Trappings of Spring...

For the last few years, I've run around Belltown, documenting which tree was in bloom and whatnot. I did this because I believed that genuine spring weather was right around the corner. And I've been wrong every year. OK, so I might refrain from doing that this year, though I think you should know that the cherry trees around the former Frederick Cadillac lot between 5th & 6th and Battery & Bell are in bloom. The shot above is from a few weeks ago. Here's what they look like now:

Meanwhile...

...on Pike Street, the cherry trees are in bloom. Even though it's not in Belltown, the sight is still very pleasant.

More Blooming Happenings!

News flash! The cherry trees around the old Frederick Cadillac lot on 5th & 6th, between Battery & Bell are all in bloom. Observe:

What's so special about this, besides the unarguable fact that blossoms are pretty? Well, these blooms are also fragrant. Fragrant! They smell better than everything in Belltown - except maybe the savory perfume that wafts out of the kitchen at Mama's. Otherwise, it is the best thing you could possibly smell in Belltown. Hurry over there and take a whiff. As you know, the shelf life of blossoms is limited. Do it soon. This is what they look like up close:

Remember, it's still winter. This early bloomage is like a Christmas miracle, minus family strife and Andy Williams.

Slow News Tuesday

Well, the cherry trees have joined in to this madness. I'm only sorry that I didn't capture this on a sunnier day. This is the green area next to Grange Insurance at 2nd & Cedar. It's my second favorite park-like setting (after Darth Vader Gardens) in Belltown. Have a look:


Yeah, very pretty.

2nd Ave. in Bloom!

I mentioned something recently about the pear trees blooming along 2nd and so forth. Here's what it looks like:

You realize that it's still winter, yes? I prefer this to gloom, but that's just me.

Last Year's Trees vs. This Year's Trees

Last year, I tell you what, I was really very encouraged when the first signs of spring began to show. This happened in April. The first three months of the year had been extraordinarily dreary. Well, not so this year! Sure, we've had a little rain and some partly gloomy days, but overall, it's been quite nice. And warm, too. In fact, I haven't had the heat on for a week. All of those factors have combined for an early spring. I have photographic evidence of it. Behold, this is how a stretch of 1st Ave., between Virginia & Stewart looked like on April 9, 2009:

OK, nice, but here's what it looked like yesterday:

For those of you keeping score at home, yesterday was March 1st. So yeah, early spring.

Here at 2nd & Blanchard, the pear trees are in full blossom mode. Here is the one out in front of the Castle Apartments:

Yes, also lovely. In fact, all down 2nd Ave., the pears have all popped. It's quite a sight. Hooray for early spring!

More Bloomin' Trees!

In case you haven't taken a look outside, it's really quite nice. I've spent a fair amount of time out there, trudging from the supermarket to the Market in a quest for burrito ingredients. Along the way, I took these pictures:

This is at 1st & Cedar, and this really nice fellow is at 1st & Wall:

It looks like the pear trees all down 2nd are ready to bloom in the next few days. When it happens, I'll take many pictures. Anyhow, happy spring-like February, y'all!

Springtime Comes to 2nd (and 1st, too)!

Last week, during some aimless wandering around the neighborhood, I spotted a lone tree in bloom along 1st Ave. It was really nice to see. It was also an odd sight for February. Usually, things are really grim this month. The gloom is near-constant and people with SAD barricade themselves in their apartments and refuse to come out till spring. Well, here's a sign that spring is just around the corner: the plum and plum hybrids along 1st & 2nd Aves. are beginning to bloom. That single tree has inspired a host of others. This is a unique happening to 1st & 2nd; 3rd Avenue's trees are mostly those awful skeletal honey locusts that get their leaves late and lose them early, 4th & 5th's majestic oaks, maples and plane trees are still months away from foliage and 6th Avenue...well, there's just not much to see.

I'm still not sure what's going on with these trees, whether it truly is a byproduct of warm El Nino temperatures or climate change or whatnot. My friend Jim says that the purple-leaf plum and the plum-apricot hybrids bloom early, but I've never seen them pop in February. So yes, this is kind of a cool thing - and it's happening in terrible Belltown. Here are some pictures from along 1st Avenue:






This is what 2nd Ave. looks like:




So that's how things are looking around here. Pretty soon the lovely pear trees are also going to bloom. This is how most of them are looking now:

Once again, it's really unusual for this to be happening so early. Last year, most of these trees didn't bloom until May.

You know, the last few winters have seemed to last for an eternity. I think it's about time we got an early spring. Then again, what with Seattle weather being what it is, we may well get snow, freezing temperatures and general gloom well into April. But I'd like to think that the trees know best about how things are going to go down.

Thank You, Global Warming + El Nino!

I'm walking around at 1st & Bell yesterday and happen to look up. What do I see? This:

That's a purple-leaf plum tree in bloom. Usually, February contains some bleak, dull and merciless weather. So far that's not the case. In fact, it's really quite moderate. And this January was the warmest on record by a lot. All of this conspires to fool the poor, dumb trees into thinking that spring is approaching. That's what happens when you have neither eyes nor a brain. If I see more of these duped trees around, I'll be sure to take pictures of them, because after all, it's always nice to see trees in bloom, even if they're dumb.

This Tree and Why I Love It

When it comes to the trees along Belltown's thoroughfares, 5th Avenue has its massive planes and maples, 4th Avenue has its stately maples and oaks and 3rd is getting away from its commitment to the honey locust. But what about 2nd? Oh, it's just chaos, man! There's absolutely no rhyme or reason for anything. We've got pear trees, purple leaf plums, California incense cedars (one of which I hate with a passion), red cedars, maples, a palm tree, a few stout oaks and, most surprisingly of all, the bald cypress. Behold:

This specimen, along with two of its friends, stands at 2nd & Blanchard. And yes, that's the same bald cypress that is the state tree of Louisiana. It may look like an ordinary evergreen; it's got needles and all, but it's the type that sheds them in the fall - just like they do in Louisiana! Ain't that weird? And I have no idea how these three cypresses got here. They're totally non-native and they usually do a lot better when they're growing in a few feet of water in a swamp. But not only have all three done well, they're actually outgrowing the competition, which is a little strange, since cypresses don't grow very fast at all.


I like this particular tree the best. It's right outside our local murder mart, Wally's. It's the only obstacle the drunks have on their way in to refuel with a Tilt or a Four or a Joose or a simple six of Bud Light and they usually find a way to collide with it. But this tree doesn't mind; it's way bigger than any one drunk. I can't describe it, but there's a certain dignity to this tree that's missing from its neighbors.

I love this tree.

The PURGE on THIRD!!

Third Avenue in Belltown has always been pretty ghetto. After Virginia Street, there's very little retail all the way to Denny. It's a jumble of fairly anonymous, utilitarian and (except for the Vine Court) quite ugly buildings. The trees lining the sidewalks contributed to its overall ghetto feel. They were mostly honey locusts. I use the past tense because most of them are being cut down. And the feeling about them is such that their stumps are being torn out with heavy equipment and the sidewalks that once hosted them are being obliterated. Here's the scene:

From Virginia (there's a newly-planted tree in the foreground)...

From Lenora...

To Battery (the sidewalk has been completely replaced here)...

And down to Vine (ditto).

The reason for the purge is apparently because all of these trees had contracted some kind of fungus due to this crummy town's incessant rains. My friend Jim tells me that this kind of tree does better in drier climes. They apparently thrive in Eastern Washington. Once again, city planners should be saluted for their foresight. Plant lots of trees that don't do well in a marine climate! Yeah, that'll work!

Personally, I kind of hated those trees. They were late to get their leaves and early to lose them. And, owing to the tiny size of said leaves, they didn't give very much shade at all. In the fall and winter, their bare, gnarled limbs looked completely sinister. I can't tell what they've planted in their stead, but it probably can't be any worse. The only purpose they served in the 20 or so years they've stood along Third is that they've given drunks something else to bump into. And that's about it.

But they're not all gone. A few remain.

If you feel so inclined, pray for the survivors. These three are at 3rd & Virginia. There are others down by Clay, Broad and Denny.

Me, I say good riddance.