Tag: Seattle
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All Time Favorites: Angular
I know I’m not alone in feeling sad the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenges have come to an end. I’m not the most prolific blogger these days but this recurring event has been both my favorite online group activity and source of inspiration when my creative well is dry. Not only…
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My Year In Pictures: January Week 4
Wow, after 2 years and 730 daily photos I can finally say this project is finished! I’ve enjoyed the practice of taking and posting one photo for every day of the year but now that it’s over I’ll admit to feeling a little overwhelmed by the pace of creating 30 new photos…
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1-21-17 Marching in Seattle
Saturday morning John, Ryan and I dusted off our hiking boots and stepped out to join the 175,000 marchers in Seattle and 3 million marchers world-wide raising their voices in support of our rights, our safety, our families and our communities. From the Womxn’s March Seattle page: Washington State’s Mission Our…
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My Year In Pictures: December Week 3
We’re deep into the holiday season now and depending on your point of view I expect you’re having a wonderfully festive time, scrambling to keep up with expectations, tired of shopping or you’re one of those people who finished everything before Thanksgiving. Guess where I fall. 🙂 This weeks set of…
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My Year In Pictures: March Week 2
A quick scroll through my photo files highlights an interesting color trend that peaks about this time every year. Once our highly saturated strings of lights and holiday decorations are put away it takes me about six weeks to reach for strong colors again so January and February appear as soft months filled with ivory, blue and…
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It’s a New Year and I have a new challenge! My Year In Pictures: February Week 1
As promised I’m back with another daily photo project! If you were with me through my last year-long photo series the format and tone of this new challenge will remain the same but to keep things interesting I’m spending the year experimenting with all the photo apps I’ve collected but not used…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up December With Hipstamatic (week 4 – the Christmas edition)
In the few hours left before our New Year’s Eve countdown I’m here online to recap a 7 day stretch that was filled with Christmas. We spent last full week of the month surrounded by festive displays, holiday decorations, good food, and family. Next week will bring a fresh start and end of the…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Grid (Seattle’s Great Wheel)
This week, let’s take the humble grid out of the shadows, and make it the star. Michelle W. The Daily Post I’m always amazed by how much weight can be supported by such delicate grid work. Watching these viewing cars float in circles above the Seattle Waterfront was almost as much…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up August With Hipstamatic (week 1)
Well, it’s Monday morning and our staycation week is over but sorting through my new photos to find one image from each day has been a fun trip back through our latest adventures. Our goal was to visit at least one mountain, island, river, beach and city while trying new things…
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A Surprise Everyday: Shaking up July With Hipstamatic (week 1)
I have a quick little recap today since we just got home from a weekend away with family celebrating the 4th of July. Ryan is spending the next 5 days with his Grandparents and John and I are on our way to pick up some take out for dinner so we can…
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Telling Stories Through Black and White Photography: Waiting For Food and Fun
Every week Paula of Lost in Translation hosts a fun Black & White Sunday challenge and this week she’s welcomed guest host Allan Hamilton to share his expertise on the subject of narrative black and white photography. Allan’s guest post is full of great tips for creating engaging images that provoke thought without the…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 5)
It’s hard to believe June starts tomorrow but the photos above are proof that our unseasonably warm spring is leading right into an early summer. Next week will bring some rain back into the Seattle area but until then we’re enjoying these sunny last days of May. Hipstamatic’s random processing of Sunday’s…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 4)
One of my favorite parts of this daily project/weekly recap series is an “aha” moment when I realize there was a trend to my week that I hadn’t noticed in the middle of the rush to finish each day. A little distance is a great tool for gaining perspective and I’m really starting to…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Enveloped in the Marvelous
The life of our city is rich in poetic and marvelous subjects. We are enveloped and steeped as though in an atmosphere of the marvelous; but we do not notice it. Charles Baudelaire Our everyday lives are filled with marvelous moments just waiting to be acknowledged and the richest of…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 2)
Today’s recap is a quick one while I wait for Ryan to finish his math so we can start our Mother’s Day walk to the beach. It was another beautiful spring week here in the Pacific Northwest filled with plenty sun and very little rain. We are all a little concerned about a dry…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up May With Hipstamatic (week 1)
Sometimes I wonder if seemingly random choices are really influenced by real-time events in our lives. These seven randomly processed images from the past week surprised me today with their faded colors and soft focus and also by the fact that they are a visual interpretation of how I’ve felt here at home. I…
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iPhoneography Thursday: Challenger’s Choice (Seattle’s Underground Streets)
It’s the fourth week of the month at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge and that means it’s time for Challenger’s Choice. Even though this looks like a creepy basement it’s actually my entry in the street photography category as this was an open air…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up April With Hipstamatic (week 4)
This past week was a good example of how nice it is to have a few things to look forward too spread out over the course of seven days. We had just enough time to keep our regular life running smoothly while enjoying a birthday celebration, crazy spring weather and meeting…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up April with Hipstamatic (week 3)
Another busy week has come and gone but over all it’s been a good one here in our little corner of the Pacific Northwest. While my days fly by in a blur of work, family, driving and if I’m lucky a little bit of blogging I’ve been trying very hard to recognize those quiet moments…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up April With Hipstamatic (week 1)
This past week was a fun one filled with lots of work, the end of the school quarter, crazy spring weather and Easter preparations but thanks to this “shake it to randomize” series I made sure to stop at least once every day and look for something pretty that would have…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Blur (Morning in Westlake Park)
Ah, lives of men! When prosperous they glitter – Like a fair picture; when misfortune comes – A wet sponge at one blow has blurred the painting. Aeschylus I spent some time searching quotes this morning looking for a starting point to accompany the word “blur” and of the many pages of quotations…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up March With Hipstamatic (week 4)
I think any week that starts with a big party is bound to go well and this past one was no exception. Our Sunday began in Bellingham with a beautiful lunch in honor of my mom’s birthday and ended with the discovery of these pretty, pink camellia blooms. I’ve been…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh (Pike Place Market)
I’m pretty sure this “fresh” sign is meant to advertise freshly caught fish at Seattle’s Pike Place Market but each time I walk up this ramp I read the two signs together and think “fresh restrooms” below… Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh.
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iPhoneography Monday: Travel (Underground in Seattle)
The fourth week of every month is Challenger’s Choice at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge so for March I’ve chosen this shot of the upper walk way through Seattle’s Bus Tunnel and Westlake Station. I visited the tunnel a few weeks ago looking for…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up March With Hipstamatic (week 3)
Just when we thought this strange, sun filled winter would last forever spring arrived and brought some much needed rain to the Pacific Northwest. This week was exactly how March should feel in Washington with lots of fresh green growth, wet petals on the ground and flashes of bright sunlight. Sunday…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up March With Hipstamatic (week 1)
These past seven days are exactly why I need a project like this shake-it-up series. Every day was filled with things to do and tasks to accomplish but working through each item that needed my attention meant I had very little time for creativity. Usually I end a stretch like this feeling…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up February With Hipstamatic (week 4)
It’s hard to believe February is over but seeing as this is March 1st it must be true! The last week of the month flew by in a blur of work and events but the simple task of looking for one new thing to photograph and share has really helped me…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking Up February With Hipstamatic (week 3)
While most of the country is trapped in a sub-zero weather pattern our strangely warm Pacific Northwest winter brought bright blue skies and temperatures in the 50’s. No one knows quite what to do here but we’re trying to spend as much time outside as possible knowing the rain and chilly air will be…
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iPhoneography Monday: Black and White Dragon
Black and White week at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge is a great opportunity to share this companion piece to the Chinese Zodiac photo I posted a few days ago. Like the Zodiac this large brass inlay tile is set into a sidewalk in Seattle’s…
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A Surprise Every Day: Shaking up February With Hipstamatic (week 2)
Even though it’s hard to believe February is half over I have a new group of 7 random images to share marking the passage of each day in this little month. My “shake to randomize” Hipstamatic project is turning out to be more fun than I expected and not only…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Scale (Dragons in Chinatown) B&W Challenge 4
One of my favorite public art installations in Seattle is the series of 11 Chinese dragons twisting and turning their way across light poles in Chinatown’s International District. Under the direction of chief designer Martin Brunt it took a team of sculptors, painters, boat builders and a feng shui expert two years…
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Black & White Challenge Day 3: Chinese Zodiac
Looking down at the sidewalk can be just as interesting as looking up at the buildings in Seattle’s International District. This brass inlay of the Chinese Zodiac is set into the sidewalk along Maynard and I’m continuing my Black & White Challenge walk through Chinatown with this photo in honor of the upcoming…
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Phoneography Challenge: Nature (City Trees in Winter and the B&W Challenge Day 1)
Even though our 2014/2015 winter is shaping up to be the winter-that-wasn’t I’ve spent it either inside the house or out on city streets too busy to take advantage of our unseasonably warm days. I wish I had a camera roll full of forests and snow-covered mountains to share but this image of bare trees…
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iPhoneography Monday: Street Quotes
I don’t know how many times I’ve walked past this wall of bronze tiles outside the Westlake Park Starbucks in too big of a hurry to notice what was happening around me but last month I finally slowed down enough to see several of them are actually inscribed with interesting quotes.…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Express Yourself
Don’t keep all your feelings sheltered – express them. Don’t ever let life shut you up. Dr. Steve Maraboli Walking through Seattle’s Pike Place Market on Christmas Eve I deliberately looked away from the brightly colored food and flower stalls to spend some time watching people and their surroundings. The traditional market attractions are…
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iPhoneography Monday: Nature (Pike Place Market Flowers in December)
The long arcade full of beautiful bouquets and local flower vendors is one of my favorite parts of Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA but our wet winter days mean these farmers need to be creative if they want to fill their shelves year round. Once the fall flower season…
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Goodbye 2014 and Hello 2015!
I’m back for a brief visit during my internet vacation to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year’s Eve! Regular posting resumes in a few days but I want to close the year with this fun collage of 1st day photos along with some exciting news about my participation in a…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Twinkle
We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle. Marilyn Monroe It’s always fun to window shop at Tiffany. Here we get a little glimpse of New York City while walking the streets of Seattle. 🙂
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Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Photo Challenge: Black & White (Post Alley)
While the tourist attraction part of this stretch of Post Alley makes me squirm (chewing gum stuck to the walls) I can’t seem to stop looking for new photo opportunities each time I visit Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Last Friday I was drawn to the bright winter light and how each group of…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Angular
“Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.” Dali Lama Libraries have always seemed like magical places to me and the freedom to walk aisles full of stories and information is a luxury I never take for granted. Through my childhood, school years and now as an…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrasts
Light and dark, tall and short, happy and sad — this week, share a shot that captures a contrast. Michelle W. – The Daily Post I wrote a Word A Week post about Contrasts a few months ago so today I thought I would take a different approach and show…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Split-Second Story
Who can get the closest without a soaking? In the summer this fountain is full of happy kids but only the bravest are willing to face the random spray pattern in early spring. Posted as part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Split-Second Story.
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Travel Theme: Cities
Alisa’s newest Travel Theme: Cities is a great excuse to post another photo from our recent visit to the top of the Space Needle. This view is looking south towards the Downtown area over Elliott Bay and one shot manages to show you a gray spring day, the Port of Seattle,…
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iPhoneography Monday: 5-26-14
The fourth Monday of each month is Challenger’s Choice at Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly photo Challenge and I’ve selected architecture so I can show you one more view of the Experience Music Project Museum at Seattle Center. Gold is the last color in my series after silver, blue, pink…
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Travel Theme: Metal
For Alisa’s Weekly Travel Theme: Metal I have a small section of John Fleming’s Grass Blades installation at Seattle Center. The blades are actually segments of painted stainless steel stacked vertically to emulate the gently swaying movements of grass in the wind.
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iPhoneography Monday: 5-19-14
It’s time for Black and White photography at Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge and today I have a view from inside the courtyard of the Pacific Science Center. The four pavilions which house the traveling and permanent exhibits surround these shallow pools and…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
For the 1:00 pm entry in my new 1 Day 1 World Project I have this stormy view of Seattle taken from our Sky City table at the top of the Space Needle. The restaurant makes a complete 360 degree rotation every 47 minutes and John, Ryan and I recently spent a fantastic 2…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: On the Move
Regular readers know I’ve had fun posting small exterior images of the multi-colored Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle, WA. So far we’ve seen snapshots of the Silver, Pink and Blue sides but I haven’t had a good Red image to post until last weekend. Our manageable spring showers had just turned to…
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1 Day 1 World Project: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
To kick off my new 1 Day 1 World Project I have this noontime view of Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle. This photo actually represents a few first moments for me as it is also what I saw during my first break on my first day in a new job.…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring
I’ve posted a lot of pretty spring flowers lately so for this weeks photo challenge I’m going in a slightly different direction… This is a close up view of a fascinating kinetic sculpture at the Pacific Science Center and I thought the chrome coils looked like heavy, industrial springs. Posted as…
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Travel Theme: Close-Up
This week Alisa’s weekly Travel Theme: Close-Up is all the encouragement I need to post another view of the unusual curved sides of the Experience Music Project Museum at Seattle Center. This museum is dedicated to the history and exploration of music, science fiction and popular culture and its unique…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters
I really like this shot looking up from our table at The Yard in Seattle but since I cut off most of the sign trying to include more of the light fixture I’ve held back from posting it. Waiting for the right moment was a good thing though because this week Cheri has…
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A Word A Week: Sign
I know this is a change of pace from my usual photo style but Sue’s Word A Week Challenge is “Sign” and I don’t think I’ll ever have a better chance to post this shot of the back of a Seattle Metro Bus. It’s an advertisement for the Washington State Health…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Monument
In this week’s challenge, show us your take on a monument (broadly defined). It could be a fresh angle on a well-known tourist site, or a place nobody knows outside your community— anything can be monumental as long as it’s imbued with a shared sense of importance. Ben – The Daily…
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Black & White Tuesday: 4-8-14
Today’s Black & White Tuesday post is a view of Seattle’s EMP (Experience Music Project) Museum’s silver side. If you missed the pink side you can see it again here and stay tuned for blue coming soon…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Threshold
Crossing this threshold means entering one of my favorite shops in Seattle, Greenwood Space Travel and Supply. GSTS operates to support the amazing non-profit writing and tutorial center 826 Seattle and inside the shelves are full of an amazing assortment of science themed books, toys, equipment and all around cool stuff. Where…
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The Seattle Public Library
A quick post today showing a second view of the Seattle Public Library. My Reflections photo was taken below this point looking back along the face of the building and for this one I stepped out to the sidewalk and looked all the way up…
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Black & White Tuesday: 3-25-14
A fun moment around the International Fountain at the Seattle Center. This fountain, along with the Space Needle were designed and built as part of the 1962 World’s Fair and is a popular place to run, play and relax in all kinds of weather. The fountain sprays in varied patterns…
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iPhoneography Monday: 3-24-14
The fourth Monday of every month is Challenger’s Choice over at Lens and Pen by Sally. This week marks the debut of a new challenge title, Phoneography and Non-SLR Digital Devices Photo Challenge, encouraging all non-traditional photographers using a smart phone, digital music device like an iPod, tablet or even a…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections
Yesterday John, Ryan and I spent a fun few hours walking through Seattle Center, peering up at the Space Needle and meeting family for a play at the Seattle Children’s Theater. I took plenty of interesting reflecting photos with this challenge in mind and even though you’ll still get a…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside
So much of life happens inside something. A house, a car, a sleeping bag, a UFO… The Yard in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood is our favorite place to relax on a wet Northwest afternoon while Ryan attends a new debate workshop at the fantastic writing school, 826 Seattle. The school is a…
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iPhone Monday: 2-24-14
The 4th week of each month at Lens and Pen by Sally’s phoneography challenge is devoted to Challenger’s Choice. There are several categories participants can use for inspiration including Abstraction, Animals, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Objects, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel. This week I’ve selected Street Photography so could post this image of a happy couple strolling through…
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Travel Theme: Work
Fresh flowers are scarce during Pacific Northwest winters but the hardworking families at Seattle’s Pike Place Market use creative combinations of fresh and dried flowers to keep their stalls full year round. Christmas Eve in front of the Original Starbucks. Inside, customers enjoy hot beverages in bright red cups while the street musician wears a…
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Black and White Tuesday: 2-11-14
This close view of a totem pole is from one of two popular 50 foot cedar poles at Victor Steinbrueck Park near the Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA. Seattle Architect Victor Steinbrueck is credited with spearheading the preservation movement to protect both the Market and Pioneer Square districts in the 1960’s and twenty years…
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Black & White Tuesday: 1-28-14
Since my last Black & White Tuesday post was all about holiday shopping and hot donuts I thought you might like to see our snack-time view looking over Seattle’s Westlake Park.
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iPhoneography Monday: 1-27-14
The fourth Monday of the month is reserved for challenger’s choice at Lens and Pen by Sally’s Phoneography Challenge and today I chose street photography. This strange little sign is one of a series posted on the side of Archie McPhee’s in Seattle, WA and if you have a quirky, strange, funny or…
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Black and White Tuesday: 1-21-14
It’s hard to miss this hot donut stand in Seattle’s Westlake Park, the bright colors and happy customers can be seen from blocks away. Ryan insisted we stop for a bag of our own during a December trip downtown and while his mouth was too full of donuts and sugar for a wordy review, two thumbs up and a smile said it…
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Weekly Travel Theme: Silver
Alisa’s weekly travel theme is posted every Friday and the newest prompt is the word “Silver.” I thought I would keep my entry simple today and show you these beautiful King Salmon from Seattle’s Pike Place Market. They are as fresh as you can get without stepping on a boat and…
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Weekly Travel Theme: Possibility
Seattle’s Pike Place Market is a fantastic place to shop for top quality produce, seafood and flowers and every film crew that’s ever visited town has shown the fish sellers tossing their latest catch under the main entrance. Each year millions of people walk through the upper level of this Seattle landmark each but not everyone realizes some of the really fun…
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Black and White Tuesday: 12-31-13
For my final Black and White Tuesday of 2013 I have a photo from Seattle’s Pike Place Market and a view down Lower Post Alley. My post yesterday mentioned the Market’s infamous gum wall and this image is as close as I was willing to go… Believe it or not…
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iPhoneography Monday: 12-30-13
The last Monday of 2013 gives us a second chance for challengers choice over at Lens and Pen by Sally’s weekly phoneography challenge. We have an interesting variety of categories to pick from and today I have a street image to post from our Christmas Eve visit to the Pike…
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Black and White Tuesday: 12-17-13
We spent a fun few hours in Seattle Sunday afternoon watching A Christmas Carol at the ACT Theater and walking through the city looking at the holiday lights and decorations. I enjoyed our time together away from the usual weekend routines and I think Ryan’s favorite moments were “high-fiving” Scrooge at the end…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside
I don’t know what it is about small spaces that pulls children inside, ready to play, hide or even relax. I was one of those kids who didn’t like being squished into someplace small but as you can see, Ryan and his cousin Emma have been doing it for years.…
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Black and White Weekly Challenge: Family
Last summer we decided to stay close to home and try a touristy “staycation” in the Seattle area instead of leaving town during the best part of the year. We filled our house with family and spent a great weekend exploring Seattle, The Pike Place Market, taking a Ride the Ducks Tour and having…
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A Word A Week: Distant
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Star Wars In 2011 the Pacific Science Center hosted an exhibit of original Star Wars props, costumes and fighter ships. We took Ryan to see the show for his 10th birthday and I tried to get some clear shots of a few…
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Up
If you look up in Seattle there is a pretty good chance you will see The Space Needle. At the time of its completion in 1962 it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. The Pacific Science Center is also on the site of the 1962 World’s Fair,…
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The Paramount Theater
In the late 1920’s the first “talking pictures” were produced in Hollywood and as part of their efforts to distribute their movies to as many viewers as possible Paramount Pictures began an ambitious program to build movie palaces in almost every major city in America. Seattle was included in this early expansion project and…
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Travel Theme: Green
To celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and the arrival of spring Alisa’s weekly Travel Theme is all about the color green. I love green and living in the Pacific Northwest gives me plenty of opportunities to photograph this beautiful color. Today I chose three pictures that I think highlight the themes I like to talk about…
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My Favorite places in Washington (State) Part One – The Puget Sound
If your view of Washington State begins with Sleepless in Seattle and ends with Grey’s Anatomy you’ve seen some beautiful scenery but happily my home state has a lot more to offer. As the population center, Seattle receives most of the publicity but did you know there are six distinct geographic regions within the state…
Northwest Frame of Mind 