The men outnumber the women in Alaska by something like 2:1, so you’d think the odds of finding a good man were pretty good. I had to move to Washington to find a good man. Women in Alaska have a saying about finding a man: “The odds are good, but the goods are odd.”
Am I biased against Alaskan men? No, some of my favorite men, including my 4 brothers, are from Alaska. But I will be the first to tell you that they are truly odd.
Jutting 400 feet into Lake Union and offering a spectacular view of Downtown as well as the Queen Anne and Eastlake neighborhoods, Seattle’s Gas Works Park is one of the city’s most unique landmarks.
The Seattle Gas Light Company converted coal to gas from 1906 to 1937 and oil to gas from 1937 to 1956. Gas production ended in 1956; the City of Seattle bought the property for use as a park in 1962 and Gas Works Park opened to the public in 1975. The architect retained many of the old structures in the park; some are off limits, cordoned off behind chain link fences, others were painted bright colors and included in the children’s play area.
There were several concerted cleanup projects to remove benzene and other contaminants from the soil and groundwater. Tar still bubbles up every once in a while. The park is monitored closely for contamination but it is considered clean enough for public use.
Just don’t eat the dirt.
The property is now a monstrous bird condominium and a favorite target of taggers. It has been the site of numerous weddings and a gathering place for rallys and watching fireworks.
Its also a favorite spot for Seattlites to picnic.
The man made hill is made from rubble and top soil and is topped with a sundial. It is by far the best place in the city to fly a kite.
I spent the day at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum. I had totally forgotten that around Seattle, the first Thursday of every month means free admission to museums. (Note to self, students get in free, you can go on a less crowded day.)
My favorite part of the museum was most definitely the dinosaur and mastadon fossils. This is only the second time in my life I have seen dinosaur fossils. (The first time was a way cool experience. Pacific Science Center had a wine and cheese tasting along with a live jazz band right in the middle of the dinosaur exhibit that was on loan from the far reaches of the planet. They called it the Dino Wino Event)
Today’s exhibit would have benefited from a glass of wine. But I was also amused by watching all the mommys with their toddlers. Mommys trying to expose their little ones to history and culture, little ones much more interested in trying to pull the tile up off the floor. Too cute.
There were also some interesting collections of photography and artifacts from American Indian, Samoan, Chinese, and other cultures that are represented here in the Pacific Northwest.
No photography was allowed inside, so I went clicky-click on the totem poles outside.
I’ve been out of sorts all day. I’m not quite sure why.
On any other day, I’m annoyed to no end by other people telling me they are bored. I’ve got no patience for that; I usually have half a dozen things I didn’t get done because I ran out of time.
But today… Today I was bored all day long. I could not get my brain to engage in anything. I just feel like pouting.
So, instead of beating my head against the keyboard trying to write something decent, I went for a walk in the rain. Now I’m going to sip mexican hot chocolate and slip into bed. There’s nothing so important it can’t wait till tomorrow.
How do you handle days when you can’t seem to engage?
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