Game Faces

This chess game was being played with giant chessmen in Westlake Park Wednesday afternoon ... just a stone's throw from yesterdays Madonnara action.

I believe these large game pieces were made of molded plastic. In spite of them looking heavy, they seemed to be quite light as the players moved them quickly about.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

I watched as artist Gabrielle Abbott created a chalk painting interpretation of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" in Westlake Park yesterday afternoon. An internationally recognized "Madonnara" or street painter, Gabrielle has been hired by the Seattle Parks Department's "Street Busker Program" to create her chalk art on the pavement of Westlake Park throughout the summer of 2010. Gabrielle will be creating new chalk art pieces in the park every weekend (weather permitting) until the end of September 2010.

If you're in Seattle this summer, grab a friend by the hand and stop by to see her exquisite work. However, if you're not able to make a personal visit you can see some of her other pieces here.

Radio Flyer - small and big

I was out for a walk in Fremont recently. As I passed the Fremont Place Book Company, I couldn't help but compare this Radio Flyer child's wagon made of molded plastic with the red steel wagon of my childhood. My how toys have changed!

Which reminds me of an image I made a good many years ago ... 1996, to be exact... at Riverfront Park in Spokane, Washington, where I grew up. This Radio Flyer is closer to my childhood memory in pretty much every way except its size. Measuring 27 feet long and 12 feet wide, weighing 26 tons, this wagon is just a bit larger than the one I used to pull. In the background you can see the tall tower of the old Great Northern Railway station and is all that remains today of that train station.

Conceived by sculptor Ken Spiering, it was built in 1990 as commissioned by the Junior League of Spokane and dedicated to "Spokane's children, as a reflection of the past, created in the present, to last into the future".

U S Courthouse

A view of the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Washington located at 700 Stewart Street.

This view is from an upper floor of the Seattle Children's Medical Center research building in downtown Seattle. Besides the nice views, I had the privilege of attending a banquet celebrating my wife as a new inductee into the Seattle Children's Quarter Century Club.

I also did a post about this building back in February of 2008.

Bellingham Postcard

Back in January of 2008 when I started this daily photo blog I wanted to give myself some wiggle room. Hence the "almost" one-a-day, and "mostly" Seattle blog name. Today's post fits nicely into those parameters ... in other words, outside the box.

The sculpture above is called Sentinel and Archimedean Solids by T. Ellen Sollod,  for the City of Bellingham 2009 Campaign for the arts fund of Whatcom Community Foundation and is on the corner of Bay and Holly Streets in the old town part of Bellingham, Washington. The castle-like building in the background was once Bellingham's city hall, though now it houses the Whatcom Museum.

Scooter playtime does yield the occasional photographic dividend -:)

Sunday Bridge Series - Deception Pass Bridge

The Deception Pass Bridge connects Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands. This bridge spans a deep and turbulent channel which connects the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Saratoga Passage and was built as one of the Public Works Administration projects by workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps during 1934-35.

To view other blogs participating in the Sunday Bridge Series hosted by Louis LaVache of San Francisco Bay Daily Photo, click here.

Whidbey Island Visit

Colorful spinnakers on the waters of Penn Cove at Coupeville, Washington.

I'm on the road to Bellingham this weekend for the Hamster Run scooter rally. Several of my friends rode the 120 miles from Seattle with me yesterday.

Parked on the main street of Langley on Whidbey Island.

We brake for dogs ... and pedestrians carrying red umbrellas.

Childhood memories

I walked past the tennis courts today and marveled at all the yellow balls strewn on the court. I also remembered saving my allowance so I could buy my very own new can of tennis balls. The hiss of the vacuum packed can as the key was inserted into the tab near the top, and wound carefully in as straight a line as I could manage around that can. Then the wonderful, at least to me, released aroma of fresh and fuzzy yellow balls ... a fond memory. I was never fortunate enough to have buckets of balls like the kids above, or getting summer instruction, for that matter. The majority of my tennis exercise came from shagging balls ... again and again.

Exploring Seattle via Monorail

Sitting in the last seat of the last car on the Seattle Monorail train provides a great vantage point for exploring Seattle ... at least between Seattle Center and Westlake Center. Above you see the Monorail train just disappearing through the EMP (Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum) on its trip toward downtown Seattle.

Mortie and Cubby

There are times I just can't help myself ... especially when Tabby cats are involved.

My friend Patrick cares for and socializes cats ... you can often find him with Cubby on the corner of Pike Place and Stewart Street in the heart of the Pike Place Market. Patrick is known as the "Cat Whisperer" and you can visit his website here.

Yesterday I made the acquaintance of Patrick's newest charge ... 7 week old Mortimer, also known as Mortie, as he played on the back of ever-so patient Cubby. I had a hard time not putting Mortie into my pocket when Patrick's attention strayed with conversations that inevitably develop with passers-by.

Mortie is pretty darned cute, don't you think?

And, as you can see, he has a lot of crowd appeal!

Lost Kids

Last weekend was the annual "Bite of Seattle" at Seattle Center. I happened to be wandering around the Center grounds while the vendors were still setting up booths ... one of which was dedicated to collecting Lost Kids.

Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, covers a lot of ground. The sign reminded me of my 5 year old daughter many years ago on a personal quest to find her way to the Popcorn Wagon ... and back again to where her mother, sisters and I were waiting. As my wife often says, "you either have a good experience or a good story".

Suffice it to say, a booth like the one this year would have eliminated a bit of family angst.

Summer Classic

Every so often, when Mount Rainier is on the horizon, I find myself at Kerry Park on top of Queen Anne Hill. This was the view on Saturday night. Seattle's skyline has a particularly symmetrical shape, especially from this classic vantage point. We are fortunate to have a well maintained public viewpoint from which to reliably enjoy our city.