Seattle

Another friend of mine got married and I went to Seattle to celebrate. We had only a day to poke around the city and have a look-see. I think I should visit again...

Totem pole with pigeons


Exit ramp sign


The Experience Music Project is housed in a fantastic building designed by Frank Gehry. I'm not sure how the red and sky-blue sections of the building will stand the test of time but right now, it's simply wonderful. A handful of folks paid the $20 to get in and came out with mixed opinions. In general, those who didn't know anything about music, loved it...while those who actually played instruments, etc thought it was a waste of money.


I really love the way the building interacted with the Space Needle.


Self portrait reflected in the EMP.

Orcas Island, Washington

Went to the San Juan Islands (about 2 hrs north of Seattle) for a few days of exploration before another wedding. It's simply beautiful in this part of the country.

View from the top of Mt. Constitution


Self portrait with friend and seaweed


Sunset view from the kayak


Starfish are much more harder than I thought they would be. For some reason, I thought they were soft and squishy.


Old gas station


The pine trees dripped sap in a way I've never seen before. Globs of soft, sticky sap would ooze out of pinecones. Tasted pine-y.


Sunset view from hotel


Another sunset view from the hotel with a long 15 sec exposure. I love how the water is blurred out and looks almost like a cloud.


And with all remote places, you have your crazies.

Chihuly

Chihul-what?

The New York Botanical Garden is having a beautiful Chihuly exhibit now. Dale Chihuly, of pirate eye patch and intellectual property lawsuit fame, does produce some wonderful art.

The reflecting pool.


Detail.







And, of course, since you're in a garden, you might as well take pictures of...um, nature.

Corpse Flower at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden

The Amorphohallus (aka "deformed phallus") blooms in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden! I was sorely disappointed that the day I went, there was no smell of rotting flesh. So sad.

The gathering of pollen.

One of the "fun facts" given by the BBG was that the first time the flower bloomed in cultivation was in 1889 in London. Young ladies, like myself, were not allowed to see it because of it's phallic appearance.

All I know, is that I got all hot and bothered. Oh yeah.