Seattle Daily Photo: January 2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

The Spectrum's A to Z

No lack of color here, eh? This art glass installation is near the streetcar line on Westlake Avenue N and makes even the grayest of days brighten with its tertiary palette. I came across it the first time at night a couple years ago (below).

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Deserted on Sunday

I took a Sunday walk through some of the newly constructed areas in the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhoods awhile ago and forgot to post them. Seattle's skyline has become noticeably denser in this area southeast of the Denny Regrade which has attracted scads of biomedical research, humanitarian foundations and high tech businesses. Three floors of the building on the right serves as the new headquarters for PATH, a non-profit global heath solutions organization which moved from it's Ballard facilities last January.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Seeking Color on a Gray Day

I ran into a Seattle Flickr photo friend in the colorful El Diablo Coffee Company on Queen Anne Hill. I just had to catch this candid of him in this colorful setting with my iPhone, and said hello after I'd taken the shot. I've run into him before while out and about taking photos around town (you can see his back and camera bag in SDP's 3rd anniversary photo here). Like me, he is seldom without his camera. He posts great shots of the city in his Flickr stream, but his main focus is chronicling the colorful burlesque performance community in Seattle. We were both grabbing an espresso in this Cuban coffee shop which, as you can see, makes its own sunshine for a rainy day :-).

Friday, January 28, 2011

Chetzemoka On The Go

Looking out from Fort Casey on Whidbey Island you can see the brand new 64 car ferry, the Chetzemoka heading toward the Keystone ferry landing. This is reported to be the most expensive US ferry ever built, costing over 79 million and providing hundreds of local jobs. Launched just last November and the first of three new ferries slated to replace the Steel Electric ferries that were removed from service suddenly in 2007 due to hull safety concerns. The Steel Electric Ferries were built in 1927 and saw service first in San Francisco before coming north to Puget Sound for many more years of service. Well, Chetzemoka, long may you run, too!

We rode the Chetzemoka between Whidbey and Port Townsend several times in rough winter seas last month and it is a smooth ride. These are some of my family members out for a walk with me, all of us taking photos :-).

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Kingstones

No, they aren't waiting for the interurban. This family is gathered altogether on the couch to watch television, including the family cat and dog! This 1988 sculpture was created ten years after the artist's (Richard S. Beyer) most well known public piece, "Waiting for the Interurban"). "The Kingstones" sit outside the entrance of King5 Television on Dexter Street.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Rexville Grocery

The Rexville Grocery is a friendly place to stop during a day trip north of Seattle to the Skagit Valley. They make a great espresso and there is a warm and welcoming atmosphere in which to enjoy it. Oh, and you can pick up wine, cheese, and a fresh baguette and get gas, too (but read the sign on the pump carefully). This is very near the winding Skagit River in the heart of the farmlands of Mount Vernon. Bicycle touring is popular in the area, and you can see some riders are stopping for a fresh deli lunch.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Stop & Go @ The Wood Between the Worlds

A bright green yard lantern was glowing after sundown near this elaborate red birdhouse. I suppose birds are being encouraged to stop in here, and they've been given the green light. :-) Or maybe Mr. Tumnus is waiting near that stand of trees in the background just waiting to meet whomever flits in for a visit through the wood between the worlds. Well, as Tom says, "We'll leave the light on for ya."

Monday, January 24, 2011

Cool Citroen 2CV

I love to see well maintained classic cars in everyday use. I saw this periwinkle Citroen 2CV in super shape (check out that perfect bumper) sitting in an open garage over the weekend. She's a beauty.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Robin Red Breast Bids the Day Goodbye

Yesterday evening the sun was setting on a warm winter day while this little robin remained perched to enjoy every last ray over Puget Sound. It must have been sitting there for over ten minutes, seemingly as enthralled with the lovely scene as the twenty or so people observing it from Sunset Hill Park above Shilshole Bay Marina. The robin flew off eventually. I think we all wanted to cling to this golden afternoon just a little longer, it was so lovely.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Hello Seattle, I See the Mountains Near. . .

. . .Pasadena. During my youth in Southern California I used to camp, hike, and go to the snow in the Angeles National Forrest in the mountains high above Pasadena California. I have many happy memories of those excursions with friends. Coming down and heading back home after camping, tobogganing, or a day hike to the falls into Devils Canyon we would all pile into the Salt Shaker in Pasadena, an Armet & Davis designed "Googie" style coffee shop that screamed mid century modern. Now, my mom always said Pasadena was more town & country "old money," a more established and well off area than the mixture of tract homes and orange groves that made up most of Orange County where we lived, just southwest of LA. Pasadena was East of LA, inland, near the base of the mountains we often couldn't see for the smog. Thank goodness that's a thing of the past.

When I came across this Pasadena Place NE street sign in the U District here in Seattle, I thought about that long ago place and time, of past Rose Parades down Colorado Boulevard, long necked palm trees craning over buildings to view the nearby mountain peaks, field trips to the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. But what mostly came to mind was the present amazing group of Pasadena area bloggers whose sites I love to visit and the camaraderie they have built in cyberspace and beyond. This is a special shout out to Petrea of Pasadena Daily Photo, Laurie of Glimpses of South Pasadena, and Ben of The Sky is Big in Pasadena, and all their regular commenters and fellow area bloggers that make reading and visiting those sites so enjoyable. Beautiful photography, stellar writing, cute dogs and kids, and always good humor, great heart and social conscience, eyes for important detail, and a knack for highlighting insanely interesting stories about the community, current events, many, many talented residents, the architectural heritage, the schools, colleges, places of worship and businesses, the history and the present tense, and that gorgeous city hall that I never tire of seeing portrayed in a zillion ways. And you'll never find a run on sentence like the one you just read. They are articulate, passionate writers. I hope you will treat yourself to a visit to each of these blogs (listed in my sidebar), and those of their area friends. Something very special awaits.

Friday, January 21, 2011

For Directionally Challenged Rowers

This sign outside the Pocock Rowing Center in the Eastlake neighborhood lets rowers and paddlers know the distance in meters to Gas Works Park, the Montlake Cut and other popular water destinations. Apparently there is a disputed 1 meter in the distance to the Cut :-).

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Blue Hull Illusion

A porthole and the reflection of the dock in this boat's bright blue hull caught my eye. It was tied up in the Eastlake neighborhood along the shore of Lake Union.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Night Time

The campanile at SPU was lit golden on this clear sky January evening. The art on this tower was created in the 1960s by Ernst Schwidder who was on SPU's faculty from 1964-1968.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Keep On Climbing

A curved ladder on an industrial structure at Gas Works Park in the Wallingford neighborhood seemed to reach up into the sky as I walked by one evening.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Dr. King's 82nd Birthday

Today is the American holiday celebrating the work, legacy, and philosophy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, a Christian minister who advocated peace in America's military and world affairs, and nonviolent action in the civil rights struggle of African Americans. This national holiday was establish in 1986, 18 years after King's assassination. That same year the King County Council passed a motion redesignating the namesake of King County (of which Seattle is a part) to commemorate MLK, rather than William Rufus DeVane King, a US Vice President under President Pierce, for whom the county had been originally named in 1852. This mural depicting the Reverend Dr. King is in Seattle's Central District and was painted by James Crespinel in 1995.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sunday Bridge # 18: 20th Street Bridge, Ravenna

Sunday Bridge # : 20th Street Bridge, Ravenna

I took this while walking through Ravenna, a neighborhood named for the enormous canyon that runs through it. There are other bridges that span the ravine, but this is the loveliest. Built in 1913, this span has been closed to all but bicycle and pedestrian traffic since 1975. It is a great vantage point to view Ravenna Park which is always active with runners and walkers along its creek-side trails and staircases. You can view more bridges from all over at Louis la Vache's "Sunday Bridges" meme.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Grid Through Grid

This is a view from the 10th level of the Seattle Public Library's Central branch. I framed this shot of two women through a square grid railing like the one surrounding them on their high lookout. The outer walls of the library are formed of a cross hatch diamond grid of metal and glass. The Central Library, designed by architect Rem Koolhaas, is a great place to explore on a rainy Saturday and they welcome photographers to amuse themselves framing the view in myriad creative ways using the interesting architectural elements there.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Skywatch Friday: The Cold Olympics

The view from Betty Bowen Outlook was crisp and clear this winter day (although not today. . .sigh). The Olympic Mountains were somewhat shrouded in swirling cloud. A tanker sits on Elliott Bay near the Magnolia neighborhood. The Magnolia Bridge is visible to the right. I took this shot with my iPhone. You can see more skies from around the globe at Skywatch Friday here.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Not Something You Want to Lose Just Now

This rain drenched woolly hat had been carefully hung up so that its owner could find it on the animal wheel sculpture in the plaza outside of Zoka Coffee in the University District. It sort of looks like a giant feed sack for bison.

The Morning After: presented by special request of those of you who wanted to see what became of the 1:30 AM Snowman after the rain.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

1:30 AM Snowman Build

I heard distant voices and laughter down the street and around the corner. It was 1:30 AM and the evening's snowfall was just starting to turn into rain, and I went outside to investigate what was happening. A block and a half away I saw this couple on the sidewalk building a snowman before the snow was all gone. You've gotta admit, Seattlites are a fun bunch of people :-).

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Fiddle Dee Dee

Seattle enjoyed snow flurries yesterday morning. I say enjoyed because it was all melted by 1 PM or so. Just enough fell to let kids frolic and make a snow ball or two, but with no real adverse effect on traffic and safety. I understand more is on its way tonight, but it is not expected to hang around long, either. These whimsical ceramic plant stakes adorn a small garden plot in the Eastlake P-Patch community garden.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Phinney Ridge Neighborhood

Past the Woodland Park Zoo to the south there is a jog at this juncture in the road that runs along Phinney Ridge. Phinney Avenue curves around this building and becomes Greenwood Avenue. The building sits across from the bustling Phinney Neighborhood Association and houses two popular eateries in this neighborhood, a Red Mill Burgers and a Starbucks Coffee.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Sunday Bridge #17: Desception Pass Revisited

I showed you this graceful arch a few months ago. We recently drove over the duel bridges that span Deception Pass three times in one week, so I had to share it with you again. Although the skies were gray and rainy, the waters below were a beautiful color. See all the Sunday Bridges participants' shots here.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Rainy Day in the West

The drizzle, gray and wet of our current skies seemingly can't dampen the spirit of these rubber rain boots. Psychedelic patterns in cowboy boot styling, now that's a combo I hadn't seen before. Apparently they are good for snow as well. The styles you see here were called Phoenix, Baby Leopard, and Karma. We found them at a wonderful shoe store in Port Townsend.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Skywatch: Angel Walking

A young woman in a hoodie walks in silhouette atop a Spanish American War era battery along the bluffs of Whidby Island. The Olympic Mountains in the distance were shrouded in clouds. It's Skywatch Friday, and you can see other skies around the globe by clicking here.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

If Owlsley Had Retired to the Pacific Northwest

A fair trade coffee roaster in Port Townsend had a clever sign posted outside the business. I'm certain this is not the Bear's lair beside the stormy Puget Sound, but had to chuckle at the thought that java is as far out on the rim of mind altering substances as I've ever tried. On cold, stormy gray days such as this it usually induces in me a warm sense of being gratefully alive :-).

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Patch of Reflected Water

A couple walks on the deck of the Washington State Ferry Spokane while the sparkling Puget Sound is reflected in the window above. This ferry can carry 2000 passengers and 206 cars on the Edmonds-Kingston route, a journey of 30 minutes. A scale model you can build is available here for $250. To see this route and where ferries on it are in real time, click vessel watch here.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Queen of the World

A girl braves the severe winter cold on the foredeck of the ferry Spokane on its way across Puget Sound from Edmonds to the Olympic Peninsula. Mount Rainier and the city skyline are visible to the south.

Monday, January 03, 2011

Admiralty Head Light House

This very handsome lighthouse stands on Whidbey Island just west of the Keystone Ferry on the grounds of beautiful Fort Casey. The first lighthouse was a wooden structure near this site and was built in 1861. This lighthouse and adjoining building replaced it in 1903. The lighthouse lens is original to the earlier structure. I took this shot on a blue sky Christmas Day when visiting the island with family. You can see other views and read detailed information about the lighthouse and its keepers here.

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Morning Walk New Year's Day

7:15 AM January 1, 2011 and I could view the top of Mount Rainier in the distance (can you see it?) with a sliver of moon in the dawn sky. A street light is illuminating a tree still clinging to its leaves and icicle lights adorn a house porch railing. I loved the play of blue, golds and pinks with the dark silhouettes. A promising dawn to the new year. Yes, it WAS super cold so I didn't stop too long in my tracks to snap this :-).

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Theme Day: Best Shot of 2010

A very happy New Year to you! City Daily Photo Blogs are featuring the best shots from 2010 for our January 2011 first of the month theme day. Please take a look at all my friends' amazing photographs. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

This may not be my best shot, but it is the one that stands out for me. You saw it first last February. Some close runners up for my best shot of the year can be seen here. Thanks very much for your many views and encouraging comments throughout 2010. May the year ahead for you be one of good health and full of the love of family and friends. Happy 2011!

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