Pressures of a Sunny Day

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2010-03-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Another Blur

2010-03-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

This was taken at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle.

Hello Messy Tree

2010-02-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

I love the tree that sits right out in the front of my house. It starts blooming tiny pink flowers, then turns all white, sheds the petals and then the red leaves finally come in. Although it is an extremely messy tree that sheds its flowers in the spring and then its leaves in the fall, I wouldn't want any other tree out in front.

Deadliest Catch

2010-02-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

Right behind where I took this picture the Fisherman's Memorial stands. The memorial is dedicated to the nearly 500 local commercial fisherman who have been lost at sea. Captain Phil Harris of the show Deadliest Catch was recently lost while up in Alaska, and there was quite a bit of people who left things at the memorial to honor him. Commercial fishing is considered the most dangerous job in America.

Feathers

2010-02-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

This was taken right as the sun was setting today. The clouds looked amazing and seemed like feathers in the sky.

Gotta Light?

2010-02-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

A cigarette butt can maybe? I forgot to look what it was after I took the picture.

You're Welcome

2010-02-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

Another day, another picture from Pike Place. Like I said before, Pike Place has a lot of interesting photo ops. It's a great place for a rookie like me.

Salmon Waves

2010-02-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

Once again, I'm learning new things about Seattle because of my camera. In one month I've found a new hobby and have become a tour guide for any friends that come in from out of town.

This picture is part of the sculpture called "Salmon Locks" that was created by Paul Sorey in 2001. I've been to the Ballard Locks several times, but I've never known the name of the sculpture. Actually, I always thought those were tentacles (which never made sense). But now thanks to my camera, it all makes sense.

From the seattle.gov website:

"Salmon Waves consists of seven stainless steel wave-like sculptures, with light emitting diodes that create the illusion of juvenile salmon in motion. The sculpture’s machined form alludes to waves and salmon, references the precision of the Locks, and visually marks the complex system that is designed to ensure the safe passage of juvenile salmon."

I'm Innocent, I Swear

2010-02-19T09:03:00.000-08:00

Here's another shot I took down at University Station in downtown Seattle. The whole time I was down there (probably 45 minutes), I would continuously get strange looks from people. Some would look at me and then look to see what I was taking a picture of, while a few others looked at me as if I were committing a crime. One man in particular followed me for a few minutes and didn't seem to care that he was obvious. I'd stop and look back at him and he would just stare back. I suppose in this day and age people are more vigilant when someone is taking pictures of public transportation. Maybe it was the color of my skin, scruffy beard or that I had my hood pulled up (it was cold!). I eventually pulled my hood off after that guy stopped following me.

Seattle Tower

2010-02-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

With a little inspiration from Kim over at Seattle Daily Photo, I started taking pictures of buildings while looking straight up. In this image, the Seattle Tower looks a lot taller than its 27 stories. It's Seattle's first Art Deco tower, and the inside reminds me of a miniature version of the Empire State Building's lobby. I love Art Deco, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm not that educated on it. All that I know is that I really love this type of design.

Choo Choo!

2010-02-17T05:26:00.000-08:00

One of the best ways to travel is by train. Of course, not this kind of train (unless you're the daring type), but by way of Amtrak. There is far less hassle when compared to planes. No security lines, removing your shoes, baggage fees, pat-downs etc. You just show up, give your ticket and take a seat. You're never told to remain in your seat. There's actual leg room. The seats are bigger. It's just a lot more comfortable.

Before I moved to Seattle, I lived in Portland, OR and would take a train up here quite often. It was easier than driving since I could relax on my way up. It's been a few years since, but one of these days I'm going to take my daughter down to Portland on the train. I'm sure she'll love it.

Stigma

2010-02-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

Underneath the balloon "RIP Tony" is scratched into the railing. It's easy to assume that Tony jumped to his death from this spot.

Suicide is a cause that is important to me. I lost an uncle two years ago to suicide. I've had friends and coworkers lose siblings or parents. It's a cause that isn't talked about.

In 2008, I planned the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk here in Seattle (see video of the walk here). I love my job, but sometimes it's easy to forget why I do it until the planning comes to an end and the event finally happens. The amount of people coming together for the walk puts everything into perspective. You realize suicide is more of an issue than you thought. It can affect anyone.

For more information on suicide, please visit the America Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Canvas & Chains

2010-02-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

There is a wall of chains located behind one of the shops at Pike Place Market. There doesn't seem to be any purpose other than aesthetics.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be a Valentine's Day if I didn't express my love for beer. I have quite the affection for an IPA. I like my beer hoppy, and my current favorite is Fish Tale's Organic IPA (which I happen to be drinking right now).

Because my job allows me to travel all over the country, I've had the opportunity to try beers all over. I can honestly say that nothing beats an Pacific Northwest Beer. The amount of quality beers is unmatched.

Cheers!

Escalator Etiquette

2010-02-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

This escalator can either bring you up to the streets of Seattle or down to the University Street Station in downtown Seattle. For some reason, escalators remind me of New York. There is a huge difference when it comes to escalator etiquette when comparing New York to Seattle (or most parts of the US). If you stand on the left while on a crowded escalator in Seattle, you won't get rudely reminded to "stand right, walk left" (or something to that effect). To this day, you will never catch me standing on the left.

Party Over

2010-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

These are the last of Kaisa's balloons from her first birthday party. I still can't believe that she is already one, and I'm sure the following years are going to go by just as fast. Today while we were eating at Circa in West Seattle, she started feeding herself with a spoon. It was quite an accomplishment for her. The next one should be her taking her first steps, but that can wait. I'm not yet ready to chase her around the house to make sure she stays out of mischief.

Bow Wow

2010-02-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

This is Angus (also known as Gizzle, Ang, Bodangus). He's our 5 year old yellow lab that is a really great dog, and is so good to Kaisa. He has benefited in receiving extra treats as Kaisa loves to drop food from her high chair. Sadly, it has become much harder to give him the constant attention we used to give him. He still gets a lot of love, but he has been missing out on the multiple walks and playing ball. Don't feel too sorry for him, he's a very fortunate dog with a huge backyard.

Makeshift Bike Rack

2010-02-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

To me, Pike Place and Post Alley is a fun place to shoot. There are so many different kinds of things to take a picture of. From interesting or shady people to graffiti/street art, it has helped put a lot of us into my young camera.

This image here was taken at an entrance into Post Alley from 1st Avenue.

Now Arriving...

2010-02-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Here are two buses going in opposite directions at the Westlake Station in downtown Seattle. I waited for a while for this shot, and I'm glad to have got it the first time I tried. I kept the shutter open for 1.3 seconds this time with the hopes of having the blur go from top to bottom. You can see where I started to take the picture by looking at the bus on the left; the headlights start a quarter of the way from the top. It almost looks symmetrical.

Next Stop...

2010-02-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to slowly understand how the different combinations of shutter speed, ISO and f-stops affect how an image is going to look. For this image I took at the University Street Station, I used the following settings: ISO 100, f-stop 7.1 with a 1 second exposure time. It did take me a few tries to get it right, but I really like how this one came out. Although the image isn't as sharp as I'd like it to be, I am surprised that I was able to hold the camera steady enough to avoid everything from being blurry.

I have a few more of these kinds of shots I'll be posting later on today.

A View Anyone Can Appreciate

2010-02-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

The thing I love about this picture is the girl staring off into downtown. She was running around and playing with her younger brother when she just stopped and realized what a great view she had in front of her. She stood there for a couple of minutes before getting back to playing with her brother. It makes me wonder if I would've ever appreciated something like this when I was 12 or 13 years old.

Monique Mural

2010-02-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Monique Mural is set on the Monique Lofts and is located over in Capitol Hill on 11th Avenue between Pike and Pine. The project was completed in late 2008 and was funded by the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs with contributions by individual homeowners and private donors.

KP Turns 1

2010-02-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Sweet Pea!

By Any Means Necessary

2010-02-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

This mural is located over at 23rd and Union. It seems as if the artist may work and/or live (the steps lead up to apartments) in this building because of what is painted above the door. I'm not really sure though since it looks like no one has taken care of the property in a while.

There are three prominent black figures painted in the mural: Malcom X, Edwin Pratt, and Madam CJ Walker. I hadn't heard of either Pratt or Walker before writing this, but their stories are very interesting. If you have a minute, take the time to read up on them.

Heavy Metal

2010-02-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

I love taking pictures of things that aren't necessarily nice to look at. I'm not sure what this piece of junk is, but out of curiosity I tried to move it to see how heavy it was. I couldn't even budge it. Whatever it is, it's been there a long time and I'm sure it'll be there until someone can get a forklift to it. I'm always curious how these things got there.

Peek-a-boo

2010-02-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

Here's another pic from Hangar 27 at Magnuson Park. I think there is some type of filming going on there since there was a lot of production equipment and semi-trucks staged in the parking lot. Coming from a person who plans events for a living, I notice all of that stuff. I asked the security guard on duty and he had no clue (no surprise).

Under the Bridge

2010-02-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

This wall of art is located under the Schmitz Bridge in West Seattle, and is about a half mile from my house. I first noticed it a couple years ago when walking the dog. It has gone through some changes since then, but I'm really digging the combination of the fish, flowers and water.

My Arch Nemesis

2010-02-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

One of the good things about working from home is that I get to do things during my lunch break that I wouldn't be able to do from an office. Since the sun decided to come out today, I walked around the backyard to take a few pictures. Can you guess what this image is?

(Answer is after the jump.)

If you guessed that it was a rain barrel, then you were correct. The tree it's sitting near is dropping some of its buds into the barrel. This tree also happens to be my arch nemesis since it contributes heavily to my allergy outbreaks.

I Do Not Like That SAM I Am

2010-02-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

I went on a mission to sneak in some pictures of people looking at artwork at the SAM (Seattle Art Museum) this weekend. I really only wanted to get a couple of shots of people looking at the Warhols, but on my very first attempt, I was rushed by security. They weren't very nice either. I apologized and went on my way.

Here is a picture I did manage to get. It was taken in the kid's play area away from the galleries. I had to at least post something from my trip to the SAM.

Don't Count on This Fire Alarm

2010-02-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

I took a trip out to Magnuson Park recently to walk around some of the hangars. I found this outside of Hangar 27. Maybe it's a fire alarm or some type of meter, I'm not really sure. Like most of the things around Hangar 27, it's definitely taken a beating from time.

A Sign of Miserable Things to Come

2010-01-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

Spring is right around the corner. As beautiful as spring can be, it's probably the most miserable time of the year for me thanks to allergies. It's no where near as bad as when I lived in Eugene, OR (considered one of the worst places in the US for allergies), but it still leaves me thinking I should be the boy in the bubble.

Anyway, this is the first flower to have bloomed in the garden in our front yard. He's just a little guy!

The Big Numero Uno

2010-01-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

We are exactly 7 days out from Kaisa's very first birthday. I can't believe it has already been one year. The first year has been amazing with her (except for the colic at the beginning), and it's been so fun watching her develop into a little person.

Short Sands Beach

2010-01-31T10:24:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken at Short Sands beach in Oregon back in 2005. I was living in Portland, Oregon during that time and really wasn't interested in the artistic side of taking pictures. However, that day was very picturesque with the way the sun was peaking out of the gray clouds and shimmering off of the water. This made the images appear black and white, and I can assure you that I haven't tweaked them at all.

By the way, if you're a fan of the beach and camping, I would highly recommend Short Sands. It's quiet, peaceful and the beach is set inside of a cove.

These pictures were taken from a Sony Cybershot DSCP93 point-and-shoot. The camera is quite chunky compared to today's cameras, but it took great pics for what it was.

Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky

2010-01-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

Here is one thing us Seattlites can take pride in -- Jimi Hendrix, the greatest electric guitarist, was born right here in Seattle.

This statue is located near the corner of Broadway and Pine Street in Capitol Hill. There is very recent talk of the statue moving away from Capitol Hill and into the Central District where the Jimi Hendrix Park is located. This is all still in talks, but from what I've read, there seems to be a mixed bag about it from the public.

To be continued...

Bleeding Yellow

2010-01-29T22:08:00.000-08:00

These pillars are located on Ravenna Blvd. right at the I-5 overpass. I'm thinking they're somewhat new because I never really noticed them before, even when I lived in Wallingford.

A Walk In the Park

2010-01-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

Photoshop is an amateur photog's best friend. Well, at least for me it is. I'll be the first to admit that I use Photoshop to tweak the majority of my pics. Most of the time, it's just a matter of increasing the contrast, or adjusting the lighting. It seems that nearly all of my pictures are washed out to some extent.

For the picture above, I obviously tweaked it a lot more than I normally would. I wanted the grass to pop out, so I brightened up and decreased the contrast in the midtones. That is all I really did. Simple, but effective. It helped salvage an image that I probably would've let sit in my computer for a really long time.

The Pressures

2010-01-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

The new design is up, but I still have a lot more work to do on the font type and size. For the most part, I think this is what it is going to look like. I came up with this design after taking enough pictures to figure out what my style is. I feel this design is more fitting to most of my images.

As for the new title, I came up with that while chatting with Jess. She was talking about how nice it would be to just do nothing and sit on the couch, however, it was a nice day. I said, "Ah, the pressures of a sunny day." She mentioned that sounded like a good band name, and after that I immediately knew that was going to be the new name of the blog.

Most people should understand what I'm getting at when there are pressures of a sunny day. You always hear that you should go outside when it's sunny. There is that pressure to go and do something just because it's sunny. I tell myself that as well as hear it from others. It's been instilled into my brain after years of hearing that. Sometimes it's nice to just do nothing if that's what you feel like doing.

I have to give Jess some credit for the name. I said it without even thinking about it, and she's the one who pointed it out. Anyway, I hope you like the new site and name.

I've Got Gas...works.

2010-01-27T22:17:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of redoing this site and it's taking me a lot longer that I want. I'm not a fan of templates, but it has at least helped me get started on the blog. I'm also going to rename the site to something that fits my style better (now that I've figured it out).

In the meantime, I couldn't let a day go by without posting some pictures. I took these the pictures the other day while at Gasworks Park. It was a day of alternating rain and sun (shocking for Seattle, I know). I didn't want the typical Gasworks Park pictures that are out there, so I kept the main part of the Gasworks out.

By the way, if you venture out to Gasworks during this time of year, you'll be faced with very soggy grass, mud and TONS of goose doo doo. The amount of goose poo out there was ridiculous and you'd be surprised at how big the doo doo actually is.

No More Post Alley!

2010-01-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

I have way too many Pike Place and Post Alley pictures on this blog, so I'm putting a little hold on posting any more for a while. This is it for now. I swear.

I Still Haven't Been to the Top

2010-01-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

I've lived in Seattle for about 3 1/2 years so far, and I still haven't been to the top of the Space Needle. I lived in New York City for about the same time, and I went to the top of the Empire State Building probably 25 times. I suppose when your office is the same building and you have an unlimited pass for the observatory, well, that makes it easy.

One of these days I'll make it to the top of the Needle.

Photo Hunt - Seattle vs. New York City

2010-01-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

The images are in. Jess and I finished our first photo hunt. She did a great job at representing New York and I'm very impressed at how she was able to get a Space Needle shot in there. Overall, I'm really impressed with her pictures.

These were the subjects:
• Local Beverage (with city or neighborhood on it)
• Breakfast
• Puddle
• Portrait
• Space Needle
• Statue of Liberty
• Crying Baby (which I was not able to get)

And now to the pics...

My Pictures - Seattle

Local Beverage
I went to Bottleworks in Wallingford to try and find a local bottle of beer, but actually couldn't find one that met the criteria. Then I remembered I had this (stolen...don't judge!) pint glass from Dad Watson's sitting at my house. I love beer.

Breakfast
I really dislike this picture. At least the breakfast was tasty.

Puddle
This was taken down on Alki Beach. I don't think this picture would've looked good had the sun not just come out.

Self Portrait
This was taken at the EMP at the Seattle Center. I originally planned on using the Space Needle's reflection off of the EMP as my Space Needle submission, but I didn't want to use the EMP twice.

Space Needle
I got some really great shots of the Space Needle just as the sun had set. However, I didn't think it would've been too creative to use an actual image of the Space Needle since that would just be too easy. Instead, I went into the gift shop at the base of the Needle and took this.

Statue of Liberty
Jess had no idea about the Statue of Liberty on Alki Beach when she threw that out as a subject. Sucker.

Crying Baby
Like I mentioned earlier, I wasn't able to get a picture of a crying baby. I hung out at the playground at Greenlake for about 45 minutes just waiting for a kid to cry. I looked like a creeper, but I had a mission. I still failed though.

Jess' Pictures - New York City
(Her comments are below each picture)

Local Beverage
Brooklyn Brewery LED sign at one of the pubs near our apt on the Upper East Side. I thought the reflection of the brick buildings off of the glass added a nice little contrast to the vivid color of the sign. I think I would have preferred the subject of the actual beverage to the concept of it…would have been a nice little afternoon treat!

Breakfast
Sunday Brunch - courtesy of two of our favorite people in NYC, Scott & Amber Peskin. Amber is originally from New Orleans and it completely shows in her cooking. I don’t think I’ve actually had a fresh biscuit in a long time- delicious! I think it took a lot for Scott not to swindle the camera from me as he enjoys taking photos with his SLR even more than I do (thanks to him playing around with mine out in the vineyards a few years ago). His artistic ability and eye far exceed mine…so I probably should have let him run with it. Looking forward to seeing the photos he’ll take when their bundle of joy arrives in a few months!

Puddle
Probably my favorite shot that I took on Sunday. It rained for a very short period, but just long enough to provide a nice shine to the city streets. I took this photo laying down in the middle of the corner at 89th and 1st. Real intelligent move on my part.

Self Portrait
Yes I took this of myself…total weirdo. I’m really enjoying our new apt and the window overlooking 2nd Ave from our Living Room. Being only 6 floors up, you get to see a lot of action on the street level below, what with the 3 or 4 bars that we look down on. Of course as the timer was beeping at me, I had to grab Zoe for a few. I love her tail hanging down like this up on the ledge…Daryl and I think she’s actually a cat in dog’s clothing so it seemed fitting.

Space Needle
Back at Scott & Amber’s apt….I needed Scott to draw this for me because I could not come up with anything creative myself. At first I was going to do something with Zoe’s dog toys…then spaghetti….then something involving a photo of a sewing needle and a dark sky. None of those ideas panned out obviously- but even watching Scott draw this was entertaining to me. This is probably the most normal sketch in his book now, as it doesn’t involve monsters or superheroes. Random factoid: while waiting for Scott’s drawing to be complete, Daryl took a close-up photo of his bellybutton. Totally creepy looking.

Statue of Liberty
On my way to work this morning passing one of the bazillion NYC themed shops near Times Square. The owner from the shop seemed unfazed by what I was doing considering the wackos that frequent this touristy area. What I’d really like to know is how all of these stores stay in business? I mean who wouldn’t want a model of an NYC taxicab the same size as their head? Personally I’d prefer to spend my money on a Pastrami Sandwich that size at the Carnegie Deli across the street, but that’s just me.

Crying Baby
Well technically crying toddler. I’m pretty sure this mom and child had just left the movie theater next door. If I had to sit through 2 hours of the movie “Tooth Fairy”, I’d be crying too. Poor girl. By the way- this was by far the most awkward photo I had to take for this hunt. I felt like a terrible person afterward.

Recreating My Favorite Image

2010-01-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Back in 1995 I took a picture of my niece for a high school photography class project. It was a picture of her in a crib when she was about a year old. To this day, it remains my favorite picture I've taken (and it's hanging on my refrigerator now).

I've been waiting to recreate the image with my own daughter since the day she was born. If only I had a scanner to post both pictures.

Pike Place

2010-01-24T11:32:00.000-08:00

I believe this is the last group of pictures I have from the time I spent at Pike Place last week. I felt like a complete tourist walking around the market with my camera, but there really are a lot of things to shoot there. It was one of the few beautiful winter days here in Seattle, and everyone came out of their caves for the day.

Once I get a better grasp on how to work my camera, I think I'll come back down again since it's a good place to play around.

Paul - Now In Technicolor

2010-01-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of doing a photo hunt with my friend Jess that lives in New York City. We figured it would be pretty fun to take pictures of the same things while being on opposite ends of the country. We came up with seven subjects for our inaugural hunt and they are:

Self Portrait
Crying Baby
Statue of Liberty
Space Needle
Breakfast
Local Beverage (that includes the city or a neighborhood in the name)
A Puddle

Our goal is to be as creative as possible. The only rule is that we can't take a picture of a picture. Oh, I can't use Kaisa as my subject of a crying baby. Our pictures are due Monday and I'll be posting them sometime that night.

The picture above was one of my attempts at a self portrait, but I decided to use a different one instead. So far it's been pretty fun and I've got four down and three to go. Let's hope tomorrow doesn't rain.

Hodgepodge

2010-01-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

There is a lot going on here. I'm just not sure what it is. There is a mix of street art, graffiti, posters/bills, stickers, and something else which I don't know. This is all located right across from the Gum Wall in Post Alley. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is part of three things you'll come across within one block in Post Alley.

Even though it may not be filled with a lot of amazing work, I still find it fascinating. The one thing that I do like a lot are the astronauts. I suppose it reminds me of MTV back when it used to actually have music.

Concentrate

2010-01-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about this picture that makes me laugh. Either she is having a serious space-out session or she is concentrating on going poo. I've seen this face many times and it usually ends in the latter. Add in the fact that she is sitting in a basket, and it makes it all that much more funny to me.

The Moon Bomb

2010-01-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

Back in October of last year, NASA and their fun little acronym LCROSS shot two missiles into the moon in search of water and ice. The mission was a success, and water and ice was discovered. Hooray!

Prior to the mission, a group of concerned individuals protested the mission. Their concern was that these missiles could potentially disrupt the moon's orbit, thus wreaking havoc on earth. Some thought it would end humanity.

Obviously, they were wrong (shocking!). You have got to give these people credit for expressing their concern for our planet. I'm just curious what they were doing on that very day those two missiles were launched into the moon. I'd like to think they were bunkered down in their bomb shelters for several days before realizing life was the same as it had been.

Good Ol' T-Bone

2010-01-21T21:31:00.000-08:00

I came across T-Bone's Hand Car Wash & Detailing the other day while I was driving around Medrona. I was nearly tempted to give T-Bone a chance and let him wash my car, until I saw T-Bone himself (at least, I'm assuming it was T-Bone). He looked a little weathered. I'm certain a car wash by good ol' T-Bone might have taken at least an hour of my time. Sorry T-Bone. Maybe next time.

The First One Thousand

2010-01-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

I got my camera on Sunday, January 10th. On Wednesday, January 20th I took my 1,000th picture with it (picture above). It's not surprising that Kaisa is the subject of number one thousand. She is, of course, my favorite subject. What is surprising is the fact that I have managed to take that many pictures in only 11 days. I did spend most of this last Monday taking pictures around Seattle, and ended up shooting just under 500 for that day. I suppose with any new toy, you just want to play with it.

The best part about having my camera (so far) is that I'm always looking for the next opportunity to take a picture. I'm seeing the world differently. I notice the small things. Even when I don't have my camera with me, I find myself doing this. The amount of things to photograph out there seem limitless.

Post No Bills

2010-01-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

There is a reason Post Alley is a popular tourist attraction here in Seattle. It's fascinating. Post Alley stretches across five blocks, and within one block you will come across the Gum Wall, street art and this. The wall is almost entirely consumed with bills, but also has the occasional sticker or piece of street art (borderline graffiti) here and there. I'm not sure if there is an official name for the wall, and it doesn't seem to serve as the best spot for posting bills to get the word out. But if you're looking for a place to find some very interesting bills, then this is it.

Home Sweet Home

2010-01-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

You might assume that the leaves lying on the ground have been there since the beginning of fall. The green algae seems to be taking over. The white picket fence is in need of a fresh coat of paint. It would be easy to feel sorry for whoever is living on the other side of that door.

It just happens that the person living on the other side of that door is our tenant, and that is the entrance into the basement apartment. Don't let the outside fool you; the apartment inside is quite livable. Sadly, the outside has been neglected for the past few months, and those leaves have been there since the beginning of fall.

The Gum Wall

2010-01-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

Remember back in school when you'd put your hand under a desk and accidentally put your fingers on a piece of someone else's chewed up gum? That is what I thought of when I visited the Gum Wall in Seattle's Post Alley near Pike Place Market. Though some might be repulsed from the thousands of pieces of chewed gum, others find it fascinating and add their own piece to the wall (as I saw several do). Some express their love for one another or create their initials, while others just stick a piece to the wall just to be a part of it.

The Gum Wall goes back to the early 90's when people would stick gum to the wall while waiting in line for a show. It was scraped twice, but that didn't stop the gum from accumulating. The tradition stuck (ha!) and it has since become a tourist attraction.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

2010-01-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

"Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against
love."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This mural is located at Catfish Corner on Cherry Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.

All Things KP - Part One

2010-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

The very first picture I took with my new camera was of Kaisa. I'm certain the next 20 or so were of her as well, and I've easily taken around 200 of her. Here is my first round of KP pics.

On a side note - Because of Kaisa, I have learned that taking a picture of a baby is not easy at all.

KP Visits The Seattle Aquarium

2010-01-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

Today we took Kaisa to the Seattle Aquarium for the first time. She had a great time and let out quite a few "wows," especially with the jellyfish. I didn't get a chance to take any good pics while there since the lighting was horrible and most areas were dark. Since I still have no idea how to work this camera properly, I took only a few pictures.

Create a Community

2010-01-16T22:40:00.000-08:00

This two block long mural was created in 2004 by a group of local artists and is titled "Create a Community." The City of Seattle at first protested the mural claiming that much of the work was similiar to that of graffiti. The mural gained the support of the public and has since remained. Since then, several pieces of street art have popped up within the mural, giving way to an ever-evolving mural.

The Free Wall

2010-01-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken behind a warehouse not too far from my house. The warehouse is located in SoDo across the street from the Starbuck’s headquarters on 1st Avenue alongside the train tracks. I believe it's called the Free Wall, although I couldn't find any solid proof of it.

It’s pretty amazing how much work people have put into this spot. Of course there are always punk bitches who like to cover up other people's work, but for the most part, there seems to be a lot of respect for the work here.