Needle in the Sky

I was leaving an IMAX show of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and had a great view of the Space Needle. I love the color of the sky in this photo. And seeing my first IMAX movie (aside from those exploring the oceans, etc. IMAX films) was a lot of fun as well.

Fremont Solstice Parade

I enjoyed the Fremont Solstice Parade for a second year this year. With horrendous parking around Fremont and Wallingford, we arrived after the start of the parade. I was disappointed that we missed the famous naked bicyclists' ride at the beginning of the parade. To our surprise however, we stumbled upon the entire cadre of nude bicyclists gathered on the large hill in Gasworks Park and mingled amongst the crowd at the end of the parade route. Quite a different atmosphere than a usual Saturday afternoon.

The rest of the parade was enjoyable as usual with fun, festive, funky, and just plain weird floats and people of all shapes and sizes (including a flying spaghetti monster float with a slew of pirates). I snapped just a single photo this year - our view of the parade route. The wolverine costume was pretty funny.

Seattle Summer

The Seattle Times posted their Seattle summer guide last week, which includes all the local area events for May through September. I've already picked out some must-dos and am all aflutter thinking of Seattle summer and the incredible amount of activities available in the Emerald City. Though I'm trying a little to suppress my Type A planning tendencies, it's nice to know your options! I mean, how could I miss naked bicyclists at the Fremont Solstice Parade? It would be a true outrage.

Check it out: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/travel/summerguide.html

Pix from my Weekend

This weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the second Sounders game, in which they beat Real Salt Lake two to zero. Undefeated! Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, and though my hiking plans were thwarted due to heavy mountain snowfall, I still got out to walk around Discovery Park and cruise Alki. Here are some pix from my weekend (in Seattle Times spirit, which often posts reader photos).

Support the Swift Walkers!

Last year two of my fabulous cousins organized a Swift Family Relay for Life team, called the Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure. Relay for Life is put on by the American Cancer Society to raise awareness and funding for cancer research. The event takes place all over the country at parks, playgrounds, and other outdoor areas. Teams relay continuously for 24 hours (actually only 20 hours this year) after spending months raising money and helping spread the word about the event.
Last year, we took turns walking for an hour at a time. We spent time throughout the day decorating luminaria for a candlelight walk to remember all of our loved ones affected by cancer. Teams camp overnight with someone always walking to support the cause. Our team captain last year blogged about the event.

Last year, at the Green Lake Relay for Life:

• The entire Relay raised almost $90,000 to benefit cancer research.
• Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure raised $6,633 to benefit cancer research.
• This made us the #2 fund raising team!

Now, it's that time again, and I have taken on Swift Walkers for a Swift Cure Team Captain duties for the Green Lake Relay for Life 2009! I am very excited to get the team organized and motivated for another year of Relay. So one of my tactics is to get you Seattle Swift readers to support our cause.


For my family members and friends, join our team! Or if you can't make it to the event, donate to the Swift Walkers. Or if you are not in Seattle, consider starting your own Relay for Life team or getting involved with another team. Most of us have loved ones who lost the battle to cancer... so show your support for their memory and future generations!

http://main.acsevents.org/goto/swiftwalkersrelay

Let's Relay!

Happy Winter Solstice!

I know, I know, I'm a few days late. I blame the snow.

Winter solstice is a special time for a lot of reasons. First of all, it means Christmas and New Years are just around the corner - so lots of time spent with loved ones. Second of all, both solstices are exciting for different reasons. Summer solstice means the following two or three months will be filled with sunshine, warmth, long days, and glorious summertime activities. But it also means the days start getting shorter. Winter solstice, on the other hand, means many more months of cold, rain, short days, and even some snow (like now). BUT the days start getting longer - each day the sun rises a little earlier and sets a little later and we get one day closer to those warm summer nights. Now I just need to keep myself occupied in some way until then...

And FINALLY, winter solstice means that my blog is now just over six months old! Happy half birthday, Seattle Swift! Six months ago, I wished readers a Happy Summer Solstice, and here I am, six months later: a little older, a little wiser, a little less diligent about posting in my blog, but nonetheless still posting!

For the past week, the entire U.S. has been pummeled by nasty winter weather - Seattle included. Since last Wednesday night, we have been snow-bound and temperatures have remained mostly below freezing. Thursday brought an entire day of snow, Saturday brought blowing snow and freezing rain, and Sunday brought another four inches on top of that. And the snow is still sticking around, ruining or delaying holiday travel plans for many. Above is a photo from Sunday morning, before another four inches of snow arrived. You can see the snow drift piled up on one side of the steps.

Anyway, I hope all of you are staying warm and safe. Now, if Seattle will just get on the ball and start de-icing those roads with something other than sand - we would be golden. See the Seattle Times article here.

Happy Holidays to all of you!

My To-Do List

By writing this down and sharing with others, hopefully I'll encourage myself to complete the list below. Below is my to-do list for the coming months. Winter can be a depressing time in the dreary Northwest, so here is a list to keep me motivated, active, in shape, avoid any symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, and keep off that holiday pudge. Some on the list like biking and running are not always feasible in Seattle winter, but I will try my best. Wish me luck!

• Get comfortable riding my bike on the street and getting around Seattle that way.
• Try mountain biking.
• Learn to drive confidently in the snow so I can go cross country skiing anytime I want this winter.
• Start regularly hitting the gigantic set of stairs by my house.
• Try downhill skiing this winter.
• Go snowshoeing for the first time this winter.
• Complete my Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book so I can be proficient Photoshop user.
• Learn to not hate running so much.
• Start reading each book on my bookshelf before I buy or check out more books. This includes Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, so we'll see how long that takes.
• Sign up to volunteer for the Seattle Expanding Your Horizons conference.
• Expand my music interests.
• Navigate Washington, D.C. by myself in a couple weeks.
  
• Visit Gabs and Galen as soon as possible!

One Drop Concert

On Friday, October 17, I went with friends to a reggae concert at the bar Nectar in Fremont. The groups Publish the Quest, Project Lionheart, and One Drop performed. I was there to see One Drop. They are fantastic, and so much fun to hear live. The crowd was buzzing, dancing, and singing along with their California rock reggae songs like One More Night, She's Gone, and Little Black Dress (my favorites).
Their music is so fresh, easy to listen to, upbeat, with great vocals... I had a blast! I love the casual atmosphere of a bar concert - I chatted with the guitarist before the concert and later bought a t-shirt from the band members. I can't wait for them to come back to Seattle! And I am going to start going out to local concerts more often around Seattle.

I sold my bookcase earlier in the day on Friday, so my saleswoman money bought cover, a One Drop t-shirt, and a round of drinks for the group, with money to spare.
I shamelessly pilfered these photos from my friend who took more photos than me at the show (thanks R). I was pretty sure we were going to get smacked in the head by the bassist's guitar, we were that close. These guys rock, literally.

New Digs

Hello Seattle Swift readers! I apologize for my rather lackluster attempt at blogging lately. I recently moved from Crown Hill to the Eastlake neighborhood in Seattle. I have been a North Seattle resident my entire life - I love North Seattle, especially the nicer streets, better parking, better grocery stores, and parks. But I am very excited now to be moving closer to the heart of things in Seattle. I am within walking distance to some of my favorite restaurants and only a short and mostly flat bike ride to the Burke Gilman. Once upon a time I also rowed for Lake Union Crew in summertime, so perhaps I will see about rowing again in my free time. I can even walk to ride the SLUT if I so desire. Anyway, I will be a little out of touch until I am unpacked entirely, but keep checking for updates - I promise to get back to exploring the Northwest ASAP!

Also, as a follow-up to my Tipping Point post, I will admit my initial enthusiasm wore off quickly, and was completely squelched after Sarah Palin's three "interesting" interviews. For those of you anti-Palinite Facebookers (you like my words there?), you'll enjoy this: Sarah Palin's Facebook Page.

Alicia Keys and Seattle Underground

I was lucky enough to see Alicia Keys in concert for the second time this past weekend. She has an amazing voice and even her backup singers sounded great. She is definitely one of my favorite artists - her range, vocals, and songwriting are all superb. Unfortunately, she didn't sing one of my favorites from her new album, but I did enjoy singing along to "I am superwoman, yes I am, yes she is, still when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest with an S on my chest, oh yes, I'm a superwoman." Empowering!

I also played tourist last Friday and went on the Seattle Underground Tour for the very first time in my long affair with Seattle. The underground itself was not very spectacular, but the history of early Seattle was fascinating. Arthur Denny arrived in November of 1850 at the tide flats of Elliott Bay, where he stayed with 29 family members through the Seattle winter without solid shelter. He must have been a pretty tough guy to have stuck around through the rain and cold and wet in the mud along Elliott Bay without a proper roof and no REI to stock up on rain gear.

Early Seattle sounded like a pretty miserable, soggy, and stinky place. For a long time, the city had no sewer system, and at high tide, not only would raw sewage stream through the downtown streets, but if you flushed your new "crapper" toilet, sewage would spew five to eight feet out of the bowl. Our tour guide told us that the newspaper published the tide schedule on the front page every day so people could plan when to flush their toilets. Yuck!

Another interesting part of early Seattle history is Henry Yesler. Most Seattleites will know about Yesler Way and Yesler Terrace (and how they are both good places to use your car alarm, or avoid entirely) and how Henry Yesler ran a saw mill and used "skid road" to skid the logged old growth trees from downtown Seattle to the shores of Elliot Bay. I also learned on Friday that Yesler was a seriously unpleasant man, but Seattle still elected him mayor three times. In his first term as mayor, Yesler instated the first state lottery. He also won that first state lottery. He sued the city of Seattle for a formidable sum, and then the lawsuit, requiring only the mayor's signature to either accept or deny it, came across Yesler's desk - you can imagine he quickly became a wealthier man.

On June 6, 1889, 25 blocks of downtown Seattle were destroyed in less than a day by a fire started from an overturned glue pot. At this point, city planners recognized the need to raise the level of the city to avoid the problem with the tides. However, business owners were quickly losing profit, and began rebuilding immediately at the original street level. But city planners built the street up 8 to 32 feet over the old roads, with the sidewalks and the ground floor of businesses below at the original street level. Eighteen people died falling from the street in the few years before the city filled the sidewalks and finally businesses raised their storefronts to the second story. So what you see on the Underground Tour are the post-fire ground level storefronts from pre-1900 Seattle. The city also decided after a 1949 earthquake they would dispose of debris and trash in Underground Seattle - so it's pretty messy down there.

Learning about the rather unpleasant beginning to my favorite city was very interesting, and made me appreciate living in current Seattle. If you are in the area - the $15 and 90 minutes are definitely worth it for the tour.

Neighborhood Night Out

I attended my first Neighborhood Night Out Block Party on Tuesday, August 5th! The Block Party was part of the National Night Out event, where communities host neighborhood parties to raise awareness about crime and anti-crime programs, as well as strengthen community interaction. Neighbors bring side dishes to share, drinks, and their own food to throw on the grill.

It was fun to see kids riding their bikes up an down the street and dogs lazily traveling from person to person searching for leftover grilled meat. I met a number of my neighbors, and I look forward to being able to wave, say hello, and chat with them in the future.

I also learned that two years ago, the alley behind my street was home to squatters who were dealing crack to their friends. This is quite disturbing, especially considering the quiet and friendly veneer of the neighborhood. Neighbors also talked of the numerous car thefts occurring in the area. Moral of the story: lock your doors, lock your car, be aware of your surroundings, and know your neighbors. I found myself a little more appreciative of our rowdy neighbors who like to party and drink Keystone Light till sunrise on the front porch. Not likely cars will be broken into when they are out there!

The Neighborhood Block Party was fun and I enjoyed the neighborhood camaraderie. I also got a chance to test a new salsa recipe before my family party on Saturday! It was delicious...

Counting Down...

I'll be in glorious Lake Chelan in less than two weeks! I can hardly contain my excitement. So now begins the process of staying focused despite that excitement, along with purchasing such essentials as floaty water toys and sunscreen.

And on another note, the first Seahawks game is this Friday, August 8th! August just may be the greatest month ever. I also bought tickets today for the November 2nd home game against the Philadelphia Eagles for me, my dad, and mom. I am excited for my parents to experience the chaos and excitement of Qwest Field.

Of course the only single game tickets available are in the nose-bleed section. I logged in at 10 a.m. sharp this morning, bought the set of three tickets, and was finished at 10:04 a.m. I returned to the ticket sale site immediately and no more tickets were available for any game! It only took four minutes, maybe even less, for those remaining nose-bleed tickets to sell out entirely. Wow! As my dad says, there are only two seasons: football season and waiting for football season. I'll add two more: summer and waiting for summer.

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.

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.

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.

The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria

Sounds familiar, right? This weekend, I visited the 93-foot hand-built (using only hand tools) replica of Columbus's ship, the Nina, on display at the Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union.

According to the Nina Web site (linked above, hosted by the Columbus Foundation), the Santa Maria was Columbus's least favorite ship - it ran aground and sank in 1492 off Hispaniola. However, the Nina, is claimed to be Columbus's favorite ship. All Spanish ships during the time were required to have a religious name, the Nina's was Santa Clara, which explains why she was such a good boat (go Broncos!). The Nina sailed at least 25,000 miles under Columbus's command and was the only vessel to survive a West Indian hurricane in 1495.

I was astounded at the relatively small size of the boat. It was hard to imagine the 93-foot boat that sits less than ten feet above the water in the center crossing the Atlantic Ocean and even surviving a hurricane. On the 1492 voyage, 27 crewmen traveled aboard the ship; all slept on deck (and if they were lucky, used rope as bedding). There were no sleeping quarters except for one captain's quarters where Captain Vincente Yanez (and Columbus on other voyages) had a small navigation desk, two bunks, and only about four feet of head room - all below deck. The only ventilation in the captain's quarters was the hatch opening. Below deck the provisions, animals, and supplies were stored.

Though Columbus caused irrevocable damage to the peoples living in the Americas during his voyages, the experience standing aboard the Nina was worthwhile and allowed me to gain some perspective and appreciation for the flawed yet profoundly influential navigator.

Almost twice as many people were on the boat during the 1492 voyage than in this photo!