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February 6, 2007

Today I paid the first of what I’m sure will be many visits to Seattle Art Museum‘s Olympic Sculpture Park, which opened January 20.

First: Several pictures of the PACCAR Pavilion and a long shot of “Seattle Cloud Cover” by Teresita Fernandez.
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Followed by: A bunch of the sculptures.
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Then: More “Seattle Cloud Cover.”
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After that: Neukom Vivarium. I’m not sure exactly what this is, it was closed when I was there.
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Next: It’s not quite finished yet …
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And: A few miscellaneous snaps.
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Best part? Hard to say. It’s free, open every day of the year*, has beautiful architecture and art, and offers terrific views of the city. I guess the best part is — it’s finally open! Wait, that’s second best. The best part is “Seattle Cloud Cover.”

(*The park itself is open 365 days a year. The PACCAR Pavilion, which houses the museum store, cafe, and restrooms, is closed on certain holidays.)

And finally, some shots of the waterfront near Pier 70:
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(With all the bikes & bicyclists I saw in the Bay Area last summer, I didn’t see anyone riding under an umbrella. Of course, we didn’t have any rain while I was there.)

February 5, 2007

Classic Ballard icons include the Bardahl sign and Sunset Bowl.
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“Everything runs better with Bardahl.” When it comes to cars, anyway. Ole Bardahl began production in 1939 and his family continues to run the company more than 65 years later. If you’re heading north over the Ballard bridge, you’ll see the Bardahl sign to your right.
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Sunset Bowl opened for business in 1957 and remains open 24 hours a day to meet all of your bowling needs.

For contemporary Ballard, check out Egan’s:

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Egan’s Ballard Jam House has nothing to do with jams, jellies, or preserves of any kind. Rather, they are “dedicated to providing a positive community-centered environment for jazz education and performance.”

February 4, 2007

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February 3, 2007

The Boyfriend (TB) and I went to a model railroad show — a good thing to do on a chilly, drizzly day.

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Surprisingly, it appeared no one took advantage of this terrific offer:

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TB’s reaction to model railroad shows is similar to this:

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(To be absolutely clear, that is not a picture of TB. TB is at least 30 years older than the little dude in the picture.)

I’m not an expert, but this show seemed to have a good variety of merchandise and working models.

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A good time was had by all.

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(This kid threw quite a tantrum. His parents should have traded him for “donuts.”)

January 30, 2007

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January 13, 2007

You know it’s cold when you hear on the news that the temperature in your Seattle neighborhood is 20 degrees (Farenheit), the temperature on the Washington Coast is 34 degrees, and you think, “Wow, it’s really warm on the coast!”

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January 6, 2007

The Boyfriend (TB) and I spent some time in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood today. Below are a few pictures (click “View the album” to see more and/or larger photos, with captions).

French Poodle alert?

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We went to Antique Lighting Company to check out some star-shaped pendant lamps for our friend/sister-in-law, Karen. We also saw some critter-themed lamps our friend Kate would probably like.

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Antique Lighting Company has a wonderful selection of Tiffany-style lamps and other replicas, and friendly, helpful staff. And the shop has plenty of elbow room. Other lighting stores TB and I have visited recently have had tons of lamps all crammed together.

This beauty attached itself to my credit card and followed me home:

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(The other dragonfly came from Chuckanut Bay Gallery in Bellingham several years ago.)

We also visited Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company. I didn’t take any pictures there, but TB might have some on his blog. GSTSC has lots of fun, space-travel-themed novelties. Proceeds benefit 826 Seattle, a creative writing program for young people ages 6 to 18.

November 26, 2006

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OK, I get it. No more denial. Not only has summer passed, apparently fall has, as well.

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(Painted on the side of an old van in Ballard.)