There’s something to be said for the naming scheme and ultimate retro-awesome of this traffic control box.
Sign found in a little park by 520 in Montlake.
The Pacific Northwest Labor and Civil Rights Projects has an amazing set of historical records, photographs, and newspapers tracing labor and civil rights movements along the West Coast, with focuses on Seattle and San Francisco.
Featuring multitude of resources including Labor History Encyclopedia, Communism in Washington State, and Civil Rights Movements in Seattle, there’s a ton of interesting material contained in these fascinating sites. Of particular interest is the photo archive.
After the 24 hour Iceland Blitz, we took a quick flight to Amsterdam to start the main point of our journey. None of us had been to Amsterdam before, and we figured that two nights and three full days would be plenty of time to explore the city.
Believe me, it was plenty of time. I put off this entry for a while because I didn’t really have too much to say about Amsterdam. It was exactly what we thought it was.
Amsterdam is essentially the Seattle of Europe. It’s a pretty progressive place with plenty of commercial activities going on, and has a couple big claims to fame. People know generally what they’re all about, and they’re both pretty swell places to live and work. They aren’t a super top tier city, but still fun to visit for a day or two.
Oh look canals. Continue reading
Time Awake: 6h30m
As we begin our journey to the mystical land of Iceland, we ponder the adventure ahead of us. And by “ponder” I really mean “wonder what we’ll do for 24 hours in Iceland with a rental car, no internet connection, and just a few offline maps downloaded to our Android devices.” Attempts to sleep on plane are met with resistance. Watch Independence Day with increasingly blurry eyes. Ponder the reasons why I hate flying.
Time Awake: 14h30m
We have landed into a very dark and cold environment. Noticing that the roads are icy and that the land is covered with snow, we briefly reconsider our plans. At car rental agency, eagerly pay an extra ten Euros in order to acquire a local GPS device with directions. Pile into our Mazda 6 and journey forth.
Time Awake: 15h30m
After passing through approximately 20 roundabouts while journeying through the outskirts of Reykjavik, we begin heading towards Geysir and the hydrothermal fields deep inside a national park. Traffic is extremely light, but the roads are extremely icy and snowy. Brian admits that he isn’t sure he entered in the correct destination into the GPS, but we seem to be going to the correct general area.
Sean, Serene, and I went on a series of hikes this weekend to the Snohomish/Granite Falls area: Lime Kiln and Old Robe Canyon. The former roughly followed an old railway grade, whereas the latter closely traced the ruins of a railway abandoned in the early 1930s as the owners finally gave up trying to maintain it. For you see, they built it right next to a river. Not the best idea ever.
It must be pretty sweet being a mushroom. They get to sit around all day in moist environments that aren’t too warm. Occasionally, according to myths, frogs will jump on you and chill out for a while on your fungus-y tendrils. And when it’s almost dark out, you start shining with a really weird glow that can’t be explained that freaks the hell out of everyone. What’s not to love?
Real talk here: I really just wanted an excuse to post this picture, because I’m in love with it. Last weekend I went on an awesome adventure with @erinpillar to Magnunson Park! I even did the traditional “Nikky falls into Lake Washington” ritual that occurs at least once every year. Squish squish squish go the Chucks.