Tagging Salmon

We went to the fish ladders at the Ballard Locks on Tuesday to watch the salmon run.

The ladder provides a series of shallow steps that the fish can maneuver, swimming always against the direction of the flow of water, to get upstream to their spawning grounds.

Benjie is watching the fish, some of which are being diverted up from the main portion of the ladder. We were curious as to what was going on with these fish. 

We wondered what was going on up above where these men with nets seemed to be after the diverted fish.





The fish didn't necessarily want to cooperate with the netters.

But they did magage to capture them nonetheless.


So now what?

The netted fish was transferred into a tub of water, where he was wrestled into what can only be called a fish body bag. Well, the workers probably have a better name for it.

The black bag calmed the fish somewhat--not much...

...but enough to make it possible to pass the catch up to the next group of workers.

...who measured it... 

 

...tagged it...

...and turned it loose in the open waters leading into Lake Union.

On Thursdays I used to do posts about workers. I think I will try to resume doing that, as I do think I need to get back to more regular blogging.

Headbangers Challenge--Stripes

I wonder when Chris (Gailsman) set the theme of "Stripes" for this week's Headbanger's Challenge if he had something in particular in mind.

Had he been out hiking and noticing the stripes on small critters such as the Golden Mantle Squirrel? (Not a chipmunk. The Golden Mantle Squirrel is larger and does not have stripes on his cheeks, though this one certainly has a supply of nuts in his cheeks.)

Or maybe he had stopped by the zoo, which is always a good place to find some stripey critters.

Sleepy stripey critters.

Did he find some smaller stripey critters?

My bet is that he did not have someone like Esther show up fresh from a manicure with her stripey fingernails!

(I did a little rotate and patching to get the picture in the right proportions for my header and repair the fingertip that I had cropped of when I took the picture. When you are photographing the fingernails of a plucky 83 year old at the gym, you don't ask for "just one more take and move your hands this way.)

Headbangers move to a theme each week. There are five of us now, linked in my sidebar so you can see what stripes the others have found.

This just in--introducing our newest Headbanger--Richard. He will be joining the competition with next weeks theme.

Sunday's Psalm--Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.




Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Glorify the LORD with me,
Let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
And delivered me from all my fears.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy.
And your faces may not blush with shame.

When the afflicted man called out, the LORD heard,
And from all his distress he saved him.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.



The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

The Best of Summer--a Headbangers' Theme

One that I provided in my turn to our Headbangers group whose links you can see in my sidebar over there. Each week we set a header to meet the theme chosen by one of the group, then choose our favorites for gold, silver and runner-up bronze. Want to play with us? Just let one of us know. We could use another for more competition.

So the best of summer. Summer is actually my least favorite season. I can easily list the worst of summer, which is mowing the lawn in the 100º F. sun. Well, I did get it done before it hit 100º, but I was definitely dripping.

So then I came in to make some selections from the archives to add to the photos taken in the last couple of days to illustrate the best, and I must admit that I convinced myself that there is enough of the best to tolerate the heat--as long as it doesn't last terribly long.

So here goes:

The corn is as high as an elephant's eye.

The trails through the forest are cool. 


The bears have come out of hibernation.

You find odd combinations of hot and cool in the strangest places.

We are blessed with glorious sunsets.

You camp out.

No matter where.

The wildflowers are glorious in the mountain meadows. (Did I already say glorious with the sunset? Too bad. Let me be redundant. The wildflowers are glorious, too.)

And so are the roses in the Rose Garden.

Cousins who live far from each other get a chance to hang out.

Kids have a great time at day camps, Vacation Bible Schools, summer park department programs.

The trails melt out so that  you can go hiking.

Grown men chase a ball around the field  in 102º heat for a good cause.

They know well the next day that they participated.

 

The Vintiques Car Show comes to Yakima.

And maybe best of all, even if you can't grow a garden, you can get the most wonderful summer fruits and vegetables at a neighborhood fruit stand or farmers market.

Sunday's Psalm--Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

What we have heard and know,

and what our fathers have declared to us,

We will declare to the generation to come

the glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength

and the wonders that he wrought.

The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

He commanded the skies above


and opened the doors of heaven;


he rained manna upon them for food


and gave them heavenly bread.





The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels,


food he sent them in abundance.


And he brought them to his holy land,


to the mountains his right hand had won.




The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn...

. . . The sheep's in the meadow.

The cow's in the corn.

45

Gail gave us the theme of Tattoo. I will pass on this theme for two reasons.

1. I have nothing--absolutely nothing--that I can post. I thought I might have a pic of my son-in-law's Ironman tattoo, but not. I thought oh, the tattoo as the drummers. But nothing. If I had known in time I would have taken a picture of the beat beat beat of the heartbeat--also called a tattoo--on the monitors while hubby was in the hospital. I won't send him back to the hospital just for a picture.

Visit the other headbangers from the links in my sidebar to see how they have handled this one.

2. Our 45th wedding anniversary is Sunday. So.........

 And here we are flanked by the good examples--60 years and 55 years--till death...

Why did we have our wedding photos printed on such weird paper? It doesn't scan well. We should have kept that in mind 45 years ago.

Sunday's Psalm--Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might.

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

The eyes of all look hopefully to you,

and you give them their food in due season;

you open your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

The LORD is just in all his ways

and holy in all his works.

The LORD is near to all who call upon him,

to all who call upon him in truth.

The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.

Headbangers--Sunrise/Sunset

 Our Headbanger's theme this week is Sunrise/Sunset--your choice. Tom chose it. You will find the Headbangers all listed in my sidebar.

I expect that we will see some pretty spectacular sunrise and or sunset pictures in the Headbangers group--we've had some pretty nice ones lately here.

The wondrous thing about Sunrises and sunsets is that God gives you a new one of each every day. Some are glorious like some days are. Some are simple with a bit of a tinge of color and then it's gone till the morning for  a new sunrise. Sometimes the beauty of sunrise or the sunset is hidden by storm clouds.




Life is kind of like that.

 Right now we are watching the storm clouds of illness hide some of the beauties of our days. Some days are a burst of brilliance and others are a burst of despair. We are hanging in there, working and watching for the next glorious sunrise or sunset in this thing called life.

This is probably my favorite sunset picture, taken two years ago on the Olympic Peninsula at Kalaloch Beach when we went to participate in  Coastal Clean-Up day. I think I like it because it combines the wondrous with the ordinary--if the ordinary bond between man and dog can be called ordinary.

Sunday's Psalm--16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Lord is my shepherd;

 there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.


In verdant pastures he gives me repose;

beside restful waters he leads me;
 

he refreshes my soul.
 

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me in right paths for his name's sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff that give me courage.

  The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me

in the sight of my foes;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.
 

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want