April 4, 2016 - Harvesting Blooms

Workers harvesting tulips at a Skagit Valley tulip field.

Each April more than a million people will come to see 300 acres of rich color in bloom on the Skagit River delta outside of Mount Vernon, a town of 30,000 an hour north of Seattle.

A Dutch immigrant, William Roozen, is the patriarch of a family that is key to the area's colorful harvest.  Roozen, means 'roses' in Dutch.  The family bulb growing goes back to the mid-1700s!

March 26, 2016 - Sunny Seattle Spring Saturday

The sun was out on an early spring Saturday morning and with it came all manner of Seattle residents and tourists.  They were out in kayaks, on stand up paddle boards, traveling on ferries, walking dogs, playing volleyball in bikinis (never mind that it was barely 50 degrees out), on roller blades, in running shoes, on skate boards, taking photos, on bicycles or barefoot playing in the sand.

From Alki one can see the Olympic Mountains across a calm Puget Sound to the west, the Cascade Mountains across Elliott Bay to the east and to the north east the Space Needle and the houses on Queen Anne Hill.

March 25, 2016 - Fountain of Seseragi

Tucked into a corner of the primary green space at Seattle Center is a small water feature, the Fountain of Seseragi by Gerard Tsutakawa. Seseragi, or "murmuring waters", is a bronze sculpture featuring a terraced fountain with v-shaped troughs.  The two streams of water gently converge and circulate as one.  The nearby International Fountain is a completely different type of water feature that commands the attention of visitors.  Its powerful and playful water nozzles, choreographed to music, shooting water blasts that seem to reach nearly as high as the overlooking Space Needle.   By contrast, the Fountain of Seseragi was installed in 2000 and presents a quiet, peaceful, intimate space where one can view Seattle Center visitors in an almost detached fashion.

If you've ever attended a Mariner's game at Safeco field you've likely seen another work by Mr. Tsutakawa.  He is the artist behind the 9 foot high bronze sculpture "Mitt" located outside of the left field entrance.

(The  fountain was in a post in May of 2011, but the original file has since been lost.)

March 25, 2016 - Ferry Wheel

The ferries that ply the waters of Puget Sound have long been one of the iconic images of Seattle.  In June of 2012 the Seattle Great Wheel, a ferris wheel located on a waterfront pier was built.  This newer sight on the waterfront may not yet be considered an iconic image of Seattle, but at 175 feet high it certainly is a feature on the waterfront!