Or - No More Stairs, Please...
How do I start? Well, first off, I got this nice picture from my Granddaughter, Addie, today. It's me!!
I gotta admit, except for the big head thingie, she nailed it!! My nose IS that small and I really, really DO have that much hair!!
You nailed it, Addie!! Thank you for the wonderful picture!!
Hahahaha, that was fun.
What to do today? The weather forecast was for cloudy and overcast in the am with rain in the pm. Prime motivation for getting out early today. But where to go? I hit on an interesting way of finding things to do yesterday.
I went onto Google and just scanned the map looking for something interesting that we could get to. That's how we found Lincoln Park and then, yesterday, how we discovered Madison Park. So that's what I did...back to Google and...there it is.
So I just look for something that seems interesting and accessible. I'm not real big on doing a lot of driving in this city.
But here it was, just a mile or so from Madison Park and that was easy enough to get to. Plus, and this is a big plus, this park has a Conservatory!!
A park AND a Conservatory!!
It was done in the Conservatory, with the rope by Colonel Mustard!!
Win-Win, right!!
And so, after a brisk walk, we were off!! Heading for adventure!!
This is Rainier Ave. S., heading north. Really like the tree-lined streets around this Burg.
To Volunteer Park!!
The City of Seattle got the park area in 1876 for $2,000. In 1885, it was designated a cemetery, but two years later, it was named Lake View Park, and the cemetery was developed on an adjacent plot of land (more on that later). The park was then known as City Park.
In 1901, the park was renamed Volunteer Park to honor the volunteers who served in the Spanish-American War. J. Willis Sayre, a prominent Seattle theatre critic, journalist and historian who had fought in the war was instrumental in renaming the park. From 1904 to 1909, the Olmsted Brothers prepared formal plans for the development of this park.
This popular park includes the conservatory, completed in 1912; a water tower with an observation deck, built by the Water Department in 1906; a fenced-off reservoir; the Art Deco Building of the Seattle Asian Art Museum; a statue of William Henry Seward (of Seward Park fame); and a sculpture, Black Sun, by Isamu Noguchi. From the sculpture you can get a scenic view of the Seattle skyline that prominently includes the Space Needle.
The Conservatory is made up of 3,426 glass panes fitted into a wood and iron framework. This Victorian-style greenhouse structure modeled on London's Crystal Palace. Inside, it is divided into five display houses: bromeliads, ferns, palms, seasonal and cacti and succulents.
Yeah!! It promised to be an exciting day.
PLUS!!
The cemetery they developed? That's where Bruce Lee is buried!! Definitely going to visit Bruce!!
Just getting out of the Mini was difficult. There was so much to see...and to shoot.
FYI, I shot over 400+ pictures today...stop fussing. I didn't use them all.
Most, but not all.
Let the fun begin. Neither of us know what these are but we all, you and I, know they're photogenic.
Ahhh, here's what we came for. The Conservatory!! We'd noticed some remodeling work being done as we came up to the Conservatory.
Hahaha, here it is!!
And, it was closed.
They shut the whole thing down because they're making ADA modifications.
This was as close as we got to any of the flora inside the Conservatory.
Bummer.
These are Anthurium.
But, hey!! There was still Bruce Lee's grave, the water tower, the Black Sun AND the park. We didn't tarry long...long enough for me to grouse just a bit about the closing and we were off exploring.
The Fall Colors were out in force.
And there were still flowers to appreciate.
As we were wandering in what I vaguely recognized as the way to get to Bruce Lee's Grave, we saw some big houses ringing the park
And some of the trees in the park. Look at this!!
And another one!!
Wowsers!!
(I know, what kind of Goober says, "Wowsers!" I guess that Goober would be me. But it was impressive and I couldn't think of a better adjective. Sorry!)
We saw the cemetery but it was blocked by a pretty substantial chain-link fence...topped with some impressive looking barbed wire. So we wisely decided to walk around it and find the entrance. We left the park and entered into...a really ritzy neighborhood.
Yeah, I know.
But I still had time to stop...and smell (and shoot) the flowers.
Yes, I did.
How cool is this, eh!?! A circular staircase just inside the door.
It'd be a bummer to have to live like this, right!?!
And this one.
On the park side of the street were these mature older trees. Gotta be tough having to live next to a major park like this.
Seriously, I quit shooting houses. There were soooo many of these beautiful mansions here. Oh, and we noticed that a goodly number of them either had remodeling going on or had gardeners out in the yard clipping, trimming, hedging or mowing.
A lot of them.
But we made it past Mansion Alley and rounded a turn in the road and found this...
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Cemetery.
This cemetery is situated just north of the Lake View Cemetery. It was established in 1895 by a consortium of Seattle's five Grand Army of the Republic posts on land donated by Huldah and David Kaufman, two of Seattle's earliest Jewish settlers who arrived in 1869.
The GAR posts maintained the cemetery until 1922. when they gave the property, excluding the 526 gravesides, to the City of Seattle.
The cemetery fell into decline because of confusion over the land title. Eventually, the land surrounding the graves came under the jurisdiction of Seattle's Department of Parks and Recreation.
The cemetery holds the remains of Medal of Honor recipient, Frank Bois, who was honored for heroism while aboard the USS Cincinnati, during the Battle of Vicksburg, MS, during the Civil War.
Bois served as Quartermaster on board the Cincinnati during the attack on the Vicksburg batteries on 27 May, 1863. The Cincinnati was hit so badly by enemy shellfire that the ship was sinking. Conspicuously cool in making signals throughout the battle, Bois, after all the Cincinnati's staffs had been shot away, succeeded in nailing the flag to the stump of the fore staff to enable this proud ship to go down, "...with her colors nailed to the mast!!"
A long view of the cemetery with the monument just to the right of center.
James T. Rice, Co. F, 1st Wis. Cav
George, T. Snow
1 Boy US Navy
Civil War
Edward Lend, Pvt, Co I, 6 Wis Vols...Iron Brigade
John F. Blair, Co L, 6 Kans Cav.
We didn't see any gravestones from the Army of Virginia nor any of the other seceding states. I would imagine, if we could talk to these men, there would be some interesting stories here from these men coming home after the War and then moving west.
IN OUR YOUTH OUR HEARTS WERE TOUCHED WITH FIRE.
WE HAVE SHARED
THE INCOMMUNICABLE EXPERIENCE OF WAR.
WE HAVE FELT, WE STILL FEEL
THE PASSION OF LIFE TO THE TOP.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
An American jurist, Holmes was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Wounded three times during the War, he was profoundly influenced by his experiences fighting in the Civil War. Holmes helped move American legal thinking towards legal realism, as summed up in his maxim: The life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience.
We finished rambling round the GAR and wandered off again in our quest for Bruce Lee's grave. Heading up the next street going south, we came to the Louisa Boren Lookout.
And it was...an overlook over Union Bay to the right and Portage Bay to the left.
And further to the right, we could see Lake Washington in the foreground with the Cascades in the back. I even think we might have been able to see Mt Baker, over a hundred miles away, from this overlook.
The Overlook was an unexpected bonus.
We continued wending our way onward...the cemetery had to be somewhere. We headed back up the road on these tree-lined sidewalks.
Past some more beautiful houses. This address was just a nice shot.
And we made it!! Hoozah!!
Standing at the entryway into the cemetery, I realized I'd need just a wee bit of help in finding Bruce's grave and so I turned around and trooped on over to the Lake View Cemetery Offices.
Isn't this a cool building...sorta Frank Lloyd Wrightish.
But I got the directions to Bruce's grave and was invited to sign in on the guest book they have there for visitor's to Bruce's grave. After the guest book is full, they intend to present it to Bruce Lee's family.
There it is!! There's his grave!!
As we entered the cemetery.
In we went...into the Garden of Stones.
Up the road...
...and a turn to the right...
But we finally found it. There's Bruce Lee's grave on the right in this picture and his son, Brandon Lee's grave is on the left.
Shooting from behind the grave, I caught this image.
Here it is...
Another view...kinda odd, where he was buried. You see that small piece of concrete just less than a foot away from Bruce's grave? That's the marker for P.J. Malone, who was born 1837 and died in 1873.
Here's his son's grave.
As to the coins, there are several explanations. One goes back to Greek Mythology where a payment was demanded by Charon, the ferryman of Hades, to carry souls across the River Styx. Another one comes from the Irish. The Black Donnely's who had five family members massacred by another family. Tradition has it that if you stand on a Donnely grave and leave a penny there, they will grant you a wish. Gosh, I wish.
The last reason is a military one revived after the Vietnam War. This one is more popular. If you leave a penny at the grave it means you knew the deceased; a nickel meant you'd gone through boot camp together; a dime signified that you'd served in the same company together and, finally, a quarter meant that you were with the deceased when he died.
No matter what the original intention of the coin-leaver may be, it seems clear that a coin left at a grave is a symbol of remembrance and respect. A way of telling all who pass by that the person buried there was loved and visited often. I like this thought best of all.
Cemetery Selfie!!
It's tough, getting a selfie and still being semi-respectful.
While we were there and while we were taking our selfie, this couple came up and, quite naturally, she admired our selfie extender. This led to a long conversation and these folks are visiting from New Hampshire...they'll be leaving tomorrow but they've had a grand time here in The Emerald City.
A view from Bruce's grave, overlooking the cemetery.
And now it was back to...
We'd made a circle around the back end of Volunteer Park and came back to the Mini.
More of the park foliage.
So we turned south and came upon the Asian Art Museum. Uh, no thanks.
But they did have these neat camel statues on either side of the entrance.
Next up was the reservoir. Fed by the far-off Cedar River, Volunteer Park's place in Seattle's water system has grown less and less vital. The three-acre reservoir has been serving the city since 1901 but recently has been typically used only for drinking water during peak times in the summer. But it is also occasionally more than a back-up. In 2011, northern Capitol Hill's water was being used to augment the city's supply while work on the Maple Leaf Reservoir was completed.
The Black Sun is a 1969 sculpture by Isamu Noguchi located in Volunteer Park. The view from the sculpture features the Space Needle, Olympic Mountains and Elliott Bay.
Ok, this is a quote and it proves my thesis that art isn't so much what you do but how you sell it...
Noguchi envisioned creating a fluid and timeless work what would appear to move as the sun does, creating a kind of a dialogue between the real sun and the artwork itself...Black Sun reflects the artist's interest in circular shapes and in outdoor environments for sculpture. Noguchi rendered the stone to echo the organic forms found in nature.
Like what? A donut?
What a load of baloney. I've seen better organic forms after I've walked my dog around the neighborhood. And had to pick them up.
Still, it does frame the Space Needle...if you're tall enough.
Hahahaha, I was, finally, when I found a step to stand on and zoomed in my camera.
Then this one jumped in for a picture with the Needle.
And I've always been one to recognize a good opportunity so when a woman offered to take our picture, I said yeah. (I quickly sized her up and determined that, should she bolt with the camera, I'd still be able to catch her...if I had the wind at my back and was running on a downhill slope!!)
Carol nailed it, I think. She said it looked like a giant truck tire.
Spot on!!
A long view of The Giant Truck Tire taken from the steps of the Asian Art Museum. Hahaha, look at those silly tourists, getting their picture taken with The Giant Tire.
Another shot of the reservoir. Hmmmm, water's down a bit.
Just to the left of The Giant Truck Tire...aka The Black Sun, was this lily pond. Carol thinks it would make a great Koi Pond. I gotta agree.
Lily Pond Selfie!!
It's Friday and in Seattle that means it is Blue Friday. Everyone wears their Seahawk colors. In fact, in some stores and bars, you get a 10% discount if you wear your Seahawks colors on Friday.
Goooooo, Seahawks!!
Oh, look!! It's a wild Owl!!
Whooooooo...!?!
And beyond the lily pond, there is the Water Tower. It's actually a water tank but water tower sounds so much cooler. Plus, there's an observation deck up there on the top.
See!! Even the rock says so!!
Here's the tower. Doesn't look all that tall, now, does it!?!
Of course not. We can get up there easily!!
Or so we thought. Here's Smiley...at the beginning of the climb. Neither of us would be smiling all that much after we finally got to the top.
Whew!! We made it!!
This is a semi-Artsy-Fartsy shot of the Water Tower's covering.
And this is the observation deck. The water tank is located in the center...the walls and the stairway encircle the water tank.
The observation deck. Used to be the iron gates were enough but now they have installed wire fencing from top to bottom to keep the intellectually-challenged from dropping things over the side. Idiots.
By putting the lens close to the wire and using my zoom, I was able to get this picture of Mt. Rainier off to the southeast.
Using the same massive ingenuity, I got this shot of Elliott Bay and the Space Needle.
And The Emerald City's skyline.
OOOOOkay!! Let's go down.
It was definitely easier going down than coming up. Kinda reminded me of a lighthouse with the circular stairs and the old brick walls.
A detail of the brickwork around the water tank and a plaque honoring L.B. Youngs, a former Park Superintendent.
A look up the tower. What were we thinking of!?! That thing is at least 23 stories tall!! At least!!
Well, OK, maybe it's just 5-6 stories high. Still, that's plenty high enough when you're doing stairs.
OK, a couple of semi-Artsy-Fartsy shots.
Who could resist these leaves.
Or this mushroom.
Hmmmmm, I wonder if it's edible?
Heading back, I saw the faithful Mini...Looking good, Mini-Van!!
Just a shot of the foliage in the park.
Coolio!!
Then, we saw this...
It was a Bonanza of Beauty!! A Fountain of Flowers!! A Cornucopia of Color!!
So, I went crazy a bit. Just bear with me and enjoy the ride.
Aren't these something else!?!?!
Everywhere I looked there were new opportunities!!
If I were a lot younger and a wee bit more ambitious, I'd have really gone at these flowers!!
It was worth it wasn't it!!
All from this little area. Oh, it curls around at the top but not much.
She was just a bit tuckered out by the climb up the water tower. Carol had her Seahawks shirt on but it was a bit cool. Regardless, you can see her Seahawks scarf.
Goooooo, Seahawks!!
I am really enjoying this thing...walking around and seeing with a camera. It gives me purpose and when I walk, I really do see a lot more than I ever did before. I have a reason to get out and get around and it really does fit my budget.
And I get to see things like this!! Who'da thunk to look up!?! Well, Carol for one. But me for the other!! Hahahaha, we work well together.
Here's that statue of Seward. I think this completes the list of attractions I mentioned at the beginning of this opus.
Whew!!
And so, hungry, tired and just a trifle sore from that mountain climb up the water tank, we said good-bye to Volunteer Park and turned ourselves to our next task!!
Finding someplace good to eat!! I punched restaurants into Garmin and she wisely pointed out that there was a Dick's just .9 miles away from Volunteer Park!!
Ahhh, Karma, sometimes you're my buddy!!
We pull in and I shut off the engine, unbuckle my seatbelt and look up and...
...this Birdbrain is standing there, on my hood, giving me the Evil Eye!!
So, what's for lunch, eh?
And he stayed there long enough for me to get my camera, turn it on, bring it up and take three different shots.
Gotta admire that kinda brass!!
Carol Anne trying to decide which Delicious Taste-Treat to order!!
She got the Special Burger and I got myself a couple of Cheeseburgers...with fries and a soda.
Uh, Mmmmmmmm...
Good-bye, Dick's. See you in another year or two.
What a day. I really enjoyed this Volunteer Park. Think how much better it would have been had the Conservatory been open. Regardless, we did it all while we were there:
The GAR Cemetery
Bruce Lee's Grave
The Couple from New Hampshire
Reservoir
The Black Sun
Water Tower & Observation Deck
Dahlia Garden
The Trees
&
The Mansions
It don't get much better than this.
It was a good day.
Life, you know, is good.
Hooah!!
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