May 30, 2010 - Awaiting the Flags

The Chimes Tower and some of the 5,000 white marble headstones of Veterans' Memorial Cemetery at Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park await the arrival of thousands and thousands of flags that will adorn the headstones of all veterans buried throughout this park for Memorial Day services. The first Memorial Day service held at Veterans' Memorial Cemetery was May 30, 1927. Construction of the octagonal Chimes Tower was begun in 1950 and funded in part by veterans' groups throughout the greater Seattle area. It stands as a permanent memorial to veterans who were buried elsewhere, but who are remembered by friends and relatives. At 144 acres, Evergreen-Washelli is the largest cemetery in Seattle.

May 25, 2010 - A Self Portrait

One of many such paintings by the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. This self examination was painted in 1660 and is one of over 2 million pieces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. The Met is located in Manhattan on 5th Avenue and borders Central Park. The building is nearly a quarter-mile long and has 2 million square feet of space.

May 18, 2010 - Mobius Strip

The Seattle skyline as viewed through the sculpture "Oushi Zokei Madoka". The sculpture was a gift from the city of Kobe, Japan, commemorating 25 years as Seattle's sister port and is located at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on the waterfront. The artist, Keizo Ushio, has introduced Mobius Strips to the world on a grand scale using his stone sculptures.

Wikipedia tells one that Mobius Strip "model can easily be created by taking a paper strip and giving it a half-twist, and then joining the ends of the strip together to form a loop."

May 9, 2010 - Piling Light

Just south of the Washington State ferry terminal at Mukilteo stands the Mukilteo Light. It has been operating continuously since 1906. While the Coast Guard maintains the navigational instruments the lighthouse and grounds are leased to the City of Mukilteo.

May 6, 2010 - A Troll's Eye View

Gasworks Park and Lake Union as seen looking East through the railing of The George Washington Memorial Bridge. The 2,945 foot long, 70 foot wide steel cantilever bridge is more commonly known as the Aurora Bridge. The bridge is about 160 feet high. Prior to its completion in 1932 several tall masted ships had to move from their anchorage in Lake Union, as the clearance above the shipping lane, 150 feet, wouldn't have been enough for some of them to clear. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Over 230 people have committed suicide by jumping from the bridge, second in the US only to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. This view will soon be gone as a suicide prevention fence nearly 9 feet high will be completed later this year.
(Note: The suicide prevention fence was completed in February of 2011.)

Underneath the north end of the Aurora Bridge, an 18 foot high, one-eyed concrete troll keeps vigil. Here's a view from over his left shoulder.  The Fremont Troll was commissioned by the Fremont Arts Council and sculpted in 1990 by four Seattle artists -- Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead.