seattle pics

Monday, September 7, 2009

Romantic City

This beautiful scene just unfolded in front of me on a rise at Gas Works Park and melted my heart. This couple, so in love, was taking photos and enjoying the inspirational beauty of a Seattle sunset on a perfect evening, then shared a kiss. This weekend as I was sorting through the candids I had taken of the couple, I thought of all the joy and beauty of finding myself in love with the love of my life and suddenly remembered that our first kiss had been on a Labor Day weekend, a goodbye kiss as I was getting in the car for the 400 mile drive home from a long weekend visit my friend Sheryl and I had made to see him in another beautiful city. That Labor Day goodbye kiss seemed to last in my mind for the whole 8 hour drive home, and he proposed soon after. It always makes me glad to see that kind of joy in others' lives, too. After I had taken several candids of them from a distance I walked up the hill and introduced myself to this couple and showed them this shot in the camera viewer. April and Morgan were visiting Seattle from elsewhere, and just so sweet.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The Paramount

The musical Wicked just opened at Seattle's historic Paramount Theatre last Wednesday. I can't believe how many American cities have a theater named Paramount and wonder if they were connected with Paramount Studios. Originally named the Seattle Theater, this one was built in 1928 as a movie theater and vaudeville stage, and boasts a mighty Wurlitzer organ and America's first convertible floor that allowed the main seating area in the nearly 3000 seat venue to be converted to a ball room. The interior is lovely in the grand old style, and a fun place to see a show. I took this shot on Thursday night after patrons were already inside enjoying the performance. I liked seeing the lighted sign reflected in the windows.

Some of my friends who have seen Wicked report they go around humming tunes from this show and that they loved it. Did you read the book or see the musical? I've never gotten over the nightmares the Wicked Witch of the West gave me as a child :-).

Saturday, September 5, 2009

September Moon Over Gas Works

On this first day of the US Labor Day weekend, heralding the end of summer and celebrating America's labor force, here is an industrial site that ceased its labors years ago and which is incorporated into a city park developed on its site at the north end of Lake Union. It's almost a full moon coming up over Gas Works Park. I was having an outdoor sunset dinner and wasn't aware of the moon phase, looked over, and there it was rising. I think September 3rd was the full moon. I liked the repeat of the 3 circular shapes.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Seattle Health Insurance Reform Rally

Congressman Jim McDermott and Rev. Leslie Braxton addressed supporters who turned out at the Westlake Center rally for health insurance reform last night. Their speaking was more pep rally than informative. There was a moment of tribute to the late Senator Edward Kennedy and his long advocacy for change to the current healthcare system, and a gentleman shared with the crowd his young son's fight with lymphoma and their fears and frustrations in obtaining needed treatment. Listening was a wild coalition of young to aged, socially conservative to progressive, rich, middle class and poor, faith-based and humanist, gay and straight, union members and management, and many ethnicities. Everyone in the crowd, no doubt, had their own story or knows someone personally who has a similar story of worry, frustration, financial hardship, and suffering. It's why they were all there. Across the street was a smaller gathering of people demonstrating their concerns that the US healthcare system not be run by the government or follow a socialized medicine model or dictate who can receive what care when or be used equally by non-citizens in the country illegally. Some had clear contempt for the president. I don't think they want to deny other citizens fair health coverage, but they have concerns they want addressed, and they don't want something railroaded through. Meanwhile, political factions stir up the sloganeering and no one is listening to each other, just blathering on what they hear on talk radio shows. It seems to me if all citizens could unite in holding the congress accountable for getting out of this partisan divide and putting a team of the brightest and best among them to work diligently now on a health insurance reform bill that is thoughtful and addresses the concerns of all the people, eschews party politics and the influence of big money, we would have a win-win solution.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Sounders FC Passion

Like a lot of folks last evening, I was having dinner outdoors and enjoying the sunset at Gasworks Park. I noticed this couple dressed in Sounders FC regalia and holding aloft a huge flag. The woman took a few pictures then joined the man in facing the setting sun, eyes closed, arms outstretched, Sounders flag and neck scarf furled in the wind. I wondered if there might be someone in the distance somewhere they were posing for, but saw no one. They stood that way for about 10 minutes, oblivious to anyone around as if in a prayer of thanksgiving :-) (I read today Seattle had a 2-1 victory over DC). This is a sports town, for sure! Another shot of them is at More Seattle Stuff.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

iPhone Wednesday #8: Comfy Couch

Looks comfy enough at first glance, but you might think twice before plopping down too hard on these pieces of furniture. No, not because they are wet with rain, but because they are cast in concrete. This is a clever and whimsical public seating area at Ballard Corners, a new pocket park developed by community members who solicited grants and raised the funds to create a fun park where there once were vacant buildings. They preserved the existing mature fruit and nut trees of the long vacant residence that was torn down at the south end, and created a rain garden (a meandering sunken area lined with river rock between the street and winding sidewalk where water runoff can filter naturally through rocks and soil to the aquifer, helping to reduce some of the run off pollutants that make their way to Salmon bay through street run off. Years ago there had been a small stream between the the buidings on the park property and the houses next to them, coming from a spring further up hill near much larger Salmon Bay Park. The little park also features a small play area with a very cool climbing and spinning structure. Soon to come is the park's final touch, a small homage to the corner store that occupied the north end of the property from 1904 to 1954. Two guys were working on that area with shovel and pick ax (photo at More Seattle Stuff) when I was there yesterday.

It's my 8th in the iPhone Wednesday series where I feature a shot taken with my iPhone. Chuck has Market flowers on a summer day and Ming the Merciless found a cool vine clinging to brickwork to share in their iPhone Wednesday shots today too.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Theme Day: Big

Leave it to me to forget it was the first of the month and therefore our theme day, BIG. City Daily Photo Bloggers the big wide world over have joined in. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

I call this shot Tiger in the Grass. This is the ginormously tall Grass Blades sculpture by John Fleming at Seattle Center casting shadows behind itself in early morning. It suggested tiger stripes to me. The installation was commissioned to create a filtered visual separation from the adjacent parking lot for Memorial Stadium yet allow physical access and some visual connection between the spaces. Designing transitional spaces must be challenging, and was met creatively here. We are just between seasons in Seattle, summer still here but school beginning soon. One day starts out gray with a marine layer and folds itself into a dry warm day, the next there's a drip of rain and gray, then a sunny day. Today it is on and off rain showers. This transitional area reminds me of this "between time." I'm wondering if the little "You Might Also Like" widget below will pick 3 of the many other photos I've shown you of different aspects of the Grass Blades over the years, or come up with something else. It seems to be doing a good job pulling something relevant from the thousands of posts buried in the archives. Of course it will be a surprise to me that I won't see until after this post goes live. :-) What do you think?