No long explanation here. I was down at Lake Washington and the sun was going down so I took this shot with my phone. Just seemed pretty…
Sunset Over Lake Washington
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Tag Archives: lake Washington
Eagles Scouting the Lake
The ospreys on Lake Washington have got some attention on the blog recently. However, they are not alone. Some bald eagles have also been showing up. They aren’t around in such large numbers and I didn’t see so much fishing activity close by but they were out there having a hunt for some food and sometimes came closer in allowing a shot or three. They are an impressive looking bird.
Ospreys on the Hunt
Sitting out by Lake Washington watching the boat and floatplane traffic also provided a view of the local residents fishing. These residents aren’t the humans on the pier with fishing poles. These are the ospreys. There are lots of ospreys that are around the north end of the lake at this time of year. They are circling overhead looking for targets and then swooping down to catch them.
It is not usual to get them making their catch close in but sometimes you can see them diving in the grab a fish. However, when they catch something, they do head back passed the shore as they make their way to their nests. A fish tucked under their body and held in a forward alignment to make it easier to fly with is not a rare sight. You also can get them circling overhead as they look for some food but I guess nothing too tasty was near me.
Speed on the Lake
I have tried to find out what the rules are regarding how fast you can go on Lake Washington. All I have found so far is what limits there are when you are close to shore. Whether this means you can go as fast as you like while out in the open or not I don’t know. We do see plenty of people getting some speed up when they are out on the water. Whether it is speedboats of ski boats pulling someone behind them, they look nice and dramatic when they are up on the plane and moving.
Lakefront Properties – Who’d Want the Noise?
Here are a few of the houses that along the north end of Lake Washington as seen from the pier at Kenmore. Sure, they look like nice houses and they look out over the lake but I’m sure the noise of all of the people having fun out on the lake would make these unattractive places to live. They also have floatplane traffic coming and going from Kenmore. I can’t imagine anyone who would want that.
Fireworks in Kenmore
Last year we were living in Kirkland when July 4th came around. We checked out the fireworks in the town and I took the camera along. Unfortunately, we picked a place to sit in the park that meant the fireworks were behind a tree so I didn’t get any pictures that I was happy with. This year we have moved a little up the lake so we decided to try out the fireworks in Kenmore.
We turned up later in the evening and the park was busy with lots of families out enjoying the warm evening and waiting for the display. We found a spot down near the water that seemed pretty convenient and set up. I wasn’t too bothered about shots but will take them anyway since it is easy to do while enjoying the display. We had some people in front of us that I thought might make good silhouettes in the shots too.
The display started at just after 10pm and lasted about twenty minutes. They were launching from the pier in Log Boom Park so the fireworks were out over the lake. The team had choreographed a great performance and everyone seemed to be pleased. These are a few of the shots I got while enjoying the show.
AAA for Boats
Not being a boat owner, I had never thought about what happens if you should break down. I suppose if you were out in open water, the Coast Guard might be an option but to be honest I have no idea. When you are on Lake Washington, I guess there is a towing service available. I saw this boat bringing someone back into Kenmore. I assume they had broken down and needed help getting back.
Lake Washington Sunset
Sometimes you are just in the wrong place when the conditions are right. We were driving across the floating bridge that takes SR520 between Seattle and Bellevue one evening. The sun was going down and the sky to the north was pink. The water of Lake Washington was smooth and was reflecting the sky beautifully. We were in a car doing 60mph so there was nothing to be done about it. Once across the bridge, I avoided the freeway and took Lake Washington Blvd towards home. It runs alongside the lake and, while a slower road, it is a shorter distance and a more pleasant drive.
As we got alongside the water, the sky was still looking rather impressive. The pink to the north had faded but the sky to the west still looked great. There is a park along the shoreline and I zipped in there to see if I could find a parking spot. Sure enough, someone had just left so I hopped out and took a few shots before the whole thing was done. The orange in the sky towards downtown Seattle was very intense and it all looked great. I guess I got a second bite of the apple.
It’s a Cluster of Cormorants!
This was an evening that I was out hunting planes. I did have some success, but I got a lot more shots of birds than planes. The cormorants were out in numbers and they obviously know I like them. Log Boom Park in Kenmore has a concrete pier that goes well out into the lake. At the end of the pier are pilings from a previous version of the pier. They provide a nice spot for birds to rest and the cormorants had taken over the place.
The light was not in a good place for getting a photo but it was still worthy of a shot or two. Some of the cormorants were stretching their wings to dry out. They have a prehistoric look about them at the best of times but when they stretch the wings out, they really do look like a pterodactyl. The concentrated group of cormorants were in a bad spot for the light but, fortunately, one of them was feeling antisocial and was on a different post. The light was a lot better for this guy!
Row Faster, He’s Gaining on Us
One evening after work I headed down to Kenmore. It is a short distance from my office and, sitting at the top of Lake Washington, it has a nice waterfront park including a pier. I walked out on the pier to see the arrivals of the Kenmore floatplanes at the end of their workday. They are not the only arrivals, though. Various boats were out on the lake including some rowing crews carrying out their training. One of the crews was heading in when a floatplane came in to land. I suspect they had plenty of space but the plane did seem to adjust its course a bit to avoid them. Taxiing in after touchdown (landing seems to be the wrong word) they did seem to be chasing the crew down a bit!
