Falling Slowly

What can I say? Falling Slowly just won an Oscar. It just had to happen, what a beautiful song.

Through The Garden Window

Green Thumb Sunday



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Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. The two geraniums I dragged inside for the winter are doing just lovely. Every time I take them down from the window to water, the pungent smell of their leaves greets my nose and reminds me of summer. When I bought these geraniums it was because I liked the pink flowers and how they contrasted with the burgundy stems. Since bringing them in for the winter the stems have turned green. I wonder if they will go back to burgundy when I put them outside.

Lettuce Begin

Lettuce Begin by saying the week was everything a gardener could hope for and more. Here you see the lettuce I started two weeks ago. Now I am 'hardening it' by putting it outside in the daytime and bringing it in for night. So just what did I do besides take Flat Blake around town? Here's a brief list;
1. Washed and waxed the car
2. Sent in our taxes and also did a rough draft of 'the daughter's' taxes.
3. Cut down LOTS of ferns and spread a yard of compost.
4. Went into the classroom and did 4 hours of planning for the upcoming Math night, displayed some 'kid work' and moved around some seating.
5. I am a wienie when it comes to getting shots, so this one is quite surprising...I got a cortisone shot in my elbow for 'golfer's elbow' and NO I do NOT golf. But now I can pronate my left arm with the best of the duffers should I choose.
6. Did some serious cleaning. Hey those micro fibre dust cloths are AMAZING! I should have listened to my mom when she recommended them months ago!
7. Ran in glorious sunshine for six days in a row.
8. Finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera at LONG last. I do NOT recommend it; the leading character is creepy. He pines away for his first love for five decades and his obsession with getting her back strikes me as stalker behavior. Also, this guy has numerous affairs over the decades including a pedophiliac relationship with his niece that really got my bile up.
9. Bought 2 end tables from an antique store. They will need painting but I think they just might be the match I needed for the lamp bases I bought earlier in the month.
10. Relaxed completely.

Closer to Home

Back in the car, along the shoreline we went. This is the ferry dock in the Fauntleroy neighborhood. You can catch a ferry to Vashon Island or to Southworth on the Kitsap Penninsula. There are lots of islands and lots of ferry boats in the Puget Sound. This happens to be the dock closest to my house. On foggy mornings I can hear the fog horns as they warn the ferry boats traveling from dock to dock.
Well Flat Blake, you were a nice enough house guest but the conversation was kind of one sided at times. Be sure and tell the REAL Blake what a good time you had; who knows maybe he will get out to Seattle someday!

EPILOGUE: Amidst protest I put Flat Blake into an envelope along with some Seattle souvenirs and mailed him back to Oshkosh this morning. I don't know why he was complaining so much; I gave him a bigger envelope!

Warm Sand

This is Alki beach. I recognized this boy as a student from the school where I teach. He was very happy to pose for the camera with Flat Blake. Everyone has jackets on because the air is cool but the sand felt so wonderfully warm. This beach can be very crowded in summer. It is a great place to play in the sand and to have picnics. There are never very many people in the water. The water in the Puget Sound stays pretty cold all year around. Kids do go in the water to cool off when summer is here, they just don't stay in for very long. Beach time is the most fun when it is low tide and you can take walks along the shore looking for crabs, anemones, sea stars in many colors, chitons, and sea cucumbers. If you are REALLY lucky you might see a baby octopus.

Fish and Chips With A View

So you say you're hungry? (Click to enlarge and you will see Flat Blake on the door) This is my favorite Fish and Chips place along Alki Beach. It is at Seacrest Park. Go for the halibut; it costs a bit more than cod but is so much yummier in my opinion. You can also rent skates here or get a kayaking lesson. It is also where to catch the pedestrian ferry to downtown in summertime.

Say "Cheese"

We met some very nice tourists and I took their picture, they took ours. Here we are at the viewpoint in Jack Block Park.

Looking South

Here is Flat Blake looking south towards the Duwamish (the native tribe of the Seattle area) waterway. Being a port city is big business for Seattle. See all those containers? They come off of ships and are then placed on rail cars bound for many parts of our country. Containers also are loaded onto barges and head up to Alaska.
See those clouds on the horizon? If they were not there, you would be looking at Mount Rainier. If you are ever around Seattle for more than a 4 or 5 days it is a good idea to take a day trip to Mount Rainier. Just before the park's Nisqually entrance stop and eat at the Copper Creek Cafe. They have the most delicious blackberry pies imaginable! Get out at Paradise Lodge, stretch your legs, take a hike. But, to really appreciate being in the mountains, it has to be a sunny day.

What's That Noise?

Ark, ARK,ARK! The din from water drew us to the fence. It was a group of happy seals on their backs, flippers in the air, enjoying the sunny day just like everyone else.

Flat Blake at Port of Seattle Shoreline Park

Don't these floats look like big Christmas ornaments? Every time I see them I say to myself, "We should take a Christmas photo here." They are fun to sit on although in the summer the sun heats them up so hot you could fry an egg on their surface.

Flat Blake in Seattle's Chinatown

Lucky for us we slipped right into a parking space in Chinatown. We also call it The International District. This is a very old part of Seattle but the colorful gate is brand new and beautiful. If you like Asian food, the food court at Uwajimayas is a good place to go with lots of choices. I enjoy buying bubble tea there. But it was too beautiful out today to hang around downtown! We got back into the car and I drove the scenic route back into West Seattle.

Part Two of Flat Blake's Adventures

After my haircut we headed back towards downtown. Seattle has lots of hills, not quite as steep as in San Francisco but there are a lot of them. Here we are heading west down Yesler. I pointed out our oldest multi-story building, the Smith Tower. Isn't it quaint? You know I have never been inside of the Smith Tower? I guess I have to put that on my 'to do someday' list. The sleek black building is the Bank of America Tower and I've got to tell you, the best view of the city, the mountains, and Lake Washington are from the observation deck of this 72 story building and it is a whole lot more affordable than the Space Needle's elevator. Yes, you are still riding on the dash and I took the photos through the window.

Flat Blake

On Tuesday I got a wonderful surprise! A silent and slender visitor slipped out of an envelope. He hails from Oshkosh, Wisconsin and he is here as an emissary to help a first grade class learn about maps and other cities and states. His name is Flat Blake .I'm sure those of you who have young children or if you are a teacher, you are familiar with the book Flat Stanley. This, I am certain, is a marvelous learning extension from that book!
Here are photos of Flat Blake's trip to Seattle. In this post I will try to describe what is happening. First off, he just could not WAIT to jump out of that envelope! He zipped out to our deck to get some fresh air and enjoy the view. That is the Puget Sound (which is saltwater...it is not the actual ocean but it leads to the ocean) in the distance behind the trees.
He must've slept well 'cuz he was eager to hop in the car with me this morning. I couldn't get him to wear a seatbelt, he was a real rowdy one, he rode on the dash. I guess he just wanted to be able to see out the window. I had a hair cut appointment across town and wasn't planning to make any stops but I found a parking spot near Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is) and took a photo of F.Blake with the Needle in the background. Problem was, he did not want to let go of that phone pole and get back into the car! I could understand this since at Seattle Center there is the Pacific Science Center, a big fountain, a Children's Museum, a game arcade, a few rides and of course the Needle itself which has a great gift shop and for a fee (kind of expensive) you can take an elevator to the top. Finally with a promise to show him one of the scariest spots in Seattle he got back into my car. Then we headed to the Freemont neighborhood where there is this troll that lives under the bridge (that's the Aurora Bridge). I was impressed with F. Blake, he insisted on having his photo taken as he sat not fluttering one little bit , on the troll's hand.
To be continued...

Mowing Man

After the skate on Alki just what did we accomplish? Well, 'the man' mowed the back expanse and I cut down 4 more clumps of Swordtail fern and then, feeling that my vitamin D intake was sufficient, I went in to clean the inside of my garden window and do the dusting. Then I made a trip to Trader Joe's and spent an unspeakable amount of $$ on nuts, dried fruit, wine, and other sinful goodies. Next I washed the Subaru. So although I woke up late, it was a productive,fun filled day.

Lady Liberty on Alki

Lady Liberty on Alki
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

Let freedom ring! This my President's Day post. Liberty never looked better, even from the back.

See Mt. Baker?

See Mt. Baker?
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

I would like to say that every mountain possible was visible today but I did not see the mountain we are most connected to; Mt. Rainier. But Mt. Baker is lovely, don't you think.?

Skating Man

Skating Man
Originally uploaded by mtnester.

After that hefty breakfast we had a leisurely skate along Alki. I was surprised that it was so quiet. Aside from several dog walkers and buggy brigades, it was fairly unpopulated. Since I had not skated since November, the lack of pedestrians was a blessing to me.