University of Washington

Two days of meetings at Oceanography offered several chances to admire the big stump that emerged last year following construction of the new genetics and bioengineering building. Modeled after the giant cedars that once might have grown here, and built from cedar 2x6s, I suspect this installation by Brian Tolle (Stronghold, 2007) makes people think just a little bit about how much our landscape has changed in the last couple hundred years.

The sundial on the physics building was 45 minutes off, as best as I could figure.

Taxidermy

Juneau, like Ketchikan, is strung out along the steep edges of the valley, and like Ketchikan, it seems to be dominated in the summer by the cruise boat crowds. The gift shops peter out as you move away from the cruise terminal.

Most of the wildlife we saw on this trip was a long ways away and tended to avoid us, but in Juneau, the critters are trained to pose for the tourists.

Centennial Olympic Park

I tried to talk the guys into getting outside for a little bit before the last round - they probably haven't left the hotel since we got here except to cross the sky bridge to the food court. But they were content to hang out in the room watching TV, so I wandered off on my own.

Portland

I took a break at lunch from discussions of coastal management and melting ice sheets to reconnect with some simpler stuff. I combined a medley of Portland mass transit - MAX and the street car - with a good cup of tea (the tea was good, the cup was actually a bit tricky) at the Chinese Garden. Nice cultural contrast to the great Cuban food at Oba! this evening.

Critters

The new Federal Court House is an impressive building at the west end of downtown, near Old Sacramento. Its court yard is maintained by these whimsical characters - definitely a California theme and a humorous counterpoint to the building's seriousness.

Wildlife

The last round is underway and I'm off for more coffee and sightseeing. The canine is walking fast between the convention center and the theatre. I think the feline was guarding a bank.

Sea Tac

I left Vancouver yesterday after the morning sessions and lunch. Battled construction (pre-Olympic frenzy, I suspect) getting out of the city and a 45 minute wait at the border. I got home in time to take M&D to the airport. And then I came back again this morning to catch my own flight. Took pictures of airplanes and fish mobiles while admiring just how long some people are willing to wait in line at Starbucks!

Olympic Sculpture Park

From the Mojave to the Gulf of Mexico and back to Seattle. Amazing how much routine, and sometimes not so routine, life gets left in the gaps! Yesterday, I took advantage of a brief gap in that routine to wander through the new sculpture park. It still needs to be finished up - especially the section down near the water - but what is done looks great. I hope it sets the tone for future work along Seattle's waterfront.

Horses

Kentucky. It's all about horses and bourbon. The horses are more colorful than I had expected. And much, much slower!