The Color Wall

I debated on whether to post this photo, which focuses in on detail, or a more distant view that provides larger context. But, it's because this photo zooms in and excludes so much of the surroundings that this photo won out.  This colorful wall graces one of the high-rises is downtown Seattle, not too far from my hotel. Simply put, I found the multicolored tile approach to be beautiful and unique. There is nothing more to say here, really, and so just enjoy.

Blooms for Yuccabloom

Here is a bouquet of freesia flowers, which graced one of the tables of Local Color Cafe in Seattle, WA, just across from Pike Place Public Market. Needless to say, the freesia are beautiful. One year ago today I created Yuccabloom and published my first posts, and so here is a little bit of beauty to celebrate this blog's one year anniversary. If you look up freesia flowers, you will find that they are associated with a number of meanings, including thoughtfulness, perseverance, and friendship. I hope my selection of photographs to include on this blog reflects a thoughtful process, and that this blog will persevere for a long time to come, earning your friendship (or at least your steady following) in the process. To beauty and blogs!

Beautiful in Blue

I forgot about this. Here is a bed of beautiful hydrangea blooming blue (and white) in someone's front lawn garden in Seattle.  My friends thought I was crazy for needing to get a photo of this.  One thing, out of many, that I love about Seattle is the tendency of many of its residents to be avid gardeners.  Both times I have been to Seattle, I have seen houses with gardens that provided incredible color and beauty, and you just gotta love a city with residents who love to garden.

Parting Shot: Seattle, WA

A final photograph taken on my last morning in Seattle, when I took one more walk through Pike Place Public Market as vendors opened for another busy day. Overall, it was a very good trip, and I achieved a couple of high-priority objectives the second time around. First, I was able to take a few photographs of the Seattle skyline, something I didn't do before. Second, finally, I made it to the Underground City Tour, which was excellent. It was difficult to focus on photography, however, when I was busy listening to the guide give an overview of Seattle history, but the tour was well worth it. If anything is a priority for me the next time around, it would be to try and see more of the countryside, a little of which I managed to do during my first visit. I love the lush greenness of the forests and the rocky, snow-capped mountains. And so, this is the photograph I want to conclude with: a view of snow-capped mountains rising above a bay or sound, shouldering gray sky, as fog rises, unveiling the beauty of the wilderness lying just beyond the city.

Gas Works Park, Seattle, WA

According to the city of Seattle's municipal website, the 20-acre point on Lake Union that was to become Gas Works Park was originally cleared in 1906 for construction of a plant to manufacture gas from coal. When import of natural gas increased in the 1950s, the plant became obsolete, and the area was acquired by the city of Seattle in 1962 to be converted into a park. Interestingly, the park was not opened until 1975. Gas Works Park provided me with one more opportunity to enjoy a nice overview of the Seattle skyline (seen below) and to enjoy the slow, undulating rhythm of water. The day was overcast, and very Seattle. Enjoy these photos.

Sculpture Garden, Seattle, WA

Sculpture

Downtown Seattle offers residents and visitors a sculpture garden to enjoy. Most of the sculptures are abstract in nature, and I confess that I didn't really stop and think about what most of these sculptures represent, if they represent anything at all, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this pleasant park. Now, after the fact, I look at these and consider interpretive possibilities. Above, a bride or bride-to-be has her photograph taken with a friend among metallic walls that suggest a wave-like motion. This sculpture still mystifies me.

Here is what seems to be a set of cascading metallic frames, which seem to spread out like a lawn chair.

Sometimes it's just good to enjoy the aesthetics.

Having the rooftop of a house emerge from the grassy earth is both very cool and a little disturbing. For some reason, it's also reminiscent of The Hobbit.

One of my friends insisted that this is an artistic rendering of an eraser, but I maintain that this is a large scale representation of a pizza cutter. Since it was late afternoon, maybe I was just thinking about dinner.

This metallic tree at the entrance of the garden just looks cool, especially against the cool blue of a clear day.


Garden

My friends were quite amused that I was so entranced by a field of wildflowers, but people need to understand that I come from Arizona. With the exception of a brief period in the spring, when wildflower blooms "explode" across the desert, central and southern Arizona don't have many fields of flowers thriving. These wildflower scenes remind me of prairie reserves back in Illinois.

The challenge in trying to capture the magic of a field of flowers is trying to determine the subject of focus. Often, wildflowers are small blooms, and while together they create a field of enchantment, focusing on one or a few alone means excluding the entire canvas that contributes in its diversity to creating that very magic that draws you in.

The majority of the blooms above are in shades of red, white, and blue. How appropriate for the Independence Day weekend.

A little more focus on red and yellow.

Above and below, snapshots of sheer magic.

The Space Needle from a Distance, Seattle, WA

Couldn't think of another post for including this photo, and so enjoy this picture of the beautiful Space Needle.

Totem Pole in Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA

How can one visit the Pacific Northwest and not take a photo of a totem pole? (True, Chicago has one located in a park on the Lakeshore, in the North Side neighborhood of Lakeview, as well as one in the Field Museum, but it's not the same thing.) I love totem poles and the mythical stories they relate. Walking around Seattle as much as I was doing, trying to get in as much as possible within a short timeframe, I didn't think to see if an informational plaque was provided at the bottom of this totem pole, but that should not stop us from enjoying its beauty.

Many types of birds are represented in the totem poles of the Pacific Northwest Native peoples, but I feel reasonably certain that the bird depicted above is that of a raven. I love ravens, which are also populous throughout the Southwest, especially in northern New Mexico, and feature in the mystical beliefs of the Native peoples there, but I especially love the trickster raven of Pacific Northwest folklore. Check out Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth and Art by Lewis Hyde, which is an excellent book I've read on the meaning of trickster myths in cultures around the world, including the Pacific Northwest raven myth.

The biodiversity of the land is represented here.

Here is an overview of the same totem pole, in the context of the park at Pioneer Square.

Picture Perfect: Seattle

This is a classic view of the Seattle skyline, and I was overjoyed that my friends brought me to this park to capture it in a photograph.  As many know, Seattle streets rise and dip with hills, and this park was located on an elevation. Anyway, not much for me to say here. This is just an opportunity to enjoy some urban architectural beauty.

The Flower Bouquets of Pike Place Public Market (Seattle, WA)

One of the great things about Pike Market is the bright and festive coloring of the produce and flowers. Such variety of colors is both soothing and stimulating, not to mention appetizing, and it fills the open space of the Market beautifully. Along with fresh produce and seafood, Pike Market is known for its amazing bouquets of flowers. This post is dedicated to these stunning specimens of assembled beauty.

I believe some of these round pink and white blooms are peonies, but don't hold me to that.

Here, I believe, are some fiery orange tiger lilies, along with what looks like yellow freesia and flowers in different shades of red.

Above, baby blue delphinium with deeper blue irises. I believe there is also some light pink freesia nestled in there.

Here, delphinium find a home among orange marigold, yellow freesia, and a number of other flowers I can't readily identify.

Delphinium, irises, peonies, and freesia.

Above, and the next two photos below, spotlight the great abundance of bright, colorful blooms that grace Pike Market everyday.

This one, above, is my favorite, probably because the blue delphinium combine with flowers in vivid orange and red, like the tiger lily.

I haven't seen dried flowers for sale in a long time. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention. But they are beautiful and well-preserved.

Troll Under the Bridge in Seattle, WA

This must be a friendly troll, since he doesn't mind all the children climbing up on him. When my friends brought me to this statue beneath a bridge in Seattle, I was surprised. Of course, we all grew up hearing fairy tales about a troll beneath the bridge, but who thought this up as an artistic idea for this particular bridge? What made the artist feel compelled to produce this troll right here? I cannot say, but it is a cool and quirky feature, a work of art that is whimsically fun and experiential.

Pike Place Public Market, Seattle, WA

A highlight of my recent trip to Seattle was the exact same venue that I remember so fondly from my first visit: Pike Place Public Market. I love fresh urban markets. When I lived in Chicago, I would occasionally go to Wisconsin and enjoy the Milwaukee Public Market. Pike Place Public Market is large in both size and variety of items sold. Located right up against the waterfront, the Market gives you a feeling of being out in the elements while situating you clearly in the heart of downtown Seattle.

When I still lived in Chicago, I read news articles about plans to renovate, even to re-imagine, Navy Pier as a public venue. I have thought for a while that Chicago should take some inspiration from Seattle and make Navy Pier a large fresh market. Of course, some features could remain, like the IMAX Cinema and the excellent Chicago Shakespeare Theater, but it would be great to see Navy Pier serve as a place to buy fresh, locally grown produce and shop for quality art created by local talent. Maybe such an idea will come to fruition, someday.

The Market is always crowded with customers and visitors just wanting to check out the scene.

Arts and crafts, such as jewelry and art prints, are sold at the Market, along with quality foodstuffs.

A bountiful harvest...

The festive colors of fruits and vegetables.

Rainier cherries are some of the best.

I love the fragrance and the sweet, bright color of citrus, combined here with the beauty of apples and other fruit.

A wide variety of pastas and grains.

A rainbow of carrots piled high in abundance.

This might be an odd time to confess that I have an intense dislike of all seafood. Yes, it's true, and normally a sight like this above, and the three photos below, would sicken me, but when in Rome...

Another photo of that famous sign, but here in the clear blue of day.