Waterfronts

Lake Union in Seattle. It's fresh water even though its next to the Sound.

The Sleepless in Seattle houseboat on Lake Union.

Pike Place Market is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, farmers markets in the states.

Every day fresh fruit and vegetables are brought in for the thousands of people that visit Pike Place.

Delicious fruits and vegetables at Pike Place.

Public Art -- Seattle

The Space Needle in Seattle. It's a tourist's trap, but worth doing at least once in your lifetime. Bring 20 bucks just to get to the top and another 20 to 40 bucks to eat and drink...minimum.

A large bronze pig near Pike Place. It's actually a piggy bank. On the back there is a slot where you can donate money. The collections are for the less fortunate in the Seattle area.

Right below the Space Needle are many public sculptures.

 

A different angle of the same sculpture above.

Not Seattle but San Juan Island. She's beautiful and looks like she should be on the bow of a ship...but she is mounted outside a bar and restaurant.

At the base of the Space Needle there is this bright red sculpture. It's made of large sections of metal pipe welded together. Like all the other shots I take, I waited a long time to get the shot with no people in it. Yes, you don't see them, but there are three people in this pic.. I waited about 10 minutes to get the right shot.

Black Lightning...right at the base of the Space Needle. Seattle has an abundance of public art. The city even has an ordinance requiring it for new construction.

A totem pole right at the base of the Space Needle.

An angle of the EMP Museum. Ironically proximate to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation office. Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, financed much of the EMP Museum's construction. The two had a falling out of sorts years ago.

The Seattle Art Museum or SAM. The is actually a kinetic statue. The hammer arm is constantly striking.

I wasn't able to figure out the name of this statuary when I was taking the pics, but later found a reference to Bamboo Forest. These are large sections of metal nearly an inch thick and chemically stained. They are beautiful. And, again, I timed my shot with minimal humans...because we are about human expression...not humans.

Another shot of the Bamboo Forest next to the EMP Museum.

 

A statue of a Native American. Seattle is a Native American name.



I Broke The Prime Rule of Blogging--Don't Stop Posting

Sorry everyone for the 6+ month hiatus. I had a relocation, semester startup, and other lame excuses. Please be patient and we'll get the posts coming again. The goal is to post at least once a week, but shooting for three posts a week. I'm also considering opening up the Google+ community. We'll see. We're in the second half of 2014 and I'm going to mix things up a bit. I'm starting a YouTube channel that will explore content like:

• Creative Writing and Composition
• Photography
• Pictorial Arts
• Wines, Wine Tasting, and Spirits
• Arts and Crafts
• The Sciences
• Other Fun Stuff

Enjoy life, keep it real, and contribute to the world in a positive way! And check us out now and then!

What's Cool in the World Today



• Watch the "Baloney Detection Kit" on Skeptic. This is one of my favorite sites. It's about education, science, and sound reasoning. I first saw Dr. Shermer on an episode of Bullshit with Penn and Teller. I've been a fan ever since.

• Check out graphite drawings at DeviantArt. **Warning** some of these "pencil" drawings look like photos.

• The self-deprecating James Altucher offers his musings on his site. I'm a big fan of his efforts and philosophy. This guy is a truly alternative thinker that believes failure is an integral part of success.

• Alessandro Acquisti has an interesting view of privacy on TED. I love TED. It is one of the best alternatives to regular television programming or other mindless garbage.

• Learn a great pulled-pork recipe on the grill at Cook's Country. This is part of America's Test Kitchen. These are productions online and on public television. Again...a big fan!

Macabre or Morbid Artistic Expression?

 

It doesn't matter what it is, these photos are awesome.  The article was posted by the HuffPost and has some interesting commentary about the shots, how they were "posed" and Lake Natron itself.  The photographer is Nick Brandt and his photos are all awesome.  Here is his home page. Below is one of my favorites of his.

Photos by Nick Brandt.

 

Human Expression - Camels?

 

I am amazed at the many ways people will express themselves. They will even adorn their camels in the most interesting of ways. This is from odditycentral.

Cool Things in the World Today



Dragons at Deviantart, a place of arts and crafts

 
Wind-Powered Life Forms at TED, a place for unconventional ideas
 
A Murder of Crows at PBS, a place of public broadcasting
 
Awesome Astronomy Pics at NASA, a place of space exploration
 
Virtual Digs at Archaeology, a place of human history
 
Squeezels at BuzzFeed

San Juan Island

Friday Harbor, San Juan. Accessible only by watercraft, or emergency helo, San Juan was a wonderful, idyllic experience. It was late March, and apparently the off season. We encountered very few people. Those we did bump into were quite friendly.

 

A different shot with a slightly fisheye look of Friday Harbor from the ferry showing many boats moored in slips.

South Beach on San Juan. We were a party of three and the only ones on this pristine but driftwood-cluttered shoreline.

The Cattle Point Lighthouse on San Juan. We sat out here for more than an hour with only a couple of cars passing by. There was a comfortable bench with a great serene view.

A different shot of the Cattle Point Lighthouse with a fenceline in the foreground...slightly out of focus.

This lighthouse on San Juan is rather small compared to some. But it still stands out as an icon against the surrounding scape.

One of the natives of San Juan. I was at max zoom on my 250mm telephoto lens and this as good as I could get. The red fox, not very trusting of humans here, is but one of many animals on the islands. There are deer, voles, otters, rabbits, as well as many species of birds including the Osprey.

Moonlight over Friday Harbor.  I have to admit I was pulling out on the ferry and was in a selected mode. In hindsight, I wish I has used a manual setting on this and explored different exposures.

Dusk at Friday Harbor. It was very tranquil and quiet when we pulled out on our way back to Anacortes.





 

There is a new post in the Acadame.

Human Expression ~ Faith

Perhaps the most powerful and enduring form of human expression is faith. We have cleaved to it for thousands of years and still do strongly even in this day of reason and science. It can be a wonderful unifying force and an uncanny and ruthless vehicle of division and violence. This would have been an excellent pic if not for the power lines. Saint James Cathedral, Seattle.

 

Although stained glass is common in Catholic churches, this artwork is behind the glass windows over the main entrance and appears to be painted with gold pigmented media. Saint James.

This is a statue of Saint John Vianney the patron saint of parish priests. The Catholic Church sometimes spares no expense or effort in the constuction of its places of worship. The Saint James Cathedral is beautiful and ornate, and appears to be made of brick, stone, and other durable and expensive materials.

This is a statue of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini and, according to the church's website, the first American citizen to be canonized. The statue of Saint James is not pictured here but is at the top center of this west facade.

A closer shot of the detailed work on these bronze doors at Saint James. The story being told here appears to be the life of Christ. I wonder what archaeologists will think of these doors when they unearth them thousands of years from now.

 

A shot of just the top of the entrance to Saint James showing even more detailed bronze work.

This pic is a bit off kilter. But after visiting the church's website, I see that this is a problem with others who have tried to take pics of these beautiful bronze doors of Saint James. I recall having to stand at an awkward angle to get this shot.

A very nice pic of the sidewalk next to Saint James Cathedral, Seattle.

 

The Lopez Community Church. This is a multdenominational place of worship with Lutheran, Catholic, and Presbyterian services, as opposed to a nondenominational or Protestant church.

Lopez Island

The San Juan islands are directly between Vancouver, British Columbia and Anacortes, Washington. The ferry ride from Anacortes to the San Juan islands takes about an hour and a half, so bring snacks and reading material. The food, coffee and other drinks that only a few of the ferries serve are dreadful and overpriced. Bring your own! Near Padilla Bay.

 

Many of the islands are very small, and some of them have houses, although I would imagine that modern amenities like running water and electricity would be absent. Near the Stait of Juan de Fuca.

 

The Edenwild Inn in Lopez Village.

 

We visited Lopez in late March. Apparently, this was the off-season. We encountered only a few people and at times I felt like I was on the island of Myst. The beaches were all pristine and I noticed no litter of any kind anywhere.

 

Rusted statuary on Lopez. The theme of fish was prevalent and fish images appeared everywhere...if you noticed and looked.

 

Another rusted fish statue on Lopez.

 

A pic of both rusted statues on Lopez.

This was a rusted all metal tractor at the corner of someone's driveway and the main road on Lopez. This seemed like a common practice, not just with tractors but boats and other things as well.

A different angle of that same rusted tractor on Lopez.

 

At a different driveway just down the road on Lopez, someone has put a boat out in front.

This was one of three boats on display at a roadside property on Lopez.

 

The second of three boats at that property.

 

And the third boat at that same property

These two characters walked straight up to me. I was at a fenceline on the road, but I don't think that would have mattered. They weren't shy and puffed and strutted about without any fear of me. Lopez Island.

 

A closer shot of one of the natives of Lopez Island.