Four of Cups

Wildlife rehabilitation

2007-12-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

This morning Rob burst into the house and informed me that he and Chloe had just spotted an injured red-tail hawk down the street, flopping around on the ground. He found a large cardboard box and a couple of old towels to help capture it; I helped by tippety-tapping at the computer to find a nearby wildlife rescue group. It turns out that PAWS has a wildlife center open 7 days a week up in Lynnwood. Rob donned bicycle gloves to protect his hands and together we went back to the bird. The hawk was alert and definitely opposed to being captured, but Rob successfully managed to place a towel over it and gently transfer it to the box without much fuss. The bird's halfhearted struggle (and the way it sort of pathetically flopped over on its head in the box at first...) made me even more concerned about its condition.

We brought it back and left it in the driveway for a few minutes while I staggered about trying to find my glasses and get dressed. PAWS is across Seattle from us, but Sunday morning traffic was light and we were there in half an hour. They have this whole compound up there; I'd known of them as an animal shelter but had no idea they did rehabilitation and release of wildlife. The woman at the wildlife center transferred the injured hawk to their facilities and assured us that a vet would be out to take a look at him tomorrow or earlier. "When I transferred him to the cage he immediately clutched at it with his talons, so that's a good sign," she said. She took our address and the location where he was found, and said that if they can heal him they'll release him back here where he came from. "We'll send you a card to let you know what happens to him," she promised.

Here's hoping it's not too long before he's perched hungrily in a tree again like this one near Anacortes. (Ooo, terrible segue.)

Snow!

2007-12-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Sockcess!

2007-11-09T11:51:00.001-08:00

I started knitting my first sock sometime back in...March, maybe? April? I found this very helpful online tutorial and knit away until I had produced one minimally screwed up ankle sock. Emboldened by my accomplishment, I immediately cast on its mate...and then that first half-inch of ribbing sat in my knitting basket for the next six months. Last week a few folks from work got together for a knitting night, so I pulled out the lonely second sock and returned my attentions to it again. Nine days later, I finally have a pair of socks!

Alas, this angle makes my ankles look enormous. Please don't judge me.

When I bought the yarn, I defiantly chose a colorway with all my favorite colors from about age 14. Teal! Purple! Blue! Why pretend I don't still love them; with these socks I reclaim my secret favorite colors once again. Next thing you know, I'll be carrying my dayplanner in a sparkly Trapper Keeper with a unicorn on the cover.

Alas, at knitting night last week I got a bit distracted, chatting and helping a coworker learn to knit. Can you see the sad wonky mistake I made, the first thing I notice when I see these socks?

CAN YOU SEE IT NOW?

It's okay, I'm still proud of them. I look forward to wearing them in the spring when ankle socks make sense again.

Seas and ponds

2007-09-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

All on the same long weekend, I got to go sea kayaking with Sarah and quasi-hiking with Kristin. Does it really count as a hike if the trail is paved? Methinks not. But it was a pretty little stroll nonetheless.

First, the kayaking. Friday before Labor Day was a bit chilly and drizzly, but we stayed pretty warm once we were snugly tucked into our spray skirts and our life jackets, and exercising our arms.

We drove up to Anacortes, caught a water taxi to Cypress Island, and then paddled around the eastern side of Cypress Island. No orca sightings, but we did see several bald eagles, some sea stars (including a sunflower sea star with 20+ legs), some other birds whose name I've forgotten (Sarah, help!), harbor seals, and a glimpse of a harbor porpoise.

We paddled for a couple of hours and then beached for lunch in Eagle Harbor:

Another hour or so of paddling south brought us to Cypress Head, where the water taxi picked us up just as the clouds started to clear.

Then on Monday (a day graced by a bit more sunshine) Kristin and I drove east on I-90 to walk around Gold Creek Pond. It used to be a quarry, and now it's a serene little pool perfect for an afternoon stroll. We were a little perturbed upon arriving at the parking lot and seeing two trucks which had apparently parked there overnight (a nearby trail apparently went further into the mountains) and had their windows broken, glass fragments still strewn about the area. What a crappy thing to return to after a backpacking trip...But it was a lovely walk, and we returned to find Kristin's car intact.

Between Santa Fe and Taos

2007-09-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

I told you Taos was my favorite site of the places we visited in New Mexico, but that was a filthy lie. Taos and Taos Pueblo were stunning, true:

But I think my favorite site was the little town of Truchas, on the "high road" between Santa Fe and Taos.

On a whim, Erin and I followed signs to "Turtle Rock Studio," one of several art studios and galleries in town. We spent a little time there, and took some pictures of the Truchas Peaks before contnuing on our way to Taos.

2007-08-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember that time when I went to New Mexico with my friend Erin for a week? You might not, since it was four months ago now. I thought I'd post some photographic evidence of the trip. Finally.

This was an old church on the back road between Santa Fe and Taos:

At Bandelier National Monument we walked through Frijoles Canyon, peering into the accessible cavates and kivas and pointing out petroglyphs to each other, before hiking up the canyon to climb 140 feet up wooden ladders and stone steps to see the Alcove House:

My favorite site was Taos Pueblo:

New Route Home

2007-08-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Straight down MLK all the way...this definitely cuts some distance and effort from the trip. It probably doesn't save much time since I tend to ride the last 3 miles on the sidewalk (legal in Washington as long as one yields to pedestrians), but I do enjoy the decreased effort required overall.

They call it "half a century"

2007-07-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Done!

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-06-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Blog (n): A place to toot one's own horn

Last Saturday I decided to try for a longer weekend ride. I commuted by bicycle for eleven days in May, 20 miles every day, so I studied my handy King County Bicycle Trails map and headed for the Green River Trail. I estimated I could reasonably expect to go 30 miles in a leisurely few hours given that my 10-mile commute takes me a bit less than an hour.

I ended up going all the way to the end of the Green River Trail (map viewable here), or at least to where it intersects with the Interurban Trail and seems to end. After 15 miles I didn't feel like turning for home yet, so when I found myself at the Interurban Trail after 19 miles I felt pretty triumphant. I ate a (disgusting) (really, those things are good for nothing besides energy...even the "chocolate" flavored ones require almost an entire bottle of water to help choke it down) Clif Bar and drank some water, watching some folks fly a remote-controlled airplane at the park between the trails, and headed home.

Miles: 38
Time riding: 3 hours 18 minutes (Time gone: about 4 hours 15 minues...I dawdled a lot)
Rabbits hopping away from the trail: 3
Oblivious people milling about (and even sitting) on the trail where it runs alongside the soccer fields at Fort Dent Park: approximately 200
Near-misses with vehicular traffic: 0
Horses heard neighing in a stable near the trail: 1
Arms sunburned due to my apparent inability to remember what the sun can do to me: 2

This is the perfect trail to ride on if you want to do that when you visit. It's flat, shady, mostly quiet, and uncrowded. There are plenty of access points, lots of parks along the way with restroom facilities and water for refilling bottles. A+. I'm definitely going to ride this one again this summer.

Tour of the House (36 Pictures!)

2007-03-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hey, why not take a tour of our new house? We don't have many pictures on the walls or anything yet, but slowly it's coming together. As a bonus, anyone who completes the photo tour is eligible for a free stay in the guest room at your convenience! (Valid only in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Residents of Puerto Rico not eligible. Some rules and restrictions apply; please see blog operator for more information.)

Walk in the front door and look in at the living room:

Cross the living room for now and go through the door past that blue chair, into the kitchen:

Turn left to admire the brand new microwave and the brand new red teapot. So cheerful!

Enjoy the views north and east from the kitchen windows, and admire the craftsmanship of that clever cutting board on the counter.

Pivoting to your right, you see Chloe's feed station and the pantry cupboard, which holds a lot more food than you'd think. You might think to yourself, "Wait, I pivoted too quickly--I want to see the little deck off the kitchen!" But Becky forgot to take a picture of that, so you'll have to redeem your FREE STAY to see that detail. (Offer expires December 31, 2020. Taxes not included. Void where prohibited.)

Having pivoted 180 degrees, check out the sturdy steel front door and step back into the living room.

Turn to your left and scan the south side of the living room. Boy, in this natural light it's a lot easier to see the difference between the yellow and the green. The green isn't quite that minty in reality, though. But close enough.

Now walk toward the hulking furnace in the hallway there.

Whirl around in time to see Chloe creeping up onto the couch. Sternly tell her to get off. Check out the wee closet under the stairs while you're there.

Whirl back around (whoa, careful, don't let all this spinning make you dizzy) and continue into the laundry room. How about that utility sink?

Itty bitty stacked washer and dryer. They may be small, but they are the first washer and dryer I have ever in my adult life not had to share with other residents of a building. I don't have to go upstairs or downstairs to use them, I don't have to put quarters in them, I don't have to wait impatiently for someone else's load to finish. Luxury indeed.

It certainly is nice to have all that counter space in a laundry room, isn't it? Politely pretend not to see the air-drying socks slung over the handles of the drawers.

One of the odd little features of this house is the way you have to walk through the laundry room to get to the main bathroom. Ah well, here it is with its little shower and new cabinetry.

Turning around in the bathroom, you look back out toward the living room. Notice the clever pocket door between the laundry room and the bathroom.

Oops, you almost forgot to peep in here--as you come back out of the laundry room, look to your right and glance into the very tiny second bathroom. There's a roomy linen closet behind the door of this one!

Now turn and enter the master bedroom behind you. Wow, someone really should have straightened out that comforter before they went and documented it.

Chloe's bed looks nice and vacuumed. Walk toward that corner.

Turn around to leave the bedroom. Aww, someone's following you!

Maybe you enjoy, as I do, the original details like the doorknobs and even the closet doors.

Walk back out into the living room. Hey, did you notice that new couch the first time through? It's nothing fancy, but this is its first home! Notice that it's stopped raining.

Time to go upstairs.

At the top of the stairs turn right and look around in the music room. Wow, it certainly is...orange, in here. At night when it's only lit by candlelight it's quite cozy, though. You might wonder, My goodness, how many guitars can one person possibly need? The correct answer approaches infinity, I believe.

The other room at the top of the stairs will be the guest room / storage space / office. (Guest room! Why, that means you'll be using this room when you redeem your free trip!) (Must be 18 or older at time of purchase. May not be combined with any other offer. All rights reserved. Please keep arms inside the vehicle at all times.)

It's a nice room. When the rain is rattling on the metal roof above, this room feels quite cozy. The window looks north up Martin Luther King Boulevard, along which a light rail line is being constructed. When it opens in 2009, the light rail will run from the airport to downtown Seattle, right past our house. Convenient!

If you could see inside these boxes (obviously there is more unpacking to do), you might wonder, My goodness, how much yarn does one person need? Again, the correct answer approaches infinity.

And another closet; both upstairs rooms have little closets. We pulled up the corner of the carpet in one of them, and found fir underneath. Ahh, another potential project!

Look back across into the music room.

This is the little nook at the top of the stairs. I'm thinking bookshelves.

Turn and retreat down the stairs. Feel free to use the handrail as the stairs are slightly steep. Retrieve your coat from the hook at the bottom of the stairs.

And that's the end of the tour. Thanks for visiting! Be sure to see the concierge on your way out to get details on redeeming your free stay! (Rated E for Everyone.)

Lake Washington

2007-03-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

Looking, um, northwestish from the Seward Park peninsula.

Moss

2007-02-25T17:50:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago Chloe and I spent an hour or two in Seward Park between rainstorms. We saw lots of damp, mossy, decomposing things--and a few leaf buds beginning to swell in the branches of trees. Spring is just around the corner!

Saturday ride

2007-02-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

I rode my bike to work and back today just to prove I could do it. 20 miles round trip. I can do it!

Check here for the map.

Phew. Time to chill for a little while.

Blurry but sweet

2007-02-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

The memory of summer

2007-02-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Puppy and I

2007-02-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

I met a Man as I went walking:
We got talking,
Man and I.
"Where are you going to, Man?" I said
(I said to the Man as he went by).
"Down to the village, to get some bread.
Will you come with me?" "No, not I."

I met a horse as I went walking;
We got talking,
Horse and I.
"Where are you going to, Horse, today?"
(I said to the Horse as he went by).
"Down to the village to get some hay.
Will you come with me?" "No, not I."

I met a Woman as I went walking;
We got talking,
Woman and I.
"Where are you going to, Woman, so early?"
(I said to the Woman as she went by).
"Down to the village to get some barley.
Will you come with me?" "No, not I."

I met some Rabbits as I went walking;
We got talking,
Rabbits and I.
"Where are you going in your brown fur coats?"
(I said to the Rabbits as they went by).
"Down to the village to get some oats.
Will you come with us?" "No, not I."

I met a Puppy as I went walking;
We got talking,
Puppy and I.
"Where are you going this nice fine day?"
(I said to the Puppy as he went by).
"Up to the hills to roll and play."
"I'll come with you, Puppy," said I.

--A. A. Milne

Grandma and Ellie

2007-02-06T22:27:00.000-08:00

Lake Washington Sunrise

2007-02-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

My new commute winds up along Lake Washington. It's a lovely and peaceful start and finish to the day--not many other cars to deal with, no stop lights, no freeways...and sights like these, twice a day:

Now I just need to get my helmet out and start riding my bike that way to work!

Ellie, Christmas 2007

2007-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Dry

2007-01-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

Taken in Shelby, Montana in August 2006. It's awfully rainy and windy here in Seattle this morning, so I made this my desktop to cheer myself up.

Windstorm

2006-12-16T21:53:00.000-08:00

There's a fairly major four-lane arterial that runs east-west near here. I tried to take it yesterday morning when I needed to go buy Chloe some food.

Two blocks off of Greenwood, this is what I found across all four lanes of the road:

Here's a closer look:

And that's as close as those killer trees got to me and mine, apparently, for which I am much relieved.

My next desktop at work

2006-11-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

My current desktop at work

2006-11-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

Did you know?

2006-10-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

Had we not been aware, Kristin and I would have learned this fact on our hike up to Wallace Falls in September. Fortunately, we did not have to learn from bitter experience.

No, I'm Still Finishing My First Cup, Thanks

2006-10-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Her Favorite Spot

2006-10-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Between her people, with her head on a lap.

Flip Flops

2006-10-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Kristin, Erin and I took a mini-vacation to the Hood Canal in August. We camped in the Kingdome-sized tent, hiked down to see a waterfall, built a one-match fire, cooked over it, poked around in Hoodsport, and walked around the Dosewallips river delta. This was taken near the mouth of the Dosewallips, while we sat on a log in the evening and watched seals pop their heads up in Hood Canal. The rain rolls in tomorrow, and we probably won't see flip-flop weather for the next seven or eight months, so a moment of nostalgia for a good summer.

Autumn Trails

2006-10-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

Denny Creek, just west of Snoqualmie Pass, October 2006.

What you can't see in this picture is Chloe trying to cross one of the trickles of water, unaware of how slimy wet rock can be, and desperately scrabbling for traction as she slowly...skidded...downhill... She managed not to fall in, at least.

Montana by train

2006-10-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

Skirting the Flathead River at the southern edge of Glacier National Park, on a Saturday morning in August 2006.

Rattlesnake Ledge

2006-10-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Rob and I hiked up to the top of this a couple of years ago. I snapped this picture last month from the Iron Horse trailhead. It's not a tough hike, and the views from the top are nice; we should do it again sometime.

Iron Horse Trail

2006-09-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Near North Bend, WA. Taken on September 16, 2006.

Shelby, MT

2006-09-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

I found a cheap ticket on Amtrak's Empire Builder route and took a trip to Shelby, Montana and back just so I could experience part of that journey. This was a lonely motel sign in town. Shelby purports to have about the same population as Winston but I'll be honest--I think Winston is bigger. At least Winston has a stop light.

Dosewallips River delta marshes

2006-08-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

I'm cheating a bit here because Kristin took this picture, but I'll have some of my own later.

Today's Route

2006-07-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today I rode up to South Lynnwood and back. About 18 miles round trip--the farthest I think I've ever ridden in one stretch. It took me a bit under 2 hours and took me up across the border into Snohomish County. I stopped for awhile at Echo Lake on my way back; it was surprisingly uncrowded for a perfect sunny weekend day.

2006-07-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

I'm a Little Biker

2006-06-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

I did something new today: rode my bike to work and back. I suppose that means I commuted by bicycle. Just like a Seattleite, eh? A bunch of granola-eating, bike-riding, tent-camping, dog-owning freaks. Yeah, that about sums us up.

Let it Flow

2006-06-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Love-in-a-mist

2006-06-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

As seen in the Evanston P-Patch, 19 June 2006.

2006-06-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Stanley Park Greens

2006-06-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

In Which I Worship Spring

2006-04-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

In Which I Reveal That I Am A Total Showoff

2006-04-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

I started teaching myself to knit last summer and have made a few little things since them. All of them were pretty boring, and I wanted to try something more exciting. I'd heard that the free lace scarf pattern found here was surprisingly easy for beginners, so I tried it. Success!

The pattern is called "Branching Out" and I love it. Next time I'll have to use a brighter yarn.

2006-04-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

The city of Seattle has made an effort to make bus stops visually stimulating.

Various artists and community groups have attempted to create works of art on many of the bus shelters around the city.

My favorites--and frequently the most hilariously surreal--are the ones created by earnest groups of students.

The bus stop nearest where I work is one of these; children at a local school painted bright scenes from Greek mythology all over it.

Stylized images of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and villains entertain bus passengers awaiting bus 48 or bus 43.

But what's this? Someone has scrawled angry graffiti across the large back panel. What critique of the students' artwork is this?

"Paint over this," the anonymous defacer demands. "Too violent for the children."

I just can't understand why the children artists couldn't bring themselves to think of the children viewers. These children are corrupting the children! Won't any of the children please, for God's sake, think of the children? It's all so very upsetting. I think I'm going to have to go lie down for a bit.

Manatee!

2006-03-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

A manatee with a large bobber attached to him. Theories varied among onlookers regarding the reason for the tracking device--either they track juveniles, they track manatees who are new arrivals to the hot springs, or they track injured manatees. This one was certainly a slow mover, but I guess they all are.

Florida in March

2006-03-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

This is a pink-tinged beach on the Atlantic coast of Florida, taken two Saturdays ago in Daytona Beach. As it turned out, Kristin and I had inadvertently booked our trip to coincide with Bike Week in Daytona. We were only there for two full days, though, and we didn't spend much time in Daytona itself. That Saturday morning we went out to walk on this beach for a few minutes before spending most of the day on a boat on the Intracoastal Waterway, which is where we saw the dolphin pictured below.

The weather is beautiful! Wish I was staying!

2006-03-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

Free wi-fi at the Tampa airport, so I can update once from Florida before I go.

We went out on Kristin's dad's boat yesterday, and at one point a small pod of dolphins swam gracefully past us. This crazy dolphin was flinging a fish in the air and catching it again, an oceanic game of cat and mouse.

Rock It

2006-02-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

Stony sentinels from our very own North Umpqua River, at the Susan Creek campground.

Mount Baker

2006-02-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Skagit River

2006-02-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Looking east toward the North Cascades.

Winter

2006-02-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

How about that windstorm on Saturday? It didn't affect our household, but it was a delight to listen to.

It's nice to have a week of sunshine to look forward to. I've enjoyed exploring our neighborhood during the clear days this winter. Most of the north-south blocks are split by these wonderful little alleyways that feel like country lanes--quiet gravel driveways split by the tufts of grass growing down the middle. We can amble along them without worrying about traffic, just casually walk around looking and sniffing at everything. (We make it a team effort: I look around and leave the sniffing to Chloe.)

One day as we paused at an empty cross street I noticed some shards of pottery scattered at the base of a stop sign. I bent down to check my first impression, and found that they were the broken bits of doll-sized jars. Four intact jars lay among the pieces. I was charmed and pocketed them. Who made the tiny containers? Why were they smashed? And why, when we wandered that way again a week later, were all the pieces of pottery gone, the muddy patch of grass empty again?

The menacingly blurry black shape at the left is not, in fact, a denizen of the underworld, but merely Chloe coming to find out what that funny flashing thing could be and, more importantly, whether it might be edible.

"Baby"

2005-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Internet, say hello to the newest member of our household.

Chloe, say hello to the internet:

Diablo Lake

2005-08-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristin and I drove up to the North Cascades yesterday afternoon. It was just a brief half-day trip, but we both enjoyed the journey and the sunshine. Diablo Lake is honestly the eerie shade of green you can see here, thanks to the glacial silt permeating its waters.

You can see more pictures from the trip at my Flickr page.

Perfect Saturday

2005-07-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered a secret pedestrian/bike trailway across the railroad tracks south of the Ballard Locks (up the hill from the fish ladder viewing window I took you to last summer, David) which makes the lovely Discovery Park a brief half-hour stroll from our apartment. The weather is finally cooperating with my desire to visit the Park at least once a week, and Saturday I was feeling restless enough to walk to the park, hike the 2.8 mile loop trail around the park, and back home, about a five-mile trek. Not as good as going out and doing an actual hike, but better than playing on my computer all day.

This is a shot across the field of my favorite part of the park, the South Meadow. The building just visible behind the trees in the background is an old stable, one of the historical buildings of Fort Lawton. (There was a neighborhood-wide bicycle ride in this area on Saturday, and their route took them on a paved trail through this area of the park. A few rode past me, and I nearly shouted, "Allez! Allez! Allez! Allezallezallezallezallez!" to help them pretend they were riding in the Tour de France...but I didn't want to alarm them, and so refrained from bellowing such unexpected foreign phrases at them as they approached.)

This is a view across Puget Sound from the overlook near the western tip of the park, just down the hill from the South Meadow. The sun was high and bright by this time in Seattle, but wisps of clouds still clung to the trees on Bainbridge Island. "Ha, ha, Bainbridge Island," I thought smugly. (I mean, "How lovely," I thought, and took a picture.)

Yeah, it was a good day.

2005-05-22T18:40:00.001-07:00

We paddled a canoe and went camping this weekend!

2005-05-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

There was fishing.

2005-05-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is the Navy jet that came buzzing up the lake, barely a couple of hundred feet off the water.

2005-05-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the north end of the little island where we camped.

2005-05-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

...And looking back south, the way we came.

2005-05-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a pretty flower!

2005-05-22T18:26:00.001-07:00

We saw lots of pretty flowers.

2005-05-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

(And other odd plants...)

2005-04-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

Faraway moon.

2005-04-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

The airy canopy of a birch tree, spied this sunny evening in Ballard.

February Sunset

2005-02-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

The weather has been abnormally bright and dry this winter. I took advantage of it tonight with a long walk, hoping to catch a nice view of the sunset. I walked about thirty blocks northwest of our apartment to a little park overlooking the Shilshole Marina and Golden Gardens Park.

I realized I'd gone too far west when I crossed the train tracks:

Even with my slight detour, I made it to the park with a good half hour before sunset, so I took a few pictures. You can see how the sinking sun blazed in the clear sky.

I think this one is my favorite:

The long walk uphill had kept me warm, but once I sat down I was soon shivering in the cold wind blowing off the Sound. Fortunately I didn't have to wait for too long before the sun dipped behind the Olympic Mountains, their snowy peaks barely visible across the water.

I strolled back down the hill in the twilight after the sun disappeared. The waxing moon hung low in the sky above, brightening as the night darkened.

2005-02-09T23:29:00.000-08:00

Tiny angel in the tree.

2005-01-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

Chair back with sky

2005-01-08T23:34:00.000-08:00

small drop

Shorthand for geeks!

2004-12-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

"You might be a dork if...

"...you write the symbol for pi on your hand to remind yourself to return the pie plate you borrowed."

(Yes, I really did this.)

I'm pretending to be Georgia O'Keefe, apparently.

2004-11-30T23:42:00.000-08:00

A Thrilling Drive through Seattle

2004-11-20T20:13:00.001-08:00

We had an errand to run in the South Center area today. In the course of said errand, we ended up accidentally detouring through the airport (hey, I dare you to try to get onto Highway 99N from Highway 518 without making the same mistake. Stupid poorly-signed highway intersections...), but that's another story.

Once we finally got onto the right road, I started snapping pictures out the window like a maniac just because the camera was handy. Whee!

Here we are coming back into the city on the rickety old Alaskan Way Viaduct, aka Aurora Avenue North. It's totally falling down next time we have an earthquake, but hey, don't think about that! Look at the pretty views!

This picture of downtown Seattle is exciting for no reason except that it was the only clear shot I managed to get in my wild spree of taking pictures from the moving car:

Almost off the death-trap viaduct; prepare to enter the creepy falling-apart tunnel!

Now we careen down the Aurora Bridge, which may be my least favorite bridge to cross anywhere. I don't like how it goes downhill, for one thing; I feel like we're falling the entire time we're driving across.

Still, the view is lovely. This is looking east across Lake Union, over Gasworks Park there in the middle, toward the newly snowy Cascades.

Ah, our death-defying journey through Seattle is through. This mural decorates the northeast side of the Ballard Bridge, not far from our place.

Thanks for travelling with us. Buckle up for safety!*

*This post has not been evaluated by the Washington State Department of Transportation, and readers are advised to regard with skepticism any and all statements herein regarding the conditions of Washington's bridges and highways. The author thinks the Department of Transportation would agree that you're pretty sure to be safe as long as you 1)don't talk on your cell phone, eat lunch, or apply mascara while driving, 2)do assume that everyone around you is in fact engaged in at least two of those activities at all times, and 3)regard those other drivers with the appropriate level of caution, giving them plenty of space in which to weave and dart without impacting you. Cheers!

Who's that blurry guy

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playing the drums?

It's my husband!

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Last night!

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Murderer's Accordion plays the EMP Liquid Lounge

Comments

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Well, that was silly--apparently you couldn't comment as anything but "Anonymous" unless you had your own Blogger account. All fixed!

Welcome!

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Hi, family!

Since we just got a digital camera last weekend, I'm still learning how to use it well. This will be the narcissistic page where I can share those results with the world! Bwa hahahaha!

We don't have any grand photo editing software yet, so I can't reduce and send them by email without swiftly clogging your inbox with my enormous photo files. This seemed to be a good solution. Just bookmark this page and visit whenever you feel like it. I can't guarantee that I'll update it terribly often, but it'll be a nice spot to gather all the photos in one place for common ridicule and critique. That's right--just click on the "comments" button below each post and you can leave your glowing or tepid reviews. Or you can just say hi, or post your own unrelated thoughts. Really, I can't stop you.

Or can I?

Anyway, have fun and stop by often!

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Morning on Puget Sound

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Shilshole Bay Marina, viewed from Discovery Park

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Blackberry bramble over Puget Sound

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Dandelion in the meadow

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Grass in the field

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Sun breaking through the fog

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Flower in the park at Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard