Continuing Projects:

The Backyard - Putting in a new lawn, building some outdoor storage, growing stuff. Big time excitement!

Sumner Midtown Cottages - New construction going on across the street from me. This is what they are building http://www.sumnermidtowncottages.com/.

Fire Practice, and Demolition - Before construction on the cottages could start, the fire department had some practice, and then the old house came down.

LIFE, as it happens:
080712 - STP Starting Line - The starting line of the 2008 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Ride
080510 - Cawley Field Fly-In - Every year this is one of my favorite events.

080503 - Matlock Old Timer's Fair - One of the best free events left.
080406 - The Great 2008 Las Vegas Spot Offsite - Yes, another successful pilgrammage to the grit and glamour that is Las Vegas.

The trip down - I had (unrealistic) hopes of taking lots of pictures on the drive down. Most of these are from the first day, after that I had to move.
Hoover Dam - An amazing accomplishment, but after you get all of the "dam" jokes out of your system, you find out that visiting the damn dam is as much of a pain in the ass as flying on an airplane - metal detectors, x-rays, and all.
Techatticup Mine & Eldorado Canyon - Just a fun place to visit. Old junk and history, in a relaxed atmosphere.
Valley of Fire State Park and National Natural Landmark - Eerie rock formations and petroglyphs.
Bellagio Hotel and Casino - Extreme class.
Imperial Palace Auto Collection - Good selection of unique (and not so unique) vehicles. All are for sale.

Ron's Vegas Photos - Ron's Vegas Documentary. Good stuff.

070804 - The Great Oregon Steam-Up - Another excellent showing of engines and equipment.

Brush Cutter - The best of show brush cutter that nearly came home with us.
Bubble Blower - A multi-ton bubble blowing machine.
Steam Crane - Big old huge rail mounted steam crane.
Maytag Fix - This guy is trying to fix his Maytag engine.
Maytag Engines - Miscellaneous Maytag washing machine engines.
Maytag Washer - Restored Maytag gas powered washer.
Sights & Sounds - Miscellaneous chuffing and whirring stuff.
Pumps - Gas powered and kid powered pumps.
Putt-ers - Small engines
Thresher - Thresher demonstration.
Tractor - Tractor.

070707 - Backyard Bark Blowing (Before & After shots) - Well, I finally faced the fact that I was not going to move and spread twenty cubic yards of bark with a wheelbarrow. I called in a crack staff of professionals, and it was done in two hours.

Before - A panorama shot of the landscaping fabric layed down (this was the hard part) before the bark blowers arrived.
After - Panorama of the beautiful-ness that is my backyard now. Now as soon as I remove all that clutter...

070623 - History in Motion - Not much motion at the History in Motion event in Morton this year. A steam locomotive, and a few autos.

Steam Train - Video

070620 - Fire Department Practice - The house across the street from me is slated for demolition so that they can build SIX houses in its place... but that's another story. In the meantime, Sumner and East Pierce County Fire Departments are using it for training.
070512 - South Prairie Fly-In - Fly, drive, or drag it in - Folks will look it over.

Video of the Fly-in:
The drive - Getting to the event in a vintage auto.
The field 1 - The field 2 - Takeoff - Various aircraft on the grass airfield.
Small engines - Big engine - Stationary power on display too.
CarWalk - Lots of autos of all sorts.

070505 - Matlock Old-Timer's Fair - It's a celebration of all that is Matlock-ness.
070419 - 2007 Spot Offsite - Reno, NV
Oregon Coast - I had forgotten how nice the coast could be, especially when the sun shines.
Sea Lion Caves - It's a cave with big critters in it - what more could you want.
Prehistoric Gardens - Better watch out, the dinosaur statues will get you.
Trees of Mystery - It started to rain, but that just made the trees all the more mysterious-er.
The Peppermill Hotel and Casino - Couldn't ask for a better view. Watching people work, while you are on vacation.
National Automobile Museum - Lots of great motor vehicles from all throughout time - but hey, THE BATMOBILE!.
Nevada Railroad Museum - Pretty much, trains.
Dayton, NV - Nice little town on Highway 50 with some interesting history.
Car Show - Auto collectors gathered at the Nevada State Capitol grounds.
Virginia City, NV - The Comstock Lode - Lots of history - Some of it may be true. Possibly more gift shops than Leavenworth.
070317 - Camp 18 - Nice collection of old logging stuff... and great breakfasts.
070210 - Wynoochee Dam - Make up your own dam jokes.
070117 - More wildlife in the backyard - Snow, rain, birds... feh.
060826 - Toledo Steam and Antique Equipment Show - Fun with tractors and old stuff.
060826 - Pacific Northwest Truck Museum Show - Trucks - Some older than others - Some shinier than others.
060825 - Oregon State Fair - The Weinermobile, carnies, and a demonstration of "professional" wrestling.
060819 - Olalla Bluegrass Festival - Friendly folks, excellent music, and pie!
060805 - Mt. Rainier Foothills Jeep Trip - Warm Sunny Day? Head for the hills. A little dust don't hurt ya.
060802 - Puget Sound Antique Tractor, Gas, & Steam Show - Betcha' didn't know tractors run on love (old ones at least).
060730 - Coke Ovens at Wilkeson, WA - Nearly 130 years ago, the town of Wilkeson, WA was a processor of coke made from the local coal mined nearby.
060729 - The Great Oregon Steam-Up - About a bazillion old engines running all at once (more or less).
060702 - Visitor in the Backyard - Raccoons like cherries
060701 - Steam Logging - A demonstration of logging methods at the Pomeroy Living History Farm
Northwest Logging Modeler's Convention
060622 - Old Sawmill - A living, breathing example of local history
060623 - Camp 6 Logging Museum - Nifty outdoor museum of logging history and equipment in Point Defiance Park
060623 - Washington History Museum - Very nice museum of local history.
060623 - Chehalis Steam Dinner Train - Fine dining while chuffing through the countryside. Celebrity guest: Miss Lewis County.
060624 - Antique Motorcycle Museum - Early and rare motorcycles on display in downtown Chehalis.
060625 - Morton, WA - History in Motion event featuring Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad.
060513 - South Prairie Cruise & Fly-In - A beautiful sunny day for everyone to show off their toys
060506 - Matlock Old Timer's Fair - A quiet little logging town celebrates the past
060420 - 2006 Spot Offsite - Three old Boeing Engineers have a lovely time in Las Vegas
060311 - Mountain Men (and Women) - Pass the pemmican and breathe the wood smoke
060114 - Point Defiance Zoo - Lots of happy animals
051031 - Halloween in Enumclaw - A rainy Halloween in downtown Enumclaw
050827 - Toledo Steam and Antique Equipment Show - Tractors and farm equipment
050827 - Pacific Northwest Truck Museum Show - Old trucks - Shiny and not
050826 - The Oregon State Fair - The carnival at night
050820 - The 14th Ever Olalla Bluegrass (and Beyond) Festival 2005 - "Kick the City Off Your Shoes" in Olalla
050815 - New Attachment for the Troy-Bilt - Dozer blade fresh off of eBay
050813 - The Shelton Truck Show - Antique and unique display of trucks
050803 - Puget Sound Antique Tractor Gas & Steam Show - Farm equipment show in Lynden, WA
050730 - The Great Oregon Steam-Up - Amazing collection of historic steam and gas power equipment
050702 - Steam Logging Demonstration - Logging using methods and equipment from the past, at the Pomeroy Living History Farm
050625 - Buckley Log Show - Homegrown Logger's Rodeo and celebration of the forest industry in Buckley, WA
050619 - History in Motion - Morton, WA celebration of transportation heritage
050508 - Matlock Old-Timer's Fair - Sights and sounds of antique equipment
050507 - South Prairie Fly-In - Great gathering of everything that flys and rolls.
The 2005 SPOT Offsite to Reno, NV - Another year rolls around, and we head off to raise the kind of hell that only middle aged engineers can.

Wildlife Safari - Winston, OR - Great natural place to photograph animals.
Collier Logging Museum - Outdoor display of logging equipment of all vintages.
Lava Beds National Monument - Tule Lake, CA - Beautiful scenery. Rocks, birds, and history.
Nevada Railroad Museum - Carson City, NV - Nice museum working to maintain historical railroad equipment.
Nevada Historical Museum - Carson City, NV - Located in the old Carson City Mint.
Virginia City - Historic mining Center
VW Spider - The lawn ornament we all really want.
Genoa - The oldest settlement in Nevada.
The National Auto Museum - The remainder of the Harrah's collection. Great display of auto history.
Bowers Mansion - No relation, but interesting nonetheless.

The 22nd Annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival - Logging Museum and restaurant on Hwy 26 near the Oregon coast.
Camp 18 - Logging Museum and restaurant on Hwy 26 near the Oregon coast.
041106 - Mushrooms in the Backyard - Always amazing to see what pops up in the back forty when you're not looking.
041031 - Halloween in Downtown Enumclaw - Every year Enumclaw closes off the street downtown and the shops have treats for the kids. We go and eat too much and drink good beer (OK, and watch the trick or treaters).
040828 - Cowlitz Prairie Grange Threshing Bee and Antique Equipment Show - Toledo, WA
040828 - Brooks Truck Show - Antique Truck Association's annual truck show.
040827 - Oregon State Fair - The might of Oregon's rural and agricultural productivity, and a beer garden too!
040820 - Pioneer Agricultural & Power Show - Open air museum and swap meet. Operating displays of historic farm equipment.
040814 - Shelton Truck Show - Antique Truck Association's annual truck show.
040807 - The Great Oregon Steam-Up - At the Antique Powerland Museum in Brooks, Oregon. Highlights include operating steam tractors, tractor pulling, flour mill, blacksmithing, trolley rides, live music, a parade and much more.
040804 - Puget Sound Antique Tractor & Machinery Association Annual Show & Threshing Bee - The Puget Sound Antique Tractor and Machinery Association's annual show at Lynden's historic Berthusen Park is one of the most unique of all of Whatcom County's summer events. The park's tall evergreens provide a dramatic setting for antique tractors and farm machinery of all vintages, most restored and fully-operational.
040731 - Seattle International Beerfest - Really great beers from around the world in the shadow of the Space Needle.
040725 - King County Fair - Logger's Rodeo, fair food. and people watching in Enumclaw
040712 - Methow Valley Scenery - Abandoned mines, Lake Chelan, Winthrop
040703 - Steam Logging Demonstration - An exhibit of steam logging operations at Pomeroy Living History Farm in Yacolt, WA
040626 - History in Motion - Drove out to Morton, WA to see their History in Motion event. Even though the event was a little sparse on activities, watching the de-railment and re-railment of a steam locomotive was well worth the price of admission.
040620 - Summer Brewfest - Couldn't miss this year's Summer Brewfest at St. Edward State Park. Always a really nice time. Lots of tasty beer and food, and folks just hanging out.
040613 - Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad - Took another ride on the MRSRR as part of the 10th Annual Northwest Logging Modeler's convention. Great chance to see some old railroad rolling stock, and on the way back, experience a steam locomotive in operation close up.
040508 - The Butchart Gardens - In Victoria, British Columbia. 2004 is the 100th anniversary of this beautiful landmark. Took the Victoria Clipper and a double-decker bus getting there.
040501 - Matlock Old-Timer's Fair - Really nice showing of old trucks, tractors, cars, and engines along with lots of good food and entertainment.
040410 - Road Trip to Las Vegas - On the road again. There's a whole lot of raw, untamed excitement out there. I managed to miss most of it.

Multnomah Falls in the Columbia Gorge
Mount Hood seen from the East
Collier State Park Logging Museum in Southern Oregon
Scenic Bluffs at Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California
Interesting weirdness in the Northern Nevada towns of Tonopah and Goldfield
Automobile Museum at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in the hills west of Las Vegas
New Neonopolis Mall in Downtown Las Vegas
Forge building - Somehow, building your own forge to save money seems less and less like a good idea.
040221
040228
030720 - King County Fair - Fair rides and Logging Rodeo
030706 - Steam Logging Demonstration - Logging with steam and muscle
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad - Great old railroad operation in Elbe, WA
030628
030704
030510 - FlyIn - Really nice event. Cars, motorcycles, and airplanes.
030419 - SPOT Offsite trip to Reno - Pack up the trouble makers and malcontents and send them to Reno for a week.

Wildlife Safari in Oregon
Klamath Falls
Tuke Lake wildlife preserve
Lava Beds National Monument
National Automobile Museum in Reno
Virginia City Mining History
Carson City Mint and Railroad Museum
030119 - Northwest Trek Wild Animal Park - Good place to get some good animal pictures in a semi-natural setting.
030105 - Flaming Geyser State Park - I like to go here every once in awhile to get some pictures. I like the misty mornings around the river.
030105 - Ant Farm - In looking for a Christmas present for my neice, I came across the Xtreme Ant Farm. I thought is was so cool I got one for my neice, and one for me. They are happily digging away and doing very well.
020928 - Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad - Train Shop - This is where they bring old locomotives back to life, and keep them running for all to enjoy.
020831 - Evergreen Speedway - Figure Eights, Hornets, and Jet Cars. Fun on wheels.
020810 - Antique Truck Show in Shelton - Working vehicles day to shine.
020803 - Lynden Antique Steam & Gas Equipment Show - Nothing like the sound of old engines all around you.
Steam powered sawmill movie #1 [Quicktime - 11.5 Mb]
Steam powered sawmill movie #2 [Quicktime - 8.4 Mb]
020721 - Off Road Near Mt. Rainier - Sunny day and no pavement = goodness.
020720 - 2002 King County Fair - Fair food, logging competition and rides.
020630 - Northwest Logging Modeler's Convention - Logging tours, displays, and presentations. A little rain didn't dampen the enthusiam.

A tour of local logging equipment displays
Ride on the Lake Whatcom Railway Excursion
Live Steam Equipment Display at Lynden, WA
Logging Model Competition
020511 - Antique Fly-In, South Prairie - Great event and a beautiful day for it. Lots of cars and airplanes and motorcycles of all kinds.
020505 - Railfan Days at Freighthouse Square, Tacoma - Steam train ride from Tacoma to Fredrickson. Cold and wet, but fun anyhow.

Movies - [11.4MB] [8.1MB] [11.3MB]
020217 - Olympic Flight Museum - A very nice collection of airworthy and display military aircraft in Olympia. Also some other military equipment.
011210 - Las Vegas (again?) - Yes again. The fine folks at Harrah's made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Lots more good pictures and some more movies. I went back to the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum again because I took such bad pictures last time.

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris-Las Vegas [6 MB]
Traffic and neon [3.4 MB]
The Bellagio's Fountain Show [11.2 MB] [11.3 MB]
011118 - Jeep Outing, Evans Creek - The Evans Creek area is on the outskirts of the Mt. Rainier National Park.
011017 - Las Vegas - Trip to Las Vegas October 14th through the 17th.
OK, I remade the movies. They should work now. I will just link to them here. The movies are very large, but of high quality (of course).
The replica of the Eiffel Tower at Paris-Las Vegas [9.1 MB]
Fountains outside Paris-Las Vegas [7.8 MB]
Artwork inside the entrance to The Grand Canal Shops at The Venetian [5.3 MB]
The ornate great hall at The Venetian [8 MB]
Dolphins at The Secret Garden at The Mirage [17.6 MB]
Lions and tigers and elephants at The Secret Garden at The Mirage [11 MB]
011006 - Hornet Races - Paint a car yellow with black stripes. Now put sixty more of them on a track and run them into each other for 300 laps. Pretty cool!
010930 - Capitol Peak RR Incline - Searching for where logging train locomotives climbed a hill, and finding it.
010921 - Puyallup Fair 2001 - Tracy and I eat fair food, buy modern conveniences, and bother innocent critters.
010916 - Toyota project - Drove it without the top for the first time.
010915 - Camp 18 - More old logging rust.
010909 - Toyota Project - Last look before the fenders, hood, grille go back on.
010825 - LeMay Open House - A collector's collection.
010818 - Union Gap Power Show - Really nice equipment show near Yakima, WA.
010812 - Shelton Truck Show - Annual truck show in Shelton, WA.
010812 - Mt. Rainier - Visited the mountain after the Shelton truck show.
010804 - Lynden Antique Tractor Show - Lots of nice working equipment of all ages and sizes,
010804 - Lynden Museum - Nice museum in downtown Lynden, WA.
010728 - The Great Oregon Steam-Up - Steam power show in Brooks, OR.
010629 - Abandoned Trestle - We explore an abandoned logging train trestle near Shelton
010529 - Really High Bridge - We explore a bridge near Shelton. We were hucking sticks an' stuff off the top, and it took for freakin' ever for them to fall.
010422 - Reno - The SPOT Offsite in lovely, historic Northern Nevada
E-mail me at dougdb [at] dougdb.net



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