Tag Archives: Kenmore

Eagles and Ospreys Over Kenmore

Trips to Log Boom Park are usually to see the floatplane activities from Kenmore Air’s base but it also gives the potential for some other airborne photo subjects.  On one trip a short while ago, the conditions were a little harsh with strong lighting from overhead, but the local fauna was helping out.  Getting eagles there is not too unusual but the warmer weather does mean the possibility of ospreys showing up and they did oblige.  No close action as they were fishing but they did get some food from the water and even occasionally managed to fly our way while carrying their successes.

Log Boom with Mark

My buddy, Mark, was heading through the region on his way south but he had a little time to kill.  We agreed to meet up late in the afternoon to see what the traffic was like at Kenmore.  He comes from Vancouver, so floatplanes are not a novelty for him, but a different operator is some variety I guess.  I am always happy to watch floatplanes.  I got there a little before him and got a couple of extra movements but there was still enough happening once he showed up.  Log Boom Park provides a good spot to watch the planes from, but the summer can be trickier as it becomes a popular spot for the local kids to hang out and swim.  Fortunately, the day was cooler, so we weren’t surrounded by kids.

Most of the planes approached from down the lake and came straight in but there was one Cessna that decided the southerly wind necessitated the approach over Kenmore.  I would like more of those to be honest as they provide some interesting angles, but it was just the one this time.

Sun On The Seminary

Despite having lived in the area for over five years, for some reason, we had never been to St Edward State Park before.  We went for a walk there that will get a separate post.  In the center of the park is the old Seminary building which has now been converted into a hotel.  With a nice sunny day to light it, it looked like a pretty interesting structure.  No doubt, it has some interesting history too!

Kenmore Air’s 75th Anniversary

2021 is the 75th anniversary of Kenmore Air.  Since we moved to the Pacific Northwest, I have been grateful to Kenmore for providing plenty of floatplanes for me to see and some convenient locations to photograph them.  I have also had a fun flight with them.  When they announced that they were holding a public celebration I was in for that.  It was a free event at their Kenmore Harbor headquarters and it was a lot of fun.

I put together an article for Global Aviation Resource that describes the event in more detail so, rather than repeat all of that here, the link to the article is https://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/2021/09/07/aviation-event-kenmore-airs-75th-anniversary/.  I will pop a few of the images of the event here as well and will cover some details of the proceedings in future blog posts.

747s Over Kenmore

A sunny but cool Sunday afternoon with a bit of spare time on my hands meant I headed over to Kenmore to see whether there was any floatplane activity.  The answer was not much.  However, I did get something a little larger overhead.  Traffic in to Paine Field was running on a northerly flow.  A Dreamlifter made an approach and was followed a little later by a 747-8F destined for UPS once test flying is complete.  They both turned on to approach overhead the north end of Lake Washington so I got shots of them both.

Stormy Skies Over Lake Washington

One damp weekend day, I went to Kenmore to visit the camera store.  After browsing in there for a while, I headed down to Log Boom Park just to take a look at the Lake.  A storm shower had just passed through so I decided to try my luck in staying dry.  As I walked down to the water, my gamble did not pay off and it started to rain again.  However, I was able to stay out of the worst of it and take a couple of shots across the lake.  The clouds near us were really menacing but there was clearer sky in the distance.  Quite a range of exposures to accommodate.

Evening Cessnas on Floats

Another jump back to just before things got locked down and a visit to Log Boom Park in Kenmore.  I was hoping for either some interesting wildlife or some Kenmore Air activities.  The only floatplanes I ended up with were a couple of Cessnas.  However, the light was nice and the evening was calm so this actually proved to be a good alternative.  They may not be as neat as a de Havilland Canada beast but they are still fun to shoot.

Powered Surfboard

Sitting on the pier at Log Boom Park in Kenmore gives me a plentiful supply of things to photograph.  This guy was out on what I can only assume is a powered surfboard of some sort.  I couldn’t work out what powered it exactly but he seemed to have a hand controller to manage his speed.  He was happily cruising around the north end of Lake Washington.  For those of you that are surfers, is this a good alternative when you can’t access good surf or is such a thing heretical in your eyes?

Watching You Watching Everyone Else

Another shot from Kenmore.  I was looking for things to photograph on the lake while someone else was looking to get photos or video of Kenmore from the air.  I watched the drone for a while and it didn’t seem to be bothered about where I was.  I wonder what they were interested in.  More importantly, this is right next to Kenmore Air’s operation with their floatplanes so, either this person had permission to be flying here or they were breaking the law.

Rowing Crews In Training

It was a nice evening after work and Nancy was on a trip that meant she would be home later than me so I figured I would go and hang out at Log Boom Park and see what was going on at the top of Lake Washington.  It might be wildlife and it might be floatplanes so I have a chance of something.  I actually ended up seeing a bunch of crews in training.  I don’t know whether they are from the university or a local club but there were plenty of them.

They appeared one time in the distance and then paused before heading back down the lake.  A while later they reappeared and did the same thing again.  They were a fair distance away although I did wonder whether they would be in the path of the floatplanes that were taking off.  However, they were probably too far for them to be in conflict.  I will have to check out when the regattas are due to take place as I would like to see it with more planning unlike last year when we saw some races by accident.