rainy morning

rainy windshield 1rainy windshield 2
rainy morning walker 1rainy morning walker 2
wet leaf transitions
window self portrait on wet morning 1window self portrait on wet morning 2

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday - "Bluegrass Festival, Darrington, Washington 2005". I remember driving my old Ford Econoline to that festival sometime in the mid 80s, opening up the back doors, and selling my wooden boxes. There were a lot of good craftspersons showing their wares, the music was fun, and there was some good food. The food concessions contract went to a local motorcycle gang, and that was interesting. Lots of leather jackets and bandanas. Towards the end of the day, we craftspeople did some bartering, and I remember trading for this beautiful handmade leather backpack, and an assortment of ceramic and porcelain wine goblets. All in all, a good day.

Images from: http://greatnorthwest.info/2008/07/15/darrington-bluegrass-festival-july-18-20/

Boeing 787's first test flight

I just watched the takeoff for the Boeing 787's first test flight on TV. It took off from their Everett facility 30 miles north of Seattle. It'll be up in the air for 5 hours or so on this first flight, and it's landing down at Boeing field not far from our house. Being a Seattlite, and even after all of the delays and obstacles, this is exciting. I might try to find a spot down there and watch it land.
The photo is from komonews.com.

mental calisthenics

chasing Now

cutting ties to the past

pushing away images of the future

wrapping my arms around Today

All of the shots in today's post were taken along the Green River this morning. You can see the textures and lines better if you click on the photos and make them larger.

driving Nate to school this morning

ice crystals? on the windshield

sunrise on the way to school



later, on my walk: river snow and heron

I don't want to walk in the cold today. 19 degrees last night, and yesterday morning's walk was difficult. I was hoping I wouldn't see something that begged to be photographed, and I had my hands jammed into my pockets. I knew my fingertips would turn into icicles as soon as I took out my camera. I did anyway, and I didn't even get anything worth showing. And my fingertips turned into icicles.

Later - I decided to go walk today anyway, and I think it's the first time I've seen ice floating in the Green River...

a few more "textures" photos - moss...

cracks along the walkway

misty morning sunshine

frosty leaves

standing in front of fireplace
cold december morning

scraping ice off windshield
driving son to school

walk along the river

the river
always the same
and always changing

there's something special about the river
even on a cold gray day

frosty maple leaf morning

Driving up Admiral Way in W Seattle last night, I saw a bunch of people lined up along the viewpoint park, cameras and big lenses galore. I stopped and took out my little Casio, and got the following shot of downtown Seattle with a full moon. Although I have camera envy? sometimes, I like trying to capture some of the wonderful things my eyes enjoy...

sunrise building

more tree shadows

water shadow/relection
sunrise tree shadows

tree shadows

it's the water

tree with crow
tree with tennis shoes

It was dark and dreary this morning when I left for my walk, a black and white kind of day.

leaf shadows

our future views...
Being over here on the other side of the world, any images of our future home have come from photos uploaded online. I've felt like a photo detective, trying to figure out angles and distances, possible perspectives and views. What will our view be? What about the Metrobank next door? Standing right at the floor to ceiling windows of our corner unit, we won't be able to see the Fuente Osmena circle, but we will have a view starting a few blocks northwest towards the Capitol building. Maybe a 180 degree view, sweeping from the Chong Hua hospital and the distant water view on the left, along the mountains and going northeast towards Talamban? We should have some beautiful sunsets. Just studying the photos, and guessing, from here on the other side of the world...

Nathan and Andrea

yesterday

eight years ago?

raindrop branches

parked, on a rainy night

sunrise

Although I forgot my camera, I knew today was going to be a good day when I drove Nate to school. There was a fairly nice sunrise, and even though it was another cloudy, gray day, a rainbow of colors were washing over everything. By the time I got home, the angles of sunlight were almost perfect, and I grabbed my camera and left for my walk.

Neo

checking it out
break time

openings

>

our kids...

eight years ago?

and last year?

where am I?

a question I often ask myself

I find myself wandering around the past


I find myself worrying about something in the future

out comes my rope and hook
to throw out and latch onto something here now

my eyes open
I listen
I feel my breath, going in and coming out

and I'm back...

morning quiet
fireplace warmth
cats sleeping
cup of coffee
time for walk

My mother was going through her old cedar chest the other day, and she found this photo of me at age 22 months:

I felt like a sailor during my walk yesterday, me and my umbrella, fighting the wind. With more of the same today, I decided to go to the mall.

Pink

if I had half a mind...

We went to the Muckleshoot Casino and watched the Pacquiao-Cotto fight yesterday. Super exciting! Everything the promos promised!

depression

It's almost physical, like when a fever has peaked and your flu or whatever has run it's course. A depression, a downer mood, is gone, just like that. That's good, but why can't we embrace negative or sad feelings the same way we enjoy the good times? How can one exist without the other anyway?
I think the denial and the pushing away of a downward slope on our path of life just gives it more strength. Maybe accepting it, owning it like we do for more pleasant happenings, is more honest, more real. The trick is having your eyes open, and recognizing where you are earlier in the process. Instead of indulging the 'poor me', and slipping further along, take ownership. Ok, I'm bummed out.
Maybe the blips of your personal roller coaster ride will even out over time, and something like peace can become a stonger force.
The here and now, good or bad, is the only thing we really have. Put your arms around it, and embrace it all...

a few more Fall photos...
from this morning's walk

The Crown Regency and Ultima Residences Nov 09:

The anchors or touchpoints for my day are my early morning and afternoon meditations, and my morning walk. Even with my cold nose and fingertips, my walk this morning was joyous.

Holding on...
I want some sun...
a blanket of pink

We went up to Vancouver for an overnighter Sunday, and a super David Foster and Friends concert. Charice was the closer, and it was amazing! We stopped by Granville Island before going up onto the bridge and driving into the city, and I wish I could have stopped the car mid-bridge and shot a photo. The silver blue colors of so many condo buildings surprised me. I found the following photos on Skyscrapercity.com:


Our hotel room was a corner "suite" with floor to ceiling windows that made us think of our future condo. We were on the 9th floor though, so with the 15' loft designs of the Ultima Residences, we'll be twice as high in Cebu, with more spectacular views?

I found this shot of the Vancouver BC skyline in fog online.

I just came across a photo of Elliot Bay from Mom's (St V), without the fog bank (a photo I posted in early September).

Windy and rainy walk today. Used an umbrella for the first time in quite awhile.
Came across another lonely glove yesterday. A few glove photos from past walks:

A cold, crisp, sunny morning yesterday.
The sound of my feet kicking through maple leaves.
I thought about the sound of crunching snow in a few months time.

The LRT this morning.

Detour

There are big orange signs going up the hill towards our street, directing traffic to a DETOUR route.
They drive up the hill.



They drive past the Detour signs, and the "Local Access" sign.
There are many u-turns.

And there are some who even drive into the construction work area opening for crew trucks before they make their u-turn.