Burgeoning

Zucchini plants at the county fair

Floating

Westlake Mall, Seattle

I happened to be in downtown Seattle last week (hope Kim will forgive me for poaching on her territory). The bicyclist isn't really levitating, but those manhole covers look like shadows and he seems to float.

Howdy!

Goat playing host at the Thurston County Fair

I really had no idea goats were so gregarious. They were the first animals I saw at the fairgrounds, which is great placement because they are so friendly and welcoming.

Hmmmmm

Lavender and (I think) a happy bee.

The Real Blades of Glory

Detail, World War II Memorial, West Capitol Campus


The bronze blades that form this part of the memorial feature ghostlike images of servicemen, which are actually formed using the etched names of Washington State’s war casualties.






Source: Department of General Administration

What am I?

Detail, Old Capitol Building, Olympia

I'm thinking it's a stylized gryphon, but I'm open to suggestion.

A Bastion of Learning

Old State Capitol Building, Olympia

The Old Capitol started life as a courthouse in 1892 and became the official Capitol in 1906 when the county commissioners decided it was too expensive. Following construction of the current Capitol in the 1920s, it became a state office building and is now home to Washington's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
I particularly wanted to "blog" this because it bears some striking similarities to the museum and former city hall recently featured on WichitaKsDailyPhoto. A little googling revealed that both buildings share a style known as Richardson Romanesque, which was named for the architect Henry Hobson Richardson. These two buildings each seem to have had other architects, but were completed at almost exactly the same time.

Like the Wichita building, the Old Capitol once had a clock tower, but it was destroyed by a fire in 1928 and never replaced. The state undertook a considerable renovation in 1983 and the interior is lovely.

Theme Day -- A Typical Breakfast

The Spar, Fourth Avenue
Where to find a typical breakfast in Olympia, historical edition

The Spar is legendary. Recently reopened in a new incarnation by McMenamins, this tile-fronted cafe has operated seven days a week since the year dot. It's served more breakfasts to hard-working, up-and-coming or down-and-out lumbermen, secretaries, legislators, lobbyists, lawyers, students and just plain folks than you could hope to shake a stick at.

There was a bar and a card room in the back with a discreet light over the after-hours entrance off the alley. (And the light, at least, is still there.) It had an open-flame cigar lighter, toast made from homemade bread, and waitresses resembling your grandma (if your grandma had red hair and a tattoo) who were famous for never writing down an order and never screwing one up, either. Breakfast here was not for the dieter or the faint of heart: Gallons of caffeinated coffee, eggs any style, waffles or pancakes, bacon or ham, biscuits and gravy, Joe's Special, crab omelet, eggs Benedict, you name it. If it was a heart attack on a plate, the Spar served it up with a flourish but very little style.

If you came back for lunch you could have a burger and a milkshake made with real ice cream, served in a glass full to the brim. Right beside it, the waitress plonked down the metal mixing container holding the cold, delicious rest of your shake. You might get a tummy ache if you finished the whole thing, but why not? It's not like you had one every day.

Bless McMenamins for keeping a bit of history alive, but sad to say, it's not the same.

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Sky blue pink

Hydrangea in a whiskey barrel

I really don't understand why soil content or additives might affect the color of certain species of hydrangea, but apparently it's true. The one over by the pioneer cabin could not be bluer, while this one is the loveliest shade of pink, especially seen against the weathered barrel and the pale gray garage wall.

Ancestors -- we've all got 'em

Crosby House, Tumwater

This historic home (1860) is a stone's throw from the pioneer cabin surrounded by hydrangeas that I showed you a couple of days ago. The original occupants of the Crosby House were the family of Nathanial Crosby III, grandfather of Bing Crosby. Apparently, the house contains a grand piano that came by ship around Cape Horn. It's now a museum that is open to the public a few hours a week, but I've never been. I really should remedy that.

Other sources: Olympia Tumwater Foundation, City of Olympia

Coolness

Deschutes River*, Tumwater Falls Park

The water is somewhat low just now, but here is a place you can find deep, welcoming shade and the soothing sound of babbling water on the hottest of days.  Fish ladders assist salmon returning to the hatchery ponds near Tumwater Falls.

For more information, visit Friends of the Deschutes Watershed Center.

*Not to be confused with a much more significant waterway, the Deschutes River in Oregon.

As blue as blue can be

Pioneer Log Cabin, Tumwater

This cabin (1969) features hand-peeled fir logs and a split cedar shake roof, similar to homes built by the first American settlers on Puget Sound in 1845. The hydrangeas that bracket it are spectacular.

Stories to tell

General Administration Building and Chief William Shelton’s story pole, West Capitol Campus

The mid-century style GA Building (1956) is scheduled for demolition in 2010 to make way for a new Heritage Center that will house the Secretary of State, the State Archives, and visitor facilities. The painted story pole was begun by Chief Shelton of the Snohomish Tribe and finished by other tribal carvers after his death. It was dedicated in 1940. This is not, strictly speaking, a totem pole:

A totem pole symbolizes a family’s history through the depiction of certain animals and their cultural legends. A story pole, on the other hand, puts its emphasis on teaching children community responsibility and cultural attitudes through the depictions of these same animal characters. Story poles are most often carved from the interior pillars of ceremonial longhouses. Therefore, this free-standing pole provides a rare look at carvings typically seen only within sacred structures of the Snohomish and other Salish tribes. The story pole features 21 beautifully carved figures, each teaching a certain life lesson.

--General Administration Website

Movie Star

Lady Washington docked at Percival Landing

The Lady W is the State Ship of the state of Washington, as well as its official "Tall Ship Ambassador." She is a replica of an earlier ship, is rigged as a brig, and has appeared in a number of films, notably as HMS Interceptor in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.