March 13: Row House Rooster

This fellow stands watch outside the cafe. This spot may be in South Lake Union but it's the antithesis of the sleek and modern SLU vibe.

March 30: Row House Cafe

This lunch spot has an unpromising name and an unpromising location on Republic at Fairview, but we had a delicious lunch. It's a funky, homey (and popular) spot.

March 29: Violets

We have this one tiny patch of violets in our garden and my only complaint is that they're too mild-mannered. We bought these years ago at the garden show and every year they're the same size. If I saw them at a nursery I'd buy a dozen.

March 28: Pioneer Square

Amber ran a quick errand at the downtown courthouse recently, and I got to sit in the car and appreciate the lovely architecture in Pioneer Square.

March 27: Sunday Brunch

It was too rainy to take a walk after brunch, but these hellebore made it seem a little less gloomy.

March 26: Aaron's Birthday

We celebrated Aaron's birthday at a restaurant in Tacoma, and everyone was taking pictures, including AnnMarie's son Bodie.

March 25: Ballard Avenue Regulars

This mallard couple was unperturbed by foot and car traffic on Ballard Avenue this morning (shall we call them "unflappable"?). For some reason they choose this particular area to spend most of their time. Here's the query about them I posted on MyBallard.com over a year ago: http://www.myballard.com/forum/topic.php?id=1079

March 24: You Are Here

This is just part of a map embedded in the sidewalk at the corner of 9th Ave and Lenora (that corner is marked on the map with a metal disk). That map has actually come in handy when I've been runnning errands on foot, since the way streets converge in that neighborhood can be confusing, but I think it's meant to be Public Art.

March 23: South Lake Union - In Miniature

Amber had business at the courthouse yesterday, so we had lunch near my office, then strolled around the neighborhood and visited the diorama at the South Lake Union visitor's center. The tall squarish building in the center of the photo represents PATH; Denny Park is the area of lawn and trees directly in front; and the visitor's center (where the diorama is located) is the low building just to the left of the Park.

March 22: Scaredy Cat

Everything about her said "don't come a step closer," so I had to use my super zoom to catch this kitty on 57th Street this morning.

March 21: Some Locals Don't Mind the Rain

These ducks were happy to treat this flooded stretch of railroad as their personal pond.

March 20: The Future of Ballard

This front yard typifies the Ballard sensibility in microcosm: permeable paving strips, so rain can percolate through the soil instead of running off into the bay; a series of raised beds in the front yard for growing vegetables, so food production is truly local; and a teeny-tiny garbage can and reycling can. This homeowner is a dedicated practitioner of the Ballard's prime spiritual directive: reduce, reuse, recycle.

March 19: Blank Canvas

Why drive a boring white van when you can brighten it up with flamingos?

March 18: The Answer

March 17: Minor Mystery

I took this photo at 6th and Bell. But that's not the intersection of 6th and Bell, is it? Looks more like Pine and 5th, with the Nordstrom awning in the upper left corner. Stayed tuned for the answer to the mystery...

March 16: Nesting

The exterior of this old masonry apartment building in Belltown is decorated with gaps in the brickwork every 20 feet or so, and the sparrows have decided these make perfect nesting spots. There's a lot of noisy courtship going on in nearby trees; the corner is the trendiest "see and be seen" spot in Belltown. For sparrows, that is.

March 15: Bloom

From afar, this tree in Thyme Patch Park on 58th looks like a big yellow puff ball.

March 14: Tile

This is a detail from an old building near where I work; the colorful tilework runs all the way around the top edge of the building.

March 13: Gardening amid rainshowers

I was able to spent brief periods outside this weekend getting caught up on weeding, and potting up things I'll be giving away soon. This hellebore under the pear tree is doing very nicely.

Saturday, March 12: My First Camera

While in the basement looking for something else, Amber found my old camera. This was made in 1968. The focus doesn't work any more, alas, so it's an artifact, but I have too much affection for it to let it go.

March 11: Katie's Artwork

It's made of rolled paper, with singed edges. And she owes Tyler a replacement book.

March 10: Gloves

These gloves are setting on the edge of the planter edging the patio at Bastille on Ballard Avenue. Apparently papa bear, mama bear, and baby bear ate dinner there last night and each left behind one glove.

March 9: Gasworks Park

...and ended up in Gasworks Park! We had a lovely time watching kids frolic, kites fly, and kayakers glide along the lake.

March 8: Sidewalk Art

...past this lovely bit of sidewalk art...

March 7: Aurora

....and walked underneath the Ship Canal Bridge...

March 6: Little Sailboat, Big Bridge

While on our walk along the Burke-Gilman trail we passed by the Fremont Bridge...

March 5: Sunshine!

Amber and I took a walk along the Burke-Gilman trail this weekend and noticed these quince blossoms amid the jumble of pyracantha and blackberry bramble edging the trail.

March 4: Another sibling of Rachel

This one is keeping watch at the Seattle Police Department's western precinct. He's called "Copper" in honor of his jaunty "hat".

March 3: Snug as a Bug

This little guy was chirping his heart out as I walked down Ballard Avenue this morning.

March 2: How do you suppose...

...this forlorn little barbershop came to be located in the middle of a Belltown parking lot?

March 1: Nemone