Seattle Daily Photo: July 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Skywatch: Sunset Hill Summer Sunset

I used to glimpse the sunset nearly everyday from Sunset Hill Park when my mom lived a block away and I would walk her dog. This is looking northwest over Puget Sound and Bainbridge Island toward the Olympics, the boats of Shilshole Bay Marina just visible in the foreground, and the bouy often populated by barking sea lions bobbing to the left of the sunset reflection. It's and you can see the skies around the world today by clicking the symbol.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hot Fun In the Summertime

Ooooooo yeah! With the hottest temperature on record in Seattle yesterday afternoon (103F at SEATAC airport--104F in my kitchen, and no I wasn't cooking!), people are looking for ways to stay cool. Chuck and his wife had a cool idea for that here at One A Day, Mostly Seattle. And this sk8tr at Seattle Center was definitely cool, effortlessly creating a breeze of passing air for himself. The Muppets seem convinced of an immanent collision, though. Aahhhhhhh! :-) The Jim Henson's Fantastic World exhibit is at the EMP through August 16, and is a slam dunk smash hit (and it's COOL inside one of the coolest museums ever).

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

iPhone Wednesday #3: Hot Evening @ Zak's

Can you believe it is 95F in Seattle? Our warmest time of the day comes right at dinner time, so you can bet a lot of suppers are being enjoyed outdoors in the breeze or at casual restaurants open to the outdoors. Here is my 3rd iPhone Wednesday shot for you in which I not only take the photo with the iPhone camera but also edit it using iPhone apps. For this I used Dark Room and then combined two shots using Juxtaposer (and not very well, but it was fun and took some time, so I'm throwing it out there at ya :-). And click this link to More Seattle Stuff cuz I've ordered up a virtual veggie burger and cool one for you, too, if you'd care to join me at the outdoor table. Keep cool!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Seattle Summer Sunrise

I took about a bazillion photos of various sunrise scenes looking back on the skyline from West Seattle. Boats on the water, fishermen on the dock, a couple on a bench. Most of them I set up with bracketing to finally try to put together an HDR image. I figured out about halfway through that moving objects probably were not going to look very good. . .or maybe be an interesting effect. We'll see. Wish me luck as it will be my first time trying out Photoshop, which I hope to start using before the end of this year. In the meantime, I thought you might like to enjoy the early view the easy way: virtually. This shot, one of my last from the beach at Seacrest Park, was taken at 5:09:05 AM. Okay, you can go get that second cup of coffee now. I'm taking a snooze. :-)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Thick-O-Licious

I noticed last month that some of my posts from previous years were all of a sudden receiving many visits each day. Folks were landing on them after a web search for the term "gum wall." Turns out that Trip Advisor published a list in June of the top five germy places on the planet to visit. Seattle's little sticky spot is now globally famous as second only to the Blarney Stone in the "ew!" factor of tourist attractions. I started photographing the Market Theater gum wall in Post Alley in 2006 and have shared several views of it here and on More Seattle Stuff and my Flickr page over the years. I've given updates like this one before, but since interest is so keen right now, I thought it was a good time to give you an update and popped down Post Alley Sunday. I wasn't prepared for the amazing increase in the number of people wandering down the alley looking for it and the pretty noticeable thickening of the layers since my last visit in May. In the 20 minutes I was in the area I counted over 60 people go by and a number of disgruntled drivers who had to wait for them to pass like so many sheep on a country road. It used to be mainly patrons of the Alibi Room and Market Theater, workers from Pike Place Public Market, people who lived nearby, interested photographers, and the occasional tourist telling their kids not to touch it. I'm thinking the increased notoriety is not the best thing that could have happened. We'll see. . . This guy was making a video. Perhaps San Luis Obispo's "Bubble Gum Alley" should have made the list instead, since it's much larger and has been notorious since the 1960's, long before the little trend started here. A few more current views of this ever changing de facto interactive public art work are in a clickable mosaic at More Seattle Stuff.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

The View From the Bench

Here is the view the people on the bench yesterday were enjoying to the southwest. That is the end of Pier 70 and the outdoor dining area of the Waterfront Restaurant. You might be able to make out the figures of two photographers who were out there photowalking like me. And of course you can see the Washington State Ferry on its way back from Bainbridge Island. The ferries run so often it's like Elliott Bay is a set of lungs breathing them back and forth, back and forth. Very relaxing to sit and take it all in.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Enjoying the View

This family looked so colorful in their summer outfits as they were taking in the view of Elliott Bay from that white bench on the promenade that connects Seattle's waterfront along Alaskan Way with Myrtle Edwards Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park. Behind them you can see the Seattle Post Intelligencer's spinning globe (The P-I recently stopped publishing their newspaper), a terraced building that reflects wonderful light, and the sculptural installation, Love & Loss. Tomorrow I'll show you what these folks were looking at.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Barefoot Afternoon

A couple relaxing in the tomato-red chairs that say "that shot must be from Seattle," just as the green ones in le Jardin du Luxembourg or Les Tuileries instantly say "this must be in Paris." Wishing you a barefoot kind of start to a great July weekend. Seattle has its 60th Annual Seafair Torchlight Run and Parade downtown tomorrow; the giant 35th Annual Ballard Seafood Fest (street fair, live music, beer & wine gardens, 2000 lbs of fresh alder smoked salmon barbecue dinners cooked by authentic Ballardites who chopped down the alder tree a week ago and fabricated their own street cookers years ago--these guys know what the heck they are doing, the best you'll find anywhere and only $9!) takes place on a 3 block stretch of NW Market St. Sat & Sun. Please eat some for me, as I will be attending a Better Photo Summit and shoot at the EMP. Ah, summer pleasures!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

BNSF Seattle Noir

A train was rumbling by at the close of our Worldwide Photo Walk at the Olympic Sculpture Park & Waterfront. It was a very long train and we had to wait quite awhile before we could cross Alaskan Way. BNSF stands for Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

iPhone Wednesday #2

As prmissed, here is a photo taken with and edited in my iPhone. This taxi was headed toward the Convention Center, marked here by the giant arch that spans Pike Steet which runs through it's center.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Nightime Stroll on Pier 70

Summer evenings invite people to linger outdoors. Here is a night photo I took of the walkway down the south side of Pier 70, the pier furthest north on Seattle's long, easy to stroll waterfront. It's the one that Uptown Espresso and the popular Waterfront Seafood Grill both call home and a great place to walk or just sit and enjoy the breeze while watching the ferries and ships come and go.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Bloggers Meet At Revo

I had a non-stop photo fun weekend. On Sunday Bibi from a Yankee in Belgrade and I went to the Luna Park area of West Seattle to meet Chuck of One a Day, Mostly Seattle at Cafe Revo. Wonderful food, wonderful place, wonderful staff! We got to meet Robert from Chuck's scooter group when he happened to come by on an errand and that was fun as we'd seen photos of him before. We got to talking over lunch how we all had become friends before we'd ever met face to face, and how we'd become acquainted with others and their work through our blogs. It was then that Joni came up in conversation and how much we liked her art work and blog which we had discovered through Chuck. So Chuck whipped out his handy iPhone and gave Joni a call and she joined us a few minutes later. What fun! The world really IS a small place in the daily photo community, and we all treasure the relationships and experiences our involvement has brought us. From left to right is Cafe Revo's mural, Joni, Bibi, and Chuck.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

July 18, 2009 Worldwide Photo Walk, Seattle Olympic Sculpture Park

Yesterday I had the treat of hosting one of the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walks here in Seattle. Fifty people signed up to explore the Olympic Sculpture Park and waterfront with their cameras and each other. Here you see most of us, eight or nine others came and found us after this shot was taken. The weather turned out to be perfect, the light was great, company was fantastic, and we closed the day with dinner together on an outdoor terrace overlooking Elliott Bay. There were 900 locations around the world where photo enthusiasts gathered for fun and maybe a world record of some sort for the number of people photowalking in one day. Participants are eligible to enter two photos in a contest, and hosts like me get to choose the one photo from our group to enter into the world wide contest for some amazing photography equipment prizes. I'm wishing my group much luck. They are an amazingly talented bunch with many pros and adventurous image makers among us, as well as hobbyists like me who just want to get out there and walk our cities and explore them through our lenses. I know a few other City Dialy Photo Bloggers participated in walks near them, and hope many more will check out this fun event next year. You can see some of our shots at this Flickr site, with more to come in the next few days.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Which Hand Defines

When you see white hair, do you see what's underneath it? I started asking myself if I really see older people, or perhaps look past them, not take in the details? It struck me that in his right hand this man carries a guitar, indicating one of his abilities, talents and interests in life, and in his left hand he grasps a cane, indicating a possible loss of ability. Is he able? Disabled? What did you first notice about him? This shot was taken in the heart of old Ballard. (Sorry for this very delayed post. . .modem problems for days and posting from the library when I can.)

Friday, July 17, 2009

Penguins!

They are on the march! Be on the lookout for them, because they are everywhere you turn these days. Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo is celebrating its recent opening of a penguin exhibit and all sorts of local artists and businesses are in on the fun.

" In celebration of community art and inspired by Woodland Park Zoo’s all new Humboldt penguin exhibit, Woodland Park Zoo and The Greenwood Collective joined forces to spread art and conservation awareness throughout Seattle. Woodland Park Zoo provided artists, amateur and professionals alike, with 22-inch fabricated penguins. The Greenwood Collective managed artist submissions, providing workshops, materials and artist guidance for this project." All the penguins were exhibited at Seattle Center in June and now can be seen at many locations around town. I spotted this one with hand knit hat, jacket made from map pieces in the shape of feathers, and little green suitcase in front of Snoose Junction, a popular pizzeria on NW Market Street.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Mailbox for MB

Whenever I see horses I think of fellow blogger MB just north of Seattle at Small City Scenes of Stanwood. MB has and loves horses and is very knowledgeable about them. She has shown us great photos of horses in action over the years. So, I was thinking of her when I posted yesterday's photo of the mounted patrol. Then today I came across this shop window display of a perfect mailbox for MB. Can you believe it? It's a horse trailer mailbox with a horse rearing up as the delivery flag. So, this is dedicated to MB.
Sorry for the late post. . .intermittent internet connection problem again, sigh.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Mounted Patrol

A downtown mounted patrol officer riding her beat cut behind a passing taxi. I shot and edited this with my iPhone. I'm thinking I will post one iPhone shot a week on Wednesdays. What do you think? Anyone else game?

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bastille Day Greetings

Wishing all our friends in France and of French ancestry here and around the world a happy Fête Nationale. America owes so much of its beginnings to the aid and friendship of the French, an alliance that continues to today. Seattle Center held its own Bastille Day celebration complete with Bal des Pompiers, and many French restaurants and cultural enclaves around town are hosting festivities and special menus. This is the window of Ballard Avenue's newly opened Bastille Cafe & Bar, and judging from the happy faces of diners within, it is being well received. With a staff like the one Bastille has assembled, people who have been with Campagne, How to Cook A Wolf, The French Laundry (Yountville, CA), Union, Stars and more. . .and a rooftop garden where they grow their own greens, a gorgeous, comfortable, welcoming interior (yesterday's photo) and spacious patio dining, it is no wonder it is off to a great start.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Les Fleurs

A beautiful floral and curly willow arrangement caught my eye in the entrance to Seattle's newest restaurant. More on that tomorrow. . .

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Just a Taste

Many people enjoy dining in the revolving restaurant, Sky City, at the top of the Space Needle. I don't think it occurred to any of them that they might become a menu item themselves while enjoying the 365 degree view. This dragon, straight out of the mists of Norse myth, would just like to take a small taste. Just playing with ya. . .this dragon adorns the prow of a Viking ship replica that was on display near the Needle. Hope you had a great weekend.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Dog Days of Summer, But No Slacking

This dog works hard. In fact, this dog is actually the owner of a men's clothing store which carries his name, Oslo's. I had passed by many times and thought the name referenced the capital of Norway. But no, that is this fellow's name. Here he is seen on the job, showing a friendly interest in helping customers. For another shot of him outdoors with one of his employees, click here. Have a great relaxing Saturday, and happy vacation to Eric who started his three weeks off yesterday. Oslo will mind the store, go ahead and take a day off yourself. :-)

Friday, July 10, 2009

Skywatch: Crescent Over Greenwood Seafair Parade Route

Incandescent blue evening light is a good foil for a sliver of moon and street lights. On June 22 this corner will be lined by throngs of people gathered at the turning point of the 59th annual Greenwood Seafair Parade, complete with Seafair Pirates, Clowns, and Commodores, floats, bands, drill teams, horses, and thousands of spectators enjoying this traditional Wednesday night event. We are nearing the peak of Seattle's summer long festival season when the 60th annual Seafair begins and dozens of events take place in nearly every neighborhood, body of water, and even the skies above when the Blue Angles flying squadron performs. But for right now, all's quiet on the northwestern front of the city.

It's tomorrow you have to worry about. Seafair takes off with a bang when the Seafair Pirates (you remember these guys?) will storm Alki beach a probably detonate a wee bit of gunpowder in the process. Then at 10 AM Greenlake will host the exciting and hysterical Milk Carton Derby (started in 1972, it's Seattle's answer to the homemade boxcar derby. . .we apparently can make any kind of conceivable vessle out of milk cartons and race them and do so every year to win tens of thousands of dollars in fabulous prizes, fame, and glory!). Then will come the 60th annual Wallingford Kiddie Parade and street fair at 11 AM. Phew. . .can you keep up?! That's just the first half of the first day! In 60 years Seattle has had the chance to perfect its festival. In days to come there will be parades, runs, and community events in nearly every neighborhood, including the big Torchlight Parade through downtown on July 25. There are also the Bite of Seattle and the Ballard Seafood Fest, hydroplane races, Wooden Boat Festival, fireworks show. . .well, I'm tired just thinking about all the possibilities for fun. As if Seafair wasn't frenetic enough for our perfect long summer days, we cap it all off at the end of August with Bumbershoot, the amazing, awesome, cool 3 day music and arts festival. Okay, so rest up today. It's your last chance and you are going to need your strength. Oh, and be sure to watch out for the pirates. They are everywhere. Argh!

It's Skywatch Friday and you can see skies all around the world by clicking here.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Looking for the Sun

Thanks very much to everyone for coming by yesterday and leaving such nice greetings for SDP's 3rd blogoversary. That was fun!

I spent part of the afternoon at a meeting in which they turned on the gas fireplace for warmth. That was quite a change after nearly two months of gorgeous sun. It was a tad chilly with the cloud cover, but it should clear up and warm up to 75F today with plenty of sun breaks. That's a good thing as painters are planning on painting my house today. This vintage metal lighted sign on 45th is one of my favorites around town and I hope the rain clouds cooperate with what it suggests :-). Here's hoping.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

And Now We Are 3

Seattle Daily Photo is three years old today. I want to extend my thanks to the many supportive friends in the CDPB community and to the over 250,000 unique visitors from 182 countries and the nearly 1800 subscribers that have come by to share the view through my lens. Probably the most challenging three years of my life with the illnesses and loss of my brother, husband, and mom in close succession, yet the routine of photowalking and posting daily to SDP gave me a small space of creativity and beauty to focus on each day. And little by little I have been trying to become more competent with camera and lenses.

I thought I'd celebrate SDP's 3rd Blogoversary by indulging in some of my favorite chocolate with you. You can sample as much as you like. I promise, no calories! :-) This stop continues our tour of some of Seattle's finest chocolate specialty shops. Bibi from a Yankee in Belgrade and I enjoyed a photowalk together the other day and stopped in Chocolopolis on Queen Anne Ave N (which is celebrating its own one year anniversary). Although I'm watching what I eat, I did savor every bite of one housemade chocolate fig (my favorite, 2nd shot top left). Chocolopolis carries amazing chocolates from dozens of makers from around the world, as well as wonderful local makers. It is a great place to leisurely explore, learn about growing areas, manufacturers, and artisans, and sample the unusual and the amazing. While we were browsing and enjoying the figs, a regular customer came in and spoke with the staff about a purchase he wanted to make. Seeing us clicking away with our cameras he pulled one of his own out of his bag, a film Canon AE-1 Program (my very first camera!) and acknowledged he understood our addiction to taking photos. As we chatted I realized I knew his work through being a Flickr contact of his for quite some time. Always fun to meet fellow shooters! So, what will you try? The heart in the corner expresses my special love for those who started CDPB in 2005, joined it and linked the rest of us up one city at a time, work so hard on their own blogs and keep our community connected through technology, helpfulness, and friendship. The gift boxed pears in the center are for you, dear reader, with thanks for your many visits and kind comments.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Volterra

One of Seattle's most well-received chef-owned restaurants is Volterra near the top end of old Ballard Avenue. It is named for the hilltop town in Tuscany where the owners were married and from where they derive inspiration for the heart of their Italian menu. I have loved the food, of course, but especially the great wait staff and the artful touches of the very welcoming interior design, like the handmade art glass windows along the top of main dining room's back wall. It's a place for people to gather and enjoy each other's company and good food. The bright citrus drew my attention to this couple wearing the cool hats at the counter. I would have zoomed in for a more tightly composed shot, but I had a fixed lens and I liked the feeling of spaciousness it conveyed and the way the elements running left from the pendant lamps to the large framed piece to the three framed pieces to the panel door drew my eye, and the fan telling me its a hot day in Seattle. This was after lunch time but before the dinner hour, so seating was easy to come by indoors or out. . .not usually the case!

Hey, I just looked at the calendar and realized Seattle Daily Photo turns 3 years old tomorrow. Come back by to help celebrate!

Monday, July 06, 2009

Puerto Rican Lunch in the Heart of Ballard

A favorite Yankee is visiting the area, and while hanging out and enjoying photowalking in the summer sun yesterday, we sampled some of La Isla Seattle's fare. It is the only restaurant in Washington State featuring Puerto Rican cuisine. The sidewalk seating and interior tables were packed for Sunday lunch, and now we know why. This was a chicken and rice dish with a side of plantains and fresh garlic sauce. Would you like a bite?

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Moonrise Over Thomas & Boren

Like so many cities seem to have done, Seattle purchased street signs that were supposed to be able to be read at night because of their reflective quality. . .but in reality one can't read them at night, or by day (one of my pet peeves. . .but I'm not bitter). To follow up on Friday's moon shot, here the moon was rising on this street scene in a light industrial area of the Cascade neighborhood.

Saturday, July 04, 2009

4th of July Sky

It is Independence Day in the States, a summer holiday much celebrated with neighbor and family gatherings, cookouts, fireworks displays, and remembrances of a great nation's birth and a people's costly struggle for freedom. Before the dark fell and the fireworks above Lake Union began, we were treated to a warm sunset full of pink clouds and fiery glow on a perfect summer evening. Happy Birthday, America!

Friday, July 03, 2009

Skywatch: Moon Over the Mountain

Sorry for the late post! Summer life is turning out to be busy. It is Skywatch Friday again. As the moon rose and the ferries came and went, a fire boat on Elliott Bay was spraying water, I know not why. Tomorrow, for the first time since its inception many decades ago, there will be no 4th of July fireworks display over these waters. Ivar's seafood restaurants announced they are discontinuing the sponsorship of the display their founder started. The fireworks over Lake Union will be the only display this year. Sad for us and our neighbors, as we would just put our lawn chairs in the street (we're on a hill) and watch the Elliott Bay display in the distance. Well, here the moon is on display. Click here to see other Skywatch Friday shots from all over.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

The Counter at Geraldine's

After yesterday's emptiness I heard a lot of you saying, "This is weird. Bring back the people!" So here's some Seattle morning life at the fullest. Geraldine's Counter is a Columbia City neighborhood breakfast favorite. There is seating at comfortable tables and booths, but on a stool at the counter you can get lost in your reading or you can feel like you're in the middle of the action as the staff serves up its great contemporary American fare and a good cuppa joe. More pix and a peek at what we ate at More Seattle Stuff.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Theme Day: Empty

The CDPBlogger's first of the month theme for July is EMPTY. I thought I'd show you that all that coffee Seattlites drink doesn't necessarily keep us awake deep into the night. The java jive subsides at some point and the sidewalks roll up all over town. Even Pike Place Market rests, empty of goods, merchants and shoppers. All is quiet until trucks start arriving for the next morning's work.

To see how cleverly City Daily Photo Blog authors have interpreted the theme, click here to view thumbnails for all participants. I must warn you, though, it may seem as if the world has become deserted. Perhaps you'll find a trace of life somewhere, but it may seem a bit like scenes from an episode of the Twilight Zone, I'm afraid. You know, the one where a neutron bomb has gone off and left everything perfectly intact except the living things :-).

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