I was on my way to get milkshakes at Sonic (1/2 price after 8 pm) when I came upon this handsome fellow. He let me snap a couple of photos and then moseyed along to find better plants to nibble on. The Texas Longhorn can have horns that go up to 7′ across.
I went on to see if there was a nice sunset and found a crane. And that was my night.
I talked dear husband into coming with me to take sunset photos at the lovely Saltwater State Park, but when we got there the road was closed (seriously!). Well, ok, there must be other places around to see the sunset. So we drive around and find Redondo, which is a neighborhood community in Des Moines and Federal Way. Wikipedia tells that the area was originally designed as a resort, but over the years became a middle class residential community that centers around the lovely Redondo Beach. In addition to the residential homes, there is a Salty’s Restaurant, a marine museum, another restaurant which was closed at the time and some great public art. The beach features a fishing/viewing peer, boardwalk (above the beach), a diving tour, some amazing sunset views of Poverty Bay. The area is rumored to be named after the more famous Redondo Beach in California, which is famous for its surfing and beach volleyball.
It took me a while to find a place to shot the sunset over Lake Granbury, but in the end I found two, one from the Irby’s Restaurant parking lot and the one from the parking lot of a near by apartment complex.
I’ve been wanting to visit Salmon Beach ever since I learned that there was a Salmon Beach! Friday night I was invited to a soiree at one of the cabins. It was great! Good friends and food, and an amazing view of the Tacoma Narrows and the Narrows Bridge. We even saw a seal 🙂
From what I’ve read, the community started as fishing shacks, but in 1934 electricity was brought in and the shacks became cottages. They are an eclectic collection of homes accessed by going down a long series of stairs (more than 200) and then a path.
My only regret is that I didn’t walk down to find the mermaid sculpture. Guess I’ll just have to go back!
To read more about the history of Salmon Beach try this link.
 
So a while back I won a nights stay at the Silver Cloud Hotel in Mukilteo. We went this weekend and while I my dear husband napped, I slipped out to explore the near by Mukilteo Lighthouse Park. It was a glorious evening, unseasonably warm and the high school students were enjoying the breeze in their prom finery. There were couples in love and families roasting marshmallows in the fire pits. And the Mukilteo Ferries traveled to and fro.
In the twilight I stopped to take a quick cell phone photo of 320 bed St. Joe’s. I like the unusual shape of the main building and the glowing red lights along the top. The address of the building is 1717 S. J St., Tacoma, WA 98405.
Their web site is
http://www.fhshealth.org/services.aspx?id=120&menu_id=12&submenu_id=14
Below are a couple of photos that I took earlier in the year in the daylight.
 
