Bones of Luna Park, originally uploaded by singingpixel.

In 1907, a glittering amusement park called Luna Park was built out over the tidal flats of Duwamish Head in West Seattle. It sat out over the water on a pier, so you must picture it, reflected and suspended over the water. But concern over the “loose morals” it propounded led to its closure in 1913, and the swimming pavilion that was left of it was lost to arson around 1930.

Approximately once in a decade, the waters of Elliot Bay draw back far enough to reveal the pilings that once supported Luna Park. I was lucky enough to be out with my camera one day in Summer 2009 when the bones of Luna Park were briefly revealed.

Battered, originally uploaded by singingpixel.

A rock stands against the incoming tide on a winter sunset.

Duwamish Head
West Seattle, WA

The face of nobility…, originally uploaded by singingpixel.

Taken at Alki Beach in Seattle, WA.

These young bald eagles lived behind my house with their parents. In a pair of eaglets, the female is often bigger and more robust than the male, and the weaker bird sometimes doesn’t make it through the winter. On Alki Beach, where there are plenty of fish for the birds to scavenge, the birds typically did well. Still, we were concerned when the semi-fledged male showed distress and difficulty in learning to fly. His parent and sister flew out to the nearby buoy and called encouragement to him while he peeped and ran desperately on the beach. His sister finally flew back to apparently comfort him. Then she flew away again. With lots of coaxing calls from Mom (or possibly Dad) and Sis, the youngster finally flew off, circling ecstatically into the sky to the rejoicing of his family. A year later, he is a fine, snowy-headed, imposing eagle–with no reminder left of this rumpled and somewhat grumpy and pathetic baby.

On the beach, originally uploaded by singingpixel.

This was taken in low light and is grainy, so it is probably best suited as a Web image.

I am not sure of this marsh grass’s species. If anyone can help with an ID, I’d appreciate it.