Kicking Off Pride Week in Seattle

 There was Sounders Soccer game last night. They painted the steps in a rainbow.

The band played on.

 The Pride Flag was flown proudly. 

 The first 10,000 of us were given arm bands.

 Rainbows were everywhere.

 The rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air.  As my son posted on Facebook, "Pride" is really about freedom. 

 And some extra sparkle. 

 The Emerald City Supporters showed their support. 

We had received an invitation from the Sounders FC organization to spend the last twenty minutes of the game watching from down on the field. We accepted. It would be a new experience. 

Here's for view from the south end zone, field level.

 The ECS was cheering and chanting behind us. Tom craned his neck to make sure I got him in the photo from over my head. 

At times we were right in the action.

Unfortunately, Orlando scored in the last seconds of the game to tie the game and steal our victory celebration. 

But I guess we were just sharing the Pride. 

Of Birds and Bees and Blooms, and That Stinky Flower.

Last week I discovered an empty Junco's nest in the coal bucket planter.

Today as I was out poking my camera lens into things, I flushed out the Mama Junco and discovered four speckled brown eggs. 

 I hope I can watch the development here without bothering the parents too much. They sure do chip-chip at me if I get too close. 

I brought my camera out late this afternoon because I discovered that the Voodoo Lily was blooming. 

 Dracunulus vulgaris, also called Dragon Lily, is one of those blooms of the type that smells like rotten meat. By tomorrow it will be attracting flies, and there are quite a few buds yet to bloom. Stinky, but oh, that color!

 The Bumbles were busy on the spirea. 

 A sprawling type of clematis has popped open. 

 Nature creates amazing color schemes. 

 The volunteer Shirley poppies are popping. 

 Finger mittens for foxes? 

 Delphinium

 Astrantia

 Columbine are nearing the end of their season. I will miss them. 

 Welsh poppies perform all spring and into summer. 

 A hardy geranium rambles and weaves its way where it wants to. 

 A Pacific Coast iris. 

 Yellow water iris, Iris pseudacorus, lives down by the dry pond.

 The two peonies we have managed to keep going.

 And roses - Old English types - are beginning to erupt in their first flush.

 The blue eyed grass I bought at Joy Creek.

 An old Asiatic lily.

 I do believe Summer begins today! I'm ready for some outdoor living!

Sunday Adventure

With our kids dispersed, I planned our own little outing for Father's Day. We drove into the city to the Fremont neighborhood, where each year, on the weekend closest to the summer solstice, Fremont hosts the Fremont Solstice Festival. Fremont is a very funky neighborhood, and so are the festivities. 

The Solstice Parade is held on Saturday. We went once. It is a very popular event, known for its naked bicycle riders and other forms of strangeness. On Sunday the festival continues with an expansion of the usual Sunday Street Market.

Fremont is located on the north bank of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, a man made connection between Lake Washington, Union Bay, Salmon Bay, Shilshole Bay, and the salt water of Puget Sound. With locks to manage the difference in water level, the canal is used for all manor of boating transportation. 

We started off with a walk along the canal. 

 While we were down by the water we attracted this flotilla of Canada geese, who seemed to be looking for a handout. I tossed them a wild pea vine that I plucked out of the bank. Veggies are better for them than bread anyway. 

 A great blue heron watched for food too. 

 Back on the walking path, these topiary dinosaurs seemed to be poking their noses in the display tents.  

 It looks like the Fremont Bridge got a new coat of paint, but blue and orange???

 A racing crew was out practicing. No problem catching the kayak. 

 Hmmm. A pirate ship? I think this one was for hire for cruising. 

 Nice and peaceful here, before the onslaught of crowds to come soon. 

 The statue is of Sri Chinmey, called A Dreamer of Peace.

 He does look peaceful there under the Aurora Bridge. 

 Some of the house boats Seattle is famous for (Sleepless in Seattle).

 A bit of a rest after the first two miles. 

 Looking through the supports of the Aurora Bridge, up to another famous landmark, the Troll. 

 We didn't bother to hike up there this time, so this is the best I can do with my little zoom lens. 

 Another Seattle icon, JP Patches and his side kick, Gertrude. These two wacky guys entertained kids on their TV show for many years.  

 Nearby is the statue Waiting For the Interurban.  It is frequently dressed for the occasion by the locals. The artist, Richard Beyer, adorned the dog with the face of a man with whom he had public disputes. 

 And then we were just about ready for the street market, but first, a stop for a rest at that Starbucks you see on the corner. 

 It was a cool, overcast day, but after walking we were ready for a cool down and enjoyed our coffee al fresco. 

We checked out all of the stalls that interested us, and had nice chats with many of the vendors. I liked the glaze on this pottery. 

 We are always attracted to glass. 

 And succulents and other interesting plants and containers. 

 We stopped in at a plant store, Indoor Sun Shoppe, along the route. 

 I am always entertained watching a blacksmith at work, 

 After studying all of the food booth options, Tom chose a brat, and we went to the Main Stage beer garden for another chance to sit and rest, listen to music and check out our phones, of course. I just had a Clif Bar that was  passed out free along the way, and some water. I was saving my calories for ice cream later. 

We had more to see!

 Tom got excited upon seeing this oyster booth, but he had already eaten. 

 We stopped to check out the Art Car display. 

 Ours is not to reason why..........

 This one was covered with toys.

 There were bugs. 

 And boots...., and who knows what all on this one. 

We returned to an ice cream booth we had seen along the way, got our scoops, and enjoyed them as we made the trek back along the canal to the car. 

We had fun, got tired leg syndrome, and were happy to head for home about 3:00.