a weblog of whereabouts & interests, since 2010
It looks like the stormy weather of the past two days is clearing up.
Seattle photographer Tim Durkan (@timdurkan on Twitter) posted this gorgeous picture today—of a piece of blue sky and a brilliant rainbow over the city.
I believe his vantage point was off Alki Avenue SW in West Seattle, on the very edge of the waters of Elliott Bay.
I noticed tonight that the dozen or so tents that had been in Seven Hills Park on 16th Ave and Howell, are gone. (Probably have been for a while).
I hope our new mayor (Mayor Bruce Harrell) is making headway with his plans to get homeless people out of the parks and green spaces and into shelters or homes.
It is an intractable problem. (In computer science, these are problems for which there exist no efficient algorithms to solve them).
A count from 2020 showed that our city of 750,000 people have some 11,700 homeless among us (half of which are in shelters or in emergency housing, and the other half unsheltered on the street or in tents and such).
The Dick’s Drive-in burger joint on Broadway is not open yet.
It was a proper spring day here in the city with 63 °F (17 °C), and I had to take off my jacket and drape it over my arm, as I walked back up the hill from Broadway today.
Metsker Maps of Seattle on 1st Avenue is a candy store for map lovers.
I went there today to buy a map for my friend in South Africa.
As evening fell, I was waiting by the Asian Art Museum’s camel in Volunteer Park for a sunset picture with a dozen or so other people.
Then I walked back home, by Uncle Ike’s pot shop on 15th Avenue.
And so it is March, the month named after the Roman god of war.
There was no rain this afternoon, and a high of 56 °F (13 °C).
I walked down to the Melrose Avenue overlook (over Interstate 5), and back to Capitol Hill’s top along Denny Way.
I turned around every now and then, to look at the beautiful hues of color in the western sky.
Here’s the view of Interstate 5 and the city skyline from Melrose Ave and Thomas St tonight.
Officials announced today that restaurants, bars, theaters and gyms here in the city of Seattle and surrounding King County will no longer be required to check the vaccination status of their patrons beginning March 1.
It’s been a ‘dry’ February so far, here in the city.
Only ¼ in. has been recorded, and February gets almost 4 on average.
There was a little rain today— of the kind that does not make the ground wet under the big trees.
Tonight’s sunset was spectacular.
It was a beautiful day here in the city.
At the highs of the day (52 °F/ 11°C) it felt a little like spring.
[Source: Google Streetview]
The townhomes at Thomas St and 17th Avenue East are done, five years hence from the start of their construction.
Our Pacific Northwest sun now sets after 5.
Tonight there was a photographer at ‘my’ East Thomas St/ 14 Avenue spot, good for looking west towards the Space Needle with the profile of the Olympic mountains.
It was only 38 °F (3 °C ) as I walked back home today after getting a haircut.
It was good to get out of the house, though .. and hey! I thought: might as well try my luck to get another passport photo taken.
The kiosk at the Bartell pharmacy* at Broadway & Pike had me in and out with great photos in 5 minutes.
*Officially Bartell Drugs or the Bartell drug store. Yes, I know it’s prescription drugs —but it still doesn’t sound right to my ears.
I made my way down Harrison Street to the Interstate 5 overlook from Melrose Avenue at sunset, hoping for some pinks and oranges in the sky — but no such luck. The fog was already closing in.
ACT I SCENE I A desert place.
[Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches]
First Witch: When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
Second Witch: When the hurly-burly’s done,
When the battle’s lost and won.
Third Witch: That will be ere the set of sun.
First Witch: Where the place?
Second Witch: Upon the heath.
Third Witch: There to meet with Macbeth.
First Witch: I come, graymalkin*!
Second Witch: Paddock* calls.
Third Witch: Anon!
All: Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
[Exeunt]
From ‘Macbeth’ (1606) by William Shakespeare
*Graymalkin is an affectionate name for a gray cat. During the Renaissance it was believed that Satan sent witches malicious spirits to help them carry out their evil deeds. These ‘familiars’ or ‘imps’ would appear in animal form. The familiar of the First Witch takes the form of a cat and the familiar of the Second Witch takes the form of a paddock, a toad. The familiar of the Third Witch is not mentioned in the first act but later in the play, it takes the form of a harpy, a nasty creature in Greek mythology with the head and body of a woman and the talons of a bird. -information from Shakespeare Online.
For those in warmer climes, let me tell you: 44 °F (7 °C) feels positively balmy when you’ve recently felt the bite of 19 °F (minus 7 °C).
There was scaffolding all along the front of Engine House No 3 last April, as I walked by on the way to my first Covid shot next door.
The building now shows off a fresh coat of paint, and restored red lettering on the front as well.
We are out of the freezing temperatures, and it started to rain steadily this afternoon.
That should take care of the remaining snow & ice on the streets and on the sidewalks.
Here is a series of stills from the ‘augmented reality’ streaming video called T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle. (T-Mobile is the second-largest wireless carrier in the United States, with 106.9 million subscribers as of the end of Q3 last year. They are headquartered in Bellevue WA and Overland Park KS.)
Look for Sasquatch, the Pike Place Market neon signs, Jimi Hendrix, an orca, drink coffee and stay strong, Kraken hockey players and The Kraken itself.
I had to go to a doctor’s appointment this morning.
I told myself ‘You can do it, don’t be a scaredy-cat’ (driving on the snowy, icy roads).
My car does not have snow tires, but the electric motor on the rear axle, plus another on the front axle, makes it an all-wheel drive. The wheels also have traction control (electronics that limit how much the wheels can spin, making it easier to drive on slippery surfaces).
I put a ‘scheduled departure’ into my Tesla app, a good practice in icy weather. That way the car is nicely warmed up inside, with the battery pre-conditioned (warmed up) as you get behind the wheel to drive out.
I was good to go.
