Great Falls

I like these kinds of patches because I get to find out about the symbolism, or in this case what the scenery means.

On the left of the patch is Lewis & Clark. They discovered a series of waterfalls along the Missouri River and had to portage around them. That's how Great Falls was named.

Montana is knows as "Big Sky Country" and we see the wheat field in the center of the patch. I always thought big sky referred to the Montana mountains instead of the vastness of the sky.

To the right of the wheat field is the "Big Stack" which could be seen for miles. That stack was part of the copper smelter which was the primary source of employment for many years until it was closed down. The smelter was demolished in the 1980s.

The bison skull on the right side of the patch is the logo for the western artist Charles Marion Russell who lived in Great Falls.   

 http://www.greatfallsmt.net/fire             

Key Peninsula Fire

These guys have been in the news kind of a lot the last year.
Funding is always a big issue. Seems the smaller you are, the harder it is to get money.
I'd think everyone would want to fund Fire and EMS services.
.

http://www.keypeninsulafire.org/

Brinnon Volunteer Fire Department

A friend of mine was the fire chief in Brinnon for a while.
I'd take the family over and we'd visit during the Brinnon Shrimp Fest.
The highlight of the shrimp fest was the belt sander races.

Yep, belt sander races.
Who knew you could race belt sanders?
And of course if you raced your belt sander, you had to decorate it.
But more importantly, you had to have a long enough extension cord that
would allow you complete the race.
Oh boy, did the participants take their racing seriously too.

Not being a speed junkie, I've never really understood the need for speed or to race.
But hey, if belt sander racing is your hobby, more power to you. (Pardon the pun.)

http://www.brinnonfire.org/index.html

Made in America

For starters, I'd like to thank all of our military personnel for their service. You are what makes this country great and keeps us free. God bless all of our troops, past, present, living, and deceased.

Courage and Honor doesn't just apply to Fire Fighters. Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, and Police Officers are but a few examples.

This isn't a "real" patch. I bought a T-shirt and cut this off the front and glued it to a foam backing. I think it would make an excellent generic patch.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

We're having a cold spell here in Seattle which is why I picked this patch.

I've been to the panhandle of Alaska, but never further north.
It's my hope to visit Anchorage and Fairbanks one day.
During the summer months!

I could never live in Alaska.
Not only is it too cold, there isn't enough sunlight  during the winter months.
Hmmm. Is that so different than the Seattle area? It seems we get 300 days a year of cloud cover.
But gray and gloomy is different than dark with the sun not being up.

I like this patch. The North Star over the Aurora Borealis over the mountains.
And maybe that's why the patch is black? It's always dark near Fairbanks?

 

http://www.northstarfire.org/

Down Under

I've never been to Australia.
I missed my best chance when my cousin was living in Perth.
One day I'll get there.

I like the fire fighters helmet and tools rising above the fire.

https://www.fire.qld.gov.au/