BallardBlog

Moving On

2005-03-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

photo from the National Endowment for the Humanities

I don't like the sound of the word "blog"
so I'm moving to Ballard Avenue,
a much nicer sounding neighborhood.

Friday Cat Blogging: Who Me?

2005-03-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

"Whaddaya lookin' at me like that for? I wasn't doin' nuthin'."

Progress Report

2005-03-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

map by Puget Sound Pedestrian Advocacy

A couple months ago I mentioned 2005's epic project: To walk all the streets of Ballard. This is a section of the well-worn Ballard Pedestrian's Friend map I use to keep track of my progress. I've no idea how many miles it adds up to. I don't really care. It's a lot.

The yellow streets are those I've walked. Since I live in NW Ballard, there are quite a few yellow streets west of 24th Avenue. There's not much yellow east of 24th. I've made a few reconnaissance trips over there. Folks seem to be OK.

You can't see it on this section, but there's an interesting pattern developing. The area covered by the yellow streets is shaped rather like a leaf. There's a point at the north end (Caffe Fiore), a broad mid-section, and a point at the south end (Old Town Ale House). They have the best French fries you'll ever eat. But as I move more and more east, I'll have to find other refreshment stations.

Friday Cat Blogging: Three Cats

2005-03-11T00:45:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Well, all three decided to stay put long enough for a picture. That's Bert on the table, a place he knows he shouldn't be. He's a British Shorthair or something. His coat is short but it's pretty thick. He'll make a nice hat someday. Just kidding, Bert!

That's Emma on the chair and Frida down below.

Friday Cat Blogging: Emma, Hold Still!

2005-03-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Emma doesn't hold still even when she sleeps. Do you really think she'll hold still for the camera?

Four birds on a wire

2005-02-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

So, do you think they measure it out? One foot between mates, two feet between couples?

Daffodils

2005-02-26T19:37:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

It's always great to see the daffodils bloom. Even more than the croci, it means spring is on its way. But they're such strange looking flowers. The center cone looks like some sort of weird alien from Star Trek looking to suck all the salt out of your body or something. I like my daffodils but just keep them well away from me, OK?

Friday Cat Blogging: Frida Leaps Into Action

2005-02-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

We're looking after our friends' three cats while they look after things in Vancouver, BC. Here we see Frida leaping out from under the chair to chase the laser pointer dot. That's Emma up above. She couldn't care less about the laser, but she loves the feather-on-the-end-of-the-string toy.

Morning Moon

2005-02-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Wednesday morning the moon was setting over the Olympics as the sun rose over the Cascades.

Putting Out to Sea

2005-02-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

You can put your kayak in the water at Golden Gardens and if your arms were strong enough, you could paddle to Japan. If they weren't so strong, you could paddle to Bainbridge Island. In either case, you'd be happy to step onto the shore, I'm sure.

A Sign From Above

2005-02-20T23:15:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

The old firehouse has a new restaurant inside. The other side of the hose tower says "EAT" but the sun was setting nicely on the "DRINK" side. After taking the picture, I followed these instructions to the letter.

The Gull Nearly Got Away

2005-02-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

So you try handholding a 10x zoom digital camera while tracking birds across the sky.

Friday Cat Blogging: Flipper

2005-02-18T00:39:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Staying low under the radar, she is.

A Picture of Us

2005-02-17T21:01:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

It was a sunny day at the park.

Fire at the Firefly

2005-02-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Forget Phoenix, Tucson's the place to be. More down-to-earth, more funky, more real, less pretentious, less glittery, less Republican. I like the area running from the old part of downtown to the University of Arizona, so when the rains drove us to indoor amusements, we went to Tucson.

4th Avenue is the University district's commercial street and we had lunch at a little wrap café across the street from the former Firefly nightclub. It's "former" because there was a fire at the Firefly. The proprietor of the café was very circumspect when telling the story of the Firefly's demise. Hmm. Was there something fishy going on at the Firefly?

And with this burnt-out nightclub we conclude our Arizona interlude...

Poppies

2005-02-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Enough with the cacti. The first poppies were blooming on the slopes of Picacho Peak and very sweet little flowers they are.

Cholla

2005-02-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

You want to touch them to feel if they're soft and fuzzy. They're not.

Cacti

2005-02-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

photo by BallardBlog

Last week we had croci, this week we have cacti. It's a little early to see the cacti blooming but this barrel cactus is getting busy getting ready.

For Want of a Cable

2005-02-09T19:12:00.000-08:00

Sitting on the desk in BallardBlog tower is the little gray cable I need to transfer pictures out of the camera. Hence the text-only post. It's sunny and 70 degrees here in Arizona. It's been a wet winter and the desert is green. It's early for most of the wildflowers but some of the poppies are blooming. The mourning doves wake you in the morning if the mournful train whistles haven't kept you up all night. It's really a lovely place, the desert. Too bad the folks who live here treat it like a toilet. Worse even. I suppose sometimes they clean their toilets.

Phoenix

2005-02-06T14:35:00.000-08:00

photo from Landsat satellite

BallardBlog is relocating to central Arizona for a week. This is what it looks like from space. Strip malls and sprawl are best appreciated at a distance.

Friday Cat Blogging: Flipper Stare Down

2005-02-04T00:11:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

With a dismissive flip of her tail, she stares down the paparazzi.

Habemus daiseum

2005-02-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

The croci are not the only flowers waking up. This is the first bloom on an African daisy that is wintering over nicely in a box at the foot of the porch stairs.

Northward facing Croci

2005-02-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Last week we found croci blooming in a nearby southward facing garden. Well, today I'm happy to report that croci in our northward facing garden are coming up, too! Spring's always a week or two later on the north side of the house.

Friday Cat Blogging: Flipper

2005-01-28T00:43:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

You meet a lot of cats when walking through Ballard. Some shy away but some come out to greet you. We named this friendly lass "Flipper" because she immediately dropped to the pavement and started flipping from side to side letting us know she was friendly and wasn't going to attack. It's a cat thing they do. Kind of charming, actually.

This Tree's Not Big Enough for Both of Us

2005-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Ah, real estate. Talk to any Ballardite for more than a few minutes and the conversation turns to real estate. For the first time in memory, Ballard real estate is hot, hot, hot, and everybody wants to get in on the deal. Any deal. Especially if it means a two-bedroom-one-bath for less than $250K (the hardest deal to find these days).

It's easier for bald eagles. It looks like a pair of eagles has eyed a tall Douglas Fir down the hill from us. It's got a zillion dollar view of Puget Sound (and all the dead fish that might wash up on shore) and stands tall over acres of brush and berry vines (and all the rodents living therein). Real estate is all about location, location, location, and the eagles have it.

The crows don't much like the newcomers--there's bad blood between eagles and crows going way back--but the crows always lose. In the second picture we see a crow attempt to dive bomb Daddy Eagle. The funny part is that Daddy Eagle doesn't even acknowledge Mr. Crow's presence. Fuss all you like, Mr. Crow, Daddy Eagle's laid claim to Ballard's hottest one-bedroom-no-bath property and he's not giving it up for nobody.

Crocuses, or, for our readers in ancient Rome, Croci

2005-01-24T15:34:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

I've embarked on a project for 2005 (and maybe 2006). I'm going to walk every street in Ballard. Now, in the 17 years I've lived here, I've walked a lot of those streets, especially during the five years I walked to work. But all that's water under the bridge, or perhaps concrete under the shoe. This project started January 1 and all those streets will be walked! Again!

Trusty Sony camera in hand, I ventured forth this afternoon to get a few more streets colored in on the map. These croci were greeting the sun on 65th Street. It must be nice to be a crocus on a southward facing slope. My northward facing croci are still asleep.

Tin Tree

2005-01-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Art project or a way to keep the bloody squirrels out of the tree?

La Vieille Ferme

2005-01-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Well, I don't know about your Saturday night plans, but mine included leftovers from the local Mexican restaurant, a worn copy of Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon, and this bottle of La Vieille Ferme, an insouciant little French red. How insouciant is it? Look at that screwtop!

Friday Cat Blogging: The Dude's Had Enough

2005-01-21T01:18:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

It's time to say seeya to The Dude. He's got cat business somewhere and there's no use asking what it is. But I'm sure he'll be back soon.

Headless Pigeon

2005-01-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog
So little goes on in a pigeon's head that scientists think this is their next evolutionary step.

Friday Cat Blogging: The Dude, part 2

2005-01-14T00:10:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

While this picture of The Dude might lead you to think otherwise, it's still Friday Cat Blogging, not Friday Beached Whale Blogging.

Snow

2005-01-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

The long-rumored snow arrived this morning. This is all that was left by the time I got outside with the camera. Nonetheless, panic ruled the airwaves. Legions of parka-clad news reporters fanned out across the city, beaming live ActionCam reports to StormWatch '05 broadcasts. You would have thought something had happened.

Less excitable Ballardites just walked down to the coffeeshop for some joe and a donut. A cinnamon old-fashioned, it was. Mighty tasty.

Friday Cat Blogging: The Dude

2005-01-07T01:14:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

The Dude lives across and down the alley from us. We might go a week or two without seeing him, then a weekend will come and he's totally underfoot. I think his people leave town for a couple days and he gets lonely.

He's a young cat, no more than a year old and each time we see him, there's a little more Dude to love. And, boy, is he lovable. He jumps into your lap and has a purr motor that roars like a Harley. I'm on record as saying that if I ever see any sign of neglect of the Dude, he's mine. But at 10 lbs. and growing, it's hard to make a case for compassionate catnapping. I guess he'll just remain the Official Occasional Weekend Cat of Ballard Blog.

Cherry Blossoms

2005-01-06T01:40:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

The entire city is a-flutter with a weather forecast that it might snow Saturday. That's silly. Sure, it might snow, but in Ballard you can hardly predict the weather three days ahead in the summer. To predict a snowy Saturday sounds like the television stations are trying to drum up some panicky viewers for the evening news programs.

The cherry trees down the street aren't much bothered by such apocalyptic predictions. It's snowed before, it will snow again. Maybe Saturday. But today the sun was out and it felt pretty good.

Sunset Hill Park

2005-01-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

The sunset photo for the other day was taken at Sunset Hill Park, a small park on the bluff above Puget Sound. It's a few blocks from BallardBlog Tower and we often walk over there. On this clear afternoon, we see a few of the dozens of people who'd gathered to look at the boats below and the mountains beyond.

Breakfast al fresco

2005-01-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

It was a pretty quiet morning down in Ballard's industrial area when I came across this bird having his breakfast on a building stoop. I quickly grabbed the camera and got a couple shots before it flew away. While it looks very owl-like in the picture, I think it was a small hawk.

Breakfast was a pigeon, but not one of the grubby ones mentioned in "Pigeons and Eagles" last month. Instead, it was pure white and, if the grain pellets scattered everywhere are any indication, well-fed. I'm afraid there's a pigeoneer missing a bird tonight.

The Bug Car

2005-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Railroads are made to haul things. The Ballard & Shoreline doesn't haul much, but it does hauls an unusual load: Bugs. Bugs fly into the halogen light that lights the room. A crew collects the dehydrated remains and puts them into the bug car, which then makes its rounds around the layout. Need some bugs? The Ballard & Shoreline is happy to serve you!

Marshall in the Hole

2004-12-31T16:36:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Much of what makes a model railroad run lies below the surface. Here we see Marshall working on some electrical wiring. He's asking Gerry for the soldering iron.

NP Locomotives

2004-12-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Comin' round the bend. This brace of sharp looking Northern Pacific locomotives runs on the Ballard & Shoreline Railway, an HO scale model railroad built by some friends.

Sunset

2004-12-29T16:56:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Back in Ballard. Whew! It's great to be home. The other day it stopped raining long enough for this sunset. That's Puget Sound in the foreground, Bainbridge Island is the dark mass across the middle, and the Olympic Mountains are in the background. The sun sets so far south this time of year that the mountains are lit from the left side. In June, they'll be lit from the right. In March and September they're backlit.

Warren G. Harding

2004-12-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Tucked away in a forgotten corner of Vancouver's Stanley Park is this memorial to the forgotten Warren G. Harding, President of the United States from 1921-1923. Harding? Why him? He is, after all, often considered the worst president of the 20th century, an amiable and photogenic boob who presided over a corrupt administration of the sort not seen again until the current amiable and photogenic boob came along .

Well, Harding was the first American president to visit Canada. On a western trip in 1923 he stopped in Vancouver on his way to San Francisco where he died of a heart attack. I suppose Vancouverites had been grateful for the attention and found themselves a bit overwrought at his death so soon after his visit. That's what opens checkbooks for this sort of thing. Aside from his tomb in Marion, Ohio, I wouldn't be surprised if this were the only other memorial to the poor fellow.

Walk

2004-12-25T23:00:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

I found Vancouver's "walk" signs very charming. Look at that purposeful stride. Now there's a fellow going places!

Friday Cat Blogging

2004-12-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Today's cat blogging comes from Vancouver, BC, home of the Secret Lantern Festival. We visited the festival site at the Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden. It's a lovely garden made lovelier this night by hundreds of lanterns. There were ship lanterns afloat, dragonfly lanerns hovering, and this cat lantern sitting on a rock. Alas, we lacked a tripod for the camera, so this is a blurry bit of cat blogging.

It was a cold night. Luckily, we were warmed by good Chinese food. The Floata Seafood Restaurant claims to be Canada's largest Chinese restaurant and I'm not arguing. The room was the size of Saskatchewan. The servings were plenty big, too.

Loonie Plus

2004-12-24T14:49:00.001-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

It was time to get out of town so we took the train to Vancouver, B.C. The Canadian dollar is commonly known as the "loonie" because there is a picture of a loon on one side of the coin. Consequently, "dollar stores" are called "loonie stores" and this one offered more than the others.

Cookies

2004-12-19T22:59:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

What is the real meaning of Christmas? Cookies! Molasses ginger snaps tonight. It's the hint of clove that makes 'em gooooood.

Scruffy

2004-12-17T01:18:00.000-08:00

Friday Cat Blogging

photo by Ballard Blog

Scruffy
(1987?-2003)
Best Cat in Ballard.

December 1990 was a cold and nasty month. A scruffy looking cat started hanging around the house. We put some food and a cardboard-box-and-towel shelter on the porch for him. Pretty soon, Scruffy was eating in the kitchen and sleeping on the bed. Stray cats have a way of doing that, you know.

Friday Cat Blogging

2004-12-11T01:08:00.000-08:00

photo found somewhere on the Web by Ballard Blog

So which one do you think is going to keep you up all night?

Cormorant

2004-12-06T01:18:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

The sun poked through the clouds while we were walking at Green Lake. This cormorant enjoyed the fleeting moment of warmth as much as everybody else.

Pigeons and Eagles

2004-12-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

photo by BallardBlog

In the 1920's the Eagles were flying high in Ballard. They built Ballard's tallest building on the corner of Market and 22nd. It was grand. It housed the lodge, the Bagdad Theatre, and the offices of Ballard's worthiest professionals. Then the Depression hit. The Eagles couldn't make the mortgage payments. The bank foreclosed.

Over the years shops have come and gone in the street level spaces. Upstairs, the building housed Ballard Hospital. The Bagdad closed and was replaced by the famous (or infamous) Backstage nightclub. Many Ballardians have a Backstage story. Most can't be told to their kids.

Nowadays, a new generation of Ballard's worthy professionals have their offices upstairs. On the street you'll find, among other shops, a terrific bakery. The pigeons really appreciate their good work. No wonder they resist the best efforts of the building's owners to evict them.

Co-pilot

2004-11-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

photo by BallardBlog

If Bubba is your co-pilot, you're not getting off the ground today.

Ladies Godiva

2004-11-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

photo by BallardBlog

Three women on horseback and one on foot did a Lady Godiva on Ballard Avenue last night. They disrobed at Marvin's Garden and led a procession down the street. Performance art? Political statement? Marketing campaign? We're not quite sure.

Ballard Bars

2004-11-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

photo by BallardBlog

Hard to believe, but in the checkered three-year history of BallardBlog, we've not really talked about Ballard bars. Bars and Ballard go together like hot dogs and mustard. Chips and salsa. Lutefisk and aquavit.

I won't say that the history of Ballard is the history of its bars, but much of the history of Ballard took place in its bars. At one time, Ballard had more bars per capita than any other community in the state. It also had more churches per capita than any other community in the state. Ballard was settled by Scandinavian immigrants and I'm told this seeming contradiction simply reflects the two sides of the Scandinavian character. One drinks, the other repents.

It's always been a working class town, our Ballard. A town where folks like to get together after work and have a few drinks, shoot some pool, throw some darts, and reflect on Benjamin Franklin's observation that beer was a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Of course, Ben reminded us that early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise was also a sign of God's favor. It would be nice if we could figure out what God really wanted. Until then, we'll be happy with another pitcher.

Red-eye Duck

2004-11-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

photo by BallardBlog

Even ducks can get red-eye. This mallard was paddling around the pond at Golden Gardens this afternoon when I snapped him with the Sony. I'm sure there's a way to do red-eye reduction in the camera but I was working without the manual. Sorry, Mr. Duck, I'll fix it in Photoshop.

Red Ivy

2004-11-02T21:53:00.000-08:00

photo by Ballard Blog

Most of the leaves are on the sidewalks now but there are always a few holdouts. This ivy grows alongside a sandstone building on Ballard Avenue and it sticks around until November each year. The entire side of the building will blaze red, but because the building next to it gets in the way of even the most intrepid photographer, there's no way to capture that in a photograph. We'll have to settle for a small snippet of its redness.

This un-noteworthy photo is noteworthy in that it's the first photo posted here taken by BallardBlog's newest consumer electronic time-sink, a Sony digital camera. It's very cute. Lots of buttons to push. A hundred pages of cryptic owner's manual to learn. Ouch.

I've taken lots of pictures with lots of film cameras over the years. Technically, at least, I know what I'm doing. (Artistically, I'm sure, the jury is still out.) But this little Sony somehow manages to turn everything I know upside down, shake 'n bake it, and deposit it back into my lap with a vague reference to page 73 for an answer. And then the batteries die.

Canada's Finest

2004-11-01T17:46:00.000-08:00

illustration from McFeely's.

There's not much bluster about Canada. They just go about their business of doing things well without all the breast-beating and trash-talking Americans favor. This might be why you've never heard of the Robertson square-drive screw. Invented in Canada in 1908, it's positively brilliant. Unlike conventional or Phillips screws that usually require three hands to place (one on the screw, one on the drill, and one on the material you're fastening), the square-drive screw stays on the drill bit. Now you only need the two hands God gave you. Divinely inspired, if you ask me.

I mention this because I spent part of the afternoon repairing a windowshade. The hex-head screws that came with the thing were impossible, leading to the sort of language Mom never approves of. I got some square-drives and the thing went up in no time.

Lunar Eclipse

2004-10-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

photo by Miloslav Druckmüller

Goodnight, moon.

Blue Cheese

2004-10-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Blue Cheese, a painting by Andrice Arp.

I inherited a few things from my grandfather: Democratic politics, a certain squareness of jaw, and a taste for sharp cheeses. Grandpa loved his blue cheese. (He loved his Limburger, too, but that didn't get passed along.)

I was thinking of him this afternoon as I ate lunch. I had a nice blue from Point Reyes, California, a Jonagold apple from British Columbia, a red table wine from France, and Wheat Thins from the Nabisco bakery in Portland. It was a very nice lunch leaving behind a general sense of well-being.

Afterwards, I squared my jaw with renewed determination to see John Kerry elected President.

Nimbostratus

2004-10-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

West Highlands of Scotland (no Ballard picture available)

Not your most photogenic sort of cloud, the nimbostratus, but it's a cloud we know well here in Ballard. Nimbostratus (nimbostrati?) hung low over us all day.

Autumn is schizophrenic. For the first month the days harken back to summer. You know the rain will end. The sun will come out. You've still got time to finish the last of the outdoor chores.

Then a dark Monday comes. Nimbostratus moves in. It's cold and damp. Rain falls all day. This is when autumn looks forward to the winter yet to come.

Autumn Leaves

2004-10-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

from MSN Encarta:

"The brilliant autumn colors characteristic of the leaves of many plants is due to the presence of accessory leaf pigments that normally assist the plant in photosynthesis by capturing specific wavelengths of sunlight. These pigments, called carotenoids, become visible when the leaf dies in the fall."

Imagine Yves Montand singing that!

The Guitar Player

2004-10-11T20:20:00.001-07:00

The Guitar Player by Vermeer

Saturday night I went over to a little cafe to hear my friend Brenda's band Daughters of Joy.

Brenda plays guitar and sings. Melynn plays bass. Kelly is the drummer but didn't show. Brenda had two guys on trumpet and tenor improvising over her tunes. Like all improv, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

I don't do much rock music anymore but it was fun to hear her stuff. Brenda has some good songs and I liked these stripped down versions. Mostly I liked the scale of the night. The cafe is in the basement of an old Ballard house. Furnished as it is with worn sofas and chairs and collectible nonsense, it really felt like a basement show for friends. Which we were. It was great hanging out with friends old and new and listening to music.

Here comes trouble

2004-10-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

photo from FoundPhoto.

Harvest Moon

2004-09-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Shine On Harvest Moon

By Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth - 1903

Shine on, shine on harvest moon
Up in the sky,
I ain't had no lovin'
Since January, February, June or July
Snow time ain't no time to stay
Outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon,
For me and my gal

Geese

2004-09-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

The geese are starting to head south for the winter. It seems a little early to me. The next few weeks are often the nicest of the year. It might be a bit cool at night but the days are pleasant. Foggy mornings, sunny afternoons. Some of the trees are already starting to turn color. Most of the annuals I plant in front of the house are starting to fade but oddly enough, the African daisies are thriving. It's spring in South Africa and maybe chronology means more to them than the thermometer.

One thing I've noticed over the years is that in September, the sun is lower in the sky and it will shine into the kitchen when I cook dinner. It's a dark kitchen, actually, and the sun at dinnertime is a nice change.

The air feels better, too. Summer air is dry, fall air is moist. More refreshing, somehow.

I like the clothes of fall: the sweaters, getting a new jacket, digging the thicker socks out of the back drawers.

So even though it's football season, fall is still the best season.

2004-09-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Golden Gardens

photo by BallardBlog

We went to Golden Gardens last night to see the sunset. There's a nip in the air these days and many people had fires going on the beach. The drum circle had a saxophone player with them tonight. He was pretty good. Couples were huddled along the beach and in the grass. There were lots of kids running around.

Over at the pond, the ducks were bedding down for the night but there was a strange one loitering around the footbridge. I suppose his little duck brain remembered Wonder Bread falling from the heavens. He had unusual coloring: a dark green head like a mallard but his body was a dark blue. He had a flash of white on his wing. I know a few ducks but I didn't recognize this one and my little bird guide was no help. I asked him what sort of duck he was but he just paddled over towards the goth kids hoping they might be wonderful to him.

Oh my

2004-09-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Three years later.

What to do?

2001-11-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Christ, now Pam's put a link from PamBlog to BallardBlog and now I have to add something. What, I don't know. We were talking about this and I liked her comment about BallardBlog: "It's always June there." Well, no more. Now it's November.

2001-06-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I knew what to do with BallardBlog, but really what I knew how to do was ignore it. You see, the roses have bloomed and we've had some very nice long evenings and sunsets. Is it any wonder BB sits idle and neglected?

2001-06-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday the other day and Hannah took me, Joyce, and Allison to the Seattle Storm game. That's women's professional basketball for you who don't read the sports pages. It was a lot of fun. There was all sorts of silly hoopla as befits the first game of the season. There was live music by "Hit Explosion," a local band that knows all your favorite 70's funk/disco hits. The team has a blimp that flies around the arena dropping Starbucks coupons onto the fans. The Storm dancers are a bunch of junior high kids who all want to be Britney Spears. A bit worldly, to be sure, but energetic as all get out.

The game was pretty good, too. It was the season opener and both teams (they were playing the Phoenix Mercury) were a bit ragged at times. The Storm stormed to a 30-point lead and then blew away most of it, but they ended up winning. They have a new player, a 19-year old Australian sensation named Lauren Jackson, who you're going to hear more about. She's 6'5", has a smooth game, and is a babe. In fact, all the Storm players are babes. This sex/sports thing goes more ways than one, you know.

2001-06-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Whew! I thought my neglect of BallardBlog meant its death. You couldn't get to it for awhile, but it appears that was a Blogger problem (changing to a new server or some similar compu-alchemy). That's good, because at long last I think I've figured out what to do with BallardBlog. Stay tuned...

2001-04-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

It is cold tonight
The wind blows from the northwest
Better stay inside.

2001-04-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Peering into the BlogFog,
I post this first BallardBlog.