So, I'm In the Middle Of A Hurricane...

There is no hurricane, but living in a world-class city sure can feel like it. Seattle may not be the largest metropolis, but the fast pace is still present. We go in and out of our daily lives, day after day, in this swirling, living, breathing, concrete jungle of an environment where everyone has a schedule and we can't be interrupted. We have people we're responsible for and cannot come up short. The hurricane blows all around and inside us. 

We need outlets to our pent-up, always-churning lifestyle. Some might be physically active, some create art, some could travel out of the area whenever they want. When it comes to taking the edge off, there is no wrong answer. I just happen to love all those things. But how many times do you allow yourself to just sit, even for just one half-hour...and listen?

Saint Mark's Compline Choir, or
"singing monks."

I hadn't heard them for at least five or six years,; the beauty, true harmony, and exquisite precision that was the Compline Choir at Saint Mark's Cathedral  on Capitol Hill in Seattle. A Seattle tradition dating back to its founding in 1956 by Peter R. Hallock, the all-male Compline Choir leads an official choral service every Sunday, 9:30-10 p.m. Never a small crowd, Compline hosts an average of 500 people a night, the majority being young adults in their teens and early 20s. 

Following an afternoon at Volunteer Park with a friend, I was fortunate to remember it was a Sunday and almost time for the singing monks at Saint Mark's. Listening to them, it's almost a practice in meditation. At first filing out two-by-two from the back, prayers are majestically recited, and the beautiful sounds begin. I have no idea how to accurately describe it, but the voices of the Compline Choir are absolutely heavenly. They ring throughout the wide expanse of the church, soothe my ears and mind and put me completely at peace. It doesn't matter what happened before I arrived or what happens after. In that moment I can just relax, do nothing, and allow the elegant voices of this phenomenal choir to ground me. 

If you're looking for that calming eye in the middle of the storm, somewhere you can go on a Sunday night and put everything in your life on hold or prepare for the week ahead, I highly recommend the "singing monks" at Saint Mark's. Lie on the floor, sit on the stage, wherever you can fit. The monks will take care of the rest. 

For a preview of your listening experience at Saint Mark's every Sunday night, feel free to listen to the Compline Choir's podcasts. 

An Evening With SAM

Depending on the piece, I must admit I'm not the biggest art fan. If I can apply it to history, that's when my juices start flowing. When Eileen Lambert invited me to Seattle Art Museum's montly First Thursday though, my curiosity peaked. Virtually everyone I knew had been to First Thursday and I realized my attendance was long overdue. I'm certainly glad I went.

The whole point of heading to SAM was to check out the Australian Aboriginal Art exhibit. As it turned out, that exhibit was the last one we viewed!
I was blown away by the influence of the American Art exhibit. Looking at portraits of influential figures like Dr. Silvester Gardiner (1772) by John Singleton Copley and amazingly well-preserved 18th century furniture, the detail in these pieces were astounding. Viewing a chest of drawers from 1752 made me absolutely gasp. George Washington was still relatively young in 1752! The United States wasn't even a NATION. The description said the chest had only been re-painted once. You can faintly see the original red peering through the more recent baby blue. It's hard to believe these furniture pieces still existed. I'd like to include some photos of the art I'm talking about but I'm pretty sure copyright laws aren't too kind about that.


The Beauty and Bounty: American Art In An Age Of Exploration exhibit was a complete wonder. I fully admit to being immensely naive in the ways of canvas art, but the level of beauty and detail involved in Albert Bierstadt's "Puget Sound On the Pacific Coast" (1870) and Frederic Edwin Church's "A Country Home" (1854) is unbelievable. Not only was I surprised by the quality of these works, but their sheer size was almost too much to comprehend. If you took the largest flat-screen TV on the market and compared the size and width to a couple of these masterpieces, the TVs fail to compare.

The coup de grace was laying my eyes on clay pieces from the Ancient Mediterranean & Islamic Art exhibit, dating back to 1 A.D. and further. Do you understand what 1 A.D. means? Jesus was a year old.

Thanks to Eileen, a great time was had at SAM and I encourage all readers to take a weeknight and check out the history and beauty of SAM's exhibits. Consider your horizons broadened.

From the Darkness Into the Light

The Big Man upstairs has been turning on the hose pretty
heavily here recently, hasn't he? He sure let loose for a
while today!

It's funny, but I have always enjoyed the minute-by-minute nature of Western Washington weather. You never know where it could go from one hour to the next. I think that's why I love spring so much. Steve Poole says it's going to be a wet one throughout the day, then boom! The sun pushes the clouds aside as if to say, "Okay, okay. They've had enough. Here ya go."

Today was certainly interesting while I was working at Top Pot Doughnuts on Capitol Hill. It had been raining all day. Suddenly, you hear God REALLY turn on the hose. You look outside and it's truly a sight to be seen. Not too long after, you're shocked to see the sun come out and shine down on the neighborhood.

Not too long afterward, the sun decides
to stop by and say hi!

What's your take? Do you enjoy the shifting patterns of weather? Do the seasons make a difference to you? 

A Healthy Workout Reminder: Baby Steps!

It's my first vlog! Here's a quick word on my thoughts on the process of getting back into shape. More directly, it doesn't happen immediately. 

Just Stopping To Smell the Flowers

If there was a better day to go down to Pike Place Market than this last weekend, I'd like to know about it. With the Flower Festival in full swing for Mother's Day, I'm pretty sure there were about a thousand varieties of flowers I'll never be able to name. Row after row of every shape, size, and color, for once the Festival had the market smelling more like Mt. Vernon's fields of flowers than the fish.

The Festival was the center of the action this weekend, but I couldn't help but play tourist and catch some other aspects of the market that make it so great! 

Rows upon rows of the best freshly cut, regional flowers are on display at Pike Place Market.

It's never a trip to Pike Place Market without a shot of
the Public Market sign. It's a pretty good indication of
the number of people that were there!

For the longest time I've wanted to pack up an Alaskan King Salmon. It's just too bad I can't finance a loan.

It never fails to impress me the array of colors coming from Pike Place's vegetable stands. 

More of the same from the other side of the street. Fresh and delicious produce ripe for the pickin'!

Killer lunch at the Athenian Inn, one of the first establishments in Seattle to get a liquor license in 1933. The blackened chicken club is out of this world.

Wednesday Evening Surprises

My buddy, Jim Bergem, missed by birthday this year, Saturday, April 28. I told him it was just fine, seeing as I pretty much missed it myself. Nonetheless, he texts me this morning asking if I wanted to catch a suite at the Clink for the Sounders and LA Galaxy match. "Free ticket, free drinks, and free food in the suite," he said. "What's not to love?!" One cannot argue with such logic.

What a great view of the pitch from
the Tulalip Casino suite at the Clink
for the Sounders - Galaxy match
Wednesday night!

What a night. We were treated to hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, mashed potatoes, salad, a quality selection of beers, and one of the best and most comfortable views possible from the Tulalip Casino suite. Even better, the Sounders whupped up the Galaxy to the tune of a 2-0 shutout, with Fredy Montero scoring on a freaky-naughty shot from waaaay downtown, top-shelf left from the right side, just out of the goalkeeper's reach. One of the more amazing shots I've seen on a long time. Leave it to Fredy and the Sounders to provide top-level entertainment on a great Wednesday night.

For those of you who have not made the trek to SODO to catch a Sounders match, I cannot stress enough how bad you should go. The energy level, not to mention the sound the crowd provides, just isn't the same in other Major League Soccer cities. The great underwear spokesman himself, David Beckham, has said he's never seen such rabid, maniacal fan support since his days in the European leagues. For those of you that don't get it, that's about the best compliment you can be given as a soccer fan outside of Europe.

While in the hallway heading to the Tulalip suite, I had
to get a photo in with my childhood icon, Curt Warner,
former running back with the Seahawks in the '80s.

An added bonus was walking by the Seahawks' Ring of Honor member posters on the way to the Tulalip Casino suite. Former Seahawks running back Curt Warner was my absolute IDOL growing up. I knew every stat, lived and died every game until he left for the Rams in '90. I was heartbroken, but my team moved on and I with them. What a great shot of the shifty fella, am I right?

Many thanks to Jim for inviting me, and our friend Linda for making tonight a great night at the Sounders' pitch! 

P.S. Just so you know I wouldn't leave ya hanging, here's the brilliant shot from Montero, top shelf left. Siiiick. 

A Journey To Discovery (Park)

The fact I had not made it to Discovery Park prior to yesterday, the gorgeous day of April 8, should probably be illegal in the 50 states. What a peaceful, perfect day to kick along the shores of the beach near the Fort Lawton lighthouse. 

A westerly view of the Fort Lawton lighthouse at
windswept Discovery Park.

There's quite the history behind this park. Located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Discovery Park is the largest public park in the city, spanning 11.81 miles of walking trails, sandy beach, deep grasses, and absolutely beautiful views looking west, south, and north. The area was given to the Army by the City of Seattle in 1898, and opening as Fort Lawton in 1900. One of many interesting aspects of the park is the Army, prior to World War II, offered to sell it back to the city in 1938. Seattle turned it down, citing maintenance concerns. Eventually, the land was given back to the city in 1972 and turned into Discovery Park the next year, making it not only the largest park in Seattle but also the youngest. Many people might not realize this fact, but the US Army Reserve's 70th Regional Readiness Command still uses facilities at the park as headquarters. It's natural to think those military installations are dormant these days. 

Looking south towards Elliott Bay and West Seattle,
if you look close you can see Mount Rainier in the distance. 

It was a brilliant and warm evening walking among the waving grass on a beach with which I wasn't familiar! That aspect was the one I relished the most - living on Alki and enjoying the natural beauty it provides is very special. Every once in a while though, you need a reminder of what you have. Visiting another park in a different part of the city and seeing life from another angle not only makes you appreciate that new place, but it allows you to re-discover the beauty you have in your own backyard.

As my friend and I got out of the car near the Fort Lawton lighthouse, we immediately noted the fresh sea air as we waded our way through the dancing grasses to the sandy beach. Feeling far from the bustle of the city for the first time in weeks, we were more than happy to take our time and skip rocks (not well, practice required), throw sticks in the water, and just enjoy a nature stroll on a sun-drenched Sunday. 

Discovery Park even has its place in rock music history. I learned one of Temple of the Dog's videos, Hunger Strike, was filmed along Discovery Park's beaches. The song just happens to be one of my favorite songs of the era! 

There's something to be said for the sight of the water-worked logs and rocks while looking south towards that ever-busy Elliott Bay. Being able to catch a breath of Sunday seawater and relax for a hour or two was just what I needed before I headed home for a busy week.