Snow...what a long, strange week it's been

This past week we got dumped on by an unrelenting snow that just got more intense as the week progressed.  I went out Wednesday night to get these shots before it started melting the next day.  

Then it didn't.

Instead, we got more snow, a bit of sleet, some freezing rain (and the obligatory ice storm that goes with it), followed by more snow.  It warmed up yesterday, and the wholesale melting commenced.

I like snow; I like the way it looks, the way it covers everything up and the way it spreads a muted hush over the world.  Everything slows down and people seem nicer.  For a while at least it seems like there really is magic in the world. 

Then it melts, exposing everything it had covered and bringing with it a bit of melancholy to go with the dirty, wet, slushy, flooding mess it leaves behind.

But at least you can get around again without the fear of getting stuck somewhere.

Project 52 - Week 52

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

December 25

Well, here we are.  Week 52 of my 52 week project, a commitment to produce at least one photograph each week for a year.  With the following images that commitment will be fulfilled.  My intention is to not repeat the 52 week commitment, but to instead branch out and pursue some other, as yet unspecified projects.  Stay tuned!

Christmas day brought us a wind storm which knocked out our power.  We tired of waiting for it to come back on so we went for a drive and ended up in Seattle.  The city was very quiet in an eerie sort of way.  We didn't really expect to find much of anything open, and we weren't disappointed.  We went to the Pike Place Market and nothing, save the Mee Sum Chinese pastry shop, was open.  We each had a Humbow and split a Coke.  From there we drove down 1st Avenue to the SoDo District and through Pioneer Square.  By the time we got home the power was back on.  Not exactly a Christmas miracle, but we'll take it.

Rotary Grocery

 Market Grill

Lower Floor

Pig Alley

Western Avenue

Western Avenue

Beecher's Cheese

Pike Place

King Street Station

King Street Station

King Street Station

 Storefront on South Jackson

Project 52 - Week 51

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

December 24

South Downtown Seattle was fairly quiet, but then the Seahawks were playing and everybody was in Century Link Stadium.  I made sure I was out of there before the game let out.

Razor Wire and Cranes

Loft Apartments

Barney's Loans

Smith and Columbia Towers

Mount Rainier

Project 52 - Week 50

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

December 17

Edison Slough in Washington's Skagit Valley, looking west.

Edison Slough

Project 52 - Week 49

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

This time of year, as autumn wanes and winter is waiting in the wings, our days are dominated by the night.  It gets dark earlier and the sun rises later.  As such, there is more opportunity for low-light photography, and I have been embracing that of late...I love the tonal qualities one can achieve when low-light images are rendered in black and white.  Look for more to come.

December 8

I often pass by this concrete plant on my way home from work, and the interplay of light and dark, illumination and shadow across the plant's superstructure proves irresistible.  I anticipate more visits to this site.

Concrete Plant

Concrete Plant 2

December 9

On my way home from work one day this week I'm visually assaulted by an enormous sign and a massive tent, a canvass pavilion really, one of colossal proportions.  Both sign and pavilion are bathed in an illumination so bright that they seem to leap from the night making the darkness insignificant.  It certainly catches my attention, and I'm sure that's the intent, for this is the advance setup for Cavalia.  But for me there's something else...an implied invitation, a calling if you will, to capture these images photographically.  I return the following night and do just that.

Cavalia

Cavalia Pavilion

Cavalia Pavilion 2

Project 52 - Week 48

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

November 29

The Brothers

December 2

Half Moon

Project 52 - Week 47

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

November 23

Otay Mesa

November 24

Talk to the Hand

Project 52 - Week 46

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

November 19

Aikido Dojo

The "Sunset Cliffs Aikido" dojo, located in the alley behind "Hodad's" in Ocean Beach, California.

Project 52 - Week 45

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

November 10

The Full Luna

Project 52 - Week 44

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

November 5

Smith Tower From Up Yesler Way

Old Office Building on Yesler

Who Cares?

Only...

Luna

Project 52 - Week 43

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

October 29

For whatever reason, I seem to be reverting to B&W imagery lately.  This weekend I found myself in Seattle at the north end of Lake Union, both in the Fremont District and at Gas Works Park.  I was fortunate to have such a beautiful day in which to capture some photographs.  Here is a sampling.

Fremont Power

Fremont Power 2

Fremont Power 3

Walking By

Old Gasification Plant

Grassy Hill

Float Plane Takes Off From Lake Union

Project 52 - Week 42

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

October 17

Monday morning I was out walking my dog before heading off to work and I spied the moon hanging in the pre-dawn sky.  Anticipating an opportunity, I grabbed my tripod and hot-footed it to work.  Once there I was pleased to see that the moon had not been hidden by clouds, so I mounted my camera and long lens onto my tripod and set about capturing this image.  While this low-res version doesn't do it justice, I am very pleased with the way it came out.

Fat Half Moon

October 22

This afternoon we went out to visit a Pub in a nearby town for a burger and a beer.  Afterward I captured this image of the town hall.  On our way back I took a back road and a ramshackle old structure caught my eye.

City of Carnation

Gravity At Work

Still Standing

Project 52 - Week 41

A photo a week...for a year.  Fifty-two weeks; 52 images, minimum.

October 12

The Commons

If you've been following this blog you'll know that the school where I work underwent a major addition this past summer.  Now the addition has been dedicated and tours have been conducted, but still there are those who haven't seen it in person.  The school's Annual Report will be coming out soon and I was asked to provide some shots for a "virtual tour" of the new construction.  This image is part of that collection and shows the main entrance to the new area..."The Commons".