Thursday, July 31, 2008

LeMay Car Museum

A lot of people probably do not know (at least I didn't) that the Pacific Northwest is home to one of the world's largest private car collections. The LeMay Museum houses over 2,000 automobiles in Spanaway, Washington on the grounds of an old boys military academy. Local businessman Harold LeMay spent years collecting automobiles - at its peak, he had over 3,000 cars in the collection. In 1996, the LeMay Collection was listed as the largest privately owned car collection in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.

I had the chance to tour the LeMay car collection with the car club, Puget Sound Rally Club. Though I do not know enough about different makes and models of cars to appreciate what makes the cool ones unique or special or fast, I do appreciate the history behind the cars. I like imagining the people who purchased a 1922 Ford Model T to move out to California, or those Progressive Era women who gained a new sense of liberation driving a car for the first time. Cars tell a lot about culture, fashion, and politics. I noted that many of the 1930s through 1950s cars featured hood ornaments shaped like missiles, jets, or airplanes.

Featured in one of the showrooms was the 1906 Ford Model N, a gas-powered car. Next to it on the floor was a 1902 Standard Electric car. The electric car was popular with women because it was quiet and did not need to be hand-cranked. However, it was more expensive than the gas car and drivers needed to ensure that wherever they traveled would have a facility to recharge the car. Due to electric car drawbacks, Ford decided to invest time and money in their gas-powered car. Our tour guide pointed out that if the car industry of the early 1900s decided to invest equivalent time and resources in the electric car, our world would be a dramatically different place.

Cars are such an important and indicative aspect of American culture and history. In many ways, American life has been molded around our use of automobiles. Certainly some of the problems facing the U.S. now are due to such dependence on cars.

But I loved the sense of nostalgia I felt in the LeMay Museum. Many of us have fond memories of cars, and cars can often represent important events or phases in life. I often reminisce about my parent's blue 1970s Chevrolet C-10 pick-up truck because every summer we drove that truck to the beach and I remember my legs sticking to the vinyl seat from the heat. My parents never had to replace the brakes in that truck for the entire thirty years they owned it because it was driven almost entirely on the highway for our family vacations. We also added an extra seat belt so my cousin and I along with my parents could all cram on the truck bench seat for beach excursions.

Anyone have car memories to share? Cool cars you or your family owned?

There were so many cars packed into the two main warehouses that it was difficult to get many good photos. But here are a few tidbits...

1906 Ford Model N gas-powered car. The white tires were unable to hold a tread. Can you imagine driving a car on a rainy day without tread on the tires?
1922 Ford Model T. Ford's production of the Model T dramatically shaped the car industry, car production, and gave the average American tremendous mobility.
The cars increase in date produced from the back right all the way to the back left. It's interesting to see the progression of grills, lights, and bumpers.
The middle lights on this car moved with the steering wheel. Some cars had a single middle light that moved with the steering wheel - called "cyclops" eyes.Let me see ya grill! I think this photo is fun because it shows both a fanciful hood ornament and an impressive grill.
1949 Kaiser Manhattan. This car is quite rare - and the color is copyrighted by Kaiser. That is my kind of car color!I thought the 1930 Ford Model A taxi cab was neat. There was just one seat in the front, with the window divider molded around the driver, giving the passengers extra room for luggage.
1939 Buick Century. A very nice-looking car.
Ambulances have come a long way over the years.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Get in my Belly!

I was reading a review on Yelp of the new Cuban sandwich shop that will be moving into where Gordo's was up until last month (on Seaview Avenue at Shilshole Bay in Ballard). I saw someone's profile that said "I wish I were a picky eater then I wouldn't be so poor." I thought that was funny, and too true for those of us who love pretty much any kind of food except maybe pickled pigs feet. Though I guess some of you might like them too.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Ballard Seafood Fest

This past weekend was the 34th Annual Ballard Seafood Fest. Market Street is closed off to cars and Seattleites and Ballard folk come out to enjoy seafood and local vendors. Seafood Fest is always a lot of fun and is considerably less crowded than other Seattle events like the Bite.

One of the best vendors is Vintage Ads, Prints, and Magnets, where you can find a huge variety of old print ads from newspapers and magazine. They have a great collection of vintage car ads. I also found another vendor, Hogan GlassWorks, selling beautiful and unique handcrafted glass jewelry.

I'm sure I'll be back at the Seafood Fest next year, maybe even to see the lutefisk eating contest!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Tonga Ridge Hike

Wildflowers, wildflowers, and mountains! The Tonga Ridge hike was relatively easy, and a beautiful saunter through sloped meadows of abundant wildflowers (see below for my photo montage).

Tonga Ridge is just past Skykomish, Washington on Highway 2 on your way out of Seattle heading towards Steven's Pass. Getting to the trailhead requires nearly eight miles of driving on gravel roads, though they are well maintained with few potholes. The good thing about the gravel road is you gain all your elevation while driving, and the trail begins at 4,300 feet elevation so you are already mountain-level.

At the very start of the trail, we discovered some snow left, which was fun considering it's already late July! A little worried that the trail might be difficult to hike with snow and summer hiking boots, we continued warily through the forest and gradually gained just a couple hundred feet elevation, leaving the last remnants of snow behind. After exiting the forest, the trail continues along Tonga Ridge, with westward views of the Central Cascades mountains. Wildflowers surround the trail, with blue-purple lupine dominating the landscape. There was only very gradual elevation gain and loss along the way.

The Tonga Ridge trail didn't offer a rewarding finish at the end, like a vista or alpine lake hike. However, the wildflowers were gorgeous; I noted that every color of the rainbow was represented in the Tonga Ridge landscape. The views of the Cascades along the way offered an impressive backdrop. Hiking Web sites report that fall is a great time to hike Tonga Ridge, because the wild berries are ripe and delicious.

There was an incredible variety of wildflowers along the trail. I won't attempt to name all featured in this montage, but they include lupine, paintbrush, arnica, western mountain ash, thistle, spiraea, daisy, and more.
This was my first time hiking with my dad for about 15 years!
For more information about the Tonga Ridge hike, the Washington Trails Association is a great resource. They have hike descriptions, hike information like distance and elevation gain, driving directions, and ratings so you can find a spectacular hike in the right location.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Mariners v. Red Sox

If you have been paying attention at all for the past few years, you probably already know the outcome of the game. Last night, July 22, I saw the Boston Red Sox down the Mariners four to two. Due to the stinky scent surrounding Mariners baseball lately and the stellar Red Sox team of late, there was a large amount of Red Sox fans mixed throughout Tuesday's crowd. Though I had a strong feeling the Mariners would lose, I still rooted for my own city's team. Indeed, it was exciting to see the Mariners score twice late in the game. Not to mention the brand new Mariner, first baseman Bryan LaHair, got his first Major League Hit in the eighth inning.

For me, people watching is often a more fun pastime at Mariners games than actually watching the game. Nonetheless, it was a good opportunity to snap some photos and create some photomerges. The best way for me to sum up the evening is: the calm, almost subdued atmosphere of a Mariners game made me pine for the raucous, heart-pounding Seahawks home games.

We were sitting directly below the Safeco Field sign. I merged two photos to get this one, that's how close we were!
There is a teenie-tiny ball flying right through short stop.
Safeco is pretty cool looking at night.
Galen... you're allowed to root for Boston. But when you leave Boston, I expect you to root for the Mariners again. :)

Ballard Farmers Market

The Ballard Farmers Market operates every Sunday from 10 AM to 3 PM and offers extensive fresh vegetable and fruit choices, along with organic soaps, locally-made wines, jewelry, honey, cheese, flowers, and more. Ballard Avenue starting at the old City Hall bell tower down to 22nd Avenue is closed off from cars during the Sunday Market.

On this past beautiful, sunny, warm Sunday, Ballard Avenue was packed with Seattle folk and the air richly intermixed with the aroma of flowers, herbs, crepes, fresh-baked bread, and soaps. The Ballard Farmers Market has been operating since 1999, when it split off from the Fremont Farmers Market.

On a previous trip to the Ballard Farmers Market, I found a pair of hand-painted porcelain earrings with a very Dutch Delft pottery look for only $10, along with a large bouquet of fresh flowers, gigantic snap peas, and some berry cider made by Rockridge Orchards in Enumclaw, Washington. This past Sunday, the ripe, sweet cherries were hard to pass up, so I bought a pound of those.

Hungry for lunch and a chance to enjoy the sunshine, we meandered our way south on Ballard Avenue, where we found a new restaurant (opened early 2008) called the Ballard Loft, with outdoor seating and many satisfied-looking patrons. The menu specialty was a variety of hot dogs and bratwursts, but I settled on the BBQ pork sandwich. It came with a fresh salad, side of coleslaw, and the hearty BBQ pork sandwich with a touch of horseradish and topped with pepperocinis. I enjoyed the food, but I think the warm sunshine and feel of a laid-back Sunday afternoon was more enjoyable.

The Ballard Farmer's market is a fun way to spend an afternoon and with so many restaurants and cafes around, it's easy to find something delicious to eat. Though I am interested to return to the Market on a cold, rainy December day to see how many Ballardites come out to enjoy the Market when the weather is not quite so nice.

Some other neighborhood Farmers Markets:
Fremont, Sundays 10-5 (summer hours)
Wallingford, May through September, Wednesdays 3-7 PM
Madrona, May through September, Fridays 3-7 PM
Queen Anne, June through September, Thursdays 3-7 PM

Fresh veggies galore!
The wall of an old brick building next to the Ballard Loft. Elgin Watches were some of the first American-made wrist watches sold in the United States. Founded in 1864, Elgin made watches until the 1960s (http://elginwatches.org/). Thanks to J. for taking this photo.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Don't Judge a Plant by Its Leaves?

Any amateur or professional botanists reading? Any guesses what type of plant/flower this is?I have lived in my house since October 2007 and so am still discovering the array of flowers, bushes, perennials, and trees that previous tenants or landlords took care to plant. I enjoyed abundant daffodils in springtime, which was comforting during Seattle's long winter. One particular plant, near the car parking strip, looked for a long time like a giant weed, rather like stink weed. Early this July, the plant sprouted gorgeous yellow-pinkish flowers that to me resemble the tropical hibiscus flower. Though I don't know what type of plant it is, I appreciate arriving home to the beautiful blooms each day.

Bite of Seattle

Last year was my first Bite of Seattle, and it was perhaps more Seattle-esque considering that it rained for a good part of the weekend. I realized this year that rain can help keep crowds away. The Bite of Seattle this year was July 18-20. I made it down to the Bite on Saturday evening around dinnertime. The crowds were massive and it was hard to maneuver through so many hungry Seattleites.

We opted for the new "Just a Bite" food options, where you can actually buy "bites" instead of entire entrees, which have become the norm at the Bite of Seattle over the past years. I chose some Thai bite options - pork and chicken satay, a small plate of Pad Thai, and spring rolls, all reasonably priced but nothing out of the ordinary. The strawberry shortcake was tasty as always, though the same shortcake you can find at Bumbershoot and other local Seattle festivals.

Next year I might forgo the Bite and avoid the overwhelming crowds and underwhelming food.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

In My Own Backyard

The Puget Sound region is a wonderful place - cities surrounded by craggy mountains (both volcanic and tectonic) with fresh and saltwater on both sides. Careek Park in the Broadview neighborhood in North Seattle is one of the best Puget Sound viewing points. I now live within a 10 to 15 minute walk from Carkeek Park, where I can see on a regular basis spectacular Puget Sound and Olympic Mountain views. I snapped these photos Friday night. No mountains visible in this sunset, but the pink colors are pretty incredible.
"...Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow it, if I can..."
(Tolkien, LOTR)

Speaking of my own back yard, I saw a raccoon today walking rather nonchalantly through my back yard in broad daylight. It gave me the creeps, especially when I tapped on the window and it just stopped, turned around, and glared at me.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Bad Cat

I promise not to go overboard posting pet photos in my blog. But has anyone looked at those Bad Cat books? Funny stuff. This photo is old, but I just had to post it because I think it would be a good one to send to the Bad Cat people. The cool thing is that I took this on my old dinosaur digital camera that took about two minutes to snap a photo. While the camera was taking its time getting ready for the photo, Baxter decided he was tired of the whole shebang and I caught his yawn on camera.


The Joy of Podcasts

So I think I am probably the last person in the U.S., maybe the world, to discover how cool podcasts are. The coolest part being that they are free (at least in iTunes). They also download faster than music and movies. Not to mention there is a plethora of podcasts from tons of radio and television stations available through iTunes alone. So I have been frenetically subscribing to podcasts, including the Best of YouTube, NPR: Story of the Day, This American Life, and more.

My favorite so far is NPR: Car Talk. Car Talk has been around forever (since "dinosaurs roamed the Earth" as they say on their Web site), but I guess I never really paid attention or stopped to listen. But these guys, brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi, are hilarious!

In the most recent Car Talk podcast, they explained in their thick Boston accents that Volvo drivers are generally crazy because they have purchased a Volvo for good, logical reasons and so feel entitled to drive crazily. A lady also called in because her three year old son had stuck a golf ball in her car's exhaust pipe and she wanted Tom and Ray's opinion whether the golf ball could shoot out of the exhaust like a bullet. Apparently, no. This radio show is entertaining, informative, and great for a good laugh, especially if you can listen while working on something tedious that simply has to get done.

Anyone have any podcasts to recommend? And anyone else a fan of Car Talk?

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Really Simple Syndication

Or RSS as I learned a few days ago. RSS News Feeds are yet another way the Web allows people to post information, promote programs, and network with individuals. I am now responsible for publishing the RSS News Feed for NGCP; check it out:
http://rss.psctlt.org/ngcp.xml

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Triathlon Weekend

Similar to a triathlon, which consists of cycling, swimming, and running for specified distances, I spent a good portion of my weekend cycling, swimming, and hiking, though certainly not in any competitive manner.

After work on Friday, I packed my bike into a friend's truck and set off on the Burke Gilman trail, starting from Matthews Beach along Sand Point Way on Lake Washington. Matthew's Beach is a great starting point for cycling on the Burke Gilman trail - it has a large parking lot and requires no street riding to reach the trail. We biked at a leisurely pace all the way to Fremont, where we stopped for a short rest under the Fremont Bridge. After some shopping a few weeks ago, I was equipped with a bike bell, cycling gloves, and a front bike pouch for necessities on this ride. The temperature was in the mid- to upper-70s, so the air streaming gently past felt wonderful and the ride was great.

Saturday was even better. I spent the afternoon out on a friend's boat. It was perfect Seattle weather - bright blue cloudless skies and about 80 degrees. We motored from Ballard to south of I-90 where we turned off the boat and went for a swim, or a float, rather. I strapped on my life jacket for easy flotation and plunged into the surprisingly warm waters of Lake Washington. Though I know the lake water is not terribly clean, the water was delightfully warm and refreshing on the hot day. We finished up the day with a barbecue and even toasted marshmallows for s'mores while listening to neighbors light off M-80s (a little late for the Fourth, but whatever floats their boat). I am pretty sure I saw a shooting star, which reminds to me look up the dates for the Perseid meteor shower in August.

Late Sunday morning we set out for the short hike up to Rattlesnake Ledge, just outside of North Bend. The trailhead starts at Rattlesnake Lake, which we discovered is a very popular summer destination spot on a sunny day. With the car thermometer reading in the 80s, we knew it would be hot for those two miles in which we had to gain 1,100 feet elevation to reach the Ledge. We spent most of the trail in the trees, passing a few random large boulders and getting quick glimpses of Rattlesnake Lake as we climbed further above it. Huffing and puffing and feeling rather out of shape, I could feel my calf muscles stretching to push me up the steep incline. Getting a little discouraged by the steepness and lack of views, we hoped the hike would be worth it. As we emerged from the trees at Rattlesnake Ledge, the view was breathtaking.

Still a little shaky and exhausted from the steep switchbacks, we carefully peered 1,100 feet down to Rattlesnake Lake and out across Issaquah Valley, North Bend, and the Central Cascades towards Mount Washington and south to Chester Morse Lake, a prime source of Seattle water supply. Rattlesnake Lake looked turquoise from the distance and we could see tiny specks of people floating on the serene water. We could even spot the car in the parking lot thanks to the silver sun shades.

The hike was fun (minus one blister) and great exercise. But next time I think I will opt for a little longer hike with more gradual elevation gain and more views along the way. And maybe an alpine lake - those are my favorite.

To top off the weekend, we went to Chiso Sushi in Fremont for dinner on Sunday. The atmosphere in Chiso is very relaxed and the service quick. When we went there a few weeks ago, we sat at the sushi bar and watched the chef create many delectable-looking rolls. My personal favorite is their "crunchito roll" with tempura vegetables dipped in spicy red pepper, rolled in rice, and topped with crumbled tempura. Even my non-sushi-loving parents would like this roll. Délicieux!

It was a wonderful Northwest weekend. And thanks to my friends for being so much fun and ready for lots of activity!

We made it to the top - and the view was amazing!A panorama of the Central Cascades from Rattlesnake Ledge.A photomerge of Rattlesnake Lake - can you see the people 1,100 feet below?
Chester Morse lake in the distance, Rattlesnake Lake in the foreground.
Beautiful Cascade Mountains.
We stopped at Snoqualmie Falls on the way home. The power of water is impressive.

Up Close and Personal

So I am a big fan of the Woodland Park Zoo as you can probably tell already. A few months ago, my mom and I got to go on the Zoo's "Eye to Eye" tour, where we went behind the scenes to feed the hippos and giraffes. I love giraffes, and hippos are pretty interesting animals. We learned that they are responsible for the most animal-related deaths in Africa because they are extremely territorial. Also, their skin contains a natural antibiotic so when they get in fights with one another, the gashes in their skin heal in just a couple days.

Here are two of my favorite giraffe photos we took that day.Chomp, chomp, chomp.

House/Jungle Cat

I visited the Woodland Park Zoo on Thursday, July 3rd. I was lucky enough to get some very good views of the big cats, particularly the jaguar and lions. The big cats have always been some of my favorite animals, starting with cheetahs in kindergarten. My kindergarten teacher loved cheetahs, so we had "cheetah days" where we learned about the fastest land animal in the world (they can run 71 mph) and a face painter came and painted all our faces to look like cheetahs - tear lines and all.

Anyway, as I stood watching the jaguar sleeping just a few feet from me, I couldn't help but think of the similarity between our friendly house cats (Baxter and Tinker, below) and big cats of the wild.Life is hard for a cat.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Responding to Disasters

I feel very fortunate that all the major jobs I have held in my life have been for organizations with the goal of somehow improving quality of life or environment (even BLRRFH, for those of you who unfortunately remember those days).

I worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) for almost seven years before my move to NGCP. In my final months with OR&R, I had the opportunity to work on a number of very cool projects.

When an oil spill occurs in coastal waters, the U.S. Coast Guard and OR&R respond on-scene. OR&R provides the Coast Guard with information about tides and weather (so they can predict where the oil will go), oil chemistry, sensitive ecological habitats that might be nearby, and effective cleanup methods. The National Weather Service provides OR&R with the weather forecasts during a spill event.

For instance, in February 1999, the New Carissa grounded off the coast of Oregon during a winter storm. Emergency responders decided the best way to keep the oil on board from spilling into the water and damaging the sensitive coastal Oregon habitat was to burn it aboard the ship - to conduct in-situ burning as it's called. Because fire inevitably releases a great amount of smoke and air pollution, it was crucial for the responders to know the weather forecast so they could burn the oil when winds were blowing away from shore, otherwise there would be dangerous levels of air pollution blowing into the nearby Oregon towns.

So what I did while at OR&R was work with our fantastic graphic designer, an oil spill response guru, and a two National Weather Service meteorologists to create an articulated educational slide show about the collaboration between the National Weather Service and OR&R during oil spill response events. I wrote the slide text and script for the slide show and helped choose dramatic photos and research events to demonstrate the effective collaboration.

The slide show, "Responding to Disasters," is now available online at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/DisasterResponse/player.html. The National Weather Service Web site is one of the top-ten visited sites in the country, so it is pretty exciting that something I worked hard to help produce is available there. Take a look and listen if you have some time. If nothing else, check out some of the photos - they are incredible!

Another project I worked on was editing text and writing the executive summary for a Congressional committee report on marine debris. So some Congressmen and women will potentially be reading my writing. My writing may even influence Congressional policy and decision-making related to marine debris. Pretty dang cool.

All the photos included in this post were taken by NOAA and are included in the NOAA slide show.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Happy Birthday, USA

Two hundred and thirty-two years is old! The Fourth of July fireworks on Lake Union were amazing as always. Happy Birthday USA, I look forward to next year's celebration already!

Here are photos I took last night from Gasworks Park:

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Goodbye Seattle SuperSonics!

The Seattle SuperSonics are now officially moving to Oklahoma. After long, drawn out court proceedings, name calling, and finger pointing the settlement was made to allow owner Clay Bennett to move the team. One of my favorite instances from the whole lawsuit and debate was the Sonics claiming that Seattle doesn't even like them anymore. Of course we like them, but hearing such ridiculous arguments gets a little old.

Though this last Sonics season is nothing to boast about and I am glad we will not have to hear much more about Howard Schultz suing the city, etcetera, I still want to take a moment to commemorate Seattle basketball and the city's first major league sports team.

The Sonics achieved what few Seattle teams have, a National Championship (in their 1978-79 season). Though the 1970s were considered the team's heyday, at 10 years old, watching Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and Detlef Schrempf (who apparently is a fan of the McDonald's by University Village, right Gabs?) play the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 National Championships was exhilarating. My own city's team gave Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Scotty Pippen, and one of the greatest teams ever in basketball a run for their money that year in the Championships. Shawn Kemp offered Seattle much entertainment and rappers still rhyme about Gary Payton.

Named after Boeing's supersonic transport contract (that was canceled only a few years after the team was named), it does not seem fitting that the Sonics will move to Oklahoma. But I guess all good things must end. At least we still have the Seahawks. And those women sure did a good job keeping the Storm in Seattle. It is unfortunate the men couldn't do the same for the Sonics.

Farewell SuperSonics, I promise to remember you fondly and hope that Oklahoma treats you well.

Here are two photos I took at a Sonics versus Lakers game on December 14, 2004. The Sonics won. I was proud we kicked butt against Kobe Bryant.