Tag Archives: shoreline

Inquisitive Sealion at the Beach

The shores of Puget Sound provide plenty of places to explore.  One of these was a beach in Shoreline, a town that is quite appropriately named.  I was actually about to head back to the car when this event occurred.  As I walked up the path I saw people coming in the opposite direction.  I thought they had a dog with them and that it was swimming in the water alongside them.  Then I realized that the head in the water was not a dog but instead was a sealion.

The sealion was very close in to the shore and seemed to be quite interested in what was going on.  I turned back around and headed to the water as it came closer.  There were some old wood pilings in the water and the sealion came in to those, almost as if they provided a measure of protection.  Then it paused before turning around and swimming back in the other direction.  Shortly thereafter, it dipped under the surface and swam away.  By this point, a few people had stopped to watch its progress.  A sealion is hardly a rarity but it is interesting just how much attention it garners all the same.

Sounder Takes the Fans to the Seahawks

The Sounder commuter rail service takes passengers from both north and south of Seattle in to the city.  The service from the south end is a very popular one and is expanding.  The northern service from Everett has not been as popular and is not growing in the same way.  However, on both routes, special trains are run on days with big sporting events such as the Seahawks playing at home.  There is normally no service on the weekends so this is an unusual sight.

I was after some Sounder shots for possible use in a future project so headed down to Shoreline where the trains run alongside the beach.  The beach is accessed by a footbridge over the tracks.  It has some good sightlines for shots but also fencing that is not so helpful.  I tried out a location further down and close to the tracks and it was not a bad spot.  Since two trains were heading to the game about 15 minutes apart, I did go back to the bridge to see how that looked too.

As the train was past me, I could continue to watch it as it ran along the shore a good portion of the way to the city.  It did go around a headland but again popped into view as it got closer to the downtown area.

Houseboats on Lake Union

Seattle is certainly a hilly city.  This does mean you can find yourself in locations with a pretty cool view of other parts of the city including the lakes.  I was up above Lake Union and got a great view of some of the lakeside features on the opposite shore.  Houseboats are arrayed along the shoreline and, unlike some houseboats I remember from my childhood, these look rather nice.  They are still a compact space but they look in good shape and they clearly have quite a nice view out of the front door.   I wonder what they are like to live in.  Do they get very damp or are they not a problem to control I wonder?  Anyone know anybody who lives in one?

Trains Along the Bayshore

Having had a post with a train in it, I was reminded that I had actually photographed some trains a while back and they had never made it on to the blog.  It was actually a work related reason I was out there.  I was waiting for the delivery of a pair of our locos (a delivery that was o late it was after the light had gone) but, since we often need imagery for proposals, I thought it would be good to get some new shots.

The location is up in Pinole.  The trains are running along the shore of the bay so it provides a quite photogenic location.  A number of Amtrak California trains came through.  Since these trains are part of my work, I found myself checking out what was in each train and what condition it was in.  I guess I have been doing this for too long!  Anyway, here are some train pictures.

Lots of Little Birds Hang Out Together

AE7I7362.jpgThe marshes are usually good places for bird watching.  As I was walking along the shore in Hayward, I passed a few people that were there to watch the birds.  Some serious spotting scopes on tripods were a clear indication that these people meant business.  Whenever they were set up somewhere, I figured I should take a look in case it was something unusual.  Of course, finding out if it is something special does require you to have a clue about birds.  I don’t so I didn’t know what I was looking at.

B11I1855.jpgDespite that, I could still see that there were lots of birds.  Many of them were hanging out on the mud flats that were just above the water level.  I don’t know much about bird behavior either so whether this is a good place to feed or just somewhere to wait for the good feeding times is anyone’s guess.  I just liked to see how many of them were together.  Maybe there is safety in numbers for them – particularly the ones that are pretty tiny.  I imagine they could be vulnerable to predators if they were on their own.

Santa Cruz

wpid12710-AU0E4746.jpgThe winter in our part of California is not exactly harsh compared to many parts of the country. However, we do get a lot of cloud and rain at this time of year. Having a lovely clear day is a good time to just get out and go to somewhere pretty. Santa Cruz certainly fits the bill. The coast there is both picturesque and full of interesting things going on. A variety of stuff was happening while we were there and some of those things will get a post of their own so keep an eye out for them.

wpid12688-AU0E4552.jpgThe rocky shoreline is very cool. It has a beach below it which makes it look even better. Add in to that people surfing, walking their dogs or just being a little different, you have a fun place to be. Not often you see a bunch of guys on unicycles come by on their afternoon ride! I wasn’t the only one out with a camera either. I was actually testing a lens while we were out and I met another guy with the same lens so we were obviously doing similar things. Meanwhile, someone had a Phantom getting some aerials over the shore so cameras were busy that day.

wpid12663-AU0E4378.jpg