Chaos, Crikey!
House gets closer to being finished, but glitches
occur; Gay Pride events and Parade delight (some photos, more later); My wife
breaks her arm while on a farm visit to Illinois and returns instead of having
great driving trip; In short, what was to have been a leisurely week of biking
and walking about has turned into a week of chaos management. Photos include
some shots from Gay Pride, exteriors of house, some interiors, obligatory sunset
and since it's July 4th, obligatory political image.
Well, gee, this was supposed to be the week where
the house work got pretty much finished up and Katherine and her mom spent a
leisurely time meandering back to Seattle from Decatur, Illinois. Instead, all
hell breaks loose - Todd and crew can't get certain things right so there's
compromise and slight delay in some areas, acceptable because we're at that
point in the construction; and Katherine falls and breaks her upper right arm
bone right at the shoulder joint and has to be admitted to Decatur Memorial
Hospital. All this while I'm ready for a week of nothing to do but bike and
walk.
Blind to all these events, I spent Saturday last at Volunteer Park taking in the booths and crowds and events for the Gay Pride weekend. Volunteer Park is a great place anyway, with plenty of rolling hills, large grassy areas and the right kind of setup for a fair. Plus, it's in the really tony part of Capitol Hill so it's surrounded on all sides by these older, rather ostentatious in some ways, houses - manor houses or mansions, really. It was a pleasant Saturday. I watched from the main grassy area a couple of acts on stage including one set of Divas performing scenes from Saturday Night Fever. I think some elements of the 1980's disco era will never fade away and this is one of those scenes which will be repeated year in and year out for Gay Pride events probably for the next hundred years. Great fun to watch, great fun for the Divas performing - crowd reactions really drive these things on and the crowd was pretty willing and easy to work (well, we WERE out to celebrate, right?).
I got back home in the evening and wandered about the house by myself, taking in all the new interior spaces and views thinking how much stuff I'll have to move and unpack and how long it'll take us to get this new space filled and comfortable. Went to bed expecting to get up early and head back to Capitol Hill - this time Broadway - to get a good spot for the Gay Pride Parade. After learning my lesson with the Fremont Parade, I decided that if the Gay Pride Parade starts at 11:00 am and the street starts to fill up at 10:00 am then I'll be there at 9:00 am and scope out the place, find a spot to plant myself and just get comfortable and hold my spot. I got to Broadway the easy way - bus downtown and walk up Pine Street. I walked the entire length of Broadway from Pine to where it bends and turns into 10th and back at least three times - looking for which spot would have good lighting, good street views in both directions and where I could sit comfortably - I didn't bring a chair or blanket although I'd say about 50 percent of everyone else did.
I found a great spot right across from Galerias restaurant and club one block from where Broadway turns near Roy Street and took up street residence about 10 to ensure my place. This spot was pretty good because Galerias had a DJ playing lots of salsa and latin rock for the crowd for the hour before the parade and there were enough folks up and about to create an amusing visual scape even before the parade. The parade began right at 11:00 sharp. I'm the type of person who will deliberately miss the Macy's Day parade and the 4th of July Parades and any Memorial Day Parades because I'm not that much "into" this outward patriotism thing which all these other parades seem to be about. Yeah, I'm happy I was born an American, I'm happy I was born in North Carolina. I'm pleased with my country, it's large, has a lot of people - a lot of different people. America has great geography and topography - partly the result of sheer luck and partly the result of some clever trades and purchases back in the Colonial days. But, to dive right in and actually believe that this land is greater than any other land, or that Americans are better than any other people, or that our country is any or that much better than other places - that's a bit to jingoistic for me. I'm a human, six billion other humans exist. Only 300 million of them are American. We are not the end-all, be-all of this planet. That's why I object to the whole patriotic thing - it's a grand delusion and it's fake and wrong. We should be celebrating diversity, we should be celebrating our commonality with others, not our independence from Great Britain or anything else.
Which is by way of saying that parades like the Fremont Solstice Parade and the Gay Pride Parade fit me better because they ARE about diversity, about inclusion, about celebrating the differences which make us all interesting and unique but which also bind us together. So I really enjoyed the Fremont Solstice Parade and really enjoyed the Gay Pride Parade. The Gay Pride event was about 30 minutes longer than the Fremont event - both were Pasadena New Year's class in length - almost two hours for the Fremont Solstice Parade and bordering on three hours for the Gay Pride Parade - if you count all the pre and post street vendors and cops and traffic clearing activities. Of course the Gay Pride Parade was about being Gay, or Lesbian, or Bisexual, or Transgendered, or Cross-Dressed. Coming from DC, which itself is a Gay Mecca, Seattle is great. I like living in places where tolerance toward one's sexual, religious, clothing, economic and political expression is not just part of the background expression, but an element of city life which is celebrated. Tolerance is one of the things which America has too little of and which too many places in this country know nothing about. I would not likely live long in a place which was closed-minded. Seattle is wonderful in that regard - there's prejudice and attitude everywhere but at least here in Seattle City, the number of individuals with such narrow views seems scant few. So, I was prepared to be blown away by all the expressions of choice which the Gay Pride Parade was going to present and I was. There were the Divas, the cross-dressers, the scantily-clad Gays and Lesbians, but even better, there were Dykes on Bikes - my favorite section of any Gay Parade. Back in DC, I used to head for Dupont Circle and just stand in the middle with my bike while the DC Dykes on Bikes rode circles around the crowd and let out their whoops and yells and revved their Harley's. Same here except there was no circle so for each block of the parade route, the Dykes on Bikes would form little circles within each block and ride around and around letting out the same whoops and yells and revving their Harley's.
The street crowd for Gay Pride Parade was about as blended a fabric as the parade participants. Cool! I was next to a pair of Gay and Lesbian friends and got squatted upon and had to share my limited space with a band of gypsy gay Gen-X types all doing their Gen-X thing (cell phones, hackey-sack, grabbing for each doubloon ). It was an entertaining parade with an entertaining crowd. At the conclusion I meandered down the middle of Broadway, heading toward Pine, and then wandered down Pine to catch the 1st Avenue bus back home. At some point - one, two or three posts in the future, I'll gather my nearly 100 photos from the Fremont and nearly 100 photos from the Gay Pride parades and try and figure out how to present them as web images. I've been experimenting with how to present time-serial photographic data in a meaningful way on the blogsite and I guess I'll be experimenting again - one thought I've had, and it will take serious Photoshop time to accomplish - is to present the two parades as a pair with the pairs being sequenced. Sort of like watching two parades at once. Anyway, stay tuned...
Other items: The house - well, it's down to the nit-picks, nearly. The carpeting will be installed on Tuesday, July 5, and the bathroom fixtures will be done the next day or at least this coming week. At that point the only items left will be those which are "punch list" type - fix this glitch, patch that accidentally-banged-by-some-carpenter(or painter)-hole, fix this wrong-wired two-way switch, and stuff like that. Overall, we're probably two weeks or less from "occupancy." One glitch this past week was the spiral stairway kit, which produced a great fitting and looking set of spiral steps, included an annealed aluminum hand rail. That hand rail was a bear (to be nice) and Todd and Rick were unsuccessful in installing it. A call to the factory produced the "well, you just have to work slowly and take your time" response but no real help. We now have a custom-ordered hand rail expected to arrive at some point whenever the local metalworks can get to it. Drats! A few other glitches such as whether the doors will pass over the carpeting and if not they will have to be planed - each, for a total of eight doors. The throes of construction reality bite at random places in the grand scheme - and, one never knows which ones will bite until that element of the process arrives. Oh, well!
On the other hand, the views from every upstairs window are beyond my expectations - great overlook space. The balcony - even though it still needs the stainless wires - has the posts and railing and has become a favorite hangout spot. It's almost like leaning over the prow of a ship, looking down from the three corners of the balcony - down on the neighborhood, down on the Sound, or across to the Cascades or Olympics. From the balcony, for instance, I can follow the planes as they loop north across the Sound and turn over Queen Anne and head for a south-landing at Sea-Tac. If they're landing to the north, I can't see them from the balcony but can see them from the aerie or roof. Watching airplanes circle and land has always been one of those pastimes I've been hypnotized by - a little faster than watching grass grow and as rhythmic and captivating as watching water over a falls. But then, I've always been easily amused.
I took my JBL powered stage speaker up to my studio last night (Saturday, July 3) and plugged it in and then plugged in my iPod and started playing with windows and doors to see how the noise would be channeled and contained or not. One thing I've already learned about living on top of the hill with these upstairs windows is how well I can hear conversations as far as a block away - in pretty much all directions. Equally, anyone on the street can hear me from the balcony or aerie as well as I can hear them. With the windows and doors closed, sound doesn't seem to escape the confines of the studio - which is a good thing because it means I can bang on the drums and play the stereo or digital audio gear at reasonable levels without disturbing my neighbors (reasonable levels, for those not used to my music-listening habits, is on the order of 80 to 90 dB, just this side of concert volume).
The other thing I discovered, which makes perfect sense, is how well sound can be made to travel from upstairs down the stairwell and into downstairs. That makes sense because sound uses air and I already knew that the air circulation all around upstairs mixed very well with downstairs - so any sound would travel just as well. That was the reason for the soundproofing in the interior walls and for the solid-core doors - to keep the sound from downstairs. I guess the good news is the pre-planning and concern over acoustic control has paid off. I can play music loudly and keep it contained in the upstairs studio or I can open doors and windows and channel that sound either inside or outside.
More other items: Katherine's broken humerus has limited her capabilities severely. She's got three pins (probably U-shaped staples) holding the humerus to the ball joint which goes in her right shoulder. Which makes her right arm nearly completely useless since it's slung to her side and is intended to remain immobile for the next few (up to six) weeks while it heals. Poor Katherine. And, she's right-handed. We did determine that I can sign her checks for her (it's not forgery if someone authorizes you to sign their name, at least according to two banks I checked with). Since we already split the cooking duties that's not big deal 'cause I'm pretty comfortable in the kitchen, either for the gourmet meal or the cafeteria-styled beans-and-franks (or grits and ham steak). Tuesday, while I'm at City Council hopefully being allowed to provide two minutes of verbal testimony in favor of passing the Monorail Transit Way Agreement (the next to last BIG legislative action to get this transportation system going - the final one will be the Council's review of the Monorail's financial accounting and the ability for the car tax to actually pay for the system), Katherine will be on First Hill (Hospital Hill, Pill Hill, Mount Clara Barton?) getting the pins checked and probably scheduling physical therapy. She'll be accompanied there by either our neighbor the former Army nurse or by her brother's partner, who's a physical therapist. And, hopefully we'll be within the allowable limits of my health plan.
Tonight we'll be up on the roof deck to catch as many of the local fireworks displays as we can. There's supposed to be fireworks to the north - Elliott Bay and Lake Union, to the east - Bellevue and Renton, to the south - Kent, Tacoma, and to the west - Vashon and Bainbridge Islands and Bremerton. If we're lucky we'll be bathed in photons produced by these fireworks going off all around us. I'm not sure I can actually capture that photographically - though I'll try.
There's a few photos from the Gay Pride events (more on Fremont and Gay Pride parades when I figure out how to present them), a few shots of the house now that the exterior painting is done and the interior spaces are pretty much done (I'll post more later since I took the photos I'll post today a few finishing touches have occurred making the place look more accommodating), and one more obligatory roofdeck sunset shot.
Happy Fourth of July - Happy Independence Day! And, remember to vote this November if you're registered and to register if you haven't.
Independently Yours -
Chas
My political sentiments on this 228th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. One must remain
vigilant against the intrusions of the hard-fought and continually upgraded and improved personal freedoms and
personal independence and native inclusions which have come from the creation of the USA, based largely on the
Constitution as the enabling document and the Declaration of Independence as one of an amazing set of eloquent
and well-reasoned precursor treatises. We've got an amazing country here - we really do: Geographically, Topographically;
Mineralogically, Hydrologically, Sociologically, Philosophically, Theologically. We have "freedom of choice." Forget
the economics for a moment and think about the actual personal freedom to "be" which is what this country is all about.
And, we need to keep fighting and maintaining and expanding these freedoms and inventing new ones.
And why do I like the French so much? Because they are exactly like us in the fundamental layer -
Liberte, Egality, et Fraternite - Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood (which we would call, probably, "universal tribalism").
Happy Independence Day - the day to be yourself and know that at least 300 million other tribespeople allow you
that freedom.
The grassy field in the northwest area of Volunteer Park where the Gay Pride stage was set up, this is looking back from the center towards
the hill which separates this area from the Seattle Art Museum Asian collection, the Conservatory and the reservoir. The stage was in the
opposite direction.
Back up on the hill, sandwiched between the trees which line the walkway from the SAM Asian collection to the Conservatoary, were the
tents, staffed by all of the Gay Pride supportive organizations, including Seattle Monorail Project. Art and clothing were also well
represented as were a few street musicians and other free spirits. There was a separate booth area for kids which contained an
equally well-represented set of organizations and art and music groups for ages from toddler up through the DeGrassi High set.
Looking across the top of the grassy knoll towards the Conservatory (north and not visible), the reservoir is on the right. One of the city's
not-exactly-endless but seemingly-unending superior parks. It'd be an interesting discussion, but I'd take the side of the debate that
stated "Seattle has the finest urban parks system in North America." Given their richness, diversity, depth, access and accessibility,
and ubiquity, I'd have a hard time coming up with another city to even put in consideration - Victoria or Vancouver, BC, perhaps.
Maybe Quebec, which I haven't yet visited. Anyway, just my personal opinion - natch.
My spot opposite Galerias on Broadway just half-a-block from Roy Street. This was a great parade and the crowds on both sides and in
the street were equally great - fun to watch, fun to interact with, and fun to just be with. I had a great time. Next year it's definitely Fremont
Solstice and Gay Pride - it may take me a few years to work up to wanting to be a participant but I'm sure it'll happen. One thing which
disappointed me was the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union - the folks who keep the government reminded of the Constitution)
section of the parade only had two people holding up the banner. Other groups had at least a couple of other paraders as part of
their contingent. I'd like to volunteer to help hold up the ACLU banner, for instance.
Late afternoon panorama of the upstairs foyer area with the windows still covered for the interior spray painting. Notice, though, the
nice warm light filtering in. Afternoons will be bathed in orange-red photons, creating yet another changing element of the house.
Panorama looking from the corner windows (southeast) of Adam's studio - Studio A. Door to bathroom hallway and connecting to my room
is on the left. That orange glow is coming from the afternoon sun. The doorway to the foyer is straight behind the ladder, which is
in front of the closet (which will have doors).
Looking into my room - Studio C - from the east wall. South is to the left and that covered window has a Mt. Rainier view. The four
corner windows are on the right (west and north sides). The doorway is off the far right. Bathroom hallway and closet doors are
not visible in this view as they are behind.
Standing in the corner windows, looking back into Studio C with the hallway door (bathroom access and access to Studio A) and
closet and main entry doors now visible. Window at the far end of the foyer is a six-foot single-hung window which faces east. Light
next to it is sunlight filtering down from the spiral stairway area.
Two views of the spiral stairway. The one on the left is looking east from the middle landing of the main staircase.
The one on the right is looking into the aerie from about six steps down the spiral stairway and looking north.
This is the orange-red late afternoon sun which was lighting the second floor with such warmth. This is looking west-northwest over the
neighborhood, across the Sound and over the Olympics at the setting sun. Taken from just outside the aerie standing on the roof-deck.
Two views in perfect 6:00 am cloudy-morning light of the north side of the house. These are the finished colors and basically
the way it will look for quite some time to come.
More distant views of the house from the east side (left) and the north side (right). Contrast with artists rendering below!
An early architect's rendering of similar-angle views of the house from a distance.
More views from the north (left) and from the west (right). It's definitely the highest house on the block but it's not "that"
obtrusive, I don't think.
Right up close and personal views of the tower and aerie from right outside the fence on the sidewalk - the view others may
have of the place when they get to it.
ciao!
Blind to all these events, I spent Saturday last at Volunteer Park taking in the booths and crowds and events for the Gay Pride weekend. Volunteer Park is a great place anyway, with plenty of rolling hills, large grassy areas and the right kind of setup for a fair. Plus, it's in the really tony part of Capitol Hill so it's surrounded on all sides by these older, rather ostentatious in some ways, houses - manor houses or mansions, really. It was a pleasant Saturday. I watched from the main grassy area a couple of acts on stage including one set of Divas performing scenes from Saturday Night Fever. I think some elements of the 1980's disco era will never fade away and this is one of those scenes which will be repeated year in and year out for Gay Pride events probably for the next hundred years. Great fun to watch, great fun for the Divas performing - crowd reactions really drive these things on and the crowd was pretty willing and easy to work (well, we WERE out to celebrate, right?).
I got back home in the evening and wandered about the house by myself, taking in all the new interior spaces and views thinking how much stuff I'll have to move and unpack and how long it'll take us to get this new space filled and comfortable. Went to bed expecting to get up early and head back to Capitol Hill - this time Broadway - to get a good spot for the Gay Pride Parade. After learning my lesson with the Fremont Parade, I decided that if the Gay Pride Parade starts at 11:00 am and the street starts to fill up at 10:00 am then I'll be there at 9:00 am and scope out the place, find a spot to plant myself and just get comfortable and hold my spot. I got to Broadway the easy way - bus downtown and walk up Pine Street. I walked the entire length of Broadway from Pine to where it bends and turns into 10th and back at least three times - looking for which spot would have good lighting, good street views in both directions and where I could sit comfortably - I didn't bring a chair or blanket although I'd say about 50 percent of everyone else did.
I found a great spot right across from Galerias restaurant and club one block from where Broadway turns near Roy Street and took up street residence about 10 to ensure my place. This spot was pretty good because Galerias had a DJ playing lots of salsa and latin rock for the crowd for the hour before the parade and there were enough folks up and about to create an amusing visual scape even before the parade. The parade began right at 11:00 sharp. I'm the type of person who will deliberately miss the Macy's Day parade and the 4th of July Parades and any Memorial Day Parades because I'm not that much "into" this outward patriotism thing which all these other parades seem to be about. Yeah, I'm happy I was born an American, I'm happy I was born in North Carolina. I'm pleased with my country, it's large, has a lot of people - a lot of different people. America has great geography and topography - partly the result of sheer luck and partly the result of some clever trades and purchases back in the Colonial days. But, to dive right in and actually believe that this land is greater than any other land, or that Americans are better than any other people, or that our country is any or that much better than other places - that's a bit to jingoistic for me. I'm a human, six billion other humans exist. Only 300 million of them are American. We are not the end-all, be-all of this planet. That's why I object to the whole patriotic thing - it's a grand delusion and it's fake and wrong. We should be celebrating diversity, we should be celebrating our commonality with others, not our independence from Great Britain or anything else.
Which is by way of saying that parades like the Fremont Solstice Parade and the Gay Pride Parade fit me better because they ARE about diversity, about inclusion, about celebrating the differences which make us all interesting and unique but which also bind us together. So I really enjoyed the Fremont Solstice Parade and really enjoyed the Gay Pride Parade. The Gay Pride event was about 30 minutes longer than the Fremont event - both were Pasadena New Year's class in length - almost two hours for the Fremont Solstice Parade and bordering on three hours for the Gay Pride Parade - if you count all the pre and post street vendors and cops and traffic clearing activities. Of course the Gay Pride Parade was about being Gay, or Lesbian, or Bisexual, or Transgendered, or Cross-Dressed. Coming from DC, which itself is a Gay Mecca, Seattle is great. I like living in places where tolerance toward one's sexual, religious, clothing, economic and political expression is not just part of the background expression, but an element of city life which is celebrated. Tolerance is one of the things which America has too little of and which too many places in this country know nothing about. I would not likely live long in a place which was closed-minded. Seattle is wonderful in that regard - there's prejudice and attitude everywhere but at least here in Seattle City, the number of individuals with such narrow views seems scant few. So, I was prepared to be blown away by all the expressions of choice which the Gay Pride Parade was going to present and I was. There were the Divas, the cross-dressers, the scantily-clad Gays and Lesbians, but even better, there were Dykes on Bikes - my favorite section of any Gay Parade. Back in DC, I used to head for Dupont Circle and just stand in the middle with my bike while the DC Dykes on Bikes rode circles around the crowd and let out their whoops and yells and revved their Harley's. Same here except there was no circle so for each block of the parade route, the Dykes on Bikes would form little circles within each block and ride around and around letting out the same whoops and yells and revving their Harley's.
The street crowd for Gay Pride Parade was about as blended a fabric as the parade participants. Cool! I was next to a pair of Gay and Lesbian friends and got squatted upon and had to share my limited space with a band of gypsy gay Gen-X types all doing their Gen-X thing (cell phones, hackey-sack, grabbing for each doubloon ). It was an entertaining parade with an entertaining crowd. At the conclusion I meandered down the middle of Broadway, heading toward Pine, and then wandered down Pine to catch the 1st Avenue bus back home. At some point - one, two or three posts in the future, I'll gather my nearly 100 photos from the Fremont and nearly 100 photos from the Gay Pride parades and try and figure out how to present them as web images. I've been experimenting with how to present time-serial photographic data in a meaningful way on the blogsite and I guess I'll be experimenting again - one thought I've had, and it will take serious Photoshop time to accomplish - is to present the two parades as a pair with the pairs being sequenced. Sort of like watching two parades at once. Anyway, stay tuned...
Other items: The house - well, it's down to the nit-picks, nearly. The carpeting will be installed on Tuesday, July 5, and the bathroom fixtures will be done the next day or at least this coming week. At that point the only items left will be those which are "punch list" type - fix this glitch, patch that accidentally-banged-by-some-carpenter(or painter)-hole, fix this wrong-wired two-way switch, and stuff like that. Overall, we're probably two weeks or less from "occupancy." One glitch this past week was the spiral stairway kit, which produced a great fitting and looking set of spiral steps, included an annealed aluminum hand rail. That hand rail was a bear (to be nice) and Todd and Rick were unsuccessful in installing it. A call to the factory produced the "well, you just have to work slowly and take your time" response but no real help. We now have a custom-ordered hand rail expected to arrive at some point whenever the local metalworks can get to it. Drats! A few other glitches such as whether the doors will pass over the carpeting and if not they will have to be planed - each, for a total of eight doors. The throes of construction reality bite at random places in the grand scheme - and, one never knows which ones will bite until that element of the process arrives. Oh, well!
On the other hand, the views from every upstairs window are beyond my expectations - great overlook space. The balcony - even though it still needs the stainless wires - has the posts and railing and has become a favorite hangout spot. It's almost like leaning over the prow of a ship, looking down from the three corners of the balcony - down on the neighborhood, down on the Sound, or across to the Cascades or Olympics. From the balcony, for instance, I can follow the planes as they loop north across the Sound and turn over Queen Anne and head for a south-landing at Sea-Tac. If they're landing to the north, I can't see them from the balcony but can see them from the aerie or roof. Watching airplanes circle and land has always been one of those pastimes I've been hypnotized by - a little faster than watching grass grow and as rhythmic and captivating as watching water over a falls. But then, I've always been easily amused.
I took my JBL powered stage speaker up to my studio last night (Saturday, July 3) and plugged it in and then plugged in my iPod and started playing with windows and doors to see how the noise would be channeled and contained or not. One thing I've already learned about living on top of the hill with these upstairs windows is how well I can hear conversations as far as a block away - in pretty much all directions. Equally, anyone on the street can hear me from the balcony or aerie as well as I can hear them. With the windows and doors closed, sound doesn't seem to escape the confines of the studio - which is a good thing because it means I can bang on the drums and play the stereo or digital audio gear at reasonable levels without disturbing my neighbors (reasonable levels, for those not used to my music-listening habits, is on the order of 80 to 90 dB, just this side of concert volume).
The other thing I discovered, which makes perfect sense, is how well sound can be made to travel from upstairs down the stairwell and into downstairs. That makes sense because sound uses air and I already knew that the air circulation all around upstairs mixed very well with downstairs - so any sound would travel just as well. That was the reason for the soundproofing in the interior walls and for the solid-core doors - to keep the sound from downstairs. I guess the good news is the pre-planning and concern over acoustic control has paid off. I can play music loudly and keep it contained in the upstairs studio or I can open doors and windows and channel that sound either inside or outside.
More other items: Katherine's broken humerus has limited her capabilities severely. She's got three pins (probably U-shaped staples) holding the humerus to the ball joint which goes in her right shoulder. Which makes her right arm nearly completely useless since it's slung to her side and is intended to remain immobile for the next few (up to six) weeks while it heals. Poor Katherine. And, she's right-handed. We did determine that I can sign her checks for her (it's not forgery if someone authorizes you to sign their name, at least according to two banks I checked with). Since we already split the cooking duties that's not big deal 'cause I'm pretty comfortable in the kitchen, either for the gourmet meal or the cafeteria-styled beans-and-franks (or grits and ham steak). Tuesday, while I'm at City Council hopefully being allowed to provide two minutes of verbal testimony in favor of passing the Monorail Transit Way Agreement (the next to last BIG legislative action to get this transportation system going - the final one will be the Council's review of the Monorail's financial accounting and the ability for the car tax to actually pay for the system), Katherine will be on First Hill (Hospital Hill, Pill Hill, Mount Clara Barton?) getting the pins checked and probably scheduling physical therapy. She'll be accompanied there by either our neighbor the former Army nurse or by her brother's partner, who's a physical therapist. And, hopefully we'll be within the allowable limits of my health plan.
Tonight we'll be up on the roof deck to catch as many of the local fireworks displays as we can. There's supposed to be fireworks to the north - Elliott Bay and Lake Union, to the east - Bellevue and Renton, to the south - Kent, Tacoma, and to the west - Vashon and Bainbridge Islands and Bremerton. If we're lucky we'll be bathed in photons produced by these fireworks going off all around us. I'm not sure I can actually capture that photographically - though I'll try.
There's a few photos from the Gay Pride events (more on Fremont and Gay Pride parades when I figure out how to present them), a few shots of the house now that the exterior painting is done and the interior spaces are pretty much done (I'll post more later since I took the photos I'll post today a few finishing touches have occurred making the place look more accommodating), and one more obligatory roofdeck sunset shot.
Happy Fourth of July - Happy Independence Day! And, remember to vote this November if you're registered and to register if you haven't.
Independently Yours -
Chas
My political sentiments on this 228th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. One must remain
vigilant against the intrusions of the hard-fought and continually upgraded and improved personal freedoms and
personal independence and native inclusions which have come from the creation of the USA, based largely on the
Constitution as the enabling document and the Declaration of Independence as one of an amazing set of eloquent
and well-reasoned precursor treatises. We've got an amazing country here - we really do: Geographically, Topographically;
Mineralogically, Hydrologically, Sociologically, Philosophically, Theologically. We have "freedom of choice." Forget
the economics for a moment and think about the actual personal freedom to "be" which is what this country is all about.
And, we need to keep fighting and maintaining and expanding these freedoms and inventing new ones.
And why do I like the French so much? Because they are exactly like us in the fundamental layer -
Liberte, Egality, et Fraternite - Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood (which we would call, probably, "universal tribalism").
Happy Independence Day - the day to be yourself and know that at least 300 million other tribespeople allow you
that freedom.
The grassy field in the northwest area of Volunteer Park where the Gay Pride stage was set up, this is looking back from the center towards
the hill which separates this area from the Seattle Art Museum Asian collection, the Conservatory and the reservoir. The stage was in the
opposite direction.
Back up on the hill, sandwiched between the trees which line the walkway from the SAM Asian collection to the Conservatoary, were the
tents, staffed by all of the Gay Pride supportive organizations, including Seattle Monorail Project. Art and clothing were also well
represented as were a few street musicians and other free spirits. There was a separate booth area for kids which contained an
equally well-represented set of organizations and art and music groups for ages from toddler up through the DeGrassi High set.
Looking across the top of the grassy knoll towards the Conservatory (north and not visible), the reservoir is on the right. One of the city's
not-exactly-endless but seemingly-unending superior parks. It'd be an interesting discussion, but I'd take the side of the debate that
stated "Seattle has the finest urban parks system in North America." Given their richness, diversity, depth, access and accessibility,
and ubiquity, I'd have a hard time coming up with another city to even put in consideration - Victoria or Vancouver, BC, perhaps.
Maybe Quebec, which I haven't yet visited. Anyway, just my personal opinion - natch.
My spot opposite Galerias on Broadway just half-a-block from Roy Street. This was a great parade and the crowds on both sides and in
the street were equally great - fun to watch, fun to interact with, and fun to just be with. I had a great time. Next year it's definitely Fremont
Solstice and Gay Pride - it may take me a few years to work up to wanting to be a participant but I'm sure it'll happen. One thing which
disappointed me was the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union - the folks who keep the government reminded of the Constitution)
section of the parade only had two people holding up the banner. Other groups had at least a couple of other paraders as part of
their contingent. I'd like to volunteer to help hold up the ACLU banner, for instance.
Late afternoon panorama of the upstairs foyer area with the windows still covered for the interior spray painting. Notice, though, the
nice warm light filtering in. Afternoons will be bathed in orange-red photons, creating yet another changing element of the house.
Panorama looking from the corner windows (southeast) of Adam's studio - Studio A. Door to bathroom hallway and connecting to my room
is on the left. That orange glow is coming from the afternoon sun. The doorway to the foyer is straight behind the ladder, which is
in front of the closet (which will have doors).
Looking into my room - Studio C - from the east wall. South is to the left and that covered window has a Mt. Rainier view. The four
corner windows are on the right (west and north sides). The doorway is off the far right. Bathroom hallway and closet doors are
not visible in this view as they are behind.
Standing in the corner windows, looking back into Studio C with the hallway door (bathroom access and access to Studio A) and
closet and main entry doors now visible. Window at the far end of the foyer is a six-foot single-hung window which faces east. Light
next to it is sunlight filtering down from the spiral stairway area.
Two views of the spiral stairway. The one on the left is looking east from the middle landing of the main staircase.
The one on the right is looking into the aerie from about six steps down the spiral stairway and looking north.
This is the orange-red late afternoon sun which was lighting the second floor with such warmth. This is looking west-northwest over the
neighborhood, across the Sound and over the Olympics at the setting sun. Taken from just outside the aerie standing on the roof-deck.
Two views in perfect 6:00 am cloudy-morning light of the north side of the house. These are the finished colors and basically
the way it will look for quite some time to come.
More distant views of the house from the east side (left) and the north side (right). Contrast with artists rendering below!
An early architect's rendering of similar-angle views of the house from a distance.
More views from the north (left) and from the west (right). It's definitely the highest house on the block but it's not "that"
obtrusive, I don't think.
Right up close and personal views of the tower and aerie from right outside the fence on the sidewalk - the view others may
have of the place when they get to it.
ciao!
Posted: Sun - July 4, 2004 at 04:08 PM
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Published On: Jul 04, 2005 05:41 PM
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Published On: Jul 04, 2005 05:41 PM