March 30, 2025 - Union

 

The Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle covers 230 acres of former old growth forest and includes a Japanese garden and a botanical garden.  It is divided into dozens of unique sections, much of it heavily canopied.  There is Azalea Way, Oak Family, Lindens, Winter Garden, Walnut Family, Viburnums, Magnolia Family, Rhododendron Hybrids and Witch Hazel Family just to name a few. There are over 40000 different species of plants here!

Suspended above one of the many side trails is "Union", an art installation by John Grade. Installed in 2023 it consists of 6300 individual cast resin parts framed in laminated ceiba wood suspended from nets above the trails. Each resin part looks like a magnified cell of a tree.  

March 29, 2025 - Front Row Seat

 

This bench at the Quad at the University of Washington bench has a prime view of the show the 29 Yoshino cherry trees put on each spring.  At 90 years old (60 years at this location), they've still got it!  Around campus are a number of earlier blooming, more colorful trees, but these are the ones that are the main attraction.

A sunrise on a mostly cloudy day isn't quite a sunrise is it?  This morning (7am) it was a choice between less color or more people.  And there will be a lot of people here this weekend!  

March 22, 2025 - Teamwork Is Everything

One of the many murals painted by the clubs, teams and classes that race through the Montlake Cut highlights the importance of working together through the technical steps of rowing - feathering, catch, drive, rhythm - that allows these 9 individuals to drive a 60 foot long, 3 foot wide, 220 lb shell (2200 lbs with rowers and coxwain) 13-15 mph for a mile and a quarter.

Today was the 124th Class Day Regatta for the University of Washington rowers.  At stake was pride and pins as the teams prepare themselves for the season.

March 8, 2025 - A Sign of Spring

At 47 degrees latitude, Seattle has one of the most extreme dark seasons in the continental US. Even after the third driest January on record, the city is ready to be done with the Big Dark.   

Fear not! Spring is near!  Tonight, we move the clocks forward.  Today there will be 11 hours and 33 minutes of daylight. Our first post 6pm sunset in several months occurred earlier this week.  The cherry blossoms are starting to show.  (The University of Washington peak cherry blossom is about two weeks ago.)  

The Husky Open, the first home rowing event of the year, is a reminder that Spring is just around the corner.  On a brisk, gray day, the UW Women's Rowing team competed against one another and a few Oregon State University and University of British Columbia boats.  After the 8s and 4s were completed, they rowed back to the Conibear Shell House, changed up lineups and raced again.  A full slate of junior and masters races for boys, girls, men and women from high schools and clubs rounded out the morning. 

       

January 20, 2025 - Flash Of Color

 

Now you see it....now you don't!  A Anna's Hummingbird flashes it's iridescent red gorget for the camera. The Anna is the northernmost year-round range of any hummingbird.  On this sunny, above freezing day they seemed to be much more active than they've been in the last few days as temperatures fell below freezing at night.