Friday 55 & Da Count-They're Dreaming of a White Christmas

FRIDAY 55

Meesh, we coming from Trinidad in December,

we could stay by you?

YES!!!!!!!

 What do you want to do while you're here?

We want to see a white Christmas...

I'll put in my order!

Sit by a fireplace...

It will crackle!

And shoot guns.

After I got done giggling

I promised plenty of ammo and targets.

DA COUNT

With apologies to Suldog for talking about Christmas before Thanksgiving is here.  This week I am counting the blessing of having dear friends I haven't seen in 9 years come visit us next month.  Dean has come to see us alone before but this time his entire family will come as well.  In truth they are more than friends.  They are our family.  Any doubt on that matter should be allayed if you recall the post where I gave tribute to our Trini Mum when she left this world and the one where Dean made it possible for me see her funeral.  I am just overjoyed to have the chance to have them all visit us and try to lavish back on them in some small measure the love they gave us when we lived in Trinidad.  I can't wait to throw my arms around each one of them.

Oh, Canada

We only got to Canada for one day.  We are already making plans for my return trip to Seattle and more time spent in Canada since we didn't get to see nearly as much as we wanted.  What we did get to see was pretty cool though.  I like learning about the history of a place so we went to Ft. Langley, which is the oldest settlement in British Columbia.  That white building there is the storehouse and the oldest structure in the province.




One of the things that surprised me was how many items on display were just out in the open and allowed to be handled by visitors at will.  Since Ft. Langley was settled as part of the fur trade there were piles and piles of pelts in the storehouse along with other things.  I had a lovely chat with a lady in period costume who interpreted the fort to us.  As someone who does that at a local historical site, I enjoyed comparing notes with her on East Coast vs. West Coast and U.S. vs. Canada across a number of aspects. 









Beaver hats were all the rage in Europe at the time of Ft. Langley's settling.  They had one I could model.  I think I looked more like the female version of Slash than a settler.  Vague resemblances to rock stars aside, I really liked how accessible the place was in the way it presented itself.  We had a bit of a chuckle over the introductory movie that gave an overview to the place.  It was not a typical snooze inducing documentary (this coming from someone who likes documentaries). It was kind of cheesy in an endearing sort of way but it was also engaging and I could see folks retaining the facts it presented more readily.  So hats off to the folks of B.C. for making history fun and for the relaxed approach.  Here on the East Coast there's a level of formality to the presentation of history that is sometimes off-putting, though I hasten to add I do understand why the National Archives doesn't want some dude with greasy fingers from his super-sized meal fingering up the US Constitution.

Since the demand for beaver hats tanked not long after the founding of Ft. Langley and the winters there are mild enough that the furs produced are not high quality they turned to timber, cedar especially.  Ah, trees make me happy.  The feathery greens were so pretty.













We thought we'd have more time to explore a bit of B.C. but it got late so we headed back to the U.S.  Getting into Canada was a little interesting since Thing Two was with us and the Canadian border patrol was afraid Logo was kidnapping her own son.  The Canadian authorities were at least pleasant about the process.  One guy was downright apologetic for the trouble.  Returning to the U.S., we were greeted by a seriously surly American border guard.  Really, dude, a couple of middle-aged women and a 12 year old boy in a minivan strike you as a threat? This picture and the next one were taken at the Peach Arch Monument.  This one is from the Canadian side. Thing Two and I dashed off to take a quick looksee while Logo circled the parking lot avoiding the $10 parking fee on the American side.

Now this is the part of the post where you all pat me on the back and commend me for not getting myself hauled off and strip searched.  Logo and I presented out ID and were asked where we were from respectively.  We answered and then the guard wanted to know how we knew each other.  Now all of you understand online friendships can be normal.  Stern border guards have a narrower understanding of life in general so Logo and I looked at each other wondering how exactly to explain this.  Meanwhile in the backseat, Thing Two offered, "The Internet!"  Aforementioned U.S. border guard immediately became more suspicious in his demeanor and growled, "Care to elaborate on that?"  Dear reader, you KNOW what I do to memes therefore it is safe to assume you KNOW that every cell in my body yearned to give a snarky yet chipper, "No, not so much!" as if I were truly being offered an option in that question.  Fortunately, a few cells in my brain fired off before my mouth did and I was able to avoid a cavity search because, as I considered a more suitable response, Logo told the guy we met in a chat room and before I could make some wise ass crack about it being an Al-Qaeda chat room she clarified that it was a trivia room and we were sent on our way.

And Now for Something Not Completely Different....

We're going to move OUTSIDE Seattle today.  First we'll hit Ballard Locks, which connects the Puget Sound via the Ship Canal to Lakes Union and Washington.  We weren't there long because the weather was cold and rainy but hit just at the right time to see some vessels large and small go through the locks.

I thought this one was especially charming.

Some very groovy sculpture at the locks.

After seeing Ballard, where fish climb ladders we went to Fremont so we cold climb a troll.

I went mining for gold.

and found....something....

Fremont is a funky place.  I mean that in a good way.  Lots of art.  Lots of grooviness.  There's a giant statue of V. I. Lenin even.  Apparently the statue was purchased by a local artist who saw it in a news picture after it had been toppled as the communist regime unraveled.  He recognized the tremendous skill in producing the work and wanted to preserve it not so much because he was a fan on Lenin but because he hated to see the product of a skilled artist destroyed. 

This plaque was at Lenin's feet.  I can't even venture a guess as to why or what it means.

Even the sidewalks in Fremont are groovy.

Another day, Logo took me on a winery tour. That was a first for me and I learned a few things in between watching a tour guide become increasingly irritated with a bozo of a tourist and watching the antics of said tourist.

Which winery?   Well, my own, of course.

And since it was my chateau I went out amongst the vines with my camera...I have to inspect my grapes don't I?

Seattle Sights

On the rare occasions I get to travel to someplace new my preferred way to see the place is through the eyes of friends who live there so they can show me what they love about a place.  Susie and Logo both had favorite places so they each had their own take on the place.  Then I showed up and added my Lime twist.  Here are just a few non-Needle related stops through out the city.  (The Needle is later.)

The Central Saloon is the oldest in the city.  Logo and I had a very yummy lunch there.  May I also add one of the things I really appreciated about Seattle and surrounds was the seemingly sincere desire of servers to actually serve patrons cheerfully.  Every restaurant I went into from the cheapest hole in the wall to the fanciest place they all brought water immediately and kept the glass filled.  At home I'd have to beg for a single glass and sell my soul for a refill.  Seattle servers are also more than happy to give a table as many separate checks as desired.  Around here, requesting such a thing might lead to you having your food spat upon.  Yeah, simple things but it made dining out the pleasure it ought to be.

Chief Seattle.  I learned during the Underground Tour that his name is actually pronounced more like a cat horking up a hairball and that he reluctantly allowed his name to be given to the city.  Initially, he resisted on the basis that calling his name after he was dead would mean he'd have to respond and he'd never get to rest in peace.  The city fathers offered him $500 a year for life to convince him.  They figured he was not long for this world.  He was swayed and lived another 15 years or so.

Not that I ever wondered especially what one of these looked like but now I know.  The Curiosity Shop is a very groovy place down on the water front.  It's filled with things like preserved whale penises, mummified dogs, a tooth collection and other weird items.  In other words, I was in heaven.  Very fun place.

Pennsylvania doesn't have a lot of obvious Native American relics around.  Geographical names are about it.  It was neat to see more prolific evidence of that culture.  Of course, it also brought out the silly in us sometimes, but so did things like restaurants, museums, bookstores, markets....ya know, it doesn't take much for us.

We didn't actually go in here but the Pacific Science Center looked really pretty all lit up at night, didn't it?

Gees, those totems are just all over the place!

Walrus gargoyles.  Now how cool is that? 

Please feel free to offer a caption for this particular shot.  This is the audience participation part of this post, your reward for sticking with me.

Of course I did have to do some touristy things.  One was the underground Tour which was given with great humor by an Elvis impersonator.  I learned all about the "seamstresses" (wink wink nudge nudge) who came to Seattle to serve all the "dressmaking" needs of the original settlers, who all happened to be men.  Oh, and I learned that folks scheduled their toilet usage around tide schedules so they didn't get blown off their crappers by a high tide surge mid-squat.  I love when history is presented in a down to earth manner that makes you laugh.  Anyway, this picture was just a groovy detail from underground.

And the bookstores.....Lord have mercy, there was an independent bookstore on every other corner.  It made me so happy.  Excuse me, I need just a moment here to revel in the bliss that was abundant books at affordable prices.....revel....revel...revel....ok, I'm back.   Now here's one of my favorite signs from a bookstore during my visit.

Art Therapy

After experiencing 10 days of Seattle under Logo's tour guiding ability I am convinced she missed her calling.  Before I came she asked what sorts of things I was interested in and came up with a tentative and flexible schedule of things to see and do.  She asked if it looked good.  I said it looked great except for the part where I only got two hours at the Seattle Art Museum.  She assured me it's all the time she needed when she went there and I reminded her she has regular, frequent access.  On the other hand, I was suffering from severe art deficiency and would require more.  She thought maybe I was kidding until I told her I'd only been to two art museums in the last 5 years.  She then agreed this was a dire situation.

Here then are some of my favorite bits are art from SAM and other venues.  One of the things I loved about Seattle was the proliferation of art in incidental places.

What should be in one of the first galleries but a piece of tie dye work on exhibit.  So for all the haters out there.....tie dye is art!  Woohoo!

This was a watercolor scroll depicting a Chinese banquet.   Only part of it was unrolled and the detail of what was revealed made me want to see the rest of it, not to mention how it made me hungry.

Trees speak to me.  This was a detail of a large aboriginal tube intended as an ossuary.

I was anxious to see some art from among the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest.  SAM had a lovely collection but this mask was among my favorite items.

This was a west African gourd bowl of some sort.  I loved the colors and textures.  The exhibit label said they weren't sure what its intended purpose was and they welcomed input from visitors.  You just KNOW how tempted I was to offer some goofy meme-ish explanation...

Seattle is known for art glass and the museum had a nice little collection.  Logo loves glass too so I told her she needs to come east so I can take her to the glass museum on Corning, NY. 

Moving on to the Islamic world I loved the intricate details of this pen and ink set.

This rendering of the Last Supper by Rubens just spoke to my soul.  I've never been a great fan of Da Vinci's version because it's not how I pictured that moment in my own head from reading the Biblical account.  This much more closely aligns with my imagination.  The intimacy of that meal seems so evident here and I just love the use of light.

This coat was constructed entirely of dog tags.  It was kind of a moving thing to consider.  The painting to the left was also a pretty profound work in my opinion.  It was called Loser + Clark and was a commentary on the effects of western expansion.

One of the very cool things about Seattle is how much artwork is all over the city.  Yes, I know I can go to any city and see statues and such but in Seattle it seems more commonplace, more accessible, and less pretentious. In my mind that makes it more wonderful and more easily appreciated.  Manhole covers were an example.  Yes, I drew a few giggles for taking pictures of manhole covers but look at that....it's way groovier than standard issue manhole covers.

And check out this light fixture on a wall near the market.  How cool is that?

One afternoon Susie and I went to the Olympic Sculpture Garden.  It was pretty blustery and rainy so we didn't linger too much but we were there long enough to spot a Freak in the Box.

I gotta say, some things considered art I don't get.  Susie and I agreed this one didn't make a lot of sense. It just looked like some sailor forgot some ropes.

This was one of my favorites.  It's supposed to represent ships.  I got yelled at by a docent for touching it when I tried to peek out from behind one of them in kilroy fashion.

And although it was rainy it would seem that in Seattle even the rain is art!

Freaks in the Box Thinking Outside the Box

Some folks in my 3-D life think it's kind of odd that I have these on-line friends for about a decade and we've never met.  Some think it's odd that I even refer to them as friends. Some asked if I was nervous about meeting Susie and Logo.  Some wondered how we'd get along.  Some were sure we'd be awkwardly staring at each other searching for words.


At first we were a little confused about how best to interact. We are just a bunch of socially misfit Freaks-in-the-Box, after all. Once we got to the hotel we tried chatting like we always had.  I mean it's worked pretty well for 10 years, why wouldn't it work now?

The hotel only had free wi-fi in the lobby though so while we were in our room it was a challenge.  This chatting thing was going to be impossible.  We weren't sure how were were ever going to communicate without functioning computers.

Fortunately, Logo brought some Gentleman Jack so once we broke that open conversation flowed pretty easily.