Spring in November
Ta-daa! How do you like my new Movable Type website? I've had fun learning how to modify the styles and the HTML to suit my design ideas.
I’m glad I didn’t have to start work today after all, because it’s a warm, nice day. The sun has been shining all day. I drove to the eastside to the library, and on the way over, I could see Mt. Rainier from the 520 bridge. The sun is so far to the south now that the mountain, 100 miles south of Seattle, appears in shadow. You couldn’t make out the snow and rock like you can in summer when the sun shines from the north and west. All you can see today is an inverted triangle of gray shadow, sharply outlined on the blue southern sky. The rest of the Cascade Mountains, to the east and north, are much smaller than Rainier, and they appear today as a sharp ridge beyond the suburbs, with a band of white, new snow along the tops. To the west, on my way home, I could see the Olympics just as clearly, like they were cut out and pasted on the blue horizon, and a white paintbrush had swiped their tops.
I love days that are clear all the way down to the horizon, when I can see that we’re inside a big ring of mountains. The Seattle area is in a shallow, sheltered valley, veined and washed with water, tranquil lakes and salt water that are domesticated and exploited by us, but still wild under the surface. The Sound is populated just offshore with sharks, orcas, and giant octopus, and Lake Washington, the city’s beautiful, sprawling garden pool, has migratory salmon and eagles that soar overhead in season, watching for them. Today I walked along the edge of the lake at Colman Park, where low water has exposed a narrow gravel beach, and I saw two dead salmon, bright red from their recent spawning season. I also saw no less than fifteen shiny black turtles basking on a downed willow in the water.
I crossed the narrow lakeshore boulevard and headed uphill and into the trees. The air smelled sweet from the sodden ground sending up its steam. Colman Park follows a quiet road that climbs the hill in looping switchbacks under the tall trees, and the park trail goes under the road three or four times via old mossy tunnels. Stairways connect you to the next level, and I love the sense of mystery, following the old paths under under the trees. The trees open out just enough to make room for community gardens that climb the hill in terraces before the trees close in again. Off to one side are a few secluded houses with their own curving walks and stairways. Those are some of my favorite houses in Seattle. I’d love to live on the edge of the green park and hear the rain falling on the trees all around.
I took some pictures today with the little point-and-shoot camera, which had some film in it from way back that I wanted to finish up. As usual, if they turn out good, I’ll post some of them. It’s handy to send film to places like PhotoWorks that put the pictures online when they’re ready, because then I can download the jpegs for my website instead of scanning them.
My background check for my temp job just came back today, so I’ll start work on Friday.