Photography is best in the Northwest: fly or drive to Seattle in 1995

PSA Journal, Dec, 1994 by Margaret H. Vaness

Another opportunity for photographs is the Pike Place Market with its colorful displays of fruits and vegetables arranged in picturesque sections just inviting you to take a picture. The proprietor may even pose for you.

A visit to the zoo might inspire you to investigate nature picture possibilities. Woodland Park Zoo is located on Phinney Ridge just north of Seattle's business district. It rates in the top ten in the country. Open daily, it presents several exciting savannas proudly showing off the animals in their native habitats, including a tropical rain forest. A great picture potential.

When coming to the PSA 1995 Regional Convention, allow additional vacation days to explore the area's many picturesque sights. For instance, there is the mighty Snoqualmie Falls and The Salish Lodge, a short 45 minute drive to the east of Bellevue, where there is a small park with a viewing platform for taking photographs, and a gift shop with a snack bar. If you wish to stay a while longer, the Salish Lodge has delectable cuisine, served in a dining room with a view of the Falls. Perhaps you would enjoy an overnight stay and be lulled to sleep by the sounds of falling water.

To the south, about the same driving distance, is the famed Weyerhaeuser Rhododendron Gardens, Bonsai, and Orchid Greenhouses, which are open to the public with photographers welcome. These gardens are on the way to Mount St. Helens. However, a visit to both is a bit much for one day. It would be much better to devote a separate day to each attraction, satisfying both the eye and the soul, as there is so much to see, experience and photograph.

To the north, on the way to Bellingham and Canada, is the Skagit Valley where bulb growers' farms dot the landscape. Because the climate and growing conditions are similar to those in Holland, most of the spring blooming Dutch bulbs we plant in our gardens are produced here. If you proceed west, you will come to the quaint and lively town of La Conner, a historic late 19th century fishing port. It is the home of famous Tillinghast Seed Company. Located in an old high-ceilinged farm house, you will find shelves lining the walls from ceiling to floor filled with packets of seeds of wild and domestic plants and flowers, which are shipped all over the world. Antiques and hand-made arts and crafts shops line both sides of the narrow streets of La Conner.

On the waterfront side of a street, a chef prepares a whole salmon with butter, orange and lime slices, their juices, and brown sugar, over an open fire pit for your dining pleasure. Down the block an artist crafts jewelry, another does custom stitchery. A haven for writers as well as artists, it is a colorful place where picture possibilities abound. Looking back towards the north, of one is lucky, Mount Baker peeks out and stands out against a cobalt sky.

Details will follow in a future Journal, however, a sneak preview of information to entice you for early planning registrants for the 1995 Regional Convention will be offered at least two group day-tours. One will be a boat trip to Blake Island State Park, including a fantastic Indian-style salmon feast. The other unique and delightful day-tour will be a luncheon aboard the "Spirit of Washington" dinner train with wine tasting at a famous winery. So watch for more exciting details in a future issue of the Journal.