Seattle Daily Photo: June 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

iPhone Wednesday #50 : When Blue Skies Fail Us

. . .the flowers come through. Perhaps you will know if these are delphinium or larkspur. Whichever they are, they were growing at the base of a telephone pole, blowing in the cold breeze along my walk route last night.
It's my iPhone Wednesday shot for this week, (hey, it's week #50!) where the image is taken and edited with an iPhone using available fun apps.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Truth of Cities

I do a lot of walking through city streets, sometimes in daylight, often late at night, sometimes here in Seattle, sometimes in cities I'm visiting. I've taken a lot of images of alleys and out of the way areas. They are always very interesting to me. In downtown Seattle there has been a significant effort in recent years to clean up alleyscapes in commercial areas and handle refuse and recycling regularly and responsibly. A lot of Seattle's downtown alleys appear pretty spotless. That's not to say they smell great :-), but generally you can see your way through them from end to end and there's little to no exposed refuse. This shot of a gated and locked alleyway brought to mind the song lyric, "Seen alleys where they hide the truth of cities," and got me thinking about my own inward hiding places, locked up and out of sight where few venture to roam.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Flying Proud

Seattle celebrated gay pride yesterday with a big parade and festival beginning downtown at Westlake Center and concluding at Seattle Center. Seattle's pride parade had its beginnings in 1974 in Pioneer Square, and in the 1980s the celebration moved to Broadway and through the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Since 2006 the parade has taken place downtown with an after festival at Seattle Center. This weekend for the first time ever Seattle's Space Needle flew the colors celebrating LGBT Pride Month in Seattle. Over 40 community leaders from city counsel and state legislature members to members in Seattle's LGBT community went 605 feet up to take part in the flag raising atop the Space Needle. I have only twice before asked friends to post their photos on SDP. Sunday is a work day for me so I've asked a guest photographer, my Flickr friend Jim Simandl, to share his beautiful image with you. Thanks so much Jim!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Sunday Bridge Series #12 : I-90 Twin Floating Bridges

Looking from the Madrona neighborhood to the south you can see the beginnings of two bridges that carry I-90's east- and westbound traffic from Seattle to Mercer Island. The bridge furthest away with the arch is the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, which is famous for two reasons: it is the second longest floating bridge in the world (after the 520 floating bridge I showed you here), and because the bridge actually sank over Thanksgiving weekend of 1990 during a time it was closed for renovation. The other bridge is the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge, the fifth longest floating bridge in the world. This shot doesn't show you much of the floating parts of these bridges but does give you an idea of their scale. Be sure to visit Louis la Vache's Sunday Bridge Series for creative shots of bridges from bloggers around the world.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Rainier Tower Curve

The graceful upward curve of the base of Rainier Tower frames a bit of view of a nearby building reflecting sky and clouds.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Babalu Got Some 'Splaining To Do

This is the only view Seattlites will get of the Babalu Mambo Room bar and night spot in Wallingford for awhile. It is from the sidewalk looking in.They've been forced to close or have all those pretty bottles confiscated by the state liquor control folks. Seems they got caught staying open for business after losing their liquor license in April. They'd long been out of compliance with regulations about serving food along with the hard alcoholic beverages available. Well, technically there was food on the menu: a $99 heat 'n eat TV dinner. I wonder how many of those have been purchased by the average patron? :-) And it was reported that employees of the Hawaiian restaurant next door would come over once a night to circulate food menus from that establishment. Kind of a creative way to handle the regulation to serve food, don't you think? That and the nearby hot dog stand outside. Now that they are closed pending the granting of a new license, you'll have to mosey down 45th to other popular neighborhood watering holes for that Friday night after work happy hour with friends and a set by a local band. Me, I just liked the orange interior contrasting with the blue evening light of the street scene outside in this reflection.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Shingles and Sawmills

Did you know that Seattle's Ballard neighborhood was once known as the "Shingle Capitol of the World"? There was an abundance of mills along with thriving fishing and shipbuilding industries on Salmon Bay. The mills are gone, but not a forgotten part of the area's history and are paid homage to in this piece. It is one of eight 10 foot tall and differently themed public art works by Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake that make up The Ballard Gateway. The lighted sculptures were installed on the north end of the Ballard Bridge in 2003 at a cost of $65,000, removed in February 2006 after severe windstorm damage, repaired and reinstalled in September 2008. The artist's statement describes the eight pieces as : A vibrant series of visual punctuation marks, the Ballard Gateway lines the bridge over which thousands of visitors and residents enter the Ballard neighborhood each day. Enlisting iconographic reminders of Ballard's birth--forests, logging and fishing, boat-building, metal fabrication and Scandinavian motifs, the Gateway celebrates the natural environment, embraces a colorful past, and welcomes confidence in the future.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

iPhone Wednesday #49: Farther Up & Further In

This is one of the hundreds of pedestrian staircases that help Seattlites navigate through hilly neighborhoods. The way this one tunnels through the foliage and reaches for the sky, one wonders where it might truly emerge.
It's my iPhone Wednesday photo for this week, where the image is taken with and edited in the iPhone using available fun apps.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Headstands @ Cal Anderson Park

I noticed several couples were having a picnic together on the lawn at Capitol Hill's popular Cal Anderson Park. These two moved away from the feast a bit and were challenging themselves to do headstands. I'm not sure what part the bottle of beer plays in these attempts, but the bottle was placed just so for both, and happened to fall over before the woman could get stable enough to pull off whatever it was they were attempting. Perhaps the challenge was to take a sip while doing the headstand. So, how are your headstand skills these days? :-)

Monday, June 21, 2010

Sometimes the Road Leads Through Dark Places . . .

. . . sometimes the darkness is your friend.

Still hobbling along in the June gloom, but Summer is here, and the time is right for dancing in the streets. Fremont, the Seattle neighborhood at the center of the universe, held its carefree and colorful Solstice Parade on Saturday (check out some of my Flickr friends photos of the very colorful doings here and here--adviso: some good-natured body-painted bike-riding nudity). Happy first day of summer to readers in the northern hemisphere, and wishing those south of the equator a mild start to winter!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Sunday Bridge Series #11: Deception Pass Bridge

It was a miserably gray day when I visited Deception Pass and its well traveled bridges that connect the north end of Whidbey Island to Pass Island and then the mainland. I had a ticket to ride on a boat underneath, but will go back on a sunnier day. This is the view under the DP bridge looking north. I liked the grid work pattern. The smaller shot is from the other side looking south from Pass Island while a big logging truck lumbers across. You can see dozens of other bridges at Louis la Vache's Sunday Bridge Series, and you can post your own bridge shot, too. Join us!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Straight Up, No Editing

This was last night's sunset at Golden Gardens. The image, minus the watermark, is straight out of the camera. Marshall and Sylvia, our longtime friends from San Francisco, came to visit on their way home from Vancouver. With them was their friend, an SF Art Institute student, Hanna. We had so much fun. Our after dinner walk on the beach rewarded us with this beautiful sight. Don't let the seemingly deserted scene fool you. The beach was packed with hundreds of people enjoying dinner and fun on the first warm evening in a week.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Skywatch Friday: Impatient

That's what a lot of folks seem to be feeling as the June gloom continues off and on, mostly on. July 5th can usually be counted on as the beginning of high summer and unabated clear blue skies. Perhaps you'll see blue skies, tangerine, lavender, or golden skies in other cities around the globe when you visit Skywatch Friday.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Sailor's Rest

While out walking in the SODO neighborhood I came across this pristine neon sign and artistic gate. I have no idea what Sailor's Rest might be, although it was apparent it was not a bar or restaurant. If you know, please fill us in as there was no information on the web. I'm thinking it might be a service or mission organization. The sign appeared to be completely contemporary rather than vintage. If it is older, it has been meticulously maintained. I'm seeing more and more custom metalwork and art glass gates and fences like this all around town.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

iPhone Wednesday # 48: Suspended Animation

Oblivious to the panorama of the bay and city skyline behind her, a school girl on an end of the year outing with her class climbed an arching ladder of a play structure and hung upside down while chatting with her classmates.
It's my iPhone Wednesday shot for you, where the image and any editing are done using an iPhone and available apps.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Paddling Westward

Three kayaks make their way across Lake Union in between afternoon rain showers. The downtown city skyline and the Space Needle compete with storm clouds for dominant positions on the horizon.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Stay

"I shall miss this day when it rolls on by. . . don't it make you wanna stay, stay, stay, stay, stay for awhile!" Oh well. It was an amazing taste of warmth and clear skies over the weekend. The outlook was fine at Betty Bowen. We sat in stunned silence while coming to with our morning coffee. Now it is back to cooler temps and off and on sun and rain for a couple days.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Sunday Bridge Series #10: Pegi Young's Bridge

Okay, don't shoot me. I've always intended to show a guitar bridge at some point in Louis la Vache's Sunday Bridge Series (click for all this week's participants), I just didn't know it would include a performer in the shot. This performer adds double Bridge associations, though, so I couldn't resist.

Thursday night I caught a triple bill at the Triple Door where local folk singer Jim Page opened for the Pegi Young Band and headliner, Bert Jansch (more photos of the concert on my Flickr page). This is Ms. Young who gave me a perfect opportunity to display the bridge of her Martin guitar at the lower edge of the photo when she reached up the neck to adjust her capo. She is a founder of The Bridge School which formed in 1986 to serve the educational needs of individuals with severe speech and physical impairments. The school, located in Northern California, will celebrate 25 years next year. Ms. Young and her husband and their musical friends put on an enormously successful benefit concert at the Shoreline Amphitheater each year to raise funds for The Bridge School and its pioneering outreaches to help children around the globe.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Lowest Tides of the Year This Weekend

While walking along Alki Point in West Seattle this morning, we observed lots of people out enjoying the -3.17 tide. Tomorrow's low tide will be a little lower still. Beachcombers might find a colorful organge, red purple or brown sea star, an ocotopus, crab, clam, or anemone. Tidepooling on the cusp of summer is always a popular outing with Seattlites, with nearly every park along the shorelines offering outings with naturalists today, including the Olympic Sculpture Park which kicks off it's "Get Out" events with tidepooling along it's little beach cove. And what a perfect day for it, eh? :-)

Were you wondering where the marker in Wednesday's post was? It was on the curb at Kerry Park on W Highland Drive on Queen Anne Hill. The building noted in the marker's survey data sheet (the Park View Apartments) doesn't exist anymore, but if you at least got in the general vicinity you would have found it. I left a pink note on the marker saying the treat for finding it was inside the cube sculpture. I stood at the marker and took this shot of the cached treat in the pink bakery box (2 pan au chocolat). I had to leave before 9AM, so hope whoever found it enjoyed!

If you were wondering WHAT the marker in Wednesday's post was: it was placed by surveyors in 1940 as part of the National Geodetic Survey from which maps and now GPS coordinates are made. The data for these markers is periodically updated and you can find the data sheet for this and other markers all over the nation at NOAA's page on the NGS, and searching for your marker's data sheet using the surveyor's stamped information. The data will include latitude, longitude, altitude, and sometimes even measures of gravity. The things one can learn from just looking down and noticing a disc!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Skywatch Friday: Spring Storm Scape

Dramatic skies have dominated the week. On this afternoon as I was walking in the Ballard neighborhood a patch of blue stood in such dramatic contrast to the uber dark brooding area on the right, I just had to try and capture it.

Take a look at many beautiful sky shots from around the world at Skywatch Friday, or add your own!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Lighted Pathway

The shape of the lights bolted down along the paths at the Olympic Sculpture Park remind me a little of the proverbial silver bullet. I noticed how they were lined up precisely and this shot just sort of happened as couples were strolling at sunset.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

iPhone Wednesday #47: Your Assignment, Mr. Phelps. . .

. . . should you decide to accept it. . . Do you know what this is? (Come on, without Googling it? ;^) ). If it is not a mystery to you, chances are you're familiar with orienteering, geochaching, or you're job has brought you into contact with them. If you can find the location of this object and can physically get there at at 9:00 AM this Saturday, June 12, you will find a treat waiting for you there. If you can't get there in person but can email me the specific location at seattledailyphoto@earthlink.net (please DO NOT answer in the comments section. . .no spoilers, please--we know you are very clever :-), then I'll send the first three people who email the correct answer a special Seattle postcard.

It's my iPhone Wednesday shot for you where I take and edit the image with an iPhone and available apps.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Free Flight

At low tide you might see an assortment of eagles along this dock, but today it is just a gull in flight. The birds and sea mammals love to search for fish and shell fish in these waters which are so clear I could see fingerlings all the way at the bottom. This is along the shore at Coupville on Whidbey Island, a quick get away by ferry from just north of Seattle.

Monday, June 07, 2010

Seattle Flash Mob Aerial Magazine Cover Shoot

Seattle Flash Mob Airiel Magazine Cover Shoot

. . .in the shape of a heart. Seattle's dynamic Flash Mob community switched gears from the usual arrangement of stealthy showing up at a prearranged location to dance a well-rehearsed intricate choreography (like here and here--you've gotta watch these! :-) ). Instead they posed on the green grass of Gas Works Park where a helicopter with a photographer on board made a dozen or so passes while Flash Mobsters dressed in red formed variations of a heart on the green (and very WET) grass of Gas Works Park. One of the shots will appear on the cover of Seattle Met' magazine's upcoming "Things to Love About Seattle" issue. So, yours truly is going to be a cover girl ;-), along with 250 other folks. I found out I cannot do a "Glee"style jump quite as high as these folks were practicing, but had lots of fun trying. Whole families and large groups of friends turned out to participate on Sunday afternoon, despite the rain.

This was the view from within the heart looking toward the bottom point as people waved at the photographer who was hanging out the door of the helicopter. Below is a preliminary iPhone shot taken early on from the air and sent to the leader on the ground, who showed it to me on his iPhone. (Photo use courtesy of Seattle Met). This is such a fun city to live in!

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Sunday Bridge Series #9: 520 Floating Bridge

Sunday Bridge Series # : 520 Floating Bridge

Don't tell anyone, but this is a drive by shooting and I was behind the wheel coming home from Bellevue, camera balanced on the dashboard :-). I was surprised it didn't have the serious shakes. That dramatic sky just couldn't be missed, though!

There are two floating bridges across Lake Washington linking Seattle with the communities on Mercer Island and the Eastside. This is the 520 Floating Bridge from Medina to Seattle (officially called the Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge—Evergreen Point). It is the longest floating bridge in the world. You can read about its anticipated changes here. And to see all participants in Louis la Vache's Sunday Bridge Series, click here.

Here's a shoutout to IAMHANNAHMARIE for becoming the 400th "Follower"of SDP through GFC in the little widget in the sidebar. Wow, that's a lot of folks. Thank you for your visits!

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Weekend Pleasures

He was heading from Lake Union into Portage Bay on his own weekend scenic cruise for one. A great way to get away from it all while still in the middle of beautiful, bustling Seattle, no earphones necessary. Let lapping water and song birds play the soundtrack. If you don't have your own Kayak like this guy, a couple great places to rent them and get out on the water are Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club and Northwest Outdoor Center. If you would like a tour of the larger open waters of Seattle's Elliott Bay and Alki, then check out Alki Kayak Tours‎. The sights from anywhere a kayak might take you in Seattle are spectacular.

Friday, June 04, 2010

Skywatch Friday: Skagit Valley Skies

Another little postcard for you from my ramblings just north of Seattle last week. The clouds were moving swiftly through the Skagit Valley and we caught some sun breaks in what was otherwise a very gray and drippy week all around Puget Sound. This roadside produce stand in Mount Vernon, just a stone's throw beyond the Skagit River, is a very popular stopping place along the narrow highway through the farmlands and is famous for the size of their ice cream cones. Believe it or not, that kid to the left is carrying what the Snow Goose lists as a "single." Another shot is here. And, no, I did not get one. :-).
To see beautiful and interesting skies all around the world today, visit Skywatch Friday.

Thursday, June 03, 2010

What Are the Odds?

What are the odds that a truck baring the label "Royal" would pull to a stop at a street named "Royal Brougham" and that I would pull up behind it, camera at the ready?

Royal Brougham Way is named for a much beloved Seattle P-I sports reporter who had a very long and celebrated career. The street is near Seattle's two major league sports stadiums, Qwest Field, home of the Seahawks and Sounders, and Safeco Field where the Mariners are currently holding court for the summer. Yesterday was a big sports news day here that Royal Brougham would have no doubt covered with interest: Seattle's beloved Ken Griffy, Jr. announced his retirement from baseball at age 40 after 22 amazing seasons, and Ichiro Suzuki made the winning hit for a 2-1 victory in 10 innings against the Minnesota Twins.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

iPhone Wednesday # 46: Busted!

Okay, yes I HAVE been counting cals, and yes I DID eat the whole triple chocolaty thing with my Americano; but, no need to send in the cops. I promise I'll walk around Greenlake in the rain. . .twice, and work it off. Putting head in bag and slinking out of Cupcake Royale. . . :-) Second confession in fairness to the competitors across town: I ate a whole Trophy salted caramel cupcake last week at fellow bloggers Maya and Janet's combined birthday party. And in March I tried one of Wink Cupcakes' Baily's Irish Creams, but it was just a mini, I swear! I'm not even telling you about my friend Chris' killer cookies I ate over the weekend. Okay, okay, no more indulgence for a couple months. . .I'm heading for the gym. . .
It's my iPhone Wednesday shot for this week, where the image is taken and edited with an iPhone and available fun apps. This one was the Hipstamatic.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Theme Day: Funny Signs

Some Things Were Just Meant to Be :-). I wonder if little Jimmy knew at a young age that crowns and caps would loom large in his future? It is first of the month theme day for City Daily Photo Bloggers from around the globe. You can see what curious and clever signs they've found to delight you by clicking here to view thumbnails for all participants.
Thanks for your patience with the late postings. I was poking around on a little vacation and had no opportunities to access internet for a few days.

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