lighthouse, Alaska

The first lighthouse I saw on our cruise was the Cape Spencer Light sitting along the coast just as you enter Glacier Bay and for ships headed into southeast Alaska and the Inside Passage. The earliest light appeared on Cape Spencer in 1912 but the buildings weren't built until 1924/25. The light was removed in 1974 but the structure is still used today for navigation and the US Coast Guard stops by for regular maintenance and upkeep.

Return to the Past

I shot this barn before, last time from the other side just after one of last winters snow storms. Last week it sat out among the large bales of straw from the harvested wheat.

Backyard Columbine

Backyard, Yes. My backyard, No. These columbine were in the backyard of an art gallery in Haines, Alaska. The flowers in that yard blew me away. I guess  twenty hours of daylight does wonders for the flowers in those parts of Alaska. Shortly after returning from vacation I entered this picture in a Flower Photo Contest. It was one of five Honorable Mentions and will be on display at LA Cameras in Chambersburg, Pa.

Alaska Fallen Firefighter Memorial

Alaska Fallen Firefighter Memorial, A Street and 5th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska. This memorial sits next to Anchorage Fire Department Station 1 and was dedicated September 11, 2010. The inscription reads "This memorial is dedicated to all Alaskan Firefighters and Emergency Responders who gave the ultimate sacrifice to the State of Alaska, their local community and their fellow Alaskans. It is also dedicated to those firefighters and Emergency Responders who continue to remain non duty, every day, protecting Alaskans."

Moose in Denali

We started our bus trip through Denali with a cow moose and calf running across the road in front of us. Later we saw these two cows running from the back side of this ridge. Why were they running. I don't know, but the were wasting no time. They eventually settled down and I managed a few decent pictures. Later, on the way back we saw this last moose way out there. I mean waaayyy out there. It would be our only bull moose of the trip. On the bus ride from Denali down to Seward we saw 6 more. All cows and calves.

Creek Street

Creek Street in Ketchikan, Alaska is best known as the old red light district. At times home to as many as 20 houses of ill repute.  During prohibition whiskey was delivered at high tide to trapdoors under some of these fine establishments. Today, Creek Street is a tourist attraction, many of the homes are now souvenir shops and restaurants. At the famous 'Dolly's House' is a museum of it's past. The sign outside reads "Where both men and salmon came upstream, to spawn".

Shippensburg's 4th

They may have only lasted 15 minutes but they managed to put some gunpowder into the sky in that short amount of time. Several finale type multi-blasts with ground cover and the high and brights. Shippensburg, more than anywhere else, loves the flash booms. They'd launch 4 or 5, one after another. They must be cheaper than the big colorful starry one. We actually parked very close this year. I had to resort to my fish-eye lens for fuller coverage. But it sucked getting out of the parking lot.

Pine Island Lighthouse, British Columbia

I think in total I saw six lighthouses on the cruise. We also saw a lot of sea signage, like small light towers or just large warning signs. We had been sitting in our cabin on the ship when I noticed on the CCTV that we had left the more open water and were headed into the straits of the Inside Passage When I got out to the deck we had just passed the Pine Island Lighthouse. 

Pine Island Light was originally built in 1907 and replaced sometime before 1967 and again  it was replaced by the current tower in 2001. It sits at the northern mouth of Queen Charlotte Strait at Queen Charlotte Sound. 340 mile south southeast of Ketchikan, Alaska and 230 miles northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia.