Posts Tagged ‘pacific northwest’
Into boats?
Into boats? I am. Here is a link to boats that I have owned, chartered, and crewed on.
 Puget Sound – Sailing out of Shilshole |
Isaakson’s Sawmill, Redmond, Washington
Isaakson’s Sawmill
Duane Isaakson, Isaakson’s Sawmill Owner-Operator
October 19th, 2013 – In unincorporated King County, eight miles east of Redmond, Washington, along State Route 202 (Redmond-Fall City Road) there exists a sawmill that has been in existence at this location since 1936. This sawmill was established by Henry Isaacson, a log truck driver, businessman, and opportunist. Isaakson’s mill is still in operation today, owned and operated by his son, Duane Isaakson. Duane lives on his father’s original estate above the mill with his wife Joanne. You can often see smoke coming out of the stacks at the mill when driving by on 202.
Duane Isaakson with Sawblade
Isaakson’s Sawmill was established in the 1930’s. It thrived during World War II as larger mills were tied up with the war effort. Commerce still went on for local people wanting to build homes so upon Isaakson’s Sawmill they relied for lumber. During this period locals burned sawdust from the mill as a substitute for oil and coal which were hard to obtain and very expensive if these commodities were even available.
Isaakson’s mill expanded after another area mill burned in a fire, and a planer was salvaged by Isaacson from the destroyed mill. This planer was one of the larger ones in the area. It gave them the capability to smooth and cut grooves into lumber thereby refining their lumber further for building quality.
Isaakson’ Sawmill Lumber Milling
This last weekend I, with several other members of a local church, toured Isaakson’s Sawmill with Duane Isaakson as host. Duane, in his 70’s, not only enriched us with his knowledge of area history and specific history about his now deceased fathers’ mill, but he surprised us by firing up the diesels and began milling logs during our tour. He cut a log into lumber and milled some of the lumber with the planer. It was exciting to hear the buzzing of the saws and to see the sawdust spewing out the backsides each of the two sheds that house the operations. Duane does not do this just for sport – he has customers, one who pulled in to pick up his order while we were there.
Isaakson’s Sawmill, Planer Building
Information Sources: The Sammamish Heritage Society and Duane Isaacson.
ICE STORM
Snow Tree Carillon Point, Kirkland, Washington
SeaTac International Airport has closed all three of their runways due to the ice thus stranding more than a thousand travelers. This just after an inordinate amount of snowfall for the region. There are power outages reported throughout the area.
I powered down my drivers’ side window to leave a layer of ice – it looked as if the window was still in the up position. Fun to show the neighbors how I can punch my “window” out!
Credit for Snow Tree Carillon Point to J. R. Hudson, Scenic Edge Photography
36 Foot Ketch on Puget Sound
36 Foot Ketch on Puget Sound
Before discussing the sailboat, worth identifying are the mountain peaks in the background. These peaks are the higher two peaks of the southern end of the Olympic Mountains of Washington State, a peninsula. First is Mount Ellinor, elevation 5,924 feet (1,805 meters), and to its right is a higher Mount Washington, elevation 6,259 feet (1,908 meters). I used these mountain peaks as an opportunity for a backdrop in order to achieve an enhanced composition for when a boat would pass by. I was rewarded when this beautiful twin-mast sailor with clipper-style hull indeed arrived! This boat, a beautiful sailing ketch, glided smoothly past on the sailing position known as a reach – with wind hitting its port beam. A number (“36”) clearly visible below the peak of the mainsail indicates the length the boat.
Carillon Point Marina – Spring
Tulips at Carillon Point
I took a break from work today at Carillon Point. I had to work a half day, but had to get out and walk along the waterfront at Carillon Point, the place which houses my office. These pictures share the ambiance I experienced there today.
Carillon Point Marina
Carillon Point Offices
Officially Spring in the Pacific Northwest
Seattle Space Needle Reflection Photo by J. R. Hudson
At the start of spring (spring vernal equinox), day and night are approximately 12 hours long (at the equatorial plane) and the Sun is at the midpoint of the sky. Our north pole tilts towards the Sun. Meteorological determination of spring is calculated according to when the sun passes through the equatorial plane. When going from winter to spring, the sun is moving north; as soon as the sun crosses the equator, we call it spring (northern hemisphere).
Good times ahead!
Source: http://wiki.answers.com
Three Sheets Northwest – About Boating in the Pacific Northwest
Three Sheets Northwest is the only website providing original news, features and other information updated almost daily that focuses exclusively on boating in the Pacific Northwest.
Visit ThreeSheetsNW.com now!
Sailboat at Rest, Westsound, Orcas Island, San Juan Islands
“My favorite Northwest boating destination is the San Juan Islands, because somehow I am drawn, impelled, pulled by some unknown force located there – perhaps a fantasy almost realized but yet, not quite. I try to shake it, even neglecting these islands for years, but alas, when I’m back, and I always seem to come back, the islands continue to exude their charm, their beauty.” – J. R. Hudson
Ice Wine
Eroica 2006 Reisling Ice Wine from Chateau Ste. Michelle
One of the rarest of the world’s wines is known as “ice wine” (German translation “Eiswein”). This wine is divinely sweet, not a typical normal sweetness, but a really rich sweetness and flavor which are brought on by the defensive process within a grape when it meets it’s first hard freeze. It has been said that ice wine is “the nectar of the gods”.
Natural conditions must be just right to produce grapes that will result in quality ice wine. The precise moment of harvest is extremely important to determine. After a warm period, when there is a sudden frozen night, harvesters must head out to the vineyards in the early hours of the morning to pluck these grapes. No time to spare. The grapes, when they are in this quick freeze condition, are low-yielding. As a result, it can take a whole vine to produce one bottle of ice wine.
In our own Pacific Northwest, the ice wine to be found will likely be from the Riesling grape. It is typically sold in half-size bottles due to the rareness of the rareness of the harvest.
Washington’s Chateau Ste. Michelle winery states they have harvested ice wine only six times in their 40-year history. Ice wine is very expensive, but worth it to try. I have, and I agree with the majority of others who have tried it and commented – ice wine is extremely good, tasty, divine!
Ice Wine on Wikipedia
Pacific Northwest | J R Hudson 