Thursday, January 31, 2008

Candles and Flowers in the Falling Snow

Candles and Flowers in the Falling Snow

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

On a clear New Year's Eve, on a safe street not all that far from a bus stop, busy grocery store, and just a few hundred yards from a medical center, 31 year old Sierra Club worker Shannon Harps was followed and suddenly attacked by a crazy man with a knife outside her very nice condo building. The man has since been arrested, linked by strong evidence to the crime including DNA evidence, and has confessed to the murder. He is a known mentally disturbed and violent criminal, was just recently out on parole, had a history of violent behavior, convicted of shooting a man randomly at a bus stop years ago. The community is staggered by this crime and appalled that such a dangerous man was free on the streets and unsupervised enough to do great harm.

In the last couple years I've walked past this corner frequently, sometimes camera in hand or heading to the store or to an appointment. When I walked past this assembled memorial of flowers and candles, all I could think of was what I had heard in news reports of her productive, positive life, how her hair, seen in news photos, was just like mine, and how she should have had so much good life ahead of her. I won't see the places where she lived her life, full of friends, travel, and meaningful work. I will only have seen this place where someone took it from her a month ago. The hearts of all Seattlites go out to her family and friends, her neighbors, and her Capitol Hill community. Other photos are here and here.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Conservatory in the Snow

Conservatory in the Snow

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Volunteer Park boasts a lovely conservatory with beautiful and rare plants from around the world. It's lovely glass structure was built in 1912. For some close views, see my More Seattle Stuff Page.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Founders

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Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

I hope you will indulge me for the long text today, but I thought it might interest you. I'm a big history buff and have spent a lot of time poking about in cemeteries. I'm usually researching my own family history, and sometimes I come across historic names familiar to me more from street signs or parks. This is the scene I came across yesterday in the snow. Members of the Denny and Boren families left Cherry Hill, Knox County, Illinois in April of 1851 to stake claims in Oregon Territory. They were convinced along the trail that going north to Puget Sound would offer better opportunities. They arrived in Portland in August where Arthur Denny and his wife Mary Boren stayed on to recover from illness and give birth to a daughter in September. Brother David Denny went north with John Low and Lee Terry, and they were guided by the founder of Tumwater, WA to locate at Alki Point in current day West Seattle. The Duwamish people living at Alki helped David start building a cabin, and he was joined by Arthur and Mary in November. Terry and Low had already staked claims for Alki, so the Denny's and others of their party sought other claims, eventually settling across Elliott Bay in what is now known as Pioneer Square in Seattle. Arthur and Mary Denny and some of their extended family rest in Lakeview Cemetery atop Capitol Hill, overlooking what became of their families' pioneer venture so long ago.

Monday, January 28, 2008

The Tacoma

The Tacoma

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Residents around Puget Sound love their ferries, know them by name, class, and their histories. It's the largest ferry system in the world. Winter is the season when Washington State Ferries are routinely pulled from service for scheduled maintenance. At the end of November, however, the Coast Guard had grave concerns about the 1927 vintage Steel Electric ferries (the oldest in the fleet) because one of them, the Quinault, was found to have substantial corrosive pitting to its hull, and that made it likely that sister ships Nisqually, Klickitat, and Illahee shared the same problem. The WSF decided to pull them from service just as Thanksgiving holiday travel was at its peak. This month the Chelan has just been pulled for its scheduled maintenance. This has left no dry dock space for the Winachee and the Spokane, also due for regular maintenance in January and February. With so many ferry routes affected and no back up ferries available, passengers and ferry staff alike are feeling very challenged by the situation. The governor advocated retiring rather than continuing repair of the Steel Electrics and asked legislature to fund $100 million US to build three new ferries.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Putting a Spin on the Light

Putting a Spin on the Light

Photo & Text Copyright 2007 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Hope you're having a great Sunday! We've been driving around the city today with sunny skies above. The huge and spare edifice of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral can be spotted from nearly everywhere as it peers from the edge of Capitol Hill down on I-5 and Lake Union below. One of the few, if subtle details that gives some light and life to this unadorned concrete box (a result of financial difficulties in 1929) is its tall arched stained glass windows. You can see a view of them from the inside that I took a couple years ago by clicking here.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Asian Art Museum

Asian Art Museum

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

I thought you might like to see the art deco era exterior of Seattle's Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park. It was designed by Carl F. Gould, the head of the University of Washington's school of architecture and opened in 1933 as the Seattle Art Museum.The building was privately funded by Art Institute of Seattle president Richard Fuller and presented as a gift to the city. When the Seattle Art Museum moved to new digs on 1st Avenue downtown in 1991, SAM rededicated this building as its Asian Art Museum. One year ago this month SAM dedicated its third campus, the Olympic Sculpture Park. All three sites are wildly popular. For a photo of the shadows cast by the interesting metalwork you see on the glass panels of the entryway, click on my More Seattle Stuff site.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Filling the Silence at the Heart of Things

Filling the Silence at the Heart of Things

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

This week I had occasion to go to Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. It is a large and beautiful treasure which includes a formidable old world glass plant conservatory, the Asian Art Museum, lovely grounds for strolling, and a large round tower. As I was looking at the view, a woman climbed into the "Black Sun" sculpture by Isamu Noguchi (or as Soundgarden titled this inspiration on their song "Black Hole Sun") to see what the view of the reservoir and Space Needle might look like. Don't let the sunshine fool you; the reservoir she's peering into was partially frozen and gulls were walking and sliding on the ice!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Cold Day's Workout

Cold Day's Workout

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

He's rowing across Greenlake in full sun, but you notice he's dressed for warmth because the temperature was only in the 30s F again today. It was another clear, cold day. Just visable beyond the water is the east side of the lake and its many large, lovely houses. Past the ridge and hidden from view are the snow covered Cascades.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Greenlake

Greenlake

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

A fashion conscious runner putting herself through her paces around the perimeter of Seattle's Greenlake. There was full sun, but temps only in the 30's. The trails around the lake were packed with walkers, parents with strollers, runners, dog walkers, rollerbladers, cyclists, and other folk just ambling about.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Distractions

Distractions

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

There is always so much to see and do at Pike Place Public Market, so many choices vying for your attention. . .the lights call out like sirens. I just wanted to buy some oysters to make oyster stew, but of course I end up looking at everything and even talking to a passing photo journalist about lenses!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Skipping

Skipping

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

This girl and her father exuded joy as they skipped along the bicycle path at the Olympic Sculpture Park on Seattle's Belltown waterfront. Today is a national holiday in the USA, honoring the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

It's SO Deco

It's SO Deco

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

An aging commercial sign tops the deco style rooftop neon sign that adorns this over 80 year old Seattle institution, Mike's Chili Parlor and Tavern. Located in a light industry zone near the ship canal and Ballard Bridge, workers and fishermen in the area long ago spread the news about the owner's famed chili recipe, a favorite on a cold winter day.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Fez Clown

Fez Clown

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

What better than a clown's tragi-comedic face to adorn the archway which defines an outdoor stage area in a Greenwood neighborhood park where concerts, plays, and community performances are held.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Look Who I Ran Into on the Street!

Our Man About Town

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Despite the continuing writer's strike keeping the remainder of the 4th season of TV's Grey's Anatomy from developing any further, I did recently happen to spot this cast member in costume on location here in Seattle, just standing in front of a store :-). Seriously, since the show is actually filmed in Southern California, the cast only comes to shoot a few exterior scenes in the Emerald City each season. When they do, I'm told they are very nice to fans who learn where they are shooting and come by to catch a glimpse. Not much real chance of that for the present. But, one can . . .uh, dream.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Seattle Steam Orca

Seattle Steam Orca

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

This gigantic mural on the side of the Seattle Steam plant on Western Avenue features a leaping Orca..You might not see such a dramatic scene out on Puget Sound, but if you visit here, you very well could see a pod of whales if you got out on the water up toward the northern islands. Each of the three pods that summer in the Sound is called by a letter, and the Orcas within each are known by name. Today the US president made a controversial announcement that he is granting the US Navy immunity to the environmental law restricting use of sonar in its training maneuvers along the Southern California coast. Dolphins and whales had been found beached and dying after sonar use in their proximity in the past, so its use in training had been banned for some time. The Orcas that summer here as well as other types of whales migrate down the coast to Mexico for the winter.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Sheffield Apartments

Sheffield Apartments

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

I thought visitors might like to see what a nice older Seattle apartment building, now converted to condominiums, looks like. This view looks up at an arched window and three story facade of the 1929 Sheffield Apartments on Capitol Hill. I like the details of shield style ornaments in the windows and the reflection of the trees and sky, the sunlight on the brickwork. Most of the older apartment buildings in Seattle are made of brick this color rather than red, and most have terracotta details. I didn't know it when I took this photo, but this 23 unit building sold for $4,500,000 US $. A 530 sqft studio condo that cost the owner about $200,000 can be rented for about $1000/mo. Some real estate interior shots here. Things are pricy in the rental market. Oh, and did I mention that reg unleaded gas cost $3.29/gal this week and organic milk (the store's brand!) was $4.19 for a HALF gallon.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Off-Broadway Dance Steps

Off-Broadway Dance Steps

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

You may recall the Broadway Dance Steps bronze sculptures that are embedded in the sidewalks along Broadway on Capitol Hill seen here before. These interesting footprints reminded me of them. Can you figure out the dance? It looks like a squirrel was in on the fun. Snow and ice from last night forced some drivers to abandon cars that wouldn't make it uphill and others to slide about and crash. All is slowly melting away this morning which dawned sunny and bright..

Monday, January 14, 2008

She Wouldn't Sell at Any Price

A Little Place to Call Home

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

. . .and the developers of the multistory commercial space offered her a million! The 86 year old woman who has owned this older home in the working class Ballard neighborhood of Seattle since the 1960s was a lone hold out. I heard from a friend that the construction manager and the homeowner have struck up an odd friendship where he helps her carry in groceries and get to appointments, looking out for her. As the building grows taller her small lot seems nearly enveloped. For a few other views, please click on my More Seattle Stuff page.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Tacking In

Tacking In

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Father and son about to finish their sail in the ship canal. They had a brisk wind and traveled swiftly in their self-made deep hulled little centerboard dinghy.The well trimmed sail was made ingeniously from the common building material used as a vapor barrier between siding and a house. I love to see economical sailors out messing about in their boats. This one was hauled out easily and placed in a self made carrier atop their family car. Seattle supposedly has the highest number of boats per capita of any city in the USA.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Rainy Night Airport

Rainy Night Airport

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

This is the sight that will greet you when you emerge from the airport after arriving. I find the SEATAC (Seattle-Tacoma) International Airport very easy to to use, straightforward and uncomplicated. It wasn't always so for me. The automated subway satellite train loops that are available to shuttle passengers between concourses used to confuse and unnerve me in my student days, but no more. The airport is full of artwork by local talents such as Ross Palmer Beecher, Dale Chihuly, Nancy Blum, and many others. There are even bronze salmon swimming along embedded in the terrazzo flooring.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Crab on Ice

Crab on Ice

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

He seems a bit grumpy about it, but Dungeness crab is quite popular on the west coast, and plentiful at good prices in Seattle's fresh fish markets right now. These cooked, ready to crack crabs were on display in the to-go counter of a waterfront seafood restaurant.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Really Nice Green Beans

Really Nice Green Beans

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Like the sign says, they were really nice green beans this guy was loading into a bag at a popular veggie outlet at Pike Place Market. It's been gray clouds, showers, wind and cold all week. . .real soup and stew weather. Walking the market is an improvisational cook's paradise and a real budget stretcher.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Peace Tower


Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

I'd never come upon this layered view of Smith Tower before, and thought the waterfront building with the round "peace" window made an interesting foreground.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Waiting for the Public Restroom

Waiting for the Public Restroom

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Unlike yesterday's photo, there are no ornate pergolas sitting over the sites of Seattle's current sleek automated public restrooms, which are above ground in various locations about town. The line is short at this one on the Waterfront, despite crowds of tourists. These self-cleaning stainless steel facilities were installed in 2004. Lots of major cities have adopted them in the past decade. We attempted to gain entrance to a similar toilet at La Défense in Paris but couldn't get it to open, so I've yet to see what they look like inside.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Pioneer Place Restored Pergola

B&W Pergola

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Although a truck driver took out the original in an unfortunate turn a few years ago, the cast iron and glass pergola that sheltered generations of public transportation riders from rain was completely restored and reinstalled. It sits atop what was once thought to be the largest and most elegant below-ground public restroom in the USA, a marvel in 1909. Four of the pergola's ornate columns served as vents for this sanitary public "comfort station," which was closed permanently in the late 1940s.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Our Park Mason-Inspired Mosaics

Our Park Mosaics

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Tile mosaics created by artist Stephen McClellan and inspired by the works of Alden Mason adorn four concrete columns, delineating the entrance to a much loved and beautiful pocket park in the the Greenwood neighborhood. The park on 6th Ave NW, dubbed "Our Park," was developed on the former site of an old utility substation.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Hockey Scuffle

Hockey Scuffle

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

While the rest of Seattle was watching the first quarter of the Hawks vs Redskins game, these dedicated guys were part of a group playing street hockey in the rain at the local school yard in Greenwood. I'm sure they were home in time to enjoy the exciting fourth quarter and Hawk win!

Friday, January 04, 2008

12th Man

12th Man

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Those ice ax door handles I posted a photo of yesterday inadvertently tie in to today's photo. The 25' x 35' 12th man flag has been raised atop the Space Needle once again, representing the incredible fan support for the Seattle Seahawks who go into the championship playoffs with a home game at Quest Field tomorrow against the Washington Redskins. I just learned today that the brave soul hoisting that flag into place on Wednesday was none other than REI's founding president, Jim Whittaker, the first American climber to summit Mt. Everest. I'm sure he didn't use any axes to get the flag up the needle, but I'm thinking some lines, a good harness and a carabiner or two were employed. The city is awash in green beanies and lots of Hawk pride.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Form Follows Function

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Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Another distinctive set of store door handles presented themselves. . . Who knew that "branding" would so often go right down to a store's door handles? Yes, that IS a real ice ax encased in resin, and when grasped and pulled it will give you entrance to the flagship store of REI Co-op (Recreation Equipment, Inc.), the outdoor activities enthusiast's paradise located in the Cascade/South Lake Union neighborhood. This store is remarkable and really worth seeing if you are visiting Seattle. REI began as a humble mountaineering gear buying coop and expanded over the years, first to Berkeley, CA, and then to many other sites. It is one of those household names like Boeing, Starbucks, Alaska Airlines, Nordstrom, Microsoft, and Amazon.com that has its roots in Seattle.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Resolutions to Keep

07 Marathon Man

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

". . .I've resolutions to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep"

Hope this photo will serve as an inspiration (he's wearing a Seattle Marathon 07 shirt). Happy New Year, and best wishes for making your resolutions a reality, to see changes you are pleased with when you look back on 2008.

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Theme Day: Best Photo of 2007

How Magnolia Got Its Name

Photo & Text Copyright 2008 Seattle Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Midway through 2007 I took a poll of SDP visitors favorite shots so far, and this one, How Magnolia Got It's Name, won the most votes for their pick of best photo. A friend told me that a European-American sailing into Seattle's Elliott Bay in the late 1800s saw the native madrona trees up on the bluff of what is now called the Magnolia neighborhood. He mistook them for the magnolia trees with which he was familiar and that name stuck. This is one of the few relatively healthy large madrona trees left along those bluffs, and I regularly see bald eagles perched in it. Most of the others have died in the past few years. Their brilliant bark in sunset light is amazing.

Over 200 City Daily Photo Bloggers worked very hard all year to bring us wonderful images of their cities each day. Today, 118 of us have selected the best of our shots to recap 2007. Enjoy your visual tour around the globe on this first day of 2008 by clicking these links to see our best of 2007:
Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Evry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore - Las Vegas (NV), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy - Susanville (CA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Memphis (Tennessee), USA