Author: gailannphoto

visual photographic artist...weddings, babies, children, family, pets. Images of Poland a specialty.
Backroad adventure
Current · Great Northwest · Travel Images

Backroad adventure

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What’s to see after Galvin? Claquato and Pe Ell. Where? Headed on down the road past sprawling farms toward Claquato where around 2001 I photographed a wedding in this charming remnant from long ago. Founded in the 1850s by Hawkins Davis and became a prosperous lumber town with a mill. In 1874 the railroad came and like many towns, Claquato was bypassed, which lead to the eventual demise of the town.  Claquato was officially removed from the County records in 1902. The Claquato Church and Claquato Cemetery remain and provide more photo ops. Next was Pe Ell. Not much activity in this once hopping railroad town inhabited largely by Poles. The town was once the home to the only Polish National Catholic Church in Washington.

Galvin or bust!
Current · Great Northwest · Travel Images

Galvin or bust!

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I think there are more old cars and relics in Galvin than the entire population of 43! Gas pumps with old gas station signs and plenty of old trucks. The best find was behind the doors of the Buser Auto Museum…Mike called the number and the owner picked up the phone and came down to give us the grand tour! Fun spot for any avid photographer.

Current · west seattle

Easter – Covid style

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I decided to take mom out for a drive on this beautiful sunny Seattle day. Temperatures in the 60s with gentle winds. Six feet of separation appearing to be the norm; some with, some without facemasks. Still a wonderful day for a drive around the sound.

Travel Images

New Mexico back roads

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On a quick trip to Las Cruces NM, I just had to head to Hatch for some Mexican pottery and the best green chile cheeseburger ever!

Peacock Mercantile has housed many different businesses since 1926; including a grocery store, mercantile, auto parts store, ice cream shop, pawnshop, and community pool hall.  In 2007 it was purchased by the Nunn family and “Sparky’s” was born. It’s a destination spot for great chile cheeseburgers, chile lemonade, and chile ice cream! While standing in line to place our order we met people from Seattle and Anchorage…what a crossroads!

The family has acquired an eclectic collection of vintage signs and roadside fiberglass giants and was featured on American Pickers. One of the more recent additions is a giant green alien.

Close by we found a roadside station for remembering loved ones filled with retablos, momentoes, and religious statues. Further down the road, we visited the colorful Garden of Memories Cemetery.  The gravestones date from the 1890s to the present day.  

In Fairacres, just a few miles out of Las Cruces was City Line Pawn & Antiques that was more like a museum. Metal riding tractor, vintage blue metal lawn chairs are just a few of the quirky items to be found. It’s on my list to revisit later!

I’m sorry you can’t taste the chile but enjoy the view!

Current

Las Cruces Motorcycle Toy Run

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You could hear the rumble from 1/4 mile down the road….Las Cruces PD led 100s of bikers on a parade from Dona Ana County Community College to New Mexico Farm and Ranch via Sonoma Ranch to University Ave.

 All for a cause…new toys to benefit local children in need; presented by Las Cruces Motorcycle Clubs and Revolution120. Cyclists were rewarded for their efforts with food, drink, and entertainment after the ride.

I have to admit there was a tear in my eye seeing all those riders pass by with a wave, a smile, a toy, and a purpose.

Happy Holidays, y’all!

View and download pics here: https://gailannphoto.smugmug.com/Client-Galleries/2019/Las-Cruces-Motorcycle-Toy-Run/

Auctions · Current

Junction of Music & History

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…that was the theme for the traditional Champagne Gala Brunch for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society held at Salty’s on Alki. But how does that pertain to West Seattle? One could say we live at the “junction of music and history!” Matt Vaughn who started Easy Street Records shared stories about famous musicians who live, record, and jam in Seattle. Such greats as The Ventures, Jimmy Hendrix, Quincy Jones, Macklemore, Brandi Carlisle and Pearl Jam to name a few.  Highlight of the auction was the sale of the rarest of all Eddie Vedder show posters – that of his first official solo show in West Seattle’s Kenyon Hall (attended by only 100 people) in 2008. Bidding went wild and sold for $5,400! This is always a fantastic event. I want to thank the society for keeping the history alive.

Current

Got a monkey on my back and I don’t care

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0865-Hallo19

After all it is Halloween! I took a little drive to see what was happening in the West Seattle neighborhoods. Found lots of pets and kids (with parents) trick or treating up and down the street. The spooky decor was a little bit wicked. Ghosts hid in the shadows, spiders spun their webs, and skeletons celebrated the Halloween spirit!

Current

Fauntleory Fall Festival 2019

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I can’t believe I’ve been present at this event for the past 18 years! It is such an honor to be part of this community. And it was fun seeing how families have grown and seeing how diversified it’s become.  So…thank you for coming to this year’s event. Here’s a peek at some of our guests!

Auctions · Current

A Grand Affair

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It was a night of fancy flappers and dapper men as the West Seattle Food Bank held it’s 4th annual Speakeasy at the Sanctuary; a fundraiser for the local food bank that serves over 11,000 people in our community. There was plenty of gambling, tasty hors d’oeuvres, themed cocktails and an auction of frenzied bidding! A wonderful evening for everyone…

Playing tourist
Current

Playing tourist

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It was a beautiful day to play ‘tourist’ in my own backyard. I zipped on down to the Pike Street Market to join a few friends. We met by Rachel the pig and headed on down to the ‘gum wall‘; even though I have done many engagement portraits there as well as wedding photos it never seemed to be this crowded! As we walked down the steps there was a line of visitors from all over waiting to view this unique attraction. I got my turn, grabbed a few snaps and headed up to the market to find beautiful bouquets and lots of talented artisans… I’ll be back to shop for the holidays! Hope you enjoy my artistic interpretations….