Two hours in Volunteer Park

Yesterday I went to Volunteer Park for a bit.

If you haven't been, I'd really suggest going. Go near sunset and just watch the light fade into the space needle from the stairs of the Asian Art Museum. You'll like it, I promise.

I went there looking for the ducklings. They were there a few weeks ago - all fluffy and mottled yellow and brown. When I saw them the first time they were in the shallow fish pond to the left of the museum. Yesterday they were nowhere to be found.

There was one duck, in the pool to the right of the museum, grooming herself on a piece of wood that had been set up like a little ramp going from the water to the path-level. She looked young, but not young enough to have been one of the babies I'd seen earlier. Her right wing had been injured and a few feathers stuck out at odd angles as she tried to groom them back in place.

I watched her for a while wondering if she'd been left by the others.

A few minutes later a woman came to sit on the public art piano bench and played beautifully for about 20 minutes as the sun went further down.

She played a track from the movie, Amelie, as I went to sit behind her on the cement slabs used for benches overlooking the large water pool and the big metal doughnut-thing.

When she finished I walked over to the dahlia flower show across from the Arboretum which is sadly closed for the moment for repairs. Dahlias are some of my favorite flowers! I was so happy to stumble upon this previously unknown event going on that I couldn't help but take a bunch of pictures.

There seems to be four major groups of dahlias at the show - simples, puff-balls, lotuses, and fireworks.

The simples: smaller and with fewer petals - they look like pretty woodland wildflowers.

             

The Puff-balls: perfect circles with lots of little petals, perfect examples of the Golden Ratio

  

 

 

The Lotuses: look like they could be floating on water...

 

 

 

My Favorite of the Lotus - style dahlias, Stillwater Pearl

Then there's the Fireworks: pointed petaled explosions of color in a garden

 

 

 

If I were doing prizes for the flowers the prettiest would be Stillwater Pearl, but Miss Congeniality would be the sweet simple yellow.

My favorite pompom is the variegated fuchsia and cream. And, saving the fireworks for last - best bloom goes to the koi-fish colored white with red-center! 

Sugar Spoon - launches soon!

So excited to finish up all the little projects related to Sugar Spoon!

Almost done with Kickstarter - The page is all set but a certain someone (*cough, D, *cough) needs to assist me in getting the video portion of my begging for cash. The fees involved with setting up a small business are pretty high! I was surprised at how much regulation costs - business registry, insurance, website, materials, marketing, licenses, food workers card, getting your kitchen certified or signing a lease with a commercial kitchen, packaging, and tons more make this a huge investment. None of that even considers the time I've spent in the kitchen making samples and trying recipes, going to houses to collect product, trips out to buy jars and lids and rings, rearranging my whole kitchen into a little cannery...it's a huge commitment. 

So, if you help me out with fundraising I'd be ever so grateful. The Kickstarter page will go live in a week or so. I'll update again when the video is all finished.

Last weekend I went to Seafair on Saturday to enjoy the jets - D and I found a good spot away from the large crowd and in the shade. I was pretty happy actually since last year with the sunburn, sweat, long walks, and pressing crowds, had me somewhat dreading the event. 

This year was much better. I lounged in the shade and enjoyed watching the jets rumble by. My favorites are the older prop planes with the shiny aluminum and rivets. I think about how, while I'm enjoying them as a historical art show, there are certain people who would be unnerved by the demonstration. Myself, I get a little uneasy at times. These aren't toys - they are killing machines at their core. Even though they are being used to make an airshow - throwing smoke ribbons, loops, and death-defying acts to entertain, they were originally made to kill people. 

Similar to a gun show - there is beauty, and they can be used to entertain, but they weren't made with those things primarily in mind. 

I didn't go back to Seafair on Sunday. Instead, I spent the day rearranging my kitchen for Sugar Spoon. I have a limited amount of space - it's a small apartment after-all, so everything needs to find a place. This includes the massive jar collection I'm growing and the ingredients and associated supplies with the business. 

I also wanted to add some color and details to the kitchen area - you'll see the "after" in the video, but the "before" was pretty plain. The biggest issue for me is the cupboards. I hate them. 

Yeah, not joking - the horrible mouse brown that shows every fingerprint, yeah, I hate that. 

But, I can't do much about it - I tried to brighten things up with a rainbow of other colors. I'm using lots of red, yellow, and orange to try brightening up the room. 

I stained the wooden shelves a bold, bright red, using some acrylic paint, water, and a sponge. 

I layered on the watered down paint in thin coats so that they wouldn't have that sticky, heavy acrylic, feel to them. Also - full strength paint would've covered the wood grain and stuck to the bottom of my heavy mixing bowls. ... plus...I'm frugal and paint is expensive!

Also, I went to my favorite Goodwill and found some bright lemon meringue kitchen towels. I also found a new Gorgeous Item. It's an Technique brand enamel and cast iron 4qt round cooking pot with a heavy lid embossed with roses and topped with a little bird. 

My pretty kitchen find!

It is fantastic and I can't wait for the cooler months when I'll make sukiyaki, roast chicken, chili, and slow cooked black beans in it. It cost me $20, which is a ton for me to spend on anything at Goodwill, but I consider this an investment. This is a heavy duty piece that should last me forever, I can and will use it, and it is a beautiful addition to the apt that brings me joy to look at and use. 

Also, I found it on Ebay for $168.

There are still some things I'm keeping an eye out for in the kitchen - pegboard, trivets, and wall art or multi-use items that can be used as wall art. But, overall, I'm pretty happy with the results from Sunday. 

It was a busy weekend. 

This week I have plans to see Imelda May on Wednesday and then Guardians of the Galaxy on Friday. 

If you'd care to stalk me, well, I guess I just made it pretty easy. 

Also, I've got to squeeze in some kitchen time for Sugar Spoon, and side jobs cleaning and walking dogs, and meeting friends, and running amok. 

It'll be a busy week!

Always finding something new...

Today's adventure started as not an adventure at all. It was supposed to be pretty mundane - I didn't feel like going to the gym today so I asked if D and I could go for a walk around Greenlake instead. I had just finished a long day and the thought of working out at the gym, WORKING in general, just wasn't going down.

So we went to Greenlake and we walked for a bit along the trail. At one point we came across a sleeping duck perched on the top of a ledge overlooking the water. The ledge stood about 4 feet up from the lake and I noticed a small brick base just big enough for me to stand on at the bottom. It would've been just perfect to let me get low to see the duck and maybe sneak up on her.

Well, that ledge was narrower and more slippery than I thought.

SPLASH!

I took a dip in the lake - the duck-filled, green with algae, slimy lake.

The walk back to the car was squishy and unpleasant.

Pics - 'cause D was too busy laughing and taking pictures to get me out.

This week -

I love trying new things in Seattle. 

There is always something new to try!

Recently I did a glassblowing Groupon, went camping at an awesome new site, did paintball for the very first time, and helped with more bike repairs. 

Also - I started a new job, decided to start my own business, and I've been helping Hubby with decorating his pedals. 

So much to do!!