Hideous Belltown

Your Sunday Squirrel

2012-01-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

OK, here's a blurrel. Most of my shots look like this. This is the fellow from last week, the one I had to coax down from a tree. Since I haven't seen any squirrels since then, I'm just rationing my footage. Next week's offering will be far less blurry.

No Mo Sno

2012-01-22T18:22:00.001-08:00

This was the only shot I took of the snow. I was headed to work on Wednesday morning. I'm sure the local news had much more compelling footage from the outlying areas. Here in Belltown, things were really quite normal. Of course, once the snow was over, this whole neighborhood was really kind of, well, ugly. That's OK. I don't live here for the scenery - although the Darth Vader Building is always quite compelling. I'm doing a temp job down on Western Ave. and I was the only one in my department to make it in this week. That's the thing about living and working here: you never have an excuse for weather-related absences. That's OK. My apartment was freezing anyway. So that was the snow. Here's a funny shot I took on Friday:

It's a snowman that's melting in back of the Taco del Mar at 1st & Blanchard. Poor Mr. Snowman! Well, he's in a better place now.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2012-01-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

I finally found a squirrel in Denny Park. Saints be praised! I had to coax him down from his tree, but I got some good shots. You'll notice here that he's not too keen on looking into the camera. That's OK, because he has a nice profile. I gave him a peanut and he went way the hell back up in his tree. This is what he looked like:

Pardon the lack of sharpness. I had to use near-maximum zoom, because he was so high up. I was able to lure him down again for more pictures. I'll post those next week. Enjoy.

Belltown Snow!

2012-01-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

Angry car is angry!

You know, right after I posted that previous entry, it really started to snow. A few short hours later and Belltown was briefly a Winnuh Wonnuh Lan. Here is the largest snowy expanse I was able to find at 2nd & Virginia:

These are other shots:

Wouldn't it be cool if all this stuff froze? What chaos that would be! Anyhow, enjoy it while it lasts.

Snow!

2012-01-15T10:25:00.001-08:00

This was the scene up in Snohomish yesterday. I was taking down my parents' Christmas decorations. I guess you could say that we had a white Christmas cleanup. And if there's gonna be snow, it'll be up in Snohomish. Without snow, it would just be Homish.

Suddenly...

2012-01-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

...geese!

This was the scene down at Lake Union yesterday morning. Canada geese are big - really big. Unlike a lot of other birds, they're not too wary of humans, so they just swim around and honk at each other and ignore everything else - including that seaplane in the background. Did that concern them? Not at all.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2012-01-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

From the archives... And yes, this is the same guy as last week. Look how friendly he is! You know, these last few weeks have been an exercise in futility. There are no squirrels in Denny Park. I've been there more than several times and the guys in gray are nowhere around. So you get this wonderful fellow climbing up on the bench to sit next to me from several weeks ago. Is he in focus? Is that important? If you think he is, then he is. Please enjoy.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2012-01-01T11:56:00.001-08:00

I realize this guy is a little out of focus. Don't get me started about my inept focus-bot. Anyhow, here we have a shot from the same session that yielded the months of October AND December for this year's calendar. That's right, it's the same squirrel. And here he is again.

I've been to Denny Park several times over the last few weeks and I've only seen a grand total of one squirrel. And he wasn't particularly friendly. I hope they're all on vacation somewhere or in their trees watching football and not, y'know, dead. That would be a shame. But there is always hope with rodents. They're very tough, they reproduce quickly and they have mad skills. I'm sure 2012 will be a very good year for squirrels in Denny Park, as long as there's not too much heavy equipment in there.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

Here was the scene last night at the Space Needle:

It was a very nice show. The crappy cell phone quality only enhances the pyrotechnics. And the yelling from all the surrounding drunken idiots is muted out for everyone's sake. You know, last year I predicted that 2011 would be good and it was. I wrote a bunch of great tunes, recorded an album and got on TV. This year looks to be even better. (Plus, I put out a very nice squirrel calendar.) Sure, it would have been nice to sell more albums, get some airplay and garner a bit more attention for my efforts, but I still fee like I've accomplished a lot. So I'm declaring 2011 a year of victory and hoping that 2012 continues with the good stuff. I'm set to record my next album in February and that will probably come out in April. It's gonna be good.

Anyhow, that's the year redux. You know, the fireworks were so good last night, I'll just include all my 18-second videos. Yeah, my phone is THAT old. Here goes:

And shortly after this, I realized that I was missing the show because I was taking videos and not experiencing it. The end.

Happy New Year, all.

So Long, Splash Lounge...

2011-12-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

...we hardly knew ye. Well, it was a short life for the place. It opened in July or so. Things were initially very quiet, but I really believed that it would pick up clientele. It didn't. This morning I saw a bunch of people load its furnishings into a U Haul truck and drive away. So it's the end again for the place across the street. That's showbiz, I guess. The big question is what it's going to be now. OK, so if we refer to the past, maybe this might help any future potential owners.

1. Saito's: wonderful sushi and various other yummy stuff. So authentic that it became a hangout for the Japanese players on the Mariners after games. It stayed open for years and only closed because Saito decided to do high-end catering.

2. V Bar: pretty good pho, but they weren't too adept at keeping order. It did mad business but fights and shootings came to dominate. They were open less than two years, closing when they couldn't get their liquor license reissued.

3. Splash Lounge: a short and uneventful life. They had almost nothing on the menu, so it was just a place to drink and hang out. On most weekends, it looked like it was just half full.

OK, so which place stands out above the others? That's right, Saito's. If they make it into a great restaurant and not some booze palace, it could possibly do well. True, it's not the greatest location in the world, but it could work.

One More Thing

2011-12-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

OK, it's still Christmas and everything. I just pulled up in front of the Rivoli and, whaddaya know, two guys were smoking crack in the doorway of Action Small Appliance right next door. Ah yes, it can't be Christmas without a little crack smoking, I guess. At least that's how they do it in Belltown. Anyhow, I still wish you a Merry Xmas.

Merry Xmas...

2011-12-25T16:36:00.001-08:00

...from me and Creepy Bunny.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-12-18T21:19:00.001-08:00

Well, this guy was pretty shy, but he did consent to this photo. Sunday Squirrel will take Christmas day off - all the squirrels will be worshiping Squirrel-Jesus and not running around Denny Park, so just wait another week and hopefully, I'll be able to lure some more friendly fellows down to the ground with some delicious peanuts.

Toys Today...

2011-12-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

I was at Toys R Us at Northgate today and I caught this curious sight:

This is part of the Journey Girls Action Play Set. There is an entire section of the store devoted to this stuff. We've got a wheelchair, crutches, casts and sundry items. Wow, kids in wheelchairs. That's great. On a related note, my Christmas shopping is just about done.

After Hours

2011-12-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

Completely out of self-interest... Enjoy!

P.S. I play saxophone on this.

A Superb Sunset Today It Was

2011-12-13T20:12:00.001-08:00

I think that it's enhanced by the crappy cell phone quality of it all. By the way, this was down at 1st & Union.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-12-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a little fellow standing up and looking kind of strange. Not to worry, though, squirrels - like dogs - look at you from all kinds of different angles to activate certain parts of their little brains. OK, so they're not really bright, but they are a lot more fun than smarter animals. Plus, they can climb trees like nobody's bidness.

I Finally Got on the TV!

2011-12-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

It's happened at last! We filmed this thing way back in October and I've been waiting and waiting for it to air. It was on yesterday evening and guess what? Nobody from KING told me! Oh, well! It would have been nice to give people some advanced warning, but it's at their website, so no harm done. You can see it here. Sorry, it's not allowing me to embed. I'm kind of a little surprised at how it turned out. I mean, it's actually much, much better than I expected. I give the impression of being a sane person with something coherent to say. Honestly, I had a blast filming this whole thing. The two guys I worked with were fun and professional. And then I went back to the grind and awaited my moment. It arrived last night. Anyhow, have a look.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-12-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

The squirrel says: "These are all mine; the leaves, the twigs - all mine. Do you like them?"

I was lucky enough to run into a few squirrels this week. There were all these guys from the Parks Dept. ranging around with metal detectors. The squirrels didn't quite know what to think about these developments. But they were hungry enough to ignore them.

Oh and in case you're wondering, my squirrel calendar is still for sale. You can get it here. You will be glad you did.

After Hours

2011-12-01T22:53:00.000-08:00

Potap and Nastya Kamenskikh. Lyeto (Summer)

This is like Vern Fonk Vision gone completely haywire. And the best thing is that you can sing along with it. OK, it's not Shakespeare, but what is these days? In case you don't know, Russia is totally like this: no grinding poverty, superstition, or authoritarian government; only nice weather, swimming pools and women who show lots of fanny. Enjoy!

After Hours

2011-11-29T10:46:00.000-08:00

I've been watching The Ricky Gervais Show lately on DVD. It's pretty weird - basically, it starts as a podcast and gets animated into a cartoon. I'm a little surprised that Ricky Gervais looks like Fred Flintstone, but if he doesn't mind, who cares? So they just sit around and ask Karl Pilkington questions. At first, I thought he was just stupid. That's not the whole story. OK, he might not be very smart, but he also has a breathtaking lack of imagination. They ask him a question - any question - and he can only answer back with another question. Eventually, he'll launch into a long, drawn-out answer that makes no sense at all. This is my favorite one right here, the "blind ghost" answer. In earlier episodes, I thought that Gervais and Merchant were being kind of mean to Pilkington, but by this episode, I began to admire their restraint. The one thing about Karl Pilkington that's nothing short of incredible is that he is completely even-keeled. He never gets angry or annoyed and always talks in that lilting semi-monotone. Nothing bothers him. When he tells a story that makes no sense or sounds like an idiot, he doesn't care. That's kind of admirable. But then Gervais and Merchant swoop in with the ridicule. And Pilkington just digs a deeper hole. I can imagine that some of these conversations go on for hours. We just get the edited parts.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-11-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight on a very special Sunday Squirrel: the squirrels of Cost Plus. I know that photos of rambunctious, twitchy, unpredictable tree rodents are always preferable, but I found very few at Denny Park this week and when I did, I was camera-less. At Cost Plus, however, they did have a selection of squirrel-related goods. Here are a few of the items I found:

This scene wouldn't happen in nature, as squirrels and hedgehogs would run for their lives from owls. Still, it's nice to know that they get along on gift bags. The squirrel below is a bit too stylized for me. It looks more like a lemur. But what, I ask you, would a lemur be doing with Santa?

These are some abominable snow squirrels. And finally, a squirrel ornament:

As you can see, it's the only one left. I was going to get it, but it was six freakin' bucks. And the squirrel is brown, not gray, so no. My apologies for no real squirrels this week.

Meanwhile, at 2nd & Broad...

2011-11-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

This sounds like the worst thing ever:

I know that they're trying to differentiate the two, but it caught my eye the other day and got me to wondering what a lemonade burger would taste like. I'm guessing pretty awful.

The Calendar Is Here!

2011-11-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

Behold, this year's cover-squirrel! He's Mr. April. There are 11 others, as well. Hey, what kind of calendar editor would I be if I didn't have squirrels for all 12 months? That's right, a pretty lousy one. But in this calendar we have some of the best Denny Park squirrels from this year. Here is a sampling:

This last shot is actually my computer's desktop. That's how much I like it. And as a matter of fact, this little fellow is not only Mr. October, he's also Mr. December. Yes, he was very friendly/hungry. You can see all next year's squirrels at my rather desolate Cafe Press store here. A full year of local squirrels will run you $16.99 plus shipping. Yeah, it ain't super-cheap, but I'll tell you, this year would have been a hell of a lot worse without squirrels telling me the date/day of the week. IF you feel so inclined, you can also purchase a t-shirt of this year's Mr. November. It's a very good shot of a rather sleepy-looking squirrel. I have one myself and I wear it all the time. OK, so once again, Sunday Squirrel Calendar at Cafe Press. They make wonderful gifts but sub-par Frisbees. Damn straight.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

OK, so I have the calendar photos selected and sized. I just have to remember my CafePress password and we're in bidness. Until then, enjoy this shot. It again features the very friendly fellow who has been your Sunday Squirrel for more than the last month. He's also scheduled to be Squirrel of the Month twice. I'll give him the two best months. I haven't decided what they're going to be yet, but he'll have them.

Two Things

2011-11-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

You know, I've had a sum total of about two conversations all week. That's it. I feel like I might be forgetting how to talk. When this happens - and it has been more recently - I tend to go to where people congregate. It's not like I strike up conversations with strangers or anything, but rather that I feel a bit more re-attached to the human race. Of course, if I make small children flee and old people cry with my mere presence, then I suppose that's cause for concern. It hasn't happened yet, so hooray. I decided on a trip to Uwajimaya for dinner fixins and the Market for sundries. I knew that both places would be absolutely mobbed. And they were.

It's been an intense week. I was on a revision jag that had me eradicating music and lyrics that I've considered finished for well over a year. It was one of those cases when my focus is so narrow that I lose time. It's like I start in, I do stuff and suddenly it's two hours later and I'm working in the dark. That's what three days last week were like. I got a lot accomplished. And when it's over, there's a letdown and a period of adjustment. That's today.

Anyhow, as I was walking down to Uwajimaya, two things occurred to me. The first is that yesterday was the sixth anniversary of the best gig I've ever had. We were playing up at Julia's on Broadway. For some reason, everything worked. I can't explain why it did, but it was like no matter how fast the tune was, I always had time to think about each and every note. My side guys, Hans and Chris, sounded super-excellent, too. But as my luck would have it, owing to a light snow overnight, the place was completely deserted. I think maybe seven people came in all evening, which is weird, because it's Capitol Hill and people are there all the time, rain, shine, snow, hellfire. Well, it was also Veteran's Day, but I don't think that was much of a factor, either. Whatever the reason, nobody showed up. So we had this superb gig that no one except the fine employees of Julia's heard. That's always the way it is. You've got a large-ish crowd (I can't say "huge" because I've never played in front of one of those before), and you sound like crap (and nobody notices), but you always sound superb playing to an empty room (and nobody also notices, because there's nobody around). That's what happened November 11, 2005. But I haven't necessarily lost the magic in the intervening time; July 3, 2010 was the second-best gig ever. So legendary gigs are still possible.

The other thing that struck me on my way to the ID is that I have broken my own record in the annual Rivoli Heating Derby. See, every year I make a mental note of when I switch on the heat in my apartment. In 19 years of living in this dump, the earliest has been September 23rd (I remember because it's Coltrane's birthday) and the latest has been November 10th. Well, that previous mark has been shattered. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not sitting here shivering, trying to best some meaningless milestone. Oh no, that would be - what's the word? - ah, yes, stupid. To tell the truth, I've developed a greater tolerance for cold. I guess that's what it is. God knows, once the thermometer rises beyond 58 degrees, I overheat. It's only logical that I should be more comfortable at lower temperatures. I don't know how to explain this other than I might be turning into a walrus. I haven't gained any weight, but it might explain the tusks.

So this is what happens when I don't have conversations for most of the week. The way things are going now, with a dreary winter ahead of us and people going into hibernation and such, I predict a lot of weeks like this one.

Bird Swarm!

2011-11-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

This, like many things, has nothing to do with Belltown. You know, I remember a few years back how there was this great push to eradicate starlings from the Seattle area. The argument was that they were a messy, invasive species and not good for much of anything. After all, they weren't colorful and didn't have an interesting song. Well, it turns out that if you get enough starlings together, pretty incredible things can happen. Here's how they behave out in the countryside. I swear, if you stare at it long enough, they will seem at times to be governed by a single intelligence. Oh, and please excuse the sappy Pachelbel Canon. That was not my doing.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-11-06T17:44:00.001-08:00

I'm almost nearly hard at work on the new squirrel calendar. I just have to finish a tune about regicide. For the time being, here's more of last week's friendly squirrel. And yes, I'm also going to post the last few photos from my road trip. I can't believe it, but I have no pictures from either Jackson or Pocatello. Well, with the latter, you're not missing much, but I thought at least I'd take a few shots of the town's many, many jewelry and candy stores. Anyhow, that's all forthcoming.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

So many people have come up to me and asked, Hey Igor, how was your Halloween? Many, many people. I tell them that it was fantastic, I was in Edmonds and my friend Kris was in town and so forth, but for you, sweet people, I have the chance to show you with pumpkins. I carved (most of) them. Here they are by day:

OK, so ho-hum. But by night, it's a different story. Observe:

Yeah, so this turned out to be very nice. There was a lot of gory stuff in the yard, but I kind of missed all that. We had a very nice time, scared many kids and basked in the satisfaction of a job well done.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-10-30T16:16:00.001-07:00

Exciting news for squirrel calendar fans! In about a week, I'll be done with my brand-new Sunday Squirrel calendar for 2012! It will feature all your favorite squirrels from the last year, many of them engaging in such squirrel-like activities as eating peanuts, climbing trees and waiting for me to give them more peanuts. If you enjoyed this year's calendar, you're very likely enjoy next year's even more - although I guarantee nothing. One thing's for sure: the Denny Park squirrels haven't gotten any uglier over the past year. Anyhow, it's so much fun to have a local squirrel tell you what day it is. And this year, you can get in on that action! Just gimme a few days to throw it all together. And by "throw it all together" I mean: "create it with all the care and skill I'm capable of mustering." So you have been warned!

Beyond the Mammoth Site

2011-10-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

I just want to say again how very nice the mammoth site was. The great thing about it is that you can drop by every few years and there will be all kinds of new discoveries. So with that done, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone: catch some older bones and visit a state I'd never been to.

So I went to Nebraska. Let me tell you, there's a whole lot of nothing in the western part of the state. And that's how people like it. If you like grasslands, then you should definitely visit. My objective was the Agate Fossil Beds.

In the 19th century, a rancher noticed a bunch of weird bones on his land and wired some university-guy for help identifying them. The result was pretty stunning. They uncovered a vast array of species from around 19 million years ago. The most numerous of all were at least 30 pony-sized rhino skeletons. They also found 6-foot tall carnivorous pigs, bear-dogs and strange horse-ancestors that had three massive claws on their front hooves. Here some photos:

That's a carnivorous pig and below is the strange horse-ancestor:

And of course, a bear-dog:

One of the bigger mysteries in the area were these spiral formations all over the place. They looked like this:

At first, the experts thought these were left by plants, but soon figured out that they were the burrows of ancient land-beavers known as palaeocastor. It lived some 22 million years ago. These formations were at one time all over the place and were dubbed "the devil's corkscrew" because why not? Here's a picture of an old-timey guy looking at one:

This is what a lot of western Nebraska looks like:

It's all pretty scenic/desolate. Speaking of that, I went back to Hot Spring via South Dakota's Badlands. That's also known as "taking the long way home." The Badlands are these fairly dramatic volcanic(?) formations that rise up all over the place in a large area of SD. At the time I took these, I thought they were pretty awesome, but on further review, they just look like countryside. Well, you be the judge:

So that was the rest of the day. Thanks to another wrong turn, I had to go through Rapid City, otherwise known as "the big city." All in all, it had been a very good foray. There were many bones as well as a healthy dose of Badlands.

The Mammoth Site

2011-10-24T17:37:00.001-07:00

OK, this place was the prime attraction for me. Sure, Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore are majestic and make us all swell with national pride, but this place is super-interesting. And it was practically right next to where I was staying in Hot Springs. See, 27,000 years ago, there was a tiny seismic event that caused hot water to bubble up and form a pond. The local animals quite enjoyed that, it being an ice age and whatnot. Mammoths dropped by to eat the thick grass that grew around the pond and take a dip. Sometimes they couldn't get out. It was a bad way to go. They would starve to death while predators waited nearby. This pond was around for around 700 years. To date, they've found all kinds of bones (including predators), but most notably, they've unearthed 59 mammoth skeletons. So far, they've identified three woolly and 56 Columbian mammoths. Yes, there was more than one kind of mammoth. I didn't know that either before I visited the site. Apparently, the Columbia mammoth looked a lot like this:

And this is what one looks like without any skin or guts:

They were pretty massive; something like two feet taller than an African elephant, which is about as large as a woolly mammoth. Of course, what they call the "ancestral mammoth" was bigger than the Columbian mammoth by another three feet. So that was one very large creature. Anyhow, the place kind of looks like a bankrupt church from the outside:

But on the inside, it's an active dig. They give you a tour and it's really quite unforgettable, because, y'know, there are tons of bones everywhere. Some are immaculately preserved; others are just a jumble. This is what it looks like:

The thing about mammoths is that they had really weird teeth. Here's the story and an example:

So they've found 59 skeletons. Funny thing, they're all male. It seems that mammoth society was exactly like elephants are now: the females travel together and the males go off on their own. So they would just wander into the warm pond and never come out. Poor guys. Well, it was 27,000 years ago.

They've drilled down to see how much farther the site goes. It's pretty staggering. So far, they've excavated 22 feet down. The drilling indicates that there are bones for another 45 feet. Who knows, they might even find a mastodon. They haven't yet. Anyhow, there's an exhibit about mammoths off to the side. This is what it looks like:

They were also really big on miniature mammoths. There's this phenomenon that happens when animals get stranded on islands. They get smaller. It happened to dinosaurs. It happened to horses on the Shetland Islands. And it happened to mammoths. This fellow's bones were found on Catalina Island in California:

When they originally found him, they thought they'd unearthed a one-year-old baby, but his bones and teeth revealed that he was quite old. So presto, mini-mammoth! They've also found similarly-sized guys on Wrangel Island in Russia and on some other island that I can't remember.

This place was simply stunning. I highly recommend it. You know, if you're feeling paleontological, you can volunteer to help excavate. I'm seriously thinking about it.

OK, so that was just the beginning of the day. There is more to follow tomorrow.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-10-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

I've been cooped up all day writing music and such, so by around 5:00, I really had to take a walk. As I'm wrestling with a few nagging musical problems who comes my way but a squirrel. At 2nd & Vine. How unexpected. Carrying a very large acorn in his mouth, he scurries past as some phone zombie nearly steps on him. Of course, he climbs a tree. And of course, I take his picture. In this shot, he's upside down and in profile. After that, he hops around the corner, off to other adventures. I hope he gets back safely to his home tree with his large acorn.

Here is another shot of the friendly guy from a few weeks ago. I hope I run into him again sometime soon.

Oh, and I made a wonderful, accidental discovery this week. I stumbled onto the Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology the other day. I like birdsong. I live in the middle of a city. Songbirds avoid urban centers like the plague. But I still like birdsong. Anyhow, little did I know that Cornell has a massive archive of animal audio and video. Of course, I typed in "squirrel" and got a zillion results. Did you know that there's a squirrelfish? It doesn't look anything like a tree rodent. But that's what you find out when you're being non-specific. As I went down the list, I saw lots of gray and red squirrels, but one particular species really caught my eye. It's called Prevost's squirrel and it lives in Southeast Asia. This particular fellow is from Indonesia. Since you can't embed the video, you'll have to go here to see him. Isn't he handsome? He's kind of a mix off all kinds of squirrels, but still very distinctive. Enjoy.

Road Trip 1

2011-10-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

So yeah, I've been remiss once again about blogging. I have a good excuse, though: I got to do an interview on Evening Magazine. One of the reporters heard my album and figured I was worth a feature. I ended up having a blast with these guys. The story should air sometime in November. Of course, I'll post the exact details when I find out myself.

Before any of this happened, I took a trip. See, for the last year, the farthest I've been away from Seattle has been Snohomish. I was getting a little antsy, so I rented a car and headed east. This is the car:

It's a Mitsubishi Galant. It really wasn't a bad ride, although the handing was a little weird. In my mind, the steering was a little over-sensitive and the suspension was more on the unresponsive side. But still, it was comfortable enough and it got me there and back. What was the whole point of this? Well, I wanted to see the mammoth site in Hot Springs, SD. I'd read about it in Smithsonian Magazine and really wanted to go. Plus, I had spent all too brief of a time in SD two years ago and wanted to see more of it.

The first day was just driving. My goal was to get as far as Billings. I got as far as Big Timber, about 80 miles short of Billings. There are two things wrong with that town's name: 1. it's tiny, and; 2. there are no trees for miles in any direction, so God knows why it's called Big Timber. However, Montana is known as the Big Sky State for good reason. Have a look:

Note the bigness of sky.

The next day was packed with seeing all the roadside attractions. First up was the Little Bighorn battle site. The Indians call it Greasy Grass and since they won, that's probably what we should call it. Here's what Last Stand Hill looks like from below:

It's pretty unassuming. I mean, there's very little to indicate that one of the most famous battles in our nation's history took place here. Of course when you get to the top of the hill, it's a different story:

They put up markers wherever they found a dead guy. They go all the way down the hill and towards the river below, because the cavalry guys were retreating as fast as they could. By the way, you can see Custer's marker in the top photo; it's the one with the dark paint on it. Most of them looking like this:

Most of the dead guys couldn't be identified, so there are lots of these. There are others that have been added more recently, here are a few:

Of course, for a guy from Seattle, a sign like this was a real treat:

Rattlesnakes, how quaint! I didn't see any, by the way. Here's the Indian memorial that commemorates the tribes and individuals who took part in the battle:

My favorite name of all - and I can't remember which tribe he was from - was a warrior named Guts. You know, we've come to expect such brave fighters to be called things like Noble Eagle or Proud Bear or such like, but no, this guy was named Guts. I hope his name suited him.

I could have gone done the road to see where Major Reno hid out, but I decided to head out. I really recommend Little Bighorn (or Greasy Grass); it's well worth a visit. OK, so next stop was the Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Here it is:

It beats me why there's a post office here. I mean, it's in the middle of nowhere. Maybe the tower gets a lot of junk mail. Who knows? Anyhow, here it is again with America in the foreground:

Look at how much taller that flagpole is than the tower! I didn't stop to climb it - the Devil's Tower, not the flagpole - because that would have been insane. Instead I headed to neighboring SD. The first stop was Deadwood:

As you can see, it's a quaint enough place. It's also a total tourist trap. I took these photos out the window, which is why there are bug smudges. I really didn't want to get out, lest I fall into the trap of tourists. I was actually much more partial to neighboring Lead. It's a little more run-down and a lot less infested with casinos and fake nostalgia.

Of course, any visit to the region requires a stop at Mt. Rushmore. On the way, I took a wrong turn, but fortunately, I happened to drive through a really nice part of the Black Hills. Trees were changing colors and this is what it looked like:

Yeah, it was real scenic and all. After I got un-lost, I ended up at Mt. Rushmore towards evening. The place was almost empty. Here's what it looked like:

If it had been during the day, there would have been like a billion tourists here. But there were only about a dozen people:

And in case nobody's said anything, there isn't a house above all the heads. No, that's North by Northwest. It's a movie. It isn't true. No house.

OK, so after this, I got pretty severely lost (again). But while I was regaining my bearings, I saw three squirrels. They were small, brown/black and they wanted nothing to do with me. They weren't interested in peanuts and not at all friendly. Fair enough. I eventually made it to Hot Springs and stayed at a motel almost right next to the mammoth site.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-10-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, I went to Denny Park. I didn't expect much. On the way, it rained really hard. I actually had to take cover for a time. But it passed and I continued on to the park. I walked around. It took a while to spot the first squirrel. I gave him a peanut. Then another appeared. And another. They were all very nice. They also didn't attack each other very much after I gave them a peanut. It was a good session. Here is another shot of a different squirrel:

OK, so he's slightly blurry. He was very quick. But he did stand up and look around. And I'm glad he did.

By the Way...

2011-10-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

I often forget that this blog is about Belltown. And when I remember, I usually dispense old news. This is no exception. OK, so the Cinerama is in the midst of their 70mm Festival. I was gone last week, so I missed the opening phase. Fortunately, they're repeating most of the films. You know, I've never been a cinemaphile. Sure, I like movies like everybody else, but I would seldom go out of my way to see old movies in the theater. Well, that all changed this summer when the Cinerama had their Kubrick-fest. I only saw two films - A Clockwork Orange and The Shining - and that was enough to change my mind. I had only seen The Shining once on TV over at a friend's house. I wasn't impressed. It seemed completely stagnant. I was bored by it. However, when I saw it at the Cinerama, it was a completely different experience. It had my complete attention and watching it on a screen that size gave it a completely different dimension. By the time it was over, I could honestly say: "Yeah, that film is a masterpiece." I'm hoping that I'll have a similar experience with these films. Here is the schedule for this week. I'm going to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang this afternoon. I haven't even thought about that film in about three decades. I just remember it as rather weird and creepy. And it costars Benny Hill. Tomorrow night, I'm planning on seeing Lord Jim. I've heard absolutely nothing about this movie other than that it's based on the Conrad novel and it stars Peter O'Toole. After seeing The Shining on that huge screen, I'm really looking forward to further offerings from the Cinerama. After all these years in Belltown, the one thing that consistently cheers me up is the Cinerama.

And Speaking of Squirrels...

2011-10-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Tree rodents were representing in the baseballs playoffs. Of course, everyone is curious as to how this guy got there and what he was trying to prove. Well, maybe he just hates baseball. Lots of people do. I don't. I'm just indifferent to it. Of course, if the Mariners didn't suck so mightily I would totally jump on the bandwagon. But alas, that's not bound to happen, mainly due to the fact that third-class cities produce third-class sports teams. Sure, there are exceptions. Look at the Tigers. And, more shockingly, the Lions. It can happen in a post-apocalyptic nightmare like Detroit, but it won't happen here. The Mariners won't win the World Series and the Seahawks won't win the Super Bowl. Not ever. That is my prediction. But squirrels will always subvert the dominant paradigm. Damn straight.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-10-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from my nifty little road trip. I'll post a recap in the next few days. In the meantime, enjoy this shot of last week's jumpy/friendly little customer. In case you're interested, there are squirrels in South Dakota. They're dark brown/black and smaller than what we have here. And unlike their cousins, they have no interest in peanuts. They also disliked my car and me. Hey, it's a free country.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-10-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

A day early! I'm heading out of town tomorrow, so I'm posting today. Last Thursday, I finally had some good squirrel luck at Denny Park. Have a look at this jumpy little fellow here:

He turned out to be quite friendly. So friendly in fact that he was soon hopping up to sit next to me. I gave him many peanuts, which he would run off to bury and then come rushing back again and again. Here's the best shot of them all:

That's him enjoying a peanut about a foot away from me. After that we parted company. I hope he remembers where he hid all of those peanuts.

After Hours

2011-09-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Kinks. Victoria

Because, well, why not? OK, so Ray Davies' long hair didn't look so good, but that is counterbalanced by the addition of a horn section, so it all works out. Hooray! But seriously, it's one of the best songs ever.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-09-25T17:42:00.001-07:00

I really, genuinely went to Denny Park today, but due to the aforementioned breeziness, there were no squirrels in sight. They tend to hunker down in their trees when the wind starts to blow. That's probably not very pleasant, what with the tree swaying and shaking and whatnot. Once again, we visit the archives. Enjoy!

Breezy!

2011-09-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

You know, it's with a certain amount of sadness that I bid goodbye to summer. True, it got off to a lousy start. June was depressing and most of July was a complete write-off. For once, August was the star of the summer show. That doesn't happen very often. But now, it seems that it's just about time to bid farewell to my shorts. Don't worry, I'll be wearing pants. That's still a few days away, though. Although the semi-sweltering weather is over, I hope we can look forward to more blustery days like today. If I recall correctly, last November was storm-city. It was as close as this lousy town gets to real weather. I hope that's the case this year, too. I much prefer heavier weather to gray and drizzle.

Anyhow, I was strolling by the McGuire today and notice that some of their netting had come loose and was flapping in the breeze. This was the scene:

OK, I'm not the most observant person in the world, but I swear to God that the place has gotten shorter by about two stories. Well, so much for my picture-a-day of the McGuire shrinking down to nothingness.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-09-18T17:55:00.001-07:00

I worked last week, so I only had one chance to visit the squirrels at Denny Park and they weren't being too sociable. So once again, we dip into the archives. Please enjoy this darling tree rodent and his seeming concern for something off in the distance.

Here's Something That Isn't Completely Stupid

2011-09-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, I discovered quite by accident that if you show up at the south end of Lake Union at a certain time, you'll see a whole flock of sea planes land one after the other. It's really quite a sight. I guessing that the planes spend the night up in Kenmore. But with the beginning of the day, they're needed on Lake Union, so five or so of them swoop in, land and moor up at Kenmore Air's dock. They usually land anywhere from 8:30-45. I've only seen them on Saturdays, so their weekday schedule might be different. Here's what one of those planes looked like yesterday:
It's tough filming them land because they put down right in the middle of the lake. But it's a reason to walk to Lake Union fairly early in the morning. Speaking of Lake Union, a week ago I was just sitting around waiting for the planes to show when I saw something in the water. At first, I thought it was a log, but it was swimming. It turned out to be - get this - a beaver. OK, so there are beavers in Lake Union. That's kind of cool.

I Survived the Stranger Genius Awards!

2011-09-17T17:39:00.001-07:00

OK, I'm not important enough to get an invite, but my friend Jim is, so we showed up to witness the carnage. The Moore was smelling fairly old last night, in case you're interested. This was the scene on the stage when I arrived:

The reason for the crowd was that the food and booze were up there. Here's a better shot of where they were giving out free drinks:

I went last year, but that was a lot different. For one thing, there were a lot more people. And there seemed to be much more enthusiasm. Last night was sedate by comparison. After a fashion, they got down to handing out the awards. Here's D.K. Pan holding perfectly still for about a minute:

It was a little bit awkward, a guy not moving or talking or anything, but it eventually ended. It was just a prologue to what turned out to be quite a short ceremony. Here's a bad picture of my favorite Stranger writer, Paul Constant:

And here's a slightly better shot of Jen Graves:

And those are all of my photos. Like I said, the whole ceremony was notably brief. Last year, one recipient in particular, Jim Woodring, gave a wonderful, funny and rather lengthy acceptance speech. This year, there was none of that. Everyone pretty much collected the loot ($5,000 and some kind of trophy-thing) and waltzed off.

You know, for the last two months, I've been trying to get someone - anyone - on the Stranger staff to listen to my album and write about it. So far, my efforts and repeated follow-ups have come to nothing. Although there were plenty of Stranger-folk milling around last night, I figured that wasn't the time or place to flog my disc to them. I think I was wrong. After all, it's a worthy effort. People seem to dig it quite a bit. I should have probably cornered somebody about it. But I didn't. Oh well, another opportunity squandered. At least they had free booze. That was worth something.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-09-11T19:12:00.003-07:00

Here's a variation on a photo from a few weeks ago. It's really neat how the squirrel blends in with the pavement. Enjoy!

I Did an Art-Thing

2011-09-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is a photo from the beginning of the NEPO (open spelled backwards) 5k Non-Run in Occidental Square. These guys are on this large contraption that was supposed to be a mobile finish line that was supposed to meet us at the end on Beacon Hill. Well, the sign was there, but the contraption apparently didn't make it. The design seemed cool; there were all these people pedaling it, but it was very slow and terrible on hills. Anyhow, that was the beginning of the event at around 2:30. Three hours later, we were done. What this turned out to be was a combination art/performance walk. I walked with my friend Jim and his brother Andy. It was really quite excellent. Some of the performances weren't that great, but it was a beautiful day and everyone was in a good mood, so gripping performances didn't really matter. I forgot my camera and only ended up taking two pictures with my phone. There was simply too much to document. This is the other picture I took:

I'm pretty sure this wasn't part of the art, but maybe it was. I didn't ask, because who the heck loses an iguana? Anyhow, I walked through parts of Seattle that I seldom encounter. We ended up on Beacon Hill shortly before 6:00, rather weary, but with a feeling that Seattle isn't completely boring. This was really a great event. My praise to all those who organized this.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-09-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

Why, it's a chubby little squirrel in a tree eating a peanut! Once again, this is a visit to the archives. I'm truly sorry, but the present cast of characters at Denny Park now is still too twitchy, therefore, not particularly photogenic. This fellow may still be around, but my bet is that he's on vacation. My best guess is that he's visiting a national park, perhaps Yellowstone or Yosemite. There you can find many a good tree to climb.

Hot Crane-on-Crane Action!

2011-09-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

Did you know that it takes a crane to make a crane? Well, it does. And sometimes it takes two cranes to un-make a crane. Yesterday was a prime example of that. I went out for a walk in the morning and when I hit 3rd & Cedar, this was the scene:

As you can see, a very large crane is taking down an even larger crane. I believe the building's name is the Alto. It's a popular size of saxophone, so why not? The building itself is quite unattractive; it looks like some kind of expensive Scandinavian air conditioner. But the de-craning was quite dramatic. Here it is from another angle:

I think that this was all taking place more than 200 feet above the ground. Once, however, the various pieces and components were removed, they were deposited on Cedar St. where they were loaded onto a flatbed by a second crane. Observe:

It's a little tough to see there, but that's the other crane in the foreground. I saw some of the action and then I left. All in all, yesterday was a fine day for cranes in Belltown.

The Sign Is Up!

2011-09-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

OK, so if you've been anywhere near 2nd & Blanchard, you know that Zoe is long gone. They've moved up to Capitol Hill and good luck to them. What we're getting in their place is from the minds that brought us Spur. This is not a bad thing. I've only been to Spur for drinks and they're consistently delicious. I highly recommend the Martinez with a twist. Anyhow, they're doing some intensive work on that space, so I'm expecting great things. Zoe was simple and functional; I have no idea what this will be. I only know that they start work shortly after six every morning. It's not a problem, as I'm already up and thinking of the pros and cons of going to the gym. (The pros usually win.) They should be open in just a few more short weeks. Let's all wish them the best and patronize them whenever we're rich enough.

I've been dying to saying this: The reason why I'm cold is because I left my coterie on my boaterie. What sparkling wit!

Yet Another Album Update

2011-08-30T20:39:00.001-07:00

For all you wonderful Belltown people who need new music, you can purchase Greater Seattle at Bedlam. It's a total bargain. You see, I've been looking into this: your average album of today's young-person music generally contains anywhere from 8-12 tracks, which has taken a young-person music group somewhere in the neighborhood of two years to generate. On the other hand, Greater Seattle has 17 luscious tracks, took just a bit over two months to write, lasts over an hour and, if you buy it at Bedlam, will run you a mere ten bucks. Honestly, that makes it superior to all young-person music. It's quicker, stronger and better. And I don't mean to toot my own horn, but you will like it. If it were a politician, it might become governor or perhaps secretary of the interior. It is the SOTI who is in charge of all squirrels and that would not be a bad thing.

I do not drink coffee, but those who do whom I trust tell me that Bedlam makes a delicious cuppa. For those like me, I would go with the vanilla rooibos. It has never disappointed me. Both of these will go down better if you buy Greater Seattle. This album does not suck. I assure you.

Et Tu, Marco's?

2011-08-29T17:26:00.001-07:00

Shocker! It appears that Marco's is closed. Wow. They've been there forever. And by "forever" I mean around 20 years. I've been there several times and it was always good.

Of course, I could be mistaken about this. They could be remodeling or something. There's no "for lease" sign up. But restaurants don't usually paper up their windows without some sort of explanatory signage. Heck, even Dope Burger eventually posted a sign. Well, this is a rather sudden thing. You'll have to imagine a Belltown without Marco's.

Oh, the Humanity!

2011-08-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Pardon the photo from my obsolete cell phone, but this is news. The last time I walked past this place it was open. Now it isn't. In case it doesn't ring a bell, it's close to the corner of 1st & Battery. It used to be swanky, swanky Cascadia, where deals were made and money was no object. Then it became this tapas place. It looked decent enough, but I never went there. Funny thing, whenever anyone says "tapas bar," I instantly think they're saying "topless bar." My hearing isn't so great sometimes. Anyhow, it appears that 1st & Battery is the place where restaurants go to die. First there was the Del Rey - OK, that was a bar - then Twist and Ventana, now this place, whose name I never committed to memory. Strange, because all the restaurants next door in that Belltown Court complex all seem to be thriving, from Bisato to Belltown Pizza to La Vita E Bella and they've all got a rather inconvenient bathroom configuration. Unfortunately for this tapas place, even having a toilet brought to your table probably wouldn't have helped.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-08-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

Once again, from the archives. Please enjoy.

Another Film at the Rivoli!

2011-08-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

OK, so this picture doesn't look like much and apologies for that, but yesterday there was yet another film crew at my building. It wasn't exactly the Rivoli proper; it was at Action Small Appliance. They're my downstairs neighbor. Yay!! I knew something was up yesterday morning when there was all this door-slamming and sounds of equipment being hefted. Later on, about half a billion production assistants showed up to say things over walkie-talkies. I thought for sure that the See Sound was being used for retakes of that Kristen Bell-Aubrey Plaza epic, Safety Not Guaranteed, but no. It's a completely different movie. This one is called Eden. According to the mighty IMDB, it stars Beau Bridges (currently the lesser of the Bridges brothers) and a chick with a very large forehead. I did not see either of them or anybody else in the cast (whose names do not sound familiar) on the sidewalk in front of the Rivoli. Evidently, they had need of a small appliance store and Action suited them fine. It's nice to see the film industry return to Seattle. We kind of screwed ourselves over in the mid-90s and everybody simply shifted up to Vancouver. Having a film set here every so often makes it seem like a city.

More Kind Words

2011-08-23T16:20:00.001-07:00

This comes from - of all place - Mercer Island. James Crossley of Island Books took a liking to Greater Seattle and decided to blurb it AND sell it. Here's what he has to say about it. I also did a mini-interview. I hope I sound smart. Book-reading people like that sort of thing. So if you're on Mercer Island and you really need a copy of Greater Seattle, there's a place you can get it.

Founders Day - One and Done?

2011-08-23T16:13:00.001-07:00

There was no Founders Day this year! Did anybody notice? I sure did. Last year's inaugural fest was pretty cool. I just figured the experiment was over. But not so! You just have to wait till next summer. That's right, plan to be around August 11 & 12 of next year. These days, everybody's got a block party. Heck, even South Lake Union has one now. Belltown deserves one and someday - I'm getting a little delusional now - it might even rival the Capitol Hill Block Party. But for the present, we have to wait for next year.

By the way, what is that little fellow up there? Is a bug-like human, a human-like bug or just a guy with four arms and dirt for a body? I'd really like to know.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-08-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Once again, we visit the archives. It hasn't been for lack of trying, sweet people. It's just that these little squirrels are so skittish that they run from everything. I mean, they're frightened by peanuts. Peanuts! Well, I'm hoping they'll come around this week. They know me well enough. Until then, enjoy a squirrel who didn't scare quite so easily.

Igor Gets Reviewed!

2011-08-21T17:51:00.001-07:00

News flash! Somebody likes my album! And he lives in Portland. You know, my friend Jim and I have been trying our damnedest to generate interest in this silly town for this album, which is about this silly town and we're running into what I call the "Seattle Syndrome." Either people aren't interested or they're interested just to a point and no further. But no one will tell you anything. They simply won't return calls or emails. It's kind of frustrating. I mean, I'm sending copies to people who make a living from writing things about Seattle. This is a thing about Seattle. And as far as I know, nobody's done something like this before. So far, it's been a struggle. But things are looking up. There's this review from the East Portland Blog (where I saw that great Nabokov footage). He drops the g-bomb in the first sentence and although I'm flattered, I tell you that it is completely untrue. It's kind of ironic that the first person to review it comes from Portland, but Seattle, you had your chance. Like I said, things are looking up. I got interviewed by Pacific Publications last week. It should be appearing this coming week. They publish all these community newspapers in the area. Heck, they used to be right here in Belltown. But that spot is now occupied by the Moda.

OK, so pardon my frustration at the lack of attention. I'm sure these things will take time. We're trying very hard to get airplay. It's a pop album. Once again, getting people to listen to it is an immense challenge. Still, it's something that I'm very proud of and I'm not going to let myself be discouraged by the Seattle Syndrome. It's nothing personal; it's just the way many folks in this town operate.

And should you want your very own copy, go here.

After Hours

2011-08-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is a two-parter. I didn't even know this existed. Thank you, internet! I saw this on the East Portland Blog (more on that in a second) and couldn't resist. You know, Nabokov was famous for never speaking off-the-cuff. In Speak Memory, he describes all the hijinks involved just talking on the phone and how his language skills desert him in his hour of need. He wrote down just about everything he was going to say to anyone (except maybe his wife), so it's quite thrilling to see him in the midst of a discussion with Calvin Trilling and a host-guy who seems to possess a brain. Sure, he does a lot of stammering, but that's all part of his charm. What I've long dug about the guy (besides his ethereal writing) is his funky accent. He was a Russian who studied in England, settled in Germany, then France, the U.S. and finally Switzerland. While he tried very hard to sound English, he ends up sounding oddly Scandinavian. His Russian accent is very much in the background. I have a cassette of him reciting his poetry and reading from Lolita and it's quite intriguing to listen to, as he speaks in this very clipped way that makes him sound quite German. Anyhow, the guy was a genius. OK, so I don't care for Pale Fire at all, but The Gift, The Defense, Invitation to a Beheading and, of course, Lolita are all masterpieces.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-08-14T19:23:00.001-07:00

I've been writing a hell of a lot of music this week, but I was able to visit Denny Park a few times. I kept running into the same gang of squirrels. There were three of them - all quite little and skittish. There was no way they were going to let me take a photo of them. Every time I reached for my camera, they were off up a tree. Once again, we visit the archive. I like this picture. Though this fellow is small, he has his dignity. Please enjoy.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-08-07T17:43:00.001-07:00

Here's another shot of the very friendly fellow I met not too long ago. He was the one who very boldly took peanuts right out of my hand and wasn't weird about it. And golly, he really liked to perch on that bench. When I left, he was still up there, hanging out, doing squirrel stuff.

Once again, apologies for dipping into the archives, but hey, I made an album! That's gonna be my excuse for everything from now on.

Hey, I Made an Album!

2011-08-06T17:19:00.001-07:00

The truth can be told! One of the reasons that my blogging and squirrel photography have been so remiss over the last three or four months is because I've been recording an album. It's a bunch of songs about Seattle; 17 in fact. I made this CD not because I adore this place, but kind of the opposite. It was a blast to record and it turned out about 98% of how I wanted it. And I assure you, it doesn't suck.

I know that I don't exactly advertise my musician status very often. Well, now I am. I'm a musician, I made an album and you can listen to various and sundry previews here. And if you feel so inclined, you can buy a copy. If you don't like Bellevue (and honestly, who likes Bellevue?), you'll enjoy this CD. Check it out. It's the best thing I've done since the squirrel calendar, which incidentally will return this November.

Suddenly...Zoo!

2011-08-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

Funny story, true story: my friend Andy is turning a certain age and for this grand milestone, he decided to go to the zoo. Unfortunately, I got the day wrong, so there I was, a grownup alone at the zoo. Gee, that doesn't look suspicious at all, does it? What to do, what to do? Well, it helps if it appears like you're looking for someone. Or if you walk really fast everywhere, which is kind of difficult since so many people there are either very old, very young or very fat. So that's what I did and I made the best of my dunderheaded error. Here are pictures:

A giraffe. Another giraffe:

A very serious-looking patas monkey:

An elephant:

An orangutan:

They also had fake life-sized dinosaurs. They were kind of cool:

It costs another three bucks to see them, but it's worth it. And the exit for this exhibit really is through the gift shop.

After that, I saw a miniature panda cow (that's really what they're called):

And a bunny rabbit:

And then I left.

Torchlight Parade!

2011-07-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well, the parade is back. And not a moment too soon. I mean, the weather has been so crappy that it barely seems like summer. If not for the parade, nobody would be able to tell. For once in many years, I was there before the festivities started. I usually just wait for parade-noise and wander over. Just like at the Edmonds Fourth of July Parade, this one began with cops on motorcycles. But in Edmonds, there were only three. Here in Seattle, there were more:

Soon there were guys with flags:

And an Alaska Airlines float with accompanying flight attendant drill team:

I have to say, their routine was pretty hilarious.

The grand marshal was Drew Carey. I don't know how he landed the job, as he's famously from Cleveland and whatnot. All I can tell you is that he's no Bob Barker. Pardon the bad photo:

There were also strangely dressed horse-folk:

My sister used to ride and show Arabian horses back in the day, and there was a part of just about every show known as "native costume." Looking back, it seems an exercise in silliness; American teenagers dressing up like belly dancers and riding horses. These people bear no resemblance to that practice, so I'm stumped. But gee, they sure looked strange. The horses didn't seem to mind.

Here's a nice shot of Dow Constantine:

I think he's from here and not Cleveland.

Behold! The bus of the future:

I'd pay $2.25 to ride that!

You know, I didn't take pictures of the various princess floats (they have princesses for every kind of produce under the sun) from communities all over the state and beyond. It didn't seem that important. Sure riding on a float and waving seems like a lot of fun, but it really doesn't resonate with me. I also don't get drill teams. I fail to see their point. Most of them last night were out of step with each other. It just seems to be an activity that makes no difference to anyone except those who participate in it. Of course, if the North Queens save us from a killer robot attack, I'll revise my opinion.

OK, so there was also the fire department bagpipe band:

I turned the sound on for this one, because there's nothing sweeter than the shriek of bagpipes recorded by a cell phone.

There weren't many balloons present last night, but I always like to film them ducking under the traffic lights. Here's Holland America Lines' orca:

And this is from American Family Insurance:

There was also a Blue Angels balloon, but surprisingly, it didn't float. What a gyp! A non-floaty balloon. Your tax dollars at work!

There were more horse-people. These are from the Sheriff's Dept:

Then a plane flew very low over head. I don't think it was part of the parade. The pilot was probably just trying to get a gander of things:

Then came proud Mexicans:

They had a horse contingent and although I didn't get any shots of it (though I really tried), they had this fascinating way of stepping. The horses, I mean. I have no idea what they call it, but it's very slow and ponderous. It was a real crowd favorite.

There was also Chief Diaz:

Apologies once again for the bad photo. I tell you, that guy moves faster than a squirrel, so my camera had troubles. I wrote a song about him. More on that in the next few days.

And it's not a Seafair parade without Seafair clowns. Here they are:

They weren't scary. But they also weren't particularly funny.

Every year, I always hang out until the dragon shows up. By that time, I'm usually all paraded out. It starts with the girls' drill team. OK, so I featured a drill team:

And then the dragon shows up:

They ran around and passed by and that was the parade for me. The end.

Sure, I'm missed the pirates (I heard them just fine) and the hydros, but I saw the dragon. I say again, the end.

Oh, and this year there were still no actual, genuine torches. There used to be.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-07-31T10:41:00.001-07:00

The Denny Park squirrels are still on the elusive side. And I seem to forget my camera on the same days when they're in abundance. So here's another fellow from the archives. Enjoy!

The Big Hole Gets Bigger!

2011-07-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

They've been doing quite a bit of digging at the former site of the greatest movie theater in history. It going to be a very large building. Let's hope that it's not too terribly ugly. The excavation process is a little curious; one metal monster (God only knows how it got down there) piles up dirt which is in turn scooped up by another metal monster perched precariously at the top. When I walk by, I expect the upper monster to tumble to the bottom at any given moment. So far that hasn't happen.

When I wrote about this place the last time, someone left a comment about how they missed the blackberry bushes that grew on the site following the unfortunate demolition of the wonderful UA Cinema. That got me to wondering whether there are any blackberries left in Belltown. I know that the squirrels that used to reside around 3rd & Vine are probably gone. I haven't seen one around those parts in over a year. Let's just imagine that they were voluntarily relocated to a nice forest upstate with them packing up all their squirrel belongings into their squirrel suitcases. So has Belltown finally been deprived of all Northwest flora and fauna?

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-07-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here is yet another shot from the recent past. Squirrels were scarce this week. I think the weather was getting them down. I know that's how it was with me - and that never happens. Seriously, I know that people go into full-on hermit mode during the fall and winter, but the summer usually draws them out. This particular summer has been ultra-crappy, so I'm at the point where I actually want to be outside enjoying the sun and there's no sun to enjoy. OK, so yesterday and today were very nice. I did a lot of walking around. But tomorrow, it's supposed to be awful once again. Sheesh! The weather gods have to make up for this by giving us warm and wonderful weather up until Thanksgiving. That's what I say. Anyhow, I'll be seeking squirrels again this week at Denny Park.

In Case You're Still Wondering...

2011-07-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that scaffold is still out in front of the Castle at 2nd & Blanchard - still serving no purpose. It's been there doing nothing for over three months now. I dunno, are they thinking about bringing back public hangings for Founders' Days? Because this would be totally ideal for that.

A New Place! Right Across the Street!

2011-07-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the V Bar is dead and gone. Rest in peace, folks. But a prime spot at 2nd & Blanchard can't remain shuttered for long. Say hello to the Splash Lounge. They've been working on it for just a short time, but evidently it's ready to roll. They were open last night. And golly, it took me back to the days before V Bar lost its liquor license. What that means is that there were a bunch of people out in front of the place smoking and talking very loudly about silly shit. So that's not a super-good thing.

I don't know whether they're going to be a real restaurant or just a spot to get people drunk. The V Bar started out the former, transformed into the latter and then became neither. Let's wish these new folks the best and hope that they manage their patrons better than the previous tenants.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-07-17T18:33:00.001-07:00

You know, it's been a rotten week, weather-wise. We should be sweltering, but it's doing just the opposite. Instead of July, it looks more like March. True, I'm no big fan of hot weather, but I like to experience it just to feel like I've endured summer. The worst summer I can remember was in 1993. The whole season was like this. OK, maybe there were a few nice days in August, but that was it. What does any of this have to do with squirrels? Well, it's certainly discouraging me from visiting Denny Park. The shot above is from a week ago. That was the last decent weather I can remember. This fellow was quite OK about me approaching fairly close and snapping some photos. I hope it's reasonably in focus.

After Hours

2011-07-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

Bobby Darin. Mack the Knife

While we're on the topic of Bobby Darin, here's everybody's favorite song about several murders and a certain psychopath who committed them. There is also talk of prostitutes. You know, Ella Fitzgerald's version is a close second, but this rendition - arranged by Manny Albam - truly takes the cake.

After Hours

2011-07-15T23:32:00.001-07:00

Bobby Darin. Beyond the Sea

Just for the hell of it. Mad respect to Charles Trenet for the original.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-07-10T19:20:00.001-07:00

The squirrels were once again scarce this week until I dropped by yesterday. There were two (different from last week's two) who were standing in the way of a cyclist, trying to convince him to give them a peanut. He had none, so I took over. I snapped many pictures. Some of them are good. You know, my camera actually does well in sun-dappled situations. This was one of those:

Artsy, no? Enjoy!

The Edmonds Fourth

2011-07-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

As some may know, I'm from Edmonds. It's a nice little town as long as you don't have to live there. Even as a child, I was bored out of my skull. But it does have its appeal. One of its better events is the Fourth of July Parade. It is hokey in the extreme. Almost every year, several old friends and I climb on top of Old Milltown and mock the festivities the best we can. Here's how it went down:

It all began with the Edmonds Police Department's "precision" motorcycle drill team. There were three of them. The third guy is hiding behind a tree. Then came the patriotism. It was the Fourth, after all:

With that out of the way, it was time for the grand marshal. This year it was beloved TV clown, J.P. Patches.

And when I say "beloved," I really mean it. J.P. was really great to watch. He wasn't scary and he didn't try to teach you anything. Then came the bagpipes:

They were infinitely better than the two marching bands that came later, which, by some weird coincidence, both played different arrangements of "Hang on Sloopy."

Oh, and here's the mayor of Edmonds:

His name is Mike Cooper.

Usually, the parade has a healthy dose of people dressed like animals. This year was different. There were only two. One was a frog:

And the other was a raccoon:

I want more people dressed as animals!

For the last 25 years, the chamber of commerce has had its float in the midst of the festivities. This year was no exception:

Some may call it monotonous; others may call it reliable. Me, I have no opinion. That float is just a fact of life.

In case some evil super-villain vanquishes the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard, the only thing standing in the way of conquest is the Coast Guard Auxiliary and this boat:

It truly is our last line of defense.

OK, so since a clown was the grand marshal of the parade, you'd think that there would be a strong showing from other contingents of clowns, right? Wrong. There were two and both were bad. The first troupe was local:

They weren't even trying. Even worse were the Shriner Clowns. Actually, there was just one. And all he did was glare at the crowd from the clown car. They even had a self-propelled calliope. Observe:

But the guy refused to play, so the nationally revered Shrine Clowns were a complete bust. Hey guys, if you're gonna clown, clown!

Although the bagpipe band was nice, the best of them all was a non-marching band from Lynnwood. They rode in the back of a truck:

These guys did a nice version of "Stars and Stripes Forever."

For the second year in a row, the Star Wars people have made the parade:

I have no idea why Edmonds is their objective, but it's really nice to see geeks having fun.

And then there was the Viking longboat courtesy of Sons of Norway:

And then came the tow trucks:

And then it was over.

There's a Big Hole on 6th Ave

2011-07-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

It looks like this:

I guess they tore the UA Theater down for a reason. Let's hope it's a good one. I loved that theater. I guess that at long last actual human beings will live on Belltown's portion of 6th Ave.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-07-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

They've filled in all the trenches for the sprinkler lines, but the squirrels are still not venturing out in any numbers. However, I was fortunate enough to run into two little guys who were just hanging out. They seemed to be having fun. Once I introduced peanuts into the mix, they were a lot less friendly with each other. It was a shame, but that's the way most animals are and rodents are probably more extreme than most. Once one of them had a peanut, it became the other's job to steal it away. It made almost no difference that I was trying to give him a peanut, too. Well, I'm sorry I disturbed their morning of fun, but I got some good shots.

Here they are at the base of their tree. The one fellow on the right was quite keen on stealing peanuts even though he'd just go and bury them. This is the guy who was more honest:

I call him Kung Fu Squirrel Jr.

I have more shots, but I need to save them in case the lean times continue.

The Longest Tat's Line I've Ever Seen

2011-06-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

OK, this didn't happen in Belltown, but it's worth mentioning. I haven't spent too much time declaring my love for Tat's, but I really am addicted to that place. I go down there twice a week and order something meaty. Their cheese steaks are sublime. I had one today and it was superb. Since I'm unemployed, I can get down there early to avoid the line. As I was leaving today, I noticed that it was the longest I've ever seen. Observe:

They're lined up out the door and almost to the corner of 2nd & Yesler. I know that Salumi (located just a little further down 2nd) also deals out a pretty long line, but by my count, there are probably 40 people in line. That beats Salumi by about 20.

So yes, I highly recommend Tat's - unless you're a vegetarian. I wish there was some place like that here in Belltown. The Buffalo Deli at 1st & Blanchard is good, but they don't serve cheese steaks. Belltown needs a Tat's! There, I said it.

The Pride

2011-06-29T16:59:00.001-07:00

Well folks, once again the Gay Pride Parade has marched through Belltown with all the fabulousness it could muster. I believe this is the third year (or is it the fourth?) since it moved down from Capitol Hill. The difference between those previous years is this:

There were oodles of people! Millions of them! Well, actually, probably several thousand.

It started out loudly with the Dykes on Bykes. Or is that Dikes on Bikes? Or perhaps some mix of the two. They were very loud. And they rode around forever. But heck, they seemed to be having fun and the crowd was into it, so more power to them. Here is about the only good photo I got of them:

Did I mention they were loud? They were. There were also guys riding with them, so it wasn't a total, complete and utter lesbian thing. After them came the gay marching band:

You'll be shocked to know that they played a Madonna song. They were actually not bad in both playing and marching. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence followed:

I have no idea what these people do and I'm afraid to ask, but they seem to be really into it - whatever it is.

This parade had about two dozen grand marshals. This is the only one whose name I recognized:

Excuse the bad picture, but that's Armistad Maupin of Tales of the City fame.

Following him and his many other co-marshals came the endless corporate juggernaut:

Proud Group Health folks...

Proud Microsoft folks - with truck...

Proud Verizon folks - with mini-float...

Proud Macy's folks; they had cool balloons...

Proud Amazon folks; they had semi-frightening box-people with them...

Proud Best Buy folks...

Proud Orbitz folks...

Proud Alaska folks and their friendly balloon.

And then I left. What I learned here today: you can't spell pride without PR. OK, it's nice that corporations are willing to sponsor their employees in the parade, but you know that it's not really about tolerance and whatnot; it's about image. Yeah, that's America, sure. But isn't the Pride more about happy gay people and not about corporate logos? Anyhow, that was this year's parade.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-06-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

It turns out that they're not tearing up the paths at Denny Park. They're actually digging trenches for sprinkler lines or some such. In any case, the squirrels don't like it. Not a single bit. And I don't blame them. They stay in their trees. In the last two weeks, I've seen one squirrel total. I gave him a peanut. And he went on his way. This is another photo from the archives. I really am attempting to rouse the Denny Park squirrels from the leafy domains, but they aren't too inclined. I'll keep trying.

Tia Lou's New Look

2011-06-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

I've never been to Tia Lou's. I mean, with Mama's on the next block, it seemed so unnecessary. For a time there, it appeared to be closed. In fact, that may have happened months ago. Homeless guys bed down in the doorway quite often. I don't know what's going on. But it does look different. It happened very quickly. Observe:

It's got that stark, East Capitol Hill look to it. It also has a very specific sign in the window, which leads me to believe that it's still open and functioning as a club.

If you want to make the scene there, make sure and wear a collar. Did you notice that it said nothing about showing up naked? Well, there you go.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-06-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

They're doing some major work at Denny Park this week, so this is another trip to the archives. They seem to be repaving just about all the paths, so everything's blocked off. And of course, the squirrels aren't too crazy about all that equipment, so they stay in the trees and peer down at us. I'm hoping I'll be able to see more of these little gray guys when the work is done.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-06-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here's one from the recent archives. They've been doing a lot of work with heavy machinery at Denny Park this week, so who could blame any squirrel for wanting to stay in his tree? Anyhow, I've been to three SIFF films this weekend, so forgive my brevity, but please enjoy.

After Hours

2011-06-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

This guy's name is Bernd Lhotzky, so I'm guessing that he's some kind of foreigner. But, oh my, does he do a number on "Carolina Shout" by James P. Johnson! It's not exactly perfect but there's enough imperfection in it to make it jazz. Please enjoy. I know I did.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-06-05T18:39:00.001-07:00

This is all the same squirrel. He was so friendly and so hungry. He's the first squirrel to take peanuts right out of my hand and not be weird about it. I also managed to carry on a conversation about squirrels and raccoons with a nice Russian guy while taking pictures. I even made a little movie of this little fellow eating, but I'm afraid I lost it. It's too bad. At one point, he stops eating his peanut and looks straight into the camera. But alas. I finally had to stop feeding him. Otherwise, he would have gotten too fat to climb trees.

The Most Wonderful Sculpture in History!

2011-06-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's new and it's at 4th & Blanchard:

Seriously, whoever created this should be given the Nobel Prize for Awesomeness. God bless Martin Selig and his good taste. This is simply one of the greatest things ever made by human hands. Go check it out and pay homage to its brilliance.

In Case You're Wondering...

2011-06-05T18:32:00.001-07:00

The Castle's mystery scaffold is still there. Witness:

They're not using it for anything. It just stands there...like scaffolds do - the non-collapsing kind at least. If anybody knows what the heck they're gonna do with it, let me know.

Not Much Racing Going on Here

2011-06-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning (hey, this could be a blues tune!) and there were many, many people walking by my window. Here's what some of them looked like:

It was Race for the Cure day! I guess I mentioned that nobody was really racing with anybody. Many were carrying signs. I went out a little later and 2nd Ave. was completely mobbed. Look:

It's like living in a real city. Finally! Well, I wish them luck with their cure. I hope that after the cure, they'll still march down 2nd, because it's kind of neat to have that many well-behaved people in my neighborhood.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-05-29T17:49:00.001-07:00

For many weeks now, I've featured only rightside-up squirrels. Well, that changes this week. The tough thing about photographing an upside-down squirrel is that they don't stay that way for very long at all. And if you get anywhere near them, they'll just go to the other side of the tree. Fortunately, this guy held still just long enough. In conclusion, squirrels are difficult.

The Castle's Mystery Scaffold

2011-05-24T12:33:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, some burly guys showed up in a truck and assembled the scaffold pictured above. It was kind of a big deal. But that was it. Since then, no one has been by to do any work of any kind. And there it stands, just being tall and blue. The end. For now.

Showbiz Is Neat!

2011-05-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

It may not look like much, but this is a notice that they're going to be filming a real showbiz film right here at the Rivoli. Actually, it's down in the noisy and depraved See Sound Lounge, but it's still in the building. The Rivoli's run-ins with movie glamour are few but notable. The Alan Rudolph feature Trouble in Mind was filmed here owing to the nicely customized apartments and presumably low fees they had to pay. I mean, it was 1985 and half the building's units were uninhabitable. But you couldn't tell it from watching the movie. I don't remember much about it other than it's set in some kind of mythical American fascist society and that Divine gets killed in it. Oh, and Lori Singer takes lots of baths.

This feature is called Safety Not Guaranteed. One of my waggish neighbors is correct; it's not the greatest title in the world. But it does star the lovely Kristen Bell, the very funny Aubrey Plaza (from Parks and Recreation) and Mary Lynn Rajskub, who was about the only character on 24 besides Kiefer Sutherland who didn't get killed or go insane. It's unknown whether any of these folks will be in this scene. The mighty imdb tells me nothing else about this effort, except that it's partly produced by the Duplass brothers who brought you the enjoyable Cyrus and the past SIFF feature, Baghead, which I actually saw. It wasn't bad at all.

Let's wish all of these showbiz people luck. They're better than us.

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-05-22T21:00:00.001-07:00

And here you are! I spent so much time this week making my rocket video that I'm not sure what to say about Mr. Squirrel here. Well, except maybe that he was really good at climbing trees and eating peanuts.

The Dope on Dope Burger

2011-05-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

I ran into somebody who works/worked at Dope Burger. He said that yes, there was a fire and that Dope Burger got the worst of it and will be closed for some time. There was a comment in my previous post saying basically the same thing. Based on our conversation, the fire started at DB. It also damaged Lava Lounge, but unlike DB, LL is still open. Like Wasabi, DB might just turn out to look like something from Scarface. But this might be from a part of the film before Tony gets rich.

And for the record, Dope Burger is still a really bad name.

After Hours

2011-05-18T17:38:00.001-07:00

Hey, I made a music video! This is a tune I wrote last year, but it took me a while to find the vintage space footage. If you're looking for some, go to archive.org. It's a gold mine, baby! Anyhow, thanks to iMovie, schlubs like me can now make music videos like this. Please enjoy!

Your Sunday Squirrel

2011-05-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

Either the squirrels are getting quicker or my camera's getting slower. I swear, this little guy was constantly getting up on his hind legs and looking at me plaintively, but my camera failed to capture the event, like, the first 15 times it happened. It was entirely too slow. Instead of waiting for it again, I opted to take as many pictures as fast as I could and hope that I would get something worth keeping. Well, I got this and nothing else. The squirrel got several peanuts for his patience.

The Latest Photos from the Front...

2011-05-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

...in the war on the McGuire:

It looks like the metal monsters are finally beginning to win.

Cheese Fest '11!

2011-05-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

It's still going on for the next few hours down at the Market. I went earlier today. It was raining really hard, which worked very well to thin out the crowds. I ended up buying eight different kinds of cheese, including some wasabi gouda. Yum! Sorry for the lack of pictures. Everything was so soggy that there seemed no point in taking one. If you've got a few minutes, you can grab a quick snack.

Et Tu, Dope Burger?

2011-05-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

It also appears to be curtains for Dope Burger at 2nd & Bell. The former Noodle Ranch suddenly changed its format last fall and became a burger joint. I never went there and never heard anything good or bad about it. I guess that was part of the problem. Another problem was the name. Who wants a burger made out of dope? Not I, sweet people, not I for sure. I can understand the switchover to burgers, what with the competition from the Kushibar and Buddha (now defunct, as well), but Noodle Ranch was a neighborhood institution known for its yummy chow and terrible service. It chugged along for years, but quickly folded after the big change. There's a moral to this story: noodles do not equal burgers and vice-versa.

Things are not looking good for poor 2nd Avenue.

The End of the V-Bar??

2011-05-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

It appears that my across-the-street neighbors, the V-Bar have given up. They've done business without a liquor license since October. That's been fine with me, as it drew a very wild and noisy crowd throughout the week. Of course, all that culminated in the murder of poor Steve Sok last June right out front. I slept through the whole thing. Anyhow, I've gone there a lot since October as their pho is very tasty. Or should I say was very tasty? But all this time, they've been waiting for their liquor license to be reinstated. According to this article, that's not gonna happen. I guess they've just given up. That's too bad. I'm sorry to see them go. I tried my best to go there at least once a week - sometimes more often. I guess it's too much to hope that it becomes Seattle's best sushi restaurant once again.

Now That's Some Destruction!

2011-05-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well, the demolition of the McGuire's parking garage has been progressing at a snail's pace, but it seems to have picked up quite a bit over the last few days. Here's what it looked like yesterday:

Pardon the lousy trees getting in the way and all. But as you can see, it's almost all gone. The main tower will take weeks, even months to bring down. As one reader noted in a previous post, the poor folks living close by are in for many, many months of noise from this project and the subsequent reconstruction of the building. With the housing/apartment market as it is, I'm not sure whether they're planning to build something else there immediately or not. I mean, look at the lot where the former Speakeasy stood. Granted, it's a smaller parcel of land, but it's been vacant for 10 years now. So the McGuire's lot may just lay fallow for a couple of years while its owners rehearse the proper way to build a building. This time no screwups, guys. Thanks.