Saturday, June 28, 2014

Picnic at the Park

We found ourselves a nice little park that sits on Lake Washington right next to the landing strip at Renton Air Field. It's neat…a small grassy area with a great view of the lake and the planes landing at the Air Field.

I'm gonna call it the Will Rogers/Wiley Post Park because they have a small memorial to those two men in the corner of the park. It was from this field that they took off on what would become their last flight up to Alaska. 

The plane, which Post fabricated in part at the Renton Air Field, stalled trying to take off from a lagoon near Point Barrow in Alaska and crashed killing the two men instantly.

Bummer.

But for us it's a fun place to watch the wind whip the lake and the planes, both land and sea, take off and land.

But, first, our story starts with an afternoon visit to the doctor. Things checked out OK. A lot of blood tests to make sure things continue to work well.

Got a referral for a biopsy on this thing on the side of my head. It's nothing but I'm glad they're taking a look at it and we're doing it early. 

They're also checking out that darn Thyroid of mine. Doggone under-achieving Thyroid.

It was another sunny day in Seattle.


It's just the way things are.  

I promise, I only shot these while the car was stopped at a red light.


But, look!! Just two hours later and it's sunshine and light!!

When we got there this fellow was giving a class on seaplanes to two young men. So, naturally, Carol had to go and find out what was happening.


De plane, Boss!! De plane!!

(If you're of a certain age you know instantly what TV show that line came from.)

(If you're not…Bummer!)


Then it was the delicious and healthful Tuna Melt sandwiches. The special for June. On wheat bread, with spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, pickles, olives, and other healthy delights!! Oh, and cheese. Gotta have some cheese.


Still, we were aware of what the seaplane was up to. We are nosy. 


The most interesting thing was the skies. Dramatic. Skies.


Some more drama. In B&W. 

Hahaha, thought you'd get away from it, didn't you!!


Clouds. 


D.R.A.M.A.


And…the seaplane. With clouds in the background.


It's a picnic so I brought a blanket and, naturally, being the guy I am, laid down on my back.

And, took these pics of the dramatic sky.


Also just a little bit because I'm lazy. With a emphasis on lazy. I mean, you just lie there and take pictures. What could be easier? Taking a nap, maybe, but no pictures then.


Some more drama. There's something fun to just pointing and shooting that little camera around. What else are you going to do on a picnic?


Then he took one of the guys out in the seaplane and they rode around in circles.

On the lake.

I suppose it's part of the training process.

Hahahahaha….

I go around in circles all the time and I NEVER got any training for it.


By the Trailer Park they have a small marina. 


If it's good in color then it must be great in B&W, right!?!?!

A wee bit more, drama…

(Same pic just different cropping.)


OK, which one is crooked? The old boat or the island in the background?

It is not a high-class marina.

C'Mon!! It's a trailer park fer cryin' out loud!!


A detail of the boats.


Still going in circles...


Looking more to the East.


More clouds…you sensing a theme here?


And, a detail of the boathouse at the trailer park.

Dramatic, eh?


Even more so in B&W. No, really.


"Why won't that damn seaplane take off? It keeps going in circles!!"


And, finally, this.

I don't know, I thought it'd be more interesting.

But, you can find some drama here if you look real hard.


It was fun. We laughed a bit and got out for a while. The Tuna Subs from Subway weren't all that bad. The weather held off…we felt just a few sprinkles when we were leaving. 

It's the small things that add up to something big.

It is.




















Wednesday, June 25, 2014

IKEA

Tuesday is Movie Day. Every Tuesday. Movie Day. 

There's a good reason for Tuesday being Movie Day. Real good reason. Y'see, Tuesdays at Regal Theaters is Free Small Popcorn Day.

Hooah!! Serious!! A Free small popcorn!! 

If I turn in the coupon while ordering my BIG BUCKET OF POPCORN and my soda, I get a good discount on it. The BIG BUCKET OF POPCORN that is. Mmmmmmm, movie popcorn. Smells good and tastes good. Mmmmmmmmm.

Anyway, before we went to the movies, and we went and saw Monuments Men, more on that later, we went to IKEA to help kill an afternoon. The movie didn't start until 1630.

Anyway, LSS, (TLS), I've been playing with things, photographically that is. I'm trying B&W and shooting for patterns, colors. Trying to enlarge my range from 'scapes, architecture and flowers to some other areas.

We had a good lunch, I ate way too much. and then we took our time walking round the store looking at this and looking at that. It's fun to window-shop. 

Carol doesn't take many pictures any more. But that doesn't mean she doesn't get involved with my picture-taking. She's always on the look-out for an interesting angle or shot or theme. She enjoys my photography and helps me to conceptualize it. It's fun.

So, here's the product of our walk around IKEA. It's hard to resist rearranging things on the shelves but all we did was move a couple tags out of the way here and there. Otherwise, everything is just as it was in the store. 

Ready?

Let's go!

Oh, before we begin, there's a shot in color…and flowers. Can't avoid flowers, too. 

Here's my van. Not bad for an eight-year old van, eh? Just a play with colors.


And, now we're at IKEA. They've done a nice job landscaping around the rather drab and bland building. Oh, did you know, IKEA has one of those signs on the freeway, you know, the kind that announce a tourist attraction on the next exit.

They layered their flowers and coordinated the colors. Pretty neat, eh?


A detail. Carol calls these Hummingbird Flowers cuz, evidently, the hummingbirds like 'em cuz they can stick their beaks easily up into them. Mother Nature, go figure.


And, Marigolds. (I think) (I keep mixing them up with Zinneas)


OK, so, we made it into the store. First order of business was lunch. I had the Swedish Meatballs. I know, a cliche, but it's so good. Carol had some kind of spinach lasagna and we shared the fries.

It was busy.


We could tell school's out. You can't see it too well here, but there were lots of kids. Lots. Kids. Noisy. Kids.


Soooooo, busy!!


OK, now we'll start. First up kitchen things.

Looking for color and patterns and, really, just having fun. 

Full disclosure (FD), we did arrange a couple of these so the little scan labels didn't show.


I think these were table cloths. Too much yellow. 

Whadya think?

(FD, we moved a couple around)


So, then, we saw these. Well, Carol saw them and I shot them. 

Interesting pattern and great color, right?

Look between them…Dora the Explorer!! Dya see it!?!?!

Hahahaha, cool. Didn't notice that until we got the pictures on the computer.


OK, good in color, let's try B&W.

Completely different experience in B&W. 

Completely different.


Still in kitchen.


And, some more. 

Who knew IKEA was so colorful!?!


Haha, still in Kitchen.

Small bottles…for something.


If it's good in color then…what about B&W?


And, finally, for kitchen, at least, this one. 

Linear patterns…maybe.


Then we moved into Lighting.

Lamps.


More lamps.


More lamps.


And, a couple of hanging lamps (background) through a glass lamp base.

Creative all OVER the place!!


Two different views of…lamps.

            


Saw these hanging lamps through these other…hanging lamps


And, finally, these. They had these old bulbs stuck in an acrylic box with a modern, energy-saving but aesthetically sucky new style bulb on top. Big time.

Give me an old-fashioned incandescent light bulb any day.


OK, I don't know where this is but they were like hanging…things. For putting stuff in. I think. But they were colorful, weren't they!?! Yeah, they were.


Bathroom towels. Patterns.


Pillow covers and sheets.


And, pillows.


And, more pillows.


And, uh, more, er, pillows.

But an interesting pattern.


A carpet.


Baskets. 

I should of shot them in B&W. Ah, shoulda, woulda, coulda...


And, some more baskets.


OK, here's some B&W. These pitchers were towards the end, by the candles.


And, we were out. Except for lunch, I was able to make it through without spending any money. Hooah!! A significant victory!!

And I got to see these clouds…in the sky. 

Y'know, clouds are almost as interesting as flowers. 

Hmmmmmm….


As for Monuments Men, it was good. It was entertaining and it was good. Despite John Goodman. He is a one-note actor. 

And, c'mon, Bill Murray!! Quit mailing in you performances. 

George was OK and Matt was not irritating. But the movie was good. Honest.

Haha, well, there it is. IKEA in patterns and colors. 

Quit gripin', cheez!!