Tag Archives: seattle

52 Photos: A Present Someone Gave You

Queen Mary tea - rainbow sugar

When I saw this week’s prompt, I initially thought I was going to take a picture of a Shona sculpture my sweetie got me for my 30th birthday. It is about 2 feet high and made out of serpentine (I think)? It’s two figures holding each other, and there is a story about how the sculpture was one of the few to survive the Nisqually Quake in 2001. And how it was so heavy my sweetie had to take it home on the bus, because it was too heavy to carry home.

But then EPIC TEA happened.

Let me back up. Last week I sunk down into a pit of sadness. This happens from time-to-time. I understand generally why it happens and have some strategies for responding. In the midst of this, Lis, tweeted about having tea at the Queen Mary Tea House. I responded to her tweet, and the next thing I knew, she was arranging to meet up with me and three other women on Sunday for tea.

Queen Mary tea plate

It turns out that yours truly was the catalyst and force for bringing together this particular group. There was Lauren, who I had inspired to start TeaVoyeur. I met Lauren a couple of years ago at an InfoCamp and we connected right away. She is a kindred spirit and we particularly connect on issues related to work/life balance.

Then there was Jess, who I’d met through the food tweeters a couple of years ago. And she brought along her friend, Kiri.

Queen Mary: ladies who tea

So Jess and Kiri were friends, and Lauren and I were friends, and Lis was the bold soul who organized the event, but the five of us had an incredible time. I mean, I felt completely comfortable in my skin, with these ladies who are smart and bold and strong and sweet and beautiful. We talked about life, creativity, dreams, religion, feminism and photography, just to capture a few of the topics that swirled around. I didn’t cackle my head off, but I was soul-satisfied, in a way I didn’t even realize I’d been parched. There was no awkwardness, just joy and celebration about each person and what she brought to the table.

After tea, we visited the cherry trees that are blooming on the quad at the University of Washington. It was a zoo.

the crowds

But I did capture a few tranquil images:

blooms and moss

sunlight cherry blooms

As I start another revolution around the sun, I want to carry this particular gift and share it as much as I can this year. Thank you, ladies, for what you gave to me.

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52 Photos: Where I Would Take You

For this week’s prompt, Where Would I Take You, I had many thoughts. Seattle is beautiful and I have some iconic pictures of the Space Needle, Mt. Rainier, Pike Place Market, the downtown skyline, and plenty of pictures of birds, flowers and nature. I felt overwhelmed, because there are so many places I would take you.

seattle skyline

I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that my adventure of the day was going to the library. One of my friends suggested I take pictures of the library to share. She didn’t even know I was still looking for a focus.

So, dear reader, I’m taking you to one of my favorite places in Seattle – my branch library. I hope you enjoy it.

The Seattle Public Library

Let’s start with this World Book set of encyclopedias. Anyone still use them? I remember them opening the door to the world for me.

world book

I imagine so many worlds, beyond what is known. On the left are the science fiction and fantasy novels. Dip a toe in!

library aisle

My mom loved to read to me and my brother and sisters when we were children. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins was one of her favorites – and ours! A classic:

The 500 Hats

The library is where lights go on:

library lamp

When I’m finished with my materials, I return them:

book return

There are a few more pictures included in the full set. Thanks for letting me show you around my library!

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52 Photos: Where People Gather

The Week 45 prompt is Where People Gather.

A few hot spots in Seattle’s Georgetown. First stop, coffee:

All City Coffee

All fired up, one can shop till you drop at the Trailer Park Mall:

Georgetown Trailer Park Mall

You may want to get some groovy tunes:

Georgetown Records

Just beware the narwhal:

narwhal mural

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52 Photos: Wide Open Spaces

Space Needle plus mountains

I loved it when they painted the Space Needle “galaxy gold” in honor of the 50th anniversary of the World’s Fair. This is the view I have one block from my apartment. And while I do enjoy a good glimpse of the Needle, it’s always the Olympic mountain range behind it that takes my breath away.

One summer day we overheard two bikers as they passed this view – on a day when the mountains were particularly stunning and the Needle was its usual white. One said to the other: “Wow! Look at the … Space Needle.” We’ve added that to our repertoire of inside jokes!

*

And a couple of other “wide open spaces”:

I’ve been thinking a lot about Thailand, because it’s been three years now since I visited. This picture was taken in Ayuttaya, out in the countryside:

countryside

And this is Mt. Blanc, taken in France:

Mt. Blanc

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52 Photos: 21 & Over | No Firearms

21 and Over : No Firearms

This week’s prompt was “First Day. The only requirement was that the photo had to be taken on New Year’s Day.

Sometimes a picture speaks for itself, and sometimes there really are no words. Let me just say that this is the front door of an establishment in my neighborhood that styles itself a tavern. A tiny, tiny tavern.

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Stripes

The prompt for 52 Photos Project this week is STRIPES! Most of the images below are from my travels, but a couple are from my own city.

Pillow cover in Chiang Dao, Thailand, the city of stars:
hilltribe keychain

Swiftsure, boat on South Lake Union, Seattle
swiftsure

Rubber Ducky not open for visitors, Seattle
rainbow ducky

Incense Coil, Temple, Hoi An, Vietnam
incense coil

Bueno feste, Venezia, Italy
happy holiday

Licorice stripes, Venezia, Italy
dolci

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It was 20 years ago today …

Space Needle plus mountains

Okay, it might not have ACTUALLY been this date, but it was 20 years ago that I was preparing to graduate from Oberlin College. I had decided in my senior year that I wanted to move to Seattle, based on having spent a single day in this fine city. But other than that, I had done nothing. I had no job, no place to stay, and knew virtually no one. Not only that, but I didn’t even have a way to get there. I had a plane ticket to return to Florida.

A few days before graduation, a friend of mine approached me. She said, “I’m driving out to Seattle to play in a steel drum band for the summer. We have room in the car. Do you want to come?”

I thought about it for a moment and consulted with my parents, who were there for the graduation. My dad said, “You can always come back home, if it doesn’t work out.”

I said, “Dad, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I’d rather go slime fish in Alaska than move back to Florida.” We all laughed, I packed up a duffle bag and hopped in the car to drive West.

I met people who helped me, I found a place to live, I managed to get some work and I met the love of my life. I’ve made so many friends and have always always always since the day I moved here felt that this is where I belong.

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Give BIG, Go SMALL

Whale mural

Today is the Seattle Foundation’s Give Big campaign. The idea is that if you donate money to your favorite non-profit orgs, it will be stretched by a giant pool of money available in SF’s coffers. Here are a few of my favorite very small orgs doing great work. I know the people intimately involved with the day-to-day operations and encourage you to add one of them to your giving today. Your donation will go much farther than in some of the big-name ones.

Amy Benson and Scott Squire’s Nonfiction Media is the organization through which they are making The Girl Who Knew Too Much. They have finished filming and are hoping to raise enough money to cover the cost of translation. It costs $50 for one hour. This story is going to change lives. It already has.

OneWorld Now! was started by my friend Kristin Hayden after the September 11th attacks in 2001. Her vision is to give underserved teens the opportunity to learn a foreign language and then travel abroad, breaking down barriers and misconceptions about people in other parts of the world.

Theatre Off Jackson is a very small theatre run by two women who love theater and art. They often host shows that otherwise wouldn’t have a space.

SHARE/WHEEL works to eradicate homelessness. It is a network of 14 self-orgainzed & self-managed shelters and two tent Cities that together shelter over 450 people every night, making them the largest shelter network in Seattle – with the smallest budget, thanks to that “self-organized” part.

Thanks for your generosity!

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