#grayland

[archerinventive]

"We've always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible. And we count these moments. These moments when we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known. We count these moments as our proudest achievements. But we lost all that. Or perhaps we've just forgotten that we are still pioneers. And we've barely begun. And that our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, that our destiny lies above us." - Cooper from Interstellar

Back in November, I went to Grayland Beach where a rogue wave ended up hitting us and washed away some of our supplies, including the left shoe of my favorite pair of sneakers, never to be seen again.

While I was sad at the loss of those kicks that had made it through so many adventures before. I also gained inspiration on that journey and vowed to go back.

Jump to this past weekend, and our redemption quest was a huge success. No items were taken by the waves, and we left with some really fun photos from the adventure.

So sit back, queue that Interstellar soundtrack and relax to the waves of our own amazing planet.

A huge thank you to Ash Steele for helping me capture these moments, and to my brother Troy for letting me use his old Haloween costume. 😊

[railwayhistorical]

Grayland

This is an outbound train headed for Milwaukee just eight miles out from Chicago Union Station, at Grayland.

We're on the Milwaukee Road and the equipment is the French RTG, or so-called Turboliner, operated by Amtrak.

The train will soon cross over a north/south line of the C&NW, with Mayfair just beyond that.

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken September 5th 1976.

[marmarinou]

Heading Home

Soo 1003 heads north through Grayland on its way back home to Wisconsin in August of 2017.

Photo by Mike Raia

(via Heading Home | Soo 1003 heads north through Grayland on it w… | Flickr)

[aryburn-trains]

CMStP&P EMD diesel locomotive push-pull commuter passenger train at station. Grayland, IL August, 1964

[squishbishh]

@mostlycatsmostly

[orionlakehastodie]

Dear Feminists: Look To Kiva Lagos and Cardenia Wu-Patrick.

I have to appreciate John Scalzi, though male, wrote the strongest female characters in literature this year. 

SPOILER ALERT FOR THE SERIES!

SPOLER ALETER FOR THE SERIES!

We start off with my favorite anti-hero ever - Lady Kiva of the House of Lagos. Now Kiva is not your average sci-fi heroine. She’s smart - her mother’s right hand woman, who runs the Lagos business, recovers millions of what would have been counted as business losses by smuggling immigrants on her ship, and is proudly pansexual. Oh - her mouth is foul. Fouler than a toilet in a train station. 

The beauty of Kiva Lagos is the normalization that a woman can have sexuality and not be defined by it. Scalzi gets rid of slut shaming, and making a smart, powerful and confident woman be interested in sex. He gets rid of the pedestal upon which most powerful women are placed - they’re untouchable, almost asexual, singlehandedly focused on their goals. 

Kiva Lagos is all woman, but she’s not one you would want to trifle with. 

Enter Cardenia Wu-Patrick. I must admit I thought her bland as pudding in the first book The Collapsing Empire, but in the Consuming Fire? I had to eat my words. Emperox Grayland II, is perfectly gray. She never wanted to be emperox, and yet she’s killing at it. I thought she would be easily fooled into alliances she would need the rescue of others to get out of, but our Cardenia, is no wall flower. She’s cunning. She is able to play the council and me - into thinking she is weak, and she can be overthrown. In the end she proves us all wrong. 

All while having the cutest crush on Marce Claremont. Again Scalzi manages to make her a strong, powerful woman, who can fall in love. 

They’re so wonderfully organic, multi-dimensional characters that I think we finally redefine feminism - it doesn’t mean being a robot, unfeeling and asexual. It does not mean being a paragon of morals and values. It simply means being a woman, who can control space ships, and uncover years long of embezzlement, and run an entire empire because they’re strong, capable people who can. And in no way did their womanly qualities in anyway hinder that capacity. 

So yes, John Scalzi is officially my new favorite author. Sorry Pat Rothfuss.

[bloganlive]

Sunset at Grayland Beach Washington state

[stevebisig]

Creek on the Beach, Grayland, Washington, Winter 2017

“Creek on the Beach, Grayland, Washington, Winter 2017” –Purchase Print–

A black and white landscape photograph of a creek flowing into the Pacific Ocean at South Beach in Grays Harbor County near Grayland, Washington.

Nikon D700, Nikkor 28-70 mm ƒ3.5-4.5, ƒ16, ISO 200, 1/100 second, 35 mm.

46°49’20” N 124°6’17” W

Part of my Pacific Northwest / Washington State landscape photography series.

–Purchase Print–

Read the story behind this photograph on my blog post at “Winter Drive Along South Beach, Washington, 2017”.

You can view my complete portfolio of beach and coastline images at “Beaches/Coastlines/Ocean”.

http://www.stevebisig.com/creek-on-the-beach-grayland-washington-winter-2017-2/