Downtown Bellingham Full Of Art

A lot can be said about the natural beauty of the Bellingham area.  I try to show this daily in my pictures.  But it is something one must witness for themselves.  

The Big Rock Garden Park is full of art.  Both natural and artist renderings. 

Western College campus has great old buildings to enjoy and 27 sculptures spread around campus. 

I just found a book and map of all the sculptures--  so will be posting about both locations very soon.

Water trickles through this entire sculpture on WWU campus.

And of course the nearby mountains and ocean lead to some natural beauty!

                                                                 From sun up to sunset.

                                                                Art is on local cars

                                                            This car is winking at you.


                                                 Art can even be found on the city bus 

Art is even on walls.

"Reading is sexy!"

I recently wrote a blog on my other sight about tagging and it's fine line between art and 

vandalism.  Please check it out 

http://wyomingjack.blogspot.com/2012/05/mini-rant-15-first-hint-of-tagging-sell.html

                                      Above Boulevard Park--just off State Street.

         "Are you not entertained?"   This was found on WWU campus.  And can also apply to my readers at the moment!


     Speaking of tagging, I have been spotting the below tag, all around Fairhaven--does anyone know what it stands for??   I tried looking up "angry gerbil" and spray painted hamster on Google, but got nothing helpful.  I did learn that it is a bad idea to spray paint your hamster if you wish to keep it alive. 

                                                       Art can be found in a classic old car.

                                           Or the many classic buildings all around town. 

                                                          Beauty can be found every were!

    All of that said, today's post is all about exploring downtown Bellingham.   This is 90% of the murals in the down town area.   I just found two more great ones, past The Mission, while driving our family home yesterday.   Finding as many of these as you can is a great way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon after going to the Saturday Market.  It also works well for wearing out your kiddos.  Right now, local kids art is displayed all around downtown ---an extra bonus!   I do not know street names ---so to some extent you will have to roam to find some of these pictures.  Find them all and win a great workout~!

Always on the look out for more pictures!

         Today's exploring started out with coffee of course!   The first statue awaited my buddy and I just across the street from the Flat Iron Building.

                                              And than across the street behind us this great mural.

                        Down the hill ---the city park offers great views and more art. 

                                       Enjoy some more murals on the walk to the park.

                                Follow the many stairs back up by the old city hall.   And look for the mural pictured at the top of this blog.   Half a block down you can see a full mural featuring salmon. 

 And near the post office....

            This giraffe guards the public library.    And the nearby museum has some great art both inside and out.  

   Marvel over "the last supper" near Interfaith Medical.

              This boulder blocking most of an alley-way connects to someones deck.  

       Find both of the above murals in the heart of Bellingham's downtown.  

                      Even the parking garage houses some great paintings.  

   One of my personal favorites on Commercial Street.   Although it does not lead to a coffee shop anymore.  :(

       At the Saturday Market....

    Down Railroad Avenue just before the large pet shop.    Well worth a stop inside to see the many animals.  And almost never ending fish tanks!

    Also watch the alleys near here for more abandoned rail road tracks.  

                                  In front of the bus station, watch this sculpture spin. 

                                             And lastly for today-----up State Street.  

                                                                    My kind of coffee mug!!

   Yet another coffee shop that is no longer in business.  Support your local coffee house!   I have noticed for a town that is so into mom & pop stores, and supporting local shopping, the big coffee places are quickly taking over.  

   In support of bike to work day--I am sure this is why this was painted way above the city.  


  I apologize for the next picture----it is on top of the Up & Up building.  

     And of course the newishly painted greeting along the bay heading back to our home in Fairhaven.

Greetings From Canada, AYE!

    **If an Arizona cop asks for your papers  and you yell out siccors, can he arrest you?**
  **America doesn't have to start worrying until Mexicans are sneaking back in Mexico.**---Carlos Mencea

    Several times this week I have found myself in Canada.  Mostly out of boredom and curiosity.  We live in a border town and at most you travel a mile from my house and are staring at the border crossings.  Obviously their is mass amounts of land that is not so heavily protected.  And if you have the right paper work, or an enhanced state ID you can follow a nice bike/walk path right through to the other country.   I have neither of those so I tend to be some what cautious.   I would hate to be stuck in a Canadian police department for very long over something so trivial.   If I had offended a moutied police man by calling him Dudley Doo Right, or something equally as kool, I wouldn't mind the free time in jail.   Not really knowing how strict the boarder protection is makes it even more entertaining for me.  I recently lived in AZ --even before the new guidelines --that encourage not looking Mexican, you could easily get shot for trying to jump that boarder.  Not by the police, but by gun tooting, jacked up truck driving, drunk land owners.  I still encourage an adventurous hike, but can tell you for sure that I can not outrun bullets.  

 

Big Brother is watching!

     This is a very small town.   But their are some were near 130 boarder agents stationed here.  You see way more of them than police.  Most of them that I have meet are rather large and would have to roll out of their SUV before they could catch me, but again I can not outrun bullets.  The thrill of sneaking around is added to by the many cameras all around the boarder.   And tales of motion sensors in the ground in less populated areas.  I believed this one, until I pictured 80 angry agents surrounding a herd of deer trying to cross the boarder into the U.S.  I am not sure why we are protecting ourselves from Canadians so much.  In my daze of retail working near the boarder, the Canadian customers were usually far nicer than the American ones.  They also have 80 holidays for every one of ours, which seems to help keep them happy.   The only main annoyance I found was that their heads do not move like the Canadians heads do on South Park. 

    So, earlier in the week I was roaming around the Blaine piers.   They have some great trails and sights down that way, beyond all the boats in the marina.  And the bird watching can not be beat.  Many types of birds nest in this area from cranes to Canadian geese.  In the summer time, you can hop the famous Plover boat over to Seminomooooooo   *sorry I am not sure how that's spelled.  Another great place to explore.   A little further south of the Blaine Marina is a great area to explore during low tide.  I have not found much beyond old tires, and nifty bits of old glass but the potential to find a washed up treasure is always their.   One day I found a very kool piece of a vase that turned into an ashtray for us.  

 

Even on dry land, watch out!

 

    As you move closer to the boarder you hit Peace Arch Park.  Right now most of it is under construction.   And the upper park part seems to consist of swings and a lot of mushy grass.  As you head toward the actual peace arch, their are many great pictures and fact filled sheets explaining the building of the huge structure of peace between the two countries.  When you get to the arch, you are surrounded by cars from both countries going to the other.   And just off to the side of you are some great views of the bay.   Further past the great arch, you are in Canada and their park service also does a great job of upkeep.  

 

Peace Arch in the background

 

    Today I explored in Lincoln Park across from the Blaine Cost Cutter strip mall.  I find the name very misleading because *of the grocery store* they seem to jack up their prices, knowing most residents do not want to drive into town to save cash.   My favorite part of the strip mall might very well be the booze store, the dollar store, and The Hot Spot.  They carry some awesome food, and I will talk about this place more in a future post.   Anyways, this park is not much of a park either.  Their are many trails that wind through the trees and some oddly placed picnic tables.  Speaking of the boarder patrol, I have to admit I had sex in the park once, all the time worrying about the boarder patrol showing up.  Their main building is right beside the park.  
    Somehow I jumped a fence, the signs were worn out and I'm not sure if they said stay out, or come on in, and ended up on some kool, but very soggy wooded trails.  The next thing I knew I was on a road with speed limits in Kilometers.  As I have before mentioned, I do not really have the right paperwork for boarder crossing of any kind.  And am not sure how helpful my U.S. paper work is some days.   I am also pretty sure I could not sound Canadian, in a pinch.   My English lacks most of the time, yo.   For added fun, I was wearing a bright red hoodie.  So hiding in pine trees in a pinch, was out.  

    I decided to follow the road to the left for awhile.   And soon ended up on the Canadian side of another boarder crossing.  Their are walk trails all through the area, but I really did not want to talk to any guards.  So for a good half hour I tried to blend in and explored a little more.  All in all I would have to say it was a good day.  The sun was out  it was cold, but not near as cold as in most of the U.S. right now.   And I did not get contained.  Although I was on edge most of the day.  Mainly because I was wearing a bright red hoodie on this adventure.  So hiding from the border patrol was not really an option.  I also  soon learned that day, that my cell phone did not work at all as soon as I crossed over the border.