photography

Edmonds Washington Salish Sea Brewery and Taproom

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

After our ferry ride from Kingston to Edmonds, Washington we wanted to grab a bite to eat. After a short ride around the streets of the coast town, we spotted a busy and interesting establishment, The Salish Sea Brewery & Taproom.

We were very pleased with the ambiance of this pub. The service was quick and responsive. The menu was filled with selections that would satisfy any craving. We all enjoyed our meals, and it is easy for us to recommend this establishment for dining and drinking in Edmonds.

House Specialty “Driftwood Bread Sticks”

Fish and Chips

Soup and sandwich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edmonds is about 15 miles north of Seattle with a waterfront that faces west across Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains. Whether you arrive by ferry or by car, this Seattle suburb is worth a visit.

Washington State Ferry between Kingston and Edmonds

/ Roadtirementvintage / 5 Comments

The Washington State Ferry System operates across the Puget Sound and the Salish Sea using 20 different terminals. These terminals are ports for the largest ferry system in the United States. Some of the ferries take vehicles, some are for foot travel only.

Waiting in line to get to the terminal

Ferry is approaching the dock, back left

 

 

 

 

 

 

During our recent road trip with family we traveled extensively on the Olympia Peninsula in the western part of the state.  We reached the port of Kingston and prepared to take one of the vehicle ferries on a 30 minute trip across Puget Sound to the port of Edmonds.

We were the first car to board the ferry

Lots of seating in the passenger lounge on the upper deck

 

 

 

 

 

We had a two hour wait to board the ferry at Kingston. It seemed like the wait on the road was not long, and we were actually first in line to board as we wanted easy elevator access to the passenger lounge.

This is the second ferry that runs the Kingston/Edmonds route

Downtown Seattle, 27 miles off, Space Needle far right

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rather short voyage was interesting. The scenery was something to see, not what landlocked Hoosiers are used to, that’s for sure. The Seattle skyline on the horizon was impressive, with the well recognized outline of the Space Needle visible 27 miles from our vantage point in the middle of Puget Sound.

Forks, Washington, home of Twilight saga books and movies

/ Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

The Twilight series of books followed by 5 movies captured the attention of a multitude of fans. Twilight tells the romance/adventure/scifi story of  a family of vampires, wanting to protect teenager Bella from a rival group of vampires. Oh, least I forget, there is also a tribe of Native Americans who happen to be shape shifter wolves who start out as sworn enemies of vampires.

Taking our typical tourist scene.

The Twilight books and movies were set in Forks, Washington, a small historic lumber town that claims to be the rainiest town in the contiguous United States. Even though most of the filming was done elsewhere, the town has grabbed onto the popularity and welcomes tourists.

Bell’s ’53 Chevy as described in the books

Bella’s ’63 Chevy featured in the movies

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting that described in the books, Bella drove a 1953 Chevrolet pickup truck. In the movies, she drove a 1963 Chevrolet truck. The movie’s original ’63 Chevy and a red ’53 Chevy are parked outside the Forks Chamber of Commerce.

Forks Chamber of Commerce

Forks has a long history in lumber business

 

 

 

 

 

Photos from the Movies: Left to Right, Jacob Black, (Shapeshifter wolf), Bella ( in love with Edward), Edward Cullen (vampire)

Forks is a small historic town on the Olympia Peninsula on Washington’s west Pacific coast. Since the debut of the intriguing vampire, shapeshifter wolves teen romance series of 6 books and 5 associated movies, this little town has become a mecca for Twilight fans world wide.

 

 

Massive amounts of driftwood logs on Washington’s Olympic National Park’s Ruby Beach

/ Roadtirementvintage / 3 Comments

Sher and I recently visited family in the Seattle area. We all took a two day road trip to  the Olympic Peninsula and other places. The natural beauty of this far north western part of the state provided one eye opening scene after another.

Driftwood logs on the shoreline

Driftwood logs, sea stacks in left background

 

 

 

 

 

Washington State Olympic National Park is on the Pacific coast in the north part of the state.  This national park has stunning scenery and beautiful coastlines. Highway 101 follows this coast and near the north end of the park it runs next to Ruby Beach. Dramatic “sea stacks”, rocks remaining after ocean weathering are visible from the shore.

Islands in the background off shore

People enjoying the beach, small islands almost gone background

 

 

 

 

 

Ruby Beach is home to an unbelievable amount of huge driftwood logs. Tidal currents have for centuries been responsible for the migration up and down the coastline  of the driftwood logs. Many of these weather worn logs have no doubt been on different parts of the beach over the decades.

 

A splendid 1849 Greek Revival mansion on the Ohio River

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Madison, Indiana is a wonderful town on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Louisville. The entire downtown has been declared a National Historic site due to the remarkable number of historic buildings including the Shrewsbury-Windle House.

The Official Designation Plaque

The “back door” on city street

 

 

 

 

 

One historic home brings back fond memories for me, as the most recent owners of the Shrewsbury-Windle house were close friends of my paternal grandparents, who also lived for a while in Madison.  As a young lad I remember many wonderful visits with John and Ann in the house. I loved climbing up and down that spiral stairway! John and Ann Windle founded the Historic Madison, Inc society.

3 story free standing spiral staircase

Frank Costigan was a famous architect who designed many Greek Revival style homes in both Indianapolis and Madison. The Shrewsbury House features 16-foot ceilings, 12 foot high entrance doors, intricate plaster moldings, and ornately carved stone details. The most remarkable (and acclaimed) feature is the 3 story, 53 step free standing spiral staircase. The stair case serves as a means of letting hot air raise and vent out of attic windows in addition to providing access to the second floor rooms.

The expansive yard, Ohio River in background past the far fence

Front door faces Ohio River, columns are typical Costigan style

Tours of the Shrewsbury-Windle House are available. For details please go to this page of Historic Madison Inc. In addition, I strongly recommend checking out this article outlining both the history of the house, and the history of John and Ann Windle’s ownership of the house and founding the Historic Madison, Inc society.

Memorial Day 2024

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, the head of an organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), declared
Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Many consider this the first “Memorial Day”.

Dayton, Ohio is home to an awesome museum and memorial park

Honoring American volunteers “Flying Tigers” during WWII

Today many cities and towns across the country observe the last Monday in May as Memorial Day, an official U.S. Federal Holiday formally established in 1971. This holiday is the time to stop and  think about what the day is for, and why it is the time to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the country.

Large, wonderous and impressive Pileated Woodpeckers

/ Roadtirementvintage / 10 Comments

Here are a couple of videos we took and some facts about these eye catching forest  birds. Pileated Woodpeckers are crow-sized birds (16 – 19 inches long) with a flame-red crest on top of their head. Their wingspan can be up to 30 inches.

The Pileated Woodpecker’s primary food is carpenter ants, along with other ants, woodboring beetle larvae, termites, and other insects such as flies, spruce budworm, caterpillars, cockroaches, and grasshoppers.

Pileated Woodpeckers stay with the same mate for life. Pairs claim forest territories up to 150 acres or larger. They loudly drum on trees with their beaks all year long to announce the boundaries of their territories.

 

Brownstown Indiana Ewing Depot Restoration

/ Roadtirementvintage / 6 Comments

In 2013 Brownstown Township in Jackson County Indiana funded a wonderful project to relocate and restore a portion of the original Ewing Depot. The structure was moved by truck and trailer to a newly prepared site on Front Street near the high school.

Moving the building, photo courtesy Brownstown Township website

The finished project

The building was not open the day we drove by. The depot is in great condition. There is a RR traffic signal installed as part of the display. More information and photos are available at the Brownstown Township website.