Getting To The Point, Part 2

My main reason for going to the Point today was for fresh air and exercise on a glorious sunny day. I also had a spiritual reason for going to the park which, God willing, I will share about in the future. For now, suffice it to say that this park's popularity is well deserved. Without leaving the city I can walk in deep and ancient woods. Our park system has preserved some aged giants at the Point, including a Douglas Fir that is nearly 24 feet in circumference, and whose lowest branches are what we call "widow makers"; should they break off and fall, they are massive enough to flatten a car. Here's a photo of that tree taken on an earlier day by my friend, James Gunn:

There's nothing like a walk on a well-maintained forest path, under a canopy of cedar and fir, breathing in that oxygen-rich air and hearing nothing but birdsong.

Speaking of birds, one does see the occasional bald eagle in Tacoma's forested neighborhoods. High flyers that they are, they are unmistakable when the sun hits their white head feathers. And of course there is no "nature thrill" like watching an eagle fish! The optics and physics involved, along with the sheer computing power of an eagle's brain involved in plummeting from the sky and lifting a trout or salmon out of the water is enough to make me believe in a Designer. If you ever have the opportunity to watch slow motion film of an eagle fishing, don't miss it. Eagles will even fish in pairs: the first will dive at a water bird forcing it to dive under for cover; the second eagle will time its dive to grab the prey just as it surfaces thinking the danger has passed!

I didn't see an eagle today, but I found an old dead snag, the very kind of forest perch the great birds favor:

Please notice the highly unusual Tacoma phenomenon in this photo above: a cloudless sky!

Nope, no eagles today. I had to settle for a nice shot of a faithful pair of Canadian Geese. They are beautiful birds, even if they do naughty things to our park lawns.

Getting To The Point

The north end of Tacoma ends in a sharp point of land that juts into Puget Sound. This tip of our city has been preserved as the well-loved Point Defiance Park. The blue skies today tempted me away from my orderly walk on Tacoma's streets to the roads and trails of this magnificent park.

As you can see, my 4-mile walk today (tracked by a GPS receiver) took me off road along forest trails, eventually out across the south border of the park onto Tacoma's northernmost residential streets, and finally back into the southeast corner of the park where I had left my car. (To be continued...)

Tacoma Bridges Coming Down

Even as Tacoma's new Narrows Bridge is going up, the city is taking down several of its bridges that cross Intestate 5. Some of the bridges will be replaced. I took the above photo standing on one of the "condemned," the Tacoma Ave. bridge. The photo looks southwest toward the G Street bridge in the foreground and the Yakima Street bridge behind it. The Yakima bridge has already been truncated on its south end where you can just make out a steam shovel clawing away at it. I took the photo to preserve the memory of these old bridges, but was delighted by the bonus of a dramatic cloudscape. Yes, Tacoma skies look like this often. While I was out walking at midday, I enjoyed sun, rain and a bit of hail.

Here's a closer look at the truncated end of the Yakima St. bridge:

Happy Resurrection Day!

What reason have atheists for saying that we cannot rise again? Which is the more difficult — to be born, or to rise again? That what has never been, should be, or that what has been should be again? Is it [not] more difficult to come into being than to return to it? — Blaise Pascal, Pensées

Here's wishing my readers a blessed day as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Crown of Thorns
Euphorbiaceae, Euphorbia milii, Photo by Graciano
W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Tacoma

You Can Still Experience the Rain Festival!

Spring is here, but it's not too late to enjoy Tacoma's Rain Festival. Think I'm kidding? Some folks really do come for the rain. An aunt of mine from arid Baja California came for a visit in August one year. It didn't rain the whole time she was here, and she was so disappointed. She had so looked forward to a downpour!

Today I walked the perimeter of Tacoma's Wright Park in the rain. In my continuing quest to capture the rain experienc in photos, I offer the above impressionistic-like image of raindrop eddies on the park's pond. Click on the photo to expand it. This image has not been altered by a filter; it's a true representation of the eddies and reflections on the pond's surface.

Turning my lens upward, I was able to capture a raindrop clinging to the blossom of a Kwanzan Flowering Cherry tree:

Spring Is Here, Bridges Are Blooming

Greetings and apologies to my loyal readers. I am well, just very busy teaching at this time of year.

Nevertheless, I'm walking the streets of Tacoma and excited about developments in this great city. Something my wife and I are enjoying watching is the construction of the new bridge going up alongside Tacoma's famous Narrows Bridge. (The existing bridge's main claim to fame is the collapse of its predecessor; see video of "Galloping Gertie's" demise.) Because the present bridge is a bottleneck for commuters traveling from Washington's peninsula to Tacoma, Olympia and Seattle, a second bridge is going up right beside it. Here's a telephoto shot of the pinnacle of one of the new towers:

Please click on the photo to enlarge it. You may just be able to see one of the workers (in a yellow helmet). I added a yellow arrow pointing to him.

But to get perspective, here's the panoramic view of the bridges with the Olympic Mountains in the background:

Do click on this bottom photo, because it enlarges nicely. As you can see, the older bridge is on the right, accomodating traffic. The new bridge is going up on the left (west) side. The workman I pointed to is up there to the right of the crane, but you won't be able to see him at this resolution!