Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
June 29: Anagallis Monelli
These delicate flowers only last for a day or two, but the blue pimpernel is a profuse bloomer.Tuesday, June 28, 2011
June 28: Cool Customer
He was enjoying his sunbath when we passed by, and had no interest whatsoever in us.Monday, June 27, 2011
June 26: Urban Wildlife
Amber and I took a walk around the neighborhood on Saturday and encountered a variety of urban wildlife.
Friday, June 24, 2011
June 24: Charlie
Charlie and I spent a lot of time visiting last summer, but he spent the winter indoors. He's very, very old and very, very sweet. I hadn't seen him at all this spring and was fearing the worst and then there he was this morning...his same sweet old self.Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
June 20: Lulu
She lives around the corner from us and I hope to see quite a bit more of her this summer. She's a doll!
June 18: Out of Thin Air
This plant has taken root in the thin strip of flashing on the second story of a building in Queen Anne. Nature can be dazzling in its resourcefulness.Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June 15: Root Canal
The city is improving the lighting in Denny Park, which entails digging a trench along the central path to run electrical conduit. Yesterday the "hydro excavator" was brought in, and here's the result: a nice even 4-foot-deep trench will all the subsurface tree roots left intact.Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 14: Marooned
This little guy came in with the spinach we harvested from our raised bed. He ended up in the sink and immediately crawled onto a nearby leaf and began exploring his new environment. We didn't have the heart to wash him down the drain, so he went into the compost bin with the stems.
Monday, June 13, 2011
June 13: Barneleikarringen at the Locks
That would be "Scandanavian Children's Dancing" in Swedish. Bart and the kids performed yesterday afternoon and we walked down to the main lawn at the Locks to watch. That's Bart dancing with his son Emmet in the top photo, and daughter Alice is in flowered cap and red apron.Friday, June 10, 2011
June 12: In the Madrona
There was also a bit of tree climbing before we returned to the picnic area for chocolate cake. We'll definitely go back for another visit once the weather warms up a bit.
June 11: On the Beach
After our picnic dinner we walked through the woods to the beach, and let the dog run around off leash for a minute (which delighted both Katie and the dog).June 10: A Lovely Spot for a Picnic
The weather was so nice in the early afternoon that we decided to have a picnic dinner at Priest Point Park. By the time we arrived with fried chicken and cole slaw, it had become overcast and cold, but we enjoyed the park anyway.Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
June 8: Goodbye Party
Nancy's last day at PATH is tomorrow, so we held a "goodbye tea" for her this afternoon, and Jane presented her with a memory book with photos and reminiscences from co-workers. She got a little tearful upon receiving the book, but then said some very nice things about how much she will miss us.Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 6: Bus Shelter
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
From "Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven" by William Butler Yeats
June 5: Allium
I love the perfect roundness of allium, held aloft by an impossibly long and slender stem. This one has a particular spiky petal that made me think of sparklers.
Friday, June 3, 2011
June 3: It's Officially Summer
The cruise ships have docked along the downtown piers, and tourists are everywhere. That's a Celebrity Cruises ship docked at Bell St. Pier, as seen from the intersection of 3rd and Bell.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
June 2: Compare and Contrast
I pass by both these fine gentlemen on a weekly basis, so I’ve had lots of time to ponder their similarities and differences. The one on top is John McGraw, who served as the second governor of Washington and was president of the Seattle chamber of Commerce for many years. The one below is, of course, Vladimir Lenin, who is described by Wikipedia as "a Russian revolutionary, author, lawyer, economic theorist, political philosopher, creator of the Soviet Community Party, leader of the 1917 October revolution, and founder of the USSR."
One waits patiently – for the streetcar, perhaps? – with walking stick and newspaper in hand, while the other strides boldly forward through the flames of revolution. One was a benevolent elected official and bureaucrat, the other was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. One presides over a plaza named after him in downtown Seattle, the other is privately owned and displayed with permission of the city. Probably very few people remember who McGraw was, but everyone knows Lenin. As a Fremont artist’s website notes, “Lenin represents a tragically flawed system which persecuted and killed millions of people. There are many people more worthy of being cast in bronze, but Lenin ended up in Fremont. He is a profound reminder that art can outlive politics.”
