Welcome to Birch Bay, Tami's Tasty Treats

Birch Bay has a new breakfast and lunch alternative, located near the four-way stop sign where the Birch Bay-Lynden Road meets Blaine Road. It sits in the parking lot of the small grocery-movie rental-coffee store on the northwest corner of the intersection. The name of the "mobile restaurant" is Tami's Tasty Eats.

I have eaten there a couple of times, choosing from a menu that is changed weekly. The options during the last week of June were:

The Italian sub was heavily loaded and quite tasty. It was so big that I had it for two meals with a little left over for a snack. It cost $8.50, including some potato salad and a can of Coke. The potato salad was o.k., but a little drier than I prefer.

Another day, I tried the Burger with mushrooms and was pleased with the choice. The Burger patty was ample and the toppings made it a two-hander. In all, a nice lunch with some left over for a later hunger attack. It also cost $8.50 with a drink and potato salad.

Tami's Tasty Eats is open five days a week. Here are the hours:

 

It's nice to have an assortment of reasonably priced places with tasty food available in Birch Bay. So, good luck Tami's. 

July 4, 2012: Birch Bay Celebrates with Flashes and Booms

On a crisp, clear day, as night approached, crowds gathered along Birch Bay Drive. Many of the people who own property near, but not on, the Bay went to their porches, decks, and balconies, joined by their guests. Others drug chairs to sit outside to watch the show. Lots of folks with beach-front property had invited guests, and they sat outside at picnic tables, eating and drinking and laughing. 

Several hundred people who don't live in Birch Bay parked along the drive or at a beach access lot. They selected the best spots they could find to watch the fireworks over Birch Bay.

As the nightfall approached, the stars of the show -- the people who had laid out big bucks for rockets, artillery shells, and other devices that produce loud noise and bright lights in the sky -- took their places along the half circle of the Bay. A few could not wait for the sunset to dim, and they started shooting their BoomBoomBooms, Whistling Busters, and Fast and Furious shells shortly after 9:00 p.m.

The explosions and bright flashes were framed by the Canadian mountains and the nearly islands.

A few explosions as the sunset lingers

Though dark has not yet arrived, this rocket produces a nice effect on the Bay

The serious firework display began at about 9:30, though the sunset was lingering. Viewing from near the entrance to the Birch Bay State Park, I could see several big firing points, most along the Bay from Harbor Road to the mouth of Terrell Creek, but also at the land owned by the Bay Rim Apartments, the public access point near the bridge over Terrell Creek, and other access points up to the state park.

Darkness deepens; the explosions intensify

The fun thing about Birch Bay fireworks is that the sequence and choice of fireworks at any given moment is random. Dozens of different people purchase the fireworks. They make, independently, choices about what they will buy, when they will shoot it, and from where they will launch their fireworks. The result is an un-programmed, even anarchic, display of light and sound. It is chaotic, inefficient, indecipherable; elements of the display might or might not exist at any minute -- depending on what is or is not done by sets of people who do not know each other. And of course, what each viewer sees depends on where he or she decides to stand or sit. Each location offers a different show. For those with an academic mentality, we would call this a democratic post-modernistic production; others would just call it crazy.  

The anarchy begins as random fireworks pop up in random places 

Light and sound along the Bay

With the uncoordinated nature of the fireworks display, the evening has moments of intense light and sound coming from different directions, often so fast that an observer is whipping his head from side to side in order not to miss anything. Then, the lulls will come, and quiet will descend for a few minutes, only to be following by another barrage at some unpredictable moment.  

The mountains, water, and boats nicely frame the fireworks display

The color of the fireworks multiplied in the Bay

Of course, many places throughout the United States have fireworks displays. Many have great, even dramatic, settings for their shows and hire professionals to plan the sequence of colors and sounds that will be shot up into the sky. Often these displays are awe inspiring and have elements that truly astound watchers.

The professional displays are great fun, but I have come to like the unpredictability and independent spirit of the Birch Bay night of fireworks. What it lacks in coherence, timing, plot, and grand finale, it makes up for with exuberance and endurance -- the fireworks display, starting tentatively in the 9:15 gloaming continues into the prime sleeping hour of midnight.

Birch Bay provide a magnificent setting for the fireworks display. The beauty of the colors of the fireworks, and the paintings they sketch in the sky, are especially vivid against the background of mountains and islands, and the reflections in the Bay.

After an hour or so of the fireworks, I grow weary of the explosions and less enthralled with the colors in the sky. Then, I like to squint my eyes as I look into the sky. Also I enjoy viewing the colors of the fireworks reflected in the Bay and on Terrell Creek. These ways of seeing the fireworks create abstract art that could hang in a museum.

Squint your eyes and look up to see this in the Birch Bay sky

The beauty of Birch Bay on July 4, 2012

My Inelegant Firecracker Stand, Fayetteville 1961

Early Evening, July 4th in Birch Bay

I built my first firecracker stand in June 1961. It was rudimentary. A few boards were nailed together horizontally and vertically to create a rectangular structure about 4 feet by 8 feet, with a height—after a couple of tarps were attached to the top and back—of about 7 feet. The front of the stand had a counter top running the length of the stand, about 4 feet up from the ground. The space below it was covered by “Fireworks” banners and signs. In the back of the stand, at about eye height, were shelves on which the merchandise was displayed.

The stand was built in the front of a nice house on S. School Street (Highway 71S), maybe a couple hundred yards from the red light where 6th Street (now, Martin Luther King Blvd) intersects School. The owners of the house, a quiet elderly couple, let me put up the stand in their yard and provided electricity for $10. Nearby to the south was a two-story building from which part of the bottom was missing, providing space for cars to exit the road and park out of the weather. It had been an early gas station; in 1961, a small grocery store was located there. Just a bit further to the south was a Dairy-Queen type drive in. It was here that I and my cousin Morris Daniels went a couple of times that summer to drink huge amounts of root beer and pretend like it made us drunk.

To sell fireworks in 1961, a city permit was required and I climbed the stairs at the city hall on Rock Street, near the Square, to find the office selling them. Also, I needed fireworks -- crackers, candles, cones, rockets -- to fill the shelves. That year, I could buy—with money advanced by my dad—wholesale fireworks from Mr. Laner (father of Jerry, First National Bank, 3rd baseman) and Mr. Pomfret (father of Jim, Campbell Soup, 1st baseman). The former sold them out of his house on E. Lafayette; the latter had a wholesale business on North Block Street. In the years that followed, I had to go to Ft. Smith to get wholesale fireworks.

I was able to set up and manage a firework stand in 1961 because I had served an apprenticeship with Bobby Carnes, who live a few houses up 6th Street from me. He was three years my senior with much more business acumen. I worked for two summers at his firework stands, including one he had at my 1961 location and another on Dickson in a vacant lot at the corner of N. East Street, across from the Central United Methodist Church. Mainly I sat in Bobby’s stands, working long hours as a “salesman.” To say the least, Bobby was not generous with his pay, and when I was 13 I was so hurt by how little he paid me for many hours of work that I vowed I would have my own stand the following year. And I would crush him in any neighborhood sport in which we played against each other. I did both.

I hired some neighborhood kids to help out at my firecracker stand. I am not sure who worked for me in 1961; I think it was Steve Baucom, who was a couple of years younger than me and lived nearby. In the following years, I hired Ronnie Keeton’s little brother and, I think, Bill Crook’s younger brother, John, to help out selling fireworks, plus other kids whose names I have forgotten. I probably did not pay them as much as I should have.

My first year as owner-operator of a firecracker stand was a financial success. The mark-up was 50 percent, and I sold enough to net about $200. Elated, I stored a couple of boxes full of unsold fireworks in my closet and looked forward to repeating the experience in coming years.

The next year I learned about the vagaries of business. It turned out that firework stands were a cyclical business. One year, the folks running the stands would make some good money, and tell other folks about their success. The next year, many more firecracker stands would appear. With more competition and not much increase in demand, almost all of the stand operators would have disappointing results. For example, in 1962 there was a firecracker stand on most corners of the city, I made nearly nothing. The year following the disappointment, fewer stands would be built and each person with a stand would have a good year, as I did in 1963 (it paid much of the expense of three weeks at Big State Baseball Camp in Dallas).

I continued with the firework stands for three more years after 1961, and each year I built a sturdier, more comfortable, and more aesthetically pleasing stand. Truth is, the first stand I built was something of a disaster. It was my first experience building anything, and I hardly knew how to drive a nail. I am sure the old man letting me use his yard winced every time he saw the rickety structure -- how did it stay up? -- I built in the front of his house. With practice and some investment in quality wood and nice tarps, I later built firecracker stands that were not an embarrassment to the community.

Large Fireworks Stand

Of course, small firecracker stands were near the abyss in 1964, when I built my last one. They were facing the challenges of mega-stands -- huge structures built by professionals. These mega-stands were owned and operated by big companies that had figured out serious money could be made by selling fireworks. They wiped out the little firecracker stands like mine that could not offer the same selection of fireworks or make money with the discounted prices. Selling fireworks became a big business in the 60's and still is.

When July 4th approaches every year, I cannot help but recall the fun I had with my little firecracker stands and the money that I made. I also remember, with appreciation, all that I learned from these small adventures into business. Above all, I remember with some pride the touches of elegance that I built into my firecracker stands as each year passed.

A Month in Vienna: Plan it Now!

When I retired, my short list of things to do included spending more time in Vienna, Austria. In the past two years I have done so, making month-long visits to the city in early Spring 2011 and 2012. They were so much fun, I plan to continue these extended stays in coming years.

Staying a month in Vienna has advantages over shorter trips there. One is that I do not feel the need to cram everything I want to do into just a few days, so my pace is more leisurely and relaxed. Also, an extended vacation in the city ensures that I have a wider selection of concerts, operas, and other events from which to choose. For example, during both of my month-long visits, the Musikverein had an orchestra playing Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, a favorite, and had other attractive offerings scattered among other concerts that did not interest me. 

Vienna Flea Market, Open Saturdays at Naschmarkt

With more time to amble about the city, I made multiple visits to the Saturday flea market at Naschmarkt, filling my bags with fascinating old pictures, postcards, and books. Also, I went several times to the book and stamp room of the Dorotheum (adding more things to cart back home), and even attended an auction there. The extra time in the city also gave me time to walk around some of areas of the city, such as Simmering, that I have rarely visited.     

A month in Vienna not only provide opportunities for more exploration of the city, but also can be economical. The cost per day of vacationing in Vienna can be significantly reduced by renting an apartment for thirty days or more. Also, because rental apartments have fully equipped kitchens, money can be saved by making and eating meals there, dining out only on special occasions.

The monthly cost of renting a comfortable, fully equipped apartment starts at about $50 per day for a place large enough for one or two people. A comparable hotel room, without a kitchen, would cost at least $100. If two unrelated people want an apartment large enough for two separate sleeping areas, the cost per person starts at around $35 per person per day.

If you enjoy Vienna and have the time, a month-long visit may make sense. Here are some things to consider when planning such a trip and some tools to help.  

When to Go

For me, any month is a good month to be Vienna, but some months are better than the others. The least desirable months for a longer stay are July and August. During these months, the Staatsoper, Volksoper, Burgtheater, and Musikverein do not offer their regular fare of performances. Major orchestras and production companies are traveling or on vacation. However, all is not lost during these months because the city provides some music, outdoor theater, and other attractions for tourists, often at spectacular outdoor venues such as the City Hall plaza and Schönbrunn Palace. 

Summer Outdoor Movie Theater in front of the City Hall

Two other things to consider when thinking about a July or August stay in Vienna:  First, most apartments are not air conditioned, and these months can be scorchers. Second, finding a bargain — or even reasonably priced — flight from the United States to Vienna during these months is likely to be more difficult than during other months.

 

The other ten months do not have the same drawbacks as July and August, and each has its own advantages. My choice in 2010 was to spend the month of April in Vienna. In 2011, I left a week earlier, arriving in Vienna during the last week of March and staying to the last week in April.  I selected these months because:

●  Flights from Seattle to Vienna were reasonably priced during this period (about $1,000)

● I expected the weather to be decent, and both years, it was very comfortable in Vienna during these months, with only a few uncomfortable days.

● The city would not be too crowded with tourists; there were plenty, but not hoards.

● Vienna’s Easter markets were open during these times. Easter markets -- at Freyung and Schoenbrunn -- have booths with food and handicrafts, plus attractive easter decorations. They are fun to visit

● I would have a good choice of apartments for the month.

The Old Vienna Easter Market at Freyung

In both 2011 and 2012, the timing of my month-long stays worked out well. However, two things that I enjoy were unavailable until the end of my time in Vienna. First, because of the iffy weather, few musical events were held at outdoor venues. Outdoor concerts and other events are usually fun in Vienna and many are available in warmer months. Second, the city’s heuriger (places located near the Vienna Woods serving new wine) did not offer outside seating until the weather warmed near the end of my vacation. Sitting outside at a heuriger, surrounded by vineyards, is one of the true pleasures of a visit to Vienna.

No doubt, May, June, September, and October are spectacular months to be in Vienna, though they cost a little more and are more crowded. The city’s annual arts festival (Wiener Festwochen) starts in May, offering some of the best musical and other cultural events of the year. The festival continues through June, and is supplemented that month by many special outdoor events. In September and October, the weather cools and the new concert and opera seasons open. These months are great for tromping around the Vienna Woods and sipping new wine in Grinzing, Heiligenstadt, and Nussdorf. 

 

An Outdoor Heuriger Surrounded by Vineyards near Beethovenweg

 Although a visit that straddles November and December might include some very cold days, it would also provide an opportunity to visit Vienna’s Christmas Markets that open around the middle of November and last until Christmas. At last count, Vienna had thirteen different Christmas markets (see http://www.vienna4u.at/christmasmarket.html for descriptions and locations). My favorites are the old Vienna Christkindlmarkt at Freyung; the large, colorful Christkindlmarkt in front of the Vienna city hall; and the Christmas village (Weihnachtsdorf) located at the old hospital, which is now part of the University of Vienna.

Christmas Market in from the Vienna City Hall

These Christmas markets are a treat to visit. I have timed several week-long Vienna vacations to be there in early December so that I could enjoy the warm wine, decorative lights, historic settings, and gemütlichkeit of these Christmas markets. In some years, the evenings at these  colorful markets were comfortable; during a few years, the cold was almost unbearable.

Where to Stay: Finding an Apartment

In both 2010 and 2011, I found an apartment for my month-long stay using the internet. Both years, I spent several hours comparing options, finally choosing one in a preferred location at a reasonable price.

In 2010, I traveled to Vienna with a friend -- a former college roommate -- who had recently retired and had never visited Vienna. We want a space large enough to have two sleeping areas. We ended up in a 70+ square meter apartment on Schopenhauergasse in the 19th district (about four blocks from the Volksoper). It was fully equipped with wireless internet, dish- and clothes- washers, cable television, and kitchen. Bedding, towels, dishes and other necessities for daily life were provided. The apartment had one bedroom and one very large living room/kitchen area. Moving an extra bed from the bedroom to the living room, we had the two living areas we wanted.

Part of the Living Room-Kitchen at Schopenhauergasse Apt.

The apartment was nicely maintained. After occupying it, we did not see the apartment owner again, though we talked to her on the telephone on different occasions. We cleaned the apartment (with the equipment that was provided) and washed our bedding.  

The location of the apartment was nearly perfect. It was on a quiet residential street a short walk to the streetcar on Wäehringerstrasse and two nearby subway stops. Several small grocery stores and bakeries were within four blocks. Also, a couple of block away was an outdoor market with fresh vegetables, plus some good baked and cooked goods. 

We paid just under $2,000 for the apartment (including utilities), about $33 per night per person. The utilities were included in the price. The only disconcerting thing about renting the apartment was that I had to wire the full payment for it in a couple of months advance. The owner did not take credit cards. Wiring this amount of money to an unknown person was a bit of a leap of faith. Fortunately, it worked out well.

In 2011, I rented a smaller apartment (36 sq meters) for myself in the 6th district, on Liniengasse. The price was about $1,500, or $50 per night. I chose the apartment for its location (a short walk from the West Train Station, near Mariahilferstrasse) and amenities. It was on the third floor of a five-story building; a small grocery store was on the first floor. From the apartment, it was a short walk to a bus stop on Gumperdorferstrasse and to a subway station.

The Newly Reconstructed West Train Station

The owner went out of her way to make the stay there enjoyable, meeting me at the West Train Station to guide me to the apartment and offering to clean and wash the bedding whenever I wanted her to. As with the other apartment, it was fully equipped, including such extras as a microwave and electric tea pot.

Again, I paid for the apartment several weeks in advance, but this time I was allowed to use Paypal, which meant that I could use my credit card and had some protection if something went  wrong with the rental. 

I describe my experience renting two apartments to illustrate the rental process and how easy it was. If you have an interest in renting an apartment for a month or longer stay, I suggest that you check out these three websites:

 

www.apartmentnetzwerk.at

http://www.netland.at/wien/apartment-vienna.htm

http://www.apartment.at/eng/ferienwohnungen

I used the first one for my two rentals, though I also checked rental accommodations (and even tried to rent an apartment) using the second one. I have not used the third one.

Each of these sites provide, in German and English, a list of apartments for rent with a description, pictures, and a location map for each apartment. The first site, www.apartmentnetzwerk.at, is easiest to navigate (though it is by no means elegant) and it has a calendar showing for each apartment the days that it has been rented and the days it is available. Using an interactive page, you can check price and make a reservation by entering the first and last days that you would like to rent the apartment. This page will confirm the apartment’s availability during the days you want it and show the price. At that point, you can use the interactive page to reserve the apartment for the days you selected. After you make a reservation, the apartment owner will contact you by email with information about payment. 

The last time I looked at this site (June 2012), it had listings for 359 apartments. These listing could be sorted by price or by location (district). One thing is important to remember: for many of these apartments, to get a bargain price you need to stay a full 30 days (a month). For example, when I searched the price of the apartment on Liniengasse where I stayed this year, I found the price was 1,785 Euros from November 1 to November 30 (29 days), but was 1,125 Euros from November 1 to December 1 (30 days).

The second website is a bit clumsier. However, it has one feature that is better than the first site: it allows sorting of apartments by category (economy, standard, premium), location (district), and features  (smoking, pets, internet, parking, elevator). Thus, it can help you find an apartment that best meets your needs if you have a special situation (e.g., traveling with a dog). Unfortunately, this website does not have the calendar feature showing the dates that the apartments are available. It also requires more clicking to find pictures, price, and descriptions. If you find an apartment that you want to rent, you must complete a form specifying the apartment and the days you would like to rent it, then the site operators will respond by e-mail in a few hours letting you know if the apartment is available when you want it and its price. This site had about 145 apartment units listed for rent.

In early 2011, had some problems reserving an apartment using this site. Twice, I sent, via the web site, an inquiry about renting an apartment. Each time the response stated that the apartment was not available on the dates I requested. Because of time zone differences and the lag between completing the apartment inquiry form and the response, I wasted several days trying to rent, without success, an apartment though this site. 

The third site allows sorting by district, apartment name, number of persons accommodated, size, and quality rating. In June 2011, it had 196 apartments listed. Like the second website, it does not show on-line the availability of apartments, instead requiring completion of an inquiry form to determine if a specific apartment is available during the days that a person wants to rent it.

In addition to these two websites, you might also wish to check for an apartment on the Vienna Craigslist. I suggest looking at two locations on Craigslist. The first is

http://vienna.en.craigslist.at/vac/

This set of listings is mostly for daily and weekly rentals, but occasionally has listings for longer term stays.

The second site is http://vienna.en.craigslist.at/apa/  It might be worthwhile to keep an eye on these listings. They ads by people who want to rent their apartments some specified period  (weeks to months) while they will be away. With a little luck, it may be possible to get a good deal on such a rental for the weeks that you plan to spend in Vienna.

Many other websites offer apartments for rent. Many of these website are for short-term rentals, including these:

http://holidayapartmentsvienna.com/

http://www.airbnb.com/s/Vienna--Wien--Austria

http://www.tourist-paradise.com/Vienna-vacation-rental-vr235.html

Other websites offer a small set of apartments located together or near each other. In most cases, these apartments are available for short-term or longer term rental.

http://www.central-apartments-vienna.com/

http://www.vienna-vacation-rental.com/

http://www.vienna-apartments.at/

http://viennapartment.eu/

Planning for your Month in Vienna

When you know the days that you plan to be in Vienna, it makes sense to purchase tickets for major cultural events in advance. Of course, the earlier you decide which events you want to attend, the more likely you will be able to buy tickets before the event is sold out. Also, you are more likely to be able to find tickets in your preferred price range. There seems to be no shortage of tickets costing several hundred dollars each, but ticket costing $30 to $60 each are much harder to find for the more popular events.

On Stage with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Musikverein

A good first stop for planning the trip to Vienna is this website, which provides an overview of what is happening in Vienna and what will be happening in the coming months:

http://www.wien.info/en

This site is comprehensive, showing not only the high culture events, but also pop concerts, diverse performances, outdoor festivals, and other public events of all kinds.  A branch of this site has a searchable listing of events by day and location: http://events.wien.info/en/

You can also research events and buy tickets for them at for-profit websites, including:

http://www.viennaticketoffice.com/home_en.php 

http://www.viennaclassic.com/uebersicht.php?comefrom=uebersicht&navid=100&sid=ff9e08d98847f9d369207080441e4596&setlang=E

When it comes to the premium music events in Vienna, I prefer to buy directly from the official ticket office of the Musikverein, Konzerthaus, Volksoper, and Staatsoper. When buying directly on their websites, it is easy to review the schedule of upcoming performances , select the ones   to attend, pick the seat(s) that I want, and purchase the tickets.

The sites for concerts are:

http://www.musikverein.at/

http://konzerthaus.at/home_e

(If the home page appears in German, it can be changed to English by clicking the EN button at the top of the page.)

You can use these websites to find the concerts at the Musikverein and Konzerthaus for coming months, and you can buy tickets, selecting the price range you want and selecting your seats. To buy tickets, you will need to establish an account at the sites, which is very easy. Also, you can sign up for email updates that will keep you informed of coming events. After you purchase tickets, you can pick them up at the ticket office of the Musikverein or the Konzerthaus after you arrive in the city. 

The sites for the Vienna State Opera and the Volksoper have similar pages, easy to negotiate, to identify performances scheduled for each month and buy the tickets you want.

http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node/home/Startseite-Content.en.php

http://www.volksoper.at/Content.Node2/home/index.en.php

I have used these pages for several years and have never had any problems with them. Just remember to print out receipts for your purchases and take them with you.

Time to Go

One of Vienna's Many Museums

By finding the right apartment, a person traveling alone should be able to have great month in Vienna for about $150 per day; a couple traveling together can have a month in the city for about $135 per person per day. For a single traveler, the costs include $1,000 for an international flight, $1,500 for an apartment, and $2,000 ($67 per day) for everything else (meals, transportation, entertainment). For a couple, the expenses include $2,000 for international transportation, $2,200 for an apartment, and $65 per day per person for everything else.  

If those costs fit your budget, if you have the time, and if you enjoy what the great city has to offer, it’s time to go.  

May Day, Vienna, 1955

Among some materials that I bought from Vienna's Dorotheum Auction House http://www.dorotheum.com/en.html  in April, I found a few pictures taken at the May Day Parade held in Vienna in 1955. This date was, of course, a holiday, International Worker's Day. And on this day, it was traditional during much of the 20th Century for the workers in Vienna to hold a parade on the Ringstrasse.

The May 1, 1955 date was especially significant in Austrian history because it was the tenth anniversary of the reinstatement of the 1929 Austrian Constitution, the one that had been discarded by Chancellor Dollfuss on May 1, 1934, following the civil war that destroyed the Social Democratic Party and created a one-party Austro-fascist state.

Also, May 1, 1955 had to be a time of optimism for Vienna and Austria because it was just two weeks before the signing of the Austrian State Treaty whereby the U.S., Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union returned sovereignty to the Austrian state and ended their occupation of the country.

Most of the pictures of the parade was taken at around 10:15 in the morning at or near Schottentor (see the clock in the picture below). The first shows a float that is a globe with the words "World Holiday of Labor, 1 May." The float is built on a platform of two bicycles, and you can see the legs of the two people inside the globe moving it forward. At the rear right of the float is a man holding a flag, but I cannot tell what it represents. To the rear left is a banner whose words are mostly blocked by the float. It appears that a pretty good crowd is observing the parade. 

Float at Vienna May Day Parade on May 1, 1955

 A little later view of this float, up the Ring a few steps from Schottentor, shows good crowds and an identifying sign, "SPOe XIX, Section XII." I think this sign identifies the marchers following it as members of the Socialist Party of Austria who live in Vienna's19th District.   

Another View of the Vienna May Day Float, near Schottentor

The parade also had bands, including the one shown below.  The building behind the band still stands today with Victoria Versicherung written on its exterior, but the Tuxedo Club is long gone. Note one of the bicycles to the right has decorated spokes.

Marching Band in 1955 May Day Parade in Vienna

My small cache of pictures include one other float, this one a little stranger than the first. It seems to be a celebratory float with a bit of protest. It shows the three arrow symbol of the Socialist Party of Austria and says "10 Years, Socialist Party of Austria, 2nd Republic Reconstruction. It has a chain around the float with a lock showing the flags of the U.S., Great Britain, and France (but not the Soviet Union). This float seems to suggest that these three occupying powers had hindered the rebuilding of the Second Republic. 

Float Celebrating Ten Years of Rebuilding Austria's Second Republic, With a Protest Message

The parade ended in front of the Vienna City Hall. The following is the only picture taken at that location.
You can see the first float, plus some large crowds, and the Burgtheater in the background.

The 1955 May Day Parade Ending at the Vienna City Hall

No doubt speeches followed the parade.

New Bridge for Birch Bay, WA

The Bay Rim Condominiums on Birch Bay Drive have a footbridge across Terrell Creek, near its mouth, to link the condo owners to the oceanfront land that they own. In recent years, the wooden bridge has been decaying, finally becoming dangerous to cross. Here is how it looked on June 18, 2012 at about noon:

To remedy the problem: a new bridge. The Condo Association decided to replace the wooden bridge with a metal one. It was prefabricated and hauled to Birch Birch. Using a big crane, the old bridge was lifted up from its spot over the Creek.

Then, the new bridge was hoisted up and put in place of the old bridge.

After some adjustments, the new bridge was fastened down.

And in early afternoon, the new bridge looked like it belongs: