I had met my friend mark down at the top of Lake Washington in Kenmore a while back and some of our shots had been compromised by a large barge moored a little way from the shore. When I went back later a month of so later, no sign of a barge – initially. After I had been there for a while, I saw a barge coming up the lake with a tug pushing it along. It came to the same location and slowed to a halt before mooring the barge.
The tug then cast off from the barge and headed into the inlet at the top of the lake. A little while later it came back out, this time with another barge that was empty, unlike the one it had arrived with. There is a concrete plant in Kenmore that is along the water, so I assume that the barges are used to bring in the aggregate for the concrete manufacturing process. From this reverse angle, I got to see the crew working along the barge handling the lines to the tug. It was rather interesting to see them hard at it. I also liked the tug’s name. It clearly had an original name, Willamette Chief, overpainted although the second half had been left exposed. It had a newer name, Island Chief, on a plate higher up on the superstructure.
I was getting my car serviced up in Everett and was working from the dealership’s lounge while they were busy with it. When they finished, I didn’t have much time before my next call so, since I couldn’t get back to the office in time, I parked down on the waterfront to take my calls. I ended up spending the rest of the day working there (and having my lunch). It was a lovely day, and the ferries were coming in and out of the Mukilteo terminal. I did take a moment every once in a while, to grab some photos of the two ferries as they went back and forth.
