Monday, June 2, 2014

Reconnecting With Nature In Spokane While Revisiting The Fair Grounds


 Hi my dear readers. Sunday was a gorgeous day so the boys and I hopped into the car and went on an adventure traveling over the State Line to Spokane. This year Spokane is celebrating the 40 year anniversary of the World's Fair. It does not seem like it was that long ago that with my young guide I toured the fair grounds. Even though I'm terrified of heights he got me to take the ride over Spokane Falls which most of these photos will be of.  Although this time they were taken with my feet firmly planted on the ground. Grab yourself something to drink and a snack to eat and go on this photo journey with me. There are a lot of photos but I did thin them down from a hundred.  When you are done with this journey head on over to Reconnect with nature one photograph at a time where there are several links of beautiful photos.

I believe this is the lower Spokane Falls. One side of the road is lower and the other side is upper.  To me not as spectacular as the upper falls where you can take cars which go on a cable in the air across the falls.

The pictures below were taken of the upper falls at different angles and different places along the paths.



I thought it was interesting in this area to see a sign stating that there is a restoration project in place. They are taking out the non-native plants and replacing with plants native to the area. The theme of the fair was environment so this fits in with that theme.



These next few pictures were taken looking over the edge of a bridge railing. I was really wishing the railing was a little higher as it is a long ways down if I got dizzy and fell over. I used the zoom on my camera to get these shots.


It is amazing to me to see shrubs and trees growing through the cracks of rocks in the water.

Finally off the bridge and on pavement again so I can breathe easier.



Wire structure  in the background is the Pavilion from the World's Fair. During the World's fair it was covered in canvas and if I remember correctly covered in lights. At that time it housed the IMax theater which has since been moved to another location.

For some reason the sidewalk was locked so had to take this from behind the railing of the blue bridge zooming in.

My boys in the Spokane River cooling off.  Buddy shaking the water off his fur.
I love the texture of this old stump and it reminds me that aging can be beautiful

Spokane is the city of lilacs so no journey would be complete without a photo of the lilacs in bloom. I love the heady fragrance and was pleased that I could enjoy the fragrance on this trip.

Sculptors commemorating the workers who built Spokane. The fence in the background is metal.


  
From a distance I thought this was actually a workman hauling bricks. Of course I had the sun in my eyes.

The Spokane River was full of different birds. These were in an area where there were less people. Maybe they were looking for a little oasis of calm like me.


Of course any journey would not be complete without one last look at the clock tower prominent part of the landscape. It originally was part of a Great Northern depot which was demolished for Expo 74. That was our meeting spot to head home at the end of the day at the World's Fair. With my mental scrapbook bulging at the seams with old and new memories it is time to head home. And just in time as leaving the city raindrops started falling.

On the way home I was thinking how lucky I've been to have had the opportunity to go to three World Fairs in my lifetime. I skipped school to go to the Seattle World's Fair before it closed. Then I was able to go to the Spokane World's Fair and the World's Fair in Vancouver British Columbia. Hopefully Minnesota will win the bid so I can travel to that one in 2022 or 2023 as that looks like the next proposed one in the U.S.

The next World Fair will be in Milan Italy. Maybe I should start saving my pennies to go. ;-) In the meantime I hope you have enjoyed seeing part of the fair grounds and the nature that exists there. As well as some of the art work.

Blessing till we meet again!






















2 comments:

  1. Thank you for taking me along on your spectacular nature shoot. Spokane was always one of my favorite cities and if the fates had not intervened it would have been my home many years ago.
    Myrna

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  2. I never knew so much about the world's fair before. In fact, I wasn't even aware they existed. How lucky for you to reflect on your attendance along your journey. What spectacular photos. I really enjoyed this post.

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