Privacy of the Mind

Up on the bluff overlooking the shore at Lincoln Park, if you look in the right spot on the edge of the woods, well off any marked path you will find the lair of a great metal beast that inhabits the park.

Despite several searches, I’ve never been able to find any information on this dragon statue explaining who created it or why it’s in the park.

The weather was just fantastic this past weekend. We’re enjoying a last gasp of summer here in Seattle that I don’t think anyone expected. They’re actually calling for temperatures to hit 81 today! Unbelieveable!

You can bet I’m taking advantage of it to get out with the camera and make sure I keep my backlog topped up. I want to keep posting photos on a daily basis as long as possible. I’m not normally that organized about, well… anything.  I can use the discipline though.

So last night, since I was heading out to grab a bite for dinner I figured I’d go capture more sunset photos. I love sunsets. The light in the late evening is so beautiful and makes for such lovely photos. Hard to resist.

I was just going to head over to Alki again and then it occured to me that I hadn’t been to Lincoln Park this summer. Sounded like a plan to me! Off I went.

I think most of Seattle had the same idea. We have to store up sun and good weather for the winter months after all! Parking was a little difficult but I finally found a spot at one of the outlying lots and hiked into the park.

Lincoln Park is a beautiful spot no matter where you go. Groomed trails criss-cross through the woods and eventually wind down a bluff to the beach. It makes for a great photo outing because you have such a variety of shots available. There’s even a ferry dock next door, so you can catch Seattle’s iconic ferry boats as they ply back and forth.

Of course, the best thing about Lincoln Park is that it’s open late. That makes it an ideal spot for sunset shots. So many of our local parks are gated and close too early to get photos as the light fades. That’s one of the reasons I go to Alki so often. I need to remember more often that Lincoln Park is a good candidate too!

Right now, this great weather is supposed to last a few more days. I might just have to wander back over to Lincoln Park again this week.

What is the most useful gift you’ve ever been given?
My daughter gave me a waffle iron for Christmas last year. We’ve gotten quite a bit of use out of it. It helps that we love fresh waffles. I also recieved a pair of cast iron wall sconces from friends many years ago. The candles they hold have been used regularly, especially in Seattle’s frequent windy season when the power goes out.

Name the most terrifying moment of your life so far.
The day I got this phone call in 2006. 

One hot summer afternoon, while walking through a parking lot at a large shopping center, you notice a dog suffering badly from the heat inside a locked car. What would you do?
Dial 911 and wait by the car for either law enforcement or the owner to show up. If it looked bad enough, I’d consider breaking a window to give the dog air and water.

Feeling manic? Join us!

A beautiful summer-like sunset shot from Lincoln Park in West Seattle.

The Outbreak

Test your survival skills in this interactive, online zombie movie. Your decisions affect the outcome. It’s a bit simplistic, but if you learn anything from watching this, learn that the time to prepare is NOW. Forwarned is forarmed. Don’t become a statistic when the dead rise from their graves to feed on the living.

(Note: contains violence and some language, you have been warned)

A chance shot… this crow flew in front of me as I was shooting something else so I did a quick panning shot on it. The lighting and color are crap, but I was amazed to see I mostly got the bird in focus in the brief moment I had to acquire it and shoot.

I’m not really a dog person, but they are fun to photograph when the opportunity presents itself. Occasionally I get lucky when I’m shooting at local parks and beaches.

Today was lucky all the way around. After forecasting rain for the weekend just about all week, at the last minute it turned into a late gasp of Summer. And now it’s looking nice for the next several days. 

Obviously, I took advantage of that to get out with the camera this morning and will likely do so as often as possible. I’d like to keep doing frequent photo posts so I need to keep a good backlog going!

Sure you’re not getting tired of photos?

This and the previous post the result of a late afternoon visit to Hamilton Viewpoint Park.