PhDs History & Archaeology. Writer. Publisher BlueParrotBooks.com. Seattle Beach Bum with a Camera. If you like my photos buy my books. Find all my stuff on my Substack blog: https://michaelostrogorsky.substack.com/
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If you like my pics, buy my books. Life Is A Beach: a Photographic Rambling Around West Seattle. 11 x 8-1/2 landscape format 80 pound gloss paper stock soft cover with 95 full page color plates. Books available from West Seattle's Pegasus Book Exchange, and Elliott Bay Book Company on Capitol Hill:
New on my Substack. Pioneer Square History Walk Stop Number 4: The Lagoon, The Sawdust, Chinatown. . . and a Certain President's Grandfather:
Details of the Knowing the Spring Courtyard entrance to Seattle Chinese Garden adjacent to South Seattle College:
Song Mei Pavilion and adjacent lily pond Seattle Chinese Garden:
Rock feature at Seattle Chinese Garden. Chinese gardens are distinctive in their symbolic use of water, stone, plants, and architecture to create a place of beauty, vibrant with universal energy:
Main gate to Knowing the Spring Courtyard and entrance to Seattle Chinese Garden adjacent to South Seattle College. Designed and built in conjunction with artisans from Seattle's sister city, Chongqing, Seattle Chinese Garden will be one of the largest Chinese gardens outside of China:
Century old Carp Dragon created in Thailand guarding Seattle Chinese Garden adjacent to South Seattle College. According to traditional Chinese lore, a carp that could jump the high falls of the Yellow River at Dragon Gate would be immediately transformed into a dragon:
Someone mentioned the new Jellyfish sculpture at the Seattle waterfront's renovated Pier 58 seems to be saluting. So here I am doing the #JellyfishSalute: ð
Bouquet Factory Pike Place Market:
Glorious Colors of Summer Pike Place Market:
Bee on a Sunflower Pike Place Market:
Lilies of Pike Place Market:
The Brothers Peaks and the Olympic Mountains lost in Bear Gulch Fire smoke haze today, viewed from Alki Beach: ð
West Seattle's fabulous Alki Avenue Flower Houses, constructed 1916 (left) and 1914, in their full summer glory. Rare day that cars aren't parked out front obscuring the view:
FUCK THESE GESTAPO PRICKS! ðĄ www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Glorious Colors of Summer Pike Place Market:
Literally Sunbursts on a Stalk! Pike Place Market: ð
Seattle Central Library's fabulous Red Hall, utilizing thirteen shades of red paint. Designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaus, Seattle's new Central Library opened 2004:
Glistening seas in the early morning sunlight Puget Sound:
Flaps down for landing Great Blue Heron Alki Beach: ðŠķ
Mount Constance and Olympic Mountains obscured by wildfire smoke from Bear Gulch Fire in Olympic National Park, now more than 8,700 acres, only thirteen percent contained, viewed from Alki Beach. Sadly, the fire will continue burning until the fall rains finally put it out:
Glorious Iced Sparkling Espresso Kinda Morning in Paradise for a bike ride down to Alki Beach before the heat set in: ðēð§ð
Harbor Seal at Seattle's Hiram M. Chittenden or Ballard Locks trying to score a salmon:
Osprey Seahawk at Seattle's Hiram M. Chittenden or Ballard Locks admiring the salmon swimming by: ðŠķ
Salmon running through Seattle's Hiram M. Chittenden or Ballard Locks. I haven't seen this many salmon in one place since I lived in Alaska a century ago!
Muckleshoot Tribal fishing at Seattle's Hiram M. Chittenden or Ballard Locks. Man standing on bow of boat in second pic is booming the water to scare off Harbor Seals:
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!
New on my Substack. Duwamish Chief Seattle, a Seattle historian, and a pioneer Seattle photographer walk into a bar. . . Okay, it's a photography studio. But today it's a bar. And history is made! michaelostrogorsky.substack.com/p/pioneer-sq...
It's not often I can capture a photograph of a Washington State Ferry transiting Puget Sound in front of Koma Kulshan (aka Mount Baker). M/V Wenatchee sailing into the morning Puget Sound mist and haze this past week:
Air-Conditioning Seattle Style! Washington State Ferry Walla Walla sailing past Alki Point Lighthouse bound for Bainbridge Island: ð
Air-Conditioning Seattle Style! Sun deck on Washington State Ferry Tacoma sailing out of Colman Dock: ð
Portrait of a Gull Alki Beach: ðŠķ
It only took Adolph Hitler two months to transform the German Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany. I'm sure the Orange Turd sees that as a challenge to emulate.
Thank you!
Juvenile Gull sailing the wind above Alki Beach: ðŠķ
The Brothers Peaks of the Olympic Mountains obscured by wildfire smoke haze from the Bear Gulch Fire in Olympic National Park, viewed from Alki Beach:
Matthew Mazzotta's seventeen-foot tall fiberglass Steller's Jay sculpture 2023 titled Where's the Party: Elevating Nature and Resilience, West Seattle's Highland Park:
Beating the heat on a 90+ degree weekend here in Seattle. That's like 105 in California degrees! Iced Sparkling Espresso Kinda Early Morning Bike Ride to Alki Beach, before the heat sets in: ðēð§ð
That would be something to see!
This is Alki Beach couple summers ago:
Love how they dry their wings.
Reflection Great Blue Heron Alki Beach: ðŠķ
Great Blue Heron eyeing a snack Alki Beach: ðŠķ
Great Blue Heron launching off Alki Beach: ðŠķ
Osprey Seahawk taking off with lunch from Alki Beach: ðŠķ
Daisy Duck says, Bring On Summer Alki Beach! 90 degree weekend coming up here in Seattle, which is like 105 in California degrees: ð
Joy is a Death by Chocolate Waffle Cone from Alki Ice Cream at Alki Beach on a glorious 80+ degree summer day! ð
That She is!
Sadly all our smoke is local right now. There's a big fire in Olympic National Park, the Bear Gulch Fire.
Would love to know how those are created.
Just Another Glorious Summer Day in Paradise! Sailing into Seattle aboard the Washington State Ferry Tacoma: ð
Twin-masted schooner Bay Lady under full sail, flying across Elliott Bay this morning:
Yes She Is! The Mountain Is Out. The Mountain Tahoma glistening in the morning mist today, viewed from the deck of the Washington State Ferry Tacoma out in the middle of Puget Sound: ð
Unusual cloud formation over Bainbridge Island's Eagle Harbor this morning:
View from my *Other Office* today! Glorious Iced Sparkling Espresso Kinda Morning in Paradise for a coffee run to Winslow on Bainbridge Island aboard the Washington State Ferry Tacoma: ðâīð§ðŧ
Bald Eagle over Alki Point: ðŠķ
Off the Deep End Alki Beach: ð
Picnic in Paradise! Alki Beach: ð
Air Conditioning Puget Sound Style. Sailing off Alki Beach: ð
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Actually only 300mm.
Thank you so much. Channeling my inner Edward Hopper.
No Country for Old Men comes to mind. Thank you so much!
Here's mine. Cathedral of Barnacles. West Seattle's Fauntleroy Ferry Dock:
I LOVE Alki Beach!
Glorious Iced Sparkling Espresso Kinda Day at Alki Beach! ð
Olympic Mountains obscured with smoke from Bear Gulch Fire in Olympic National Park, viewed from Alki Beach:
Seattle has the coolest clouds! Space Needle viewed from Alki Beach:
For World ðļ Day today, Mr. Bðs Meadery, Seattle's Fremont neighborhood: ð
Love this place. Fremont Coffee Company in North Seattle's Fremont Neighborhood. Franke Rosche House. Constructed 1904 by St. Paul lumberman Franke Rosche as headquarters for his Pacific Coast Timber Company where he and his wife Alice lived and worked until his death in 1939:
Thank you so much!
Sadly, no.
Looking over Fremont Troll's shoulder down through Hall of Giants, tunnel of supporting columns for the nearly 3,000 foot long Aurora Bridge. Construction began 1929, final link in what was then called the Pacific Highway (later U.S. Route 99), which ran from Canada to Mexico. Bridge opened 1932:
More of the Fremont Troll:
Massive 18 foot tall 13,000 pound Fremont Troll lurking under Seattle's Aurora Bridge in the North Seattle neighborhood of Fremont since 1990. The troll clutches an actual Volkswagen Beetle, with a California license plate (a Seattle inside joke), as if he had just swiped it from the roadway above:
One of Fremont's most famous residents is Vladimir Lenin. One of last surviving statues of Lenin, 16-foot tall 7-ton bronze statue by Bulgarian sculptor Emil Venkov. Venkov intended to portray Lenin as bringer of revolution in contrast to traditional portrayals of Lenin as philosopher and educator:
Took a trip up to the self-described Center of the Universe, otherwise known as the Fremont neighborhood of North Seattle: ð
Iced Coffee at the Beach! ð
They're CONCENTRATION CAMPS, you MotherFuckers! ðĄ
Leap of Faith. Alki Beach:
Alki Beach Summer Sunday:
Glorious Iced Sparking Americano Kinda Afternoon at Alki Beach! ð
Painting Paradise. Alki Beach. Every work of art starts with a blank slate:
The Real Flying Fish! Pink salmon jumping like crazy off Alki Beach today. And the fisherman glued to his device completely misses the fish right in front of him: ð
Washington State Ferry Wenatchee, the fleet's only hybrid diesel/electric ferry, sailing out of Seattle bound for Bainbridge Island:
Kitsap Fast Ferry Enetai passing Alki Point Lighthouse bound for Seattle's Pier 50:
Sailing Puget Sound. Sailboats Obsession (left) and Bay Lady:
I never tire of watching a ferry sail past our Mountain!
New on my Substack. Pioneer Square History Walk Stop Number 2.Seattle Datum and the Great Seattle Fire of 1889: michaelostrogorsky.substack.com/p/pioneer-sq...
Air Conditioning Seattle Style. Sailing across Puget Sound aboard the Washington State Ferry Tacoma: ð
Alki Beach Promenade:
Air Conditioning Seattle Style on a summer day it's not pouring rain: ð
Sailing catamaran sailing Puget Sound with Koma Kulshan (aka Mount Baker) as a backdrop:
Washington State Ferry Issaquah crossing Puget Sound bound for Seattle:
Great Blue Heron posing for a portrait Alki Beach: ðŠķ
And tomorrow is going to feel depressing like autumn! ðĄ