December 21, 2011 - Solstice Eve Parallels

On the eve of the shortest day of the year the morning mist has risen from Seattle's Green Lake, but not quite from the surrounding neighborhoods.  An area of low clouds hide the morning sun, but they and their reflection provide a parallel peek at the blue sky above.

Winter Solstice officially arrives in Seattle at 9:30pm on Wednesday, December 21st (5:30am Greenwich Mean Time, Thursday, December 22nd) and marks the beginning of the shortest day of the year.  After the Winter Solstice the sun technically starts heading north, or moving higher in our skies, making for longer days.

December 4, 2011 - Lights, light, light

Christmas lights, a candle in a lantern and a Waxing Gibbous moon all make for a nice early December evening.

December 2, 2011 - Market After Hours

The hustle and bustle of Pike Place Market has completely vanished by dinnertime in December.  The vendors have all packed up their wares and taken them home leaving the market empty and eerily still.  This in stark contrast to the holiday lights and ever present urban chaos present outside.  While only a handful of people are around the lights and decor provide their own brand of busyness.

December 2, 2011 - Three Women: Girl

One of three figures in Akio Takamori's "Three Women: Girl, Young Woman, Mother and Child" stands outside of a market in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of Seattle.  The seven foot high painted cast aluminum statues are part of a collection belonging to the developer of the South Lake Union area - Paul Allen's Vulcan, Inc.  Many of Mr. Takamori's pieces are reflective of his homeland - Japan.  These figures have the appearance of porcelain and they appear to be dressed as villagers.  He moved to the US in 1974 and received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute.  He moved to Seattle in 1993 and teaches at the University of Washington.