Tag: seattle

Urban Orcas

Puget Sound is home to a couple of orca pods, but until yesterday I have never seen them near Seattle. These whales usually hang out in the San Juan Islands and will make trips down to the south Puget Sound. These whales were headed towards West Seattle. I was able to catch them as they passed the Magnolia bluff. Only wish I had a longer lens.

Orcas visiting Seattle
It was an amazing way to wrap up an beautiful, spring-like day.

Here is some excellent video by Jessica Papkoff as they passed Golden Gardens

Untitled from Jessica Papkoff on Vimeo.

Kalakala close to the end

Kalakala Ferry leaves Seattle, March 2004The Kalakala Ferry leaves Seattle, March 2004

A piece of Seattle history is likely to finally meet its end in what has been a long and sad decline. The Kalakala, a beautiful art deco ferry, served the Seattle to Bremerton route for decades. After being rescued from live as a fish canary in Alaska the many rescue attempts have all been fruitless in their attempts to return the ship to it’s glory. There is news that she has now been battered by the recent storm. When she was towed from Lake Union in Seattle, people turned out in droves to see the ferry go through Ballard Locks to see a bit of Seattle history. Many were sentimental remembering when they rode the ferry. While I never did, I will admit to getting caught up in the nostalgia.

Two worthwhile recent articles on the Kalakala:
Three Sheets Northwest: Storm-damaged Kalakala close to sinking

NPR: Sinking Ship? Saving The Historic Kalakala Ferry

Seattle Skyline

Seattle’s skyline from Kerry Park in the Queen Anne neighborhood is one of my favorite views of the city. This panoramic was taken on a cold, clear morning with my trusty Xpan. For this weekend edition, I am making this wallpaper available for all 2 of my readers in 3 sizes. Select the link of the size you want below:

1600 x 555 Seattle Skyline

1280 x 444 Seattle Skyline

1024 x 355 Seattle Skyline

You can check out my entire portfolio at Salmon Bay Photography.

Happy Weekend!

Snow Leopard Wallpaper

I finally got a decent shot of one of the two snow leopard cubs at Woodland Park Zoo. Mac fanboys can rejoice! These cubs are a tough shoot. They are very quick and curious and seem to know how to not be photographed. Enjoy the wallpaper. I will keep photographing them.

These snow leopard photos and the wallpapers on my portfolio site, Salmon Bay Photography, are freely available for personal, non-commercial use. See my terms for the fine print.

1600 x 690 Snow Leopard

1280 x 552 Snow Leopard

Check out the snow leopards at Woodland Park Zoo.

Seattle Coffee Houses – Belltown

3 great coffee houses in the Belltown neighborhood just north of downtown Seattle. If they are on this list, they are worth checking out.

Uptown Espresso at 4th and Wall is a great meeting space with free WiFi. Home of the “Velvet Foam”.

Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts has been a favorite for awhile now. Old fashioned doughnuts and great coffee. Very Seattle. Worth checking out when you visit. Free WiFi too.

Cherry Street Coffee House at 1st and Lenora is a great place to take in the city. Near Pike Place Market.