November 15, 2015 - Space Needle Solidarity

The French Tricolour flies at half staff atop the Space Needle as Seattle joins cities around the world in honoring the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris late Friday. The 25' x 35' flag was specially made after a rush order was placed from a local company on Saturday.  It was raised later that afternoon.

The Space Needle, a private corporation, receives requests from numerous organizations to fly different flags.  Aside from the US flag and the 12th Man flag, rarely have flags flown multiple times. The French Tricolour may be the first foreign standard to fly above Seattle's most recognizable landmark.

The French flag was adopted in 1794 and the color scheme has its origins in the colors worn by the Paris militia, red and blue, and the ancient color of France, white.

November 8, 2015 - Terminal 18 Cranes

Four of the ten ZPMC quayside cranes on the Port of Seattle's Terminal 18 intermodal yard on Harbor Island as seen from West Seattle.

Terminal 18 has four berths on its 4400 foot length in which container ships can anchor, load and unload cargo.  With a depth of 50 feet, there is plenty of draft for most of the world's container ships, many of whom are over a 1000 feet long.  The standard measurement for intermodal shipping is the TEU, or twenty foot equivalent.  It represents the cargo that can be stored in a 20 foot long shipping container.  Through Terminal 18, and the other port terminals, over 2 million containers are handled each year.  This is enough to rank Seattle's port as the 57th largest in the world.  The cranes in the foreground are 210 feet high, have a capacity of over 65 long tons and can delicately hoist loads at 600 feet per minute.

In the background can be seen Century Link and Safeco Fields and Harborview hospital and the south end of the downtown skyline.

Below, Queen Anne Hill, the Space Needle and the north end of downtown Seattle are visible across Elliott Bay as one looks down the West Seattle Bridge.

October 25, 2015 - Kubota Garden

In the south Seattle neighborhood of Rainier Beach is a beautiful 20 acre garden.  On the small acreage are hills and valleys, streams and waterfalls, bridges and ponds, winding paths and an abundance of plants, native and otherwise, arranged in the style of a Japanese garden.  The garden is the legacy of 60 years of work by Fujitaru Kubota.  A Japanese emigrant, Mr. Kubota founded a successful gardening company in Seattle in 1927.  Entirely self-taught as a gardener, his business thrived and the property that would become a Seattle park was the home, office, design and display center.  The gardens at Seattle University are an example of his public work. 

During World War II, the Kubota family was interned at Camp Minidoka in Idaho.  They were able to return at the end of the war and restart the family business.  Mr. Kubota died in 1972 at the age of 94.  

In 1981 the garden was declared a Historical Landmark of the City of Seattle. In 1987 the city acquired the property.  It is maintained by the Seattle Parks and Recreation and supported by volunteers and the Kubota Garden Foundation.  

October 17, 2015 - Sailgate at Half

A quick walk to your boat takes a little sting off of a ten point halftime deficit at this University of Washington football game, located on the shores of Lake Washington.  An estimated 8,000 fans arrive by boat for a home game tying up to the docks at the foot of Husky Stadium or anchoring in the just offshore.  Several water taxis ferry fans to and from their boats.  If you don't own a boat, no problem!  There are several large charter vessels that bring fans to the games from Lake Union or Fisherman's Terminal.  The 'sail gating' that occurs on the docks adjacent to Husky Stadium definitely lend a unique flavor to this school's home football games.