December 24, 2010 - Watching for Santa

In downtown Langley, a sculpture "Boy and Dog" appears to be keeping an eye out for Santa this Christmas Eve. Langley is a small town on the Eastside of Whidbey Island. It sits on a bluff that overlooks the Saratoga Passage and the Cascade Mountains.

The local artist, Georgia Gerber, has installations at public sights throughout the Puget Sound area.  They include Pike Place Market's iconic pig Rachel, Husky Spirit outside of Hec Edmundson Pavilliion on the University of Washington campus and the Woodland Park Zoo's "Lowland Gorilla Family".  If you see a bronze sculpture in the area, it would probably be a good guess to assume Ms. Gerber is the artist!

December 22, 2010 - 4th & 5th & 6th & Pine

Holiday shoppers crowd the sidewalks of downtown Seattle between Westlake Mall and Pacific Place. The Nordstroms store occupies the building previously occupied by the Frederick & Nelson department store. The brightly star in the background adorns the former Bon Marche department store, now Macy's. All three stores - Nordstroms, Frederick & Nelson and the Bon Marche - started in Seattle.

The Macy's star started out as a small star atop a tree of lights built and hung from the side of the building. However, each year the tree seemed to get smaller and smaller and the star larger and larger. In 1957 the current star, sans tree, was unveiled. It has lit the downtown retail core each holiday since.

Updated 9/30/11: On September 28, 2011, Bob James, the creator of the holiday star passed away at the age of 90.

December 22, 2010 - A Market Christmas

Pike Place Market is decorated for the holidays! In addition to the fruit and vegetables lights, dozens of decorated and lit Christmas trees adorn the tops of the covered sidewalks with a larger tree standing near the entrance. There is even a set of "rein-pigs", out of sight in these pictures, on the roof waiting to pull Santa's sleigh.

December 21, 2010 - First Jog of the Winter

Accompanied by a four legged-companion, a morning jogger circles Green Lake on the first jog of the winter.

Green Lake Park is a 320 acre park in north Seattle that encompasses a 250 acre lake. It has a 2.8 mile path for walking, jogging, skating or riding. A 3.2 mile path for jogging also circles the part. The lake is not manmade, but has been significantly altered over the years. It has been dredged, lowered and used as a repository for fill from construction projects. It no longer has inflows or outflows. Development around it has eliminated the creek that used to feed into it. Green Lake is now fed by rainfall, storm runoff and the municipal water supply. The lake currently has a mean depth of about 13 feet and a maximum depth of about 30 feet deep. When originally named "Lake Green" in 1855 it was prone to algae blooms. As a stagnant lake in the middle of an urban environment that problem hasn't gone away.

Over the years the lake's recreation use has varied considerably. The park is currently popular for swimming, tennis, basketball, non-motorized boating, jogging, walking, biking and fishing. Previously the lake and park have been used for hydroplane races, aqua follies 'swimmusicals' and concerts. It even has its own nature reserve. Duck Island is a manmade island in the lake listed as a reserve and is off limits to people.

December 9, 2010 - Thornton Creek

In Seattle a new fire station isn't just a new fire station, it becomes a place for new public art. And in Seattle a downspout isn't just a downspout, it can become public art while making an ecological statement.

The flag at the new Seattle Fire Station 39 in the Lake City neighborhood is viewed through the peeled steel pipes that comprise the functional sculpture "Thornton Creek". The 28 foot sculpture carries the water from the roof to underground cisterns that provide water for the surrounding native-plant garden.

"Thornton Creek", by Stephen Glassman was funded by a program adopted by Seattle in 1973 that requires that 1% of eligible city capital improvement project funds be set aside for the commission, purchase and installation of artworks to enrich the lives of citizens and give voice to artists. The title of the sculpture is named in honor of the community's efforts to uncover a watershed that has long been covered by concrete in north Seattle.

The red fruit and thorns of a Nootka Rose are part of the native-plant garden.

December 6, 2010 - Needle Topper

As seen from Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill, a tree of lights serves as a topper to the Space Needle during the holiday season. The 'tree' is made up of 1200 lights and can be seen from many parts of the city. It will remain lit through New Year's Day.

December 4, 2010 - An Admiral's View

Downtown Seattle as seen from the Admiral Way Viewpoint in West Seattle.

December 1, 2010 - A Needle For A Cause

The Space Needle was one of a number of landmarks around the world bathed in red on World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is held December 1st each year to honor the victims of the AIDS pandemic and focus attention on the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS related conditions. It is estimated that 2 million people die each year from the disease. The name AIDS was introduced in 1982, the year after the condition was identified. In 1991 a simple red ribbon was introduced to be worn as a badge to raise consciousness of HIV and AIDS. The symbol, and the color, continue to be widely associated with HIV and AIDS.

At the base of the Space Needle is a 35' tree composed of several dozen spheres illuminated by thousands of LED lights. The tree, designed by Blachere Illumination of France was first installed in 2009.