sunrise chaser

You know the "storm chasers" programs you see on the Discovery channel? Well, I'm a sunrise chaser. When I went out to get my newspaper around 5:30am, I looked up and saw the hint of a nice sunrise.
Off to the races, I grabbed my little Casio and hopped in my car. The colors and contrasts change so fast, I decided to go up by Nate's former Elementary School first. The school's name is "Cascade (Mountains) View" (I was hoping...), and then off to a nearby strip mall, and finally to the LRT station with it's raised platform. I was thinking "Just one shot. Just ONE good shot..."
I can only imagine what it will be like watching the sunrises and sunsets in Cebu...



The LRT Station with the morning sunlight coming in...

I like it when the colors of distant mountains take on a solid pale blue cast. It reminds me of chinese landscapes with their subtle color changes between the closer mountains and the more distant ones?

a dark rainy morning walk

I got up early enough to go out for my walk before I had to wake up Nate for school. It was dark and rainy, but the colors on the wet sidewalks and roadways made for a very nice walk.

"Johnie was very mad at the cows. I heard him swear."

From a small calendar belonging to August Reinholz, my father's father
Early 1920s in eastern Montana (Glendive)

"May 20 1921
it rained a little
Johnie was very mad at the cows. I heard him swear."

May 22
Oats came up.

June 8-9 First chicken hatch

July 26, 1921
Alma branded her cattle

Jan 2, 1922
Little sow bred

Jan 31, 1924
Took out 60 head of cattle and 6 horses."

a lot of chrome

I'm starting to transfer some of the old slides, and I came across this one with my 54 Chevy. Chicken legs and all, I was proud of that car. Though not as excessive as some models that came out a few years later, we Americans sure did use a lot of chrome! Especially the bumpers and grill work. I remember looking at the car one day and thinking, "I own this whole thing", and "Boy, that's a lot of chrome!

eduKation

I was driving along this mid morning when I saw a young man/boy (I'm guessing his age was somewhere between middle school and early high school) walking along the sidewalk. He was wearing a T shirt, it was raining, and his pants were clinging to his hips. He was pulling up one side of his pants with his hand. I could be way off-base, stereo-typing, etc, but he had this big smile on his face. I was thinking "why isn't he in school?", and the following words came to my mind: "I don need no eduKation..."

ps - 26Feb - But he was smiling. He was happy.

With my rain speckled glasses this morning, I felt like a goldfish while I was walking. Not very condusive to picture taking, so I decided to peek into my stash of old slides and try out my new slide to pc thing-a-ma-jig. This is an old fuzzy photo (like my memories) from when I stopped by my folks once and showed them some of my boxes.
If you click on the "art" collage in the right column, there are better photos of the boxes.

the Box maker

Although I've burned out on remodeling, etc, just like I did with working on cars, I enjoyed my trip to Lowes just this morning. I bought some molding, sandpaper, and some patching plaster for my continuing pre-selling projects, and it felt good just walking down the isles. I'm still a craftsperson/artist at heart, and today reminded me of my selling/re-supply journeys off of Lopez Island up in the San Juans. I would go off island one a month usually, to sell my hardwood boxes (carved and inlaid...) wholesale at 'Gallery West' up in Bellingham. Then I would go over to the Western Washington U campus, and set out what I had left outside the Student Union building. Craftspersons in those days, for a fee of $1 a day, could lay claim to one of the tables out on the patio? and sell their work. Next were some shopping trips for different hardwoods and supplies I needed, which usually included a local hardware store like Lowes. Then I would go out to dinner and maybe even a movie. And then back to the island.
I just remembered my first 9 months selling my boxes after becoming 'CR, the Boxmaker'. That's what 'Kurt, the Spoonmaker' called me. This was when I first moved to Bellingham, WA after I left Seattle to see if I could support myself as a 'woodworker'. I lived there for a few years I think, before my move to Lopez, and I recall that I sold at least one box every single day I went there for about nine months! I was so relieved in a way, when I experienced my first day without a sale. Whew! What a run.
I found some old slides from those days, and when I get around to transferring them to my PC, I'll upload a few here.

Springtime

The weather yesterday morning, while I was walking, was joyous and invigorating. The mornings have been cold, with overnight temperatures in the high 20s and lower 30s, but with the sunshine out, and knowing it was going to be getting close to 60 degrees later on...wow, Springtime in February.
The warming sunshine and blooming trees, the birds and water fowl, the flowers...all reminded me of some of the reasons I want to move to Cebu. And the food, and snorkeling, and...

one two three four five six seven eight...

How many remotes does a man need? If I win the lottery, I'm going to get him one of those fancy, really expensive ones, one that controls EVERYTHING. Heck, if I win the lottery, I'll get him a whole new entertainment/computer system...

this morning
there were these fuzzy strips of mist further up the river


I came out of the Pacific Science Center Imax Friday evening, where I had just experienced 'Avatar' (amazing...), and I looked up and shot the following picture. You can see a half moon peeking through the upper right structure.

I know that I'm not producing "works of art" when I'm taking pictures, but one thing I do know is that the feelings I have when I'm out there with my camera have the same energy as when I was putting a brush to canvas while painting, or the feelings I had when I was carving wood with a chisel. It's been a long time...

space needle through tree branches plus moon
brick and wood

Goergetown Facade

If you click on the bottom photo, you can see some people doing a photo shoot in a doorway on the right.

mannequin and the mosaic door

Remember the "Jesus Saves" photo I uploaded on my Sat 2 Jan post?
http://crlazlo2.blogspot.com/2010/01/this-morning.html


This is the shop during their open daytime hours. The mannequin reminds me of my niece Brittany.


As I walked past the mannequin, I saw this wonderful mosaic door...

nostalgia

Sort of nostalgic. I'm having them tow away the old Ranger today. It still looks ok, other than the cracked windshield and the rear view mirror, but the timing belt went out awhile back. And then there's the transmission slipping, the knock in the steering column, the... I burned out a long time ago. No more crawling under a car, etc for me.
You can see it's replaement reflected in the window."Top of the Line"

let sleeping dogs lie

the dog in my local barbershop yesterday morning, catching the morning sun's rays:

Mt Rainier

Mt Rainier was beautiful this morning, when I dropped off Nate at school. Even with it so far away, I could still see and feel it's power.
A little further south.
My zoom works all the way, or not at all. No intermediate distance, but it does show the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and a strip of fog floasting over some valleys. A nice morning.

A couple of characters I encountered on the trail yesterday (brothers Mike and John). Thanks guys. Having company on my walk was nice.

February 17th and trees blossoms...

I feel guilty whining about my cold fingers when I'm walking, even with gloves. (I'm a weinie!) Especially when I think about the central and eastern states, with their 2 foot snow drifts and temperatures in single digits. Today is February 17th and even on a cool, dark morning like today, the trees blossoms were wonderful...where did our Winter go?

Write/email NBC about Olympics Coverage!

Ron Judd, from his column this morning in the Seattle Times:

"What Olympic tape-delay controversy? NBC still doesn't get it"

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/ronjudd/2011098934_judd17.html

"McCloskey made it clear that NBC isn't unwilling to discuss the issue, in general. Just not with me. Fine. Works for me; I've got ski races to cover. So maybe all you folks can just cut to the chase and ask them yourself.

Here's the viewer-response page for NBCOlympics.com: http://www.nbcolympics.com/contactus.html
(http://www.nbcolympics.com/contactus.html).
And here is the e-mail address for NBC Universal in general: feedback@nbcuni.com.

I'm telling them you're angry. They don't believe it. Clearly, it's time they heard directly from that tiny, vocal minority."

The following article was copied from "The Freeman" newspaper in Cebu:


http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=550089&publicationSubCategoryId=108

"Crown Regency to unveil new unique rides this year
(The Freeman) Updated February 16, 2010 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - After the success of the famed Sky Experience Adventure at the Crown Regency Towers, more exciting rides will soon be offered within this year.

This was shared by Richard King, the Chief Executive Officer and chairman of J.King & Sons Company Inc. and the one behind the idea of the Sky Experience Adventure, which is the first of its kind in the country and in the whole world.

During the Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year celebration of Crown Regency Hotel and Towers, King shared to The Freeman that seeing the great anticipation of the public both from the local and foreign market of the Sky Experience Adventure, they are eager to start their new plans which are as exciting as the current rides offered.

King said that they would be having four new exciting rides, which is again the first in the world, namely the zip line, wall climbing, the pendulum swing and the air glider.

King shared that just like the Edge Coaster and the Sky Walk Extreme, the four new exciting and unique adventure ride ideas were carefully studied and conceptualized along with their foreign partners who helped them build the two present adventures.


With Crown Regency Hotel and Tower being the highest building in the country today, the public who would choose to take the soon-to-be offered zip line would enjoy a “high and exhilarating” experience as they slide to the other tower, which is presently being finished.

Those who would want to slide to the next tower but in a much more slower pace than the zip line would take the air glider which is another first in the country and the world.

Literal to its name, the Pendulum swing would be like riding a pendulum found in an old clock where riders will be swung from one side to the other. The wall climbing experience, on the other hand, is much similar to any wall climbing services offered but with the plus of getting a perfect view of the city while climbing.

King said that they will be starting the construction of the new rides very soon and expects to deliver it by October of this year. — Aj de la Torre (FREEMAN NEWS)"

--------------------------------------------



We wouldn't have to go to Disneyland or somewhere. Just walk over the sky bridge from the condo, go up the elevator, and take the zip line back...

Presidents Day and Black History Month

Today's column by the Seattle Times' Jerry Large is good - "Exploring roots of our country. Having Presidents Day nestled in the bosom of Black History Month gives a person something to think about."
A good read.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrylarge/2011078077_jdl15.html

another foggy morning walk

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dotted i

I take pictures because I can't find the words. The colors and everything else are so wonderful when I walk, even on a dark, drizzly morning. Just walking over the bridge, or looking back down the river and seeing the "dotted i" reflection.




The dotted i reminded me of one of my favorite painters, Edvard Munch, a Norwegian Expressionist (1863-1944). Wikipedia refers to him as a "Symbolist painter, printmaker and..." In 8 pages of Googling, there were a gazillion images of "The Scream", and only this one dotted i:

the other side of the river

I chose to walk to the other side of the river this morning because they've been working on a new waterfront park over there. The path down to the river is blocked off, but it being a Saturday and no workers, I went down and explored a little anyway. Very nice. I've always enjoyed seeing the birds over there, and I think I scared a bunch off. There are some nice, sandy little patches down along the river, and their little footprints are everywhere. Also, it was nice to see things from a different perspective, especially after all of the photos I've been taking from the other side.





I took the following photo on 17 Feb. Where are the water fowl, or "birds" as I usually refer to them? I like the idea of a park over there, but I'll be a little sad if the birds move on...