there's a nice spider web if you click on this image...

walking in the Mall

I did a "recon" walk today. I drove over to the Southcenter Mall after dropping off Nate at school, and I joined the "old folks" walking in the Mall. I did this 25 minute down and around and up and down route, with no double backs. Sort of a power walk window shopping thing, with big band music in the background. This will be a good alternative on the heavy rain and/or bitter cold days of the coming months. I did miss the fresh air though, and after 20 minutes I went back outside...

some Walk photos - Vehicles

Van with a smile

Red, Yellow and Blue

CAT

Tukwila Fire

Father and son

the colors of morning

with the low angle of sunlight in the morning, there's a subtle gold coloring to everything...

my morning walk and the "Thinker"

I sometimes catch myself starring down at the path in front of me as I walk along. My mind is somewhere else.
The "Thinker" has taken over.
I find myself lost in the past, or worrying about the future.

But, if I move my line of vision up a few clicks -
I see the trees and the morning sunlight filtering through, the movement of the Green River... My other senses wake up too. The bird sounds, the moisture in the air, the smells.

It's almost physical. Two clicks up with eyes, and I leave the past and the future behind. They don't really exist anyway.
Two clicks up, and I'm back here,
now.

What a beautiful morning for a walk.

planes, trains and...

Planes, trains and automobiles, and ships... I love 'em all. I went out to Seatac early this morning to see off Mary and Bob, who were headed to San Diego for a wedding. I even like airports. During my morning walks, I watch small planes coming in to land at Boeing Field. I remember checking out books when I was a kid on how to fly a Piper Cub, sitting on a chair in the kitchen and practicing with a large plate for the steering wheel and imaginary rudder pedals. I watch the larger regular airlines passing overhead flying into Seatac, the "Sounder" amtrak train going by on it's route between Tacoma and Seattle, the powerful BNSF locomotives rumbling by with their long lines of freight cars, our brand new LRT swooshing by every ten minutes... And whenever I drive along the downtown waterfront on a Saturday, I see the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship waiting on it's next load of cruisers going to see the glaciers of Alaska.
Maybe it's the thrill of traveling, seeing new places and things??
One small "travel" memory I have was watching an eagle lifting up off the water with a still writhing salmon in it's talons. That happened once when I was on the Amtrak train going along the coast just south of Bellingham. I was by the window, and a guy across the isle from me asked "I wonder if he has a fishing license". I looked up and out the window, and there it was, in all it's natural majesty...

still busy...these are from yesterday's walk...
I took the first photo because it reminded me of the time I hitch-hiked from Boulder, Colorado to Seattle a long time ago, and the night I spent sleeping under an overpass in southern Montana. With one eye open...


Self Portrait in window

Regular buses and LRT

Purple flowers on bare branches

Fishing on the Green River and the LRT

busy busy

I was surprised when I looked at the date on this morning's paper - the 13th! I haven't posted anything since the 4th? I'll try to set aside some time later today, or tomorrow morning...cr
ps - One cool thing is our niece Erin (a year younger than Andrea), and a recent UW Grad, is off for the Peace Corps and Niger in Africa next month.

"Art" continued...

I want to do/try everything! I just returned from the Bellevue Art Museum, and just like my other recent "art" excursions, it was like visiting an old friend. Thoughts of Jim Colbert.
Maybe I could try a different little project each month. Instead of turning on the news at 6pm, and just sitting there, I could work on my latest carving, beaded something or other, drawing, anything. Maybe I could just turn off the TV.
Yesterday I went to the Museum of History and Industry. My favorite part was the "Arts and Crafts Movement in the Northwest during the early twentieth century".
During that time period, "the Pacific Northwest...had a vibrant arts community (that) banded together to support one another, to learn the latest methods of working in clay, metal, glass, and wood, and to produce work that was often comparable to the better known work of East and Midwest and California craftspeople." Driving by some of the older houses on Capitol Hill later, I pictured some of the old stained glass windows, art nouveau objects and beautiful, sturdy, old, wood furniture inside.
And last night Bob Harms and I went to the EMP (Experience Music Project)- the "Jimi Hendrix Museum". An amazing collection of guitars, and my awe of Hendrix after watching some documentary pieces, and live performance videos...he was/is the best ever!!

preview of Fall

During these phases where we have this nice sunny weather in Seattle, my morning walks after a nighttime rain are special. Everything's so fresh and clean. And I have more "reflections" photo ops.























You can never get too many pictures of the Green River.

Fog Bank over Elliot Bay

There was this wonderfully strange vision when I came out of Mt St Vincent's this morning after visiting with Mom. A long puffy white fog bank was hovering over most of Elliot Bay. I could see the Space Needle and much of the downtown Seattle skyline, but there was no water. To the right you can see the tops of the large cranes on Harbor Island...

Dead TV Update

They couldn't leave the poor thing alone. Someone came along the next day and kicked it for good measure...

Niece Brittany singing "Grandpa" song

This video was made by brother Mike, at a practice session last Friday. With our brother John's daughter Brittany, wife Teresa, Teresa's sister Brenda, and "Grandpa" Dave Bunker...