View from underneath the Magnolia Bridge

This picture requires some explanation. This is a picture of the underside of a bridge in Seattle called the Magnolia Bridge.

I took this picture some time ago, and I stored it on a memory card. I totally forgot about it, and then found it when I went back looking through my photos.

When I took this picture, I didn't even notice the guy there. I took this picture from a platform on the stairs, and then I walked down the stairs.

He was a nice guy. He told me that I wasn't the first person with a camera to walk around in this area taking pictures. He kept offering me a bag of Frito Lay Chili Cheese chips.

I don't know what the rules are for taking pictures of people, so I try to avoid it. I would really like to photograph people, and my favorite photographers take pictures of people.

But, like I said, I don't know how it works. I might take this down later, but I still like it. You can see another picture from under this bridge here.

Water on plant near the Fremont Bridge

This is a picture of water drops on a plant in Seattle. You can see Seattle's Fremont Bridge there in the background.

I took this picture just yesterday - 05/30/2010.

This was from a group of photos I posted yesterday.

The Fremont branch of the Seattle public library

This is another one of those pictures that I remember as being better than it actually was.

Regardless, in my memory at least, this one is really good.

This picture is of the Fremont branch of the Seattle public library. Fremont is a neighborhood in Seattle.

This building was designed by an architect named Daniel Riggs Huntington, who, despite having designed numerous buildings in the Seattle area, appears to lack a wikipedia page of his own.

The same architect also designed local schools and the Washington Street Boat Landing. I nominate this man for his own wikipedia page.

Fremont Fire Station structure at 3829 Linden Avenue North

This is why I find the hyper local blogs so interesting. I randomly read this article one day, which is about the structure pictured above at 3829 Linden Avenue North in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.

I am interested in historical preservation, and I even found my way towards reading this document from the city of Seattle.

This is a picture of an old portion of a firehouse in Seattle. The architect of this building was a man named Daniel Riggs Huntington. This was the same architect who designed the Fremont, Green Lake, and University District libraries (guess he was a fan of Spanish Tile roofs!).

You can find more pictures of this structure at 3829 Linden Avenue North here.

This is what the building looked like in 1936.

View from the pier at Golden Gardens

This picture is of a pier at a park in Seattle called Golden Gardens. In the distance, you can see the Olympic Mountain range and the waters of Puget Sound.

This was one of a group of pictures I took at Golden Gardens one day.

Drops of water on flowers near the Fremont Bridge

This is a picture that I took just today! These are some flowers that were down, close to the water, on the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

The Fremont Bridge is in the background.

This is one of a group of photos I posted.

View of University Bridge from the water at North Passage Point Park

This is a picture that I like - I took it just recently. This picture was taken at a place in Seattle called the North Passage Point Park. This park is right by Ivar's Salmon House and Voula's Offshore Cafe, if you know the area.

The bridge in the background is called the University Bridge.

View of sunset near NW 60th Street Viewpoint

This picture was pretty nice. This picture was taken near this small little lookout point called the NW 60th Street Viewpoint.

This is looking out at the point where Shilshole Bay converges with the Puget Sound. Out in the distance, across the Puget Sound, there are the Olympic Mountains.

Ruminations on four loko

This is a high octane, alcoholic, malt beverage that I took a picture of one rainy day in Seattle. This was on the ground near NW 56th Street and 32nd Avenue NW. Now, usually, I don't take an opinion on malt beverages.

Ever since i've lived in Seattle, i've noticed a great deal of debate about the homeless and alcohol consumption. Typically, i've thought that these debates about "civility issues" often pander to the worst aspects of the overeducated and overpaid Seattle Left.

Overtime, however, I have started to give more and more thought about malt beverages, and restrictions on them.

If you haven't visited this Chicago company's website, you should. Even more that targeting the homeless, they clearly appear to be targeting young people. This beverage is called four loko, and has 12 percent alcohol by volume in a 23 ounce can. That seems pretty high.

The problem is, that Seattle has, at least up until the last time I read up on this issue, a haphazard approach to the banning of high alcohol content beverages.

What's worse? The website is so old, I can't tell if this four loko is on the list.

I haven't made up my mind about alcohol restrictions. I don't know if they work - and I don't know if you're just penalizing the poor by placing restrictions on their sale. Plenty of the upwardly mobile get shit faced and obnoxious all the time, whether it be from Kettle One or micro brews.

Maybe it's just the sight of people getting very drunk off them. This particular beverage seems to be causing problems. I don't know.

I've thought about this before.

View of the operator station on the Ballard Bridge

This picture is ok. This is a picture of the operator station above a bridge in Seattle called the Ballard Bridge.

I've taken a number of pictures of, and from, the bridge.

Plants in front of a street sign near the Ballard Bridge

I have always liked this picture. This is a picture of some plants in front of some street signs in Seattle. This area is very close to the Ballard Bridge.

Leaves falling off of a tree at Seattle's Woodland Park

This is a picture taken in 2009 of leaves falling off of a tree at a place in Seattle called Woodland Park.

Woodland Park is an interesting area, it is near Green Lake.

Bird in water at Green Lake

This picture is of a bird that I saw at a place in Seattle called Green Lake.

I think that this bird is a Great Blue Heron. I like the reflection in the water.

Here is another picture of the same bird.

Golden Gardens at sunset with remains of an old pier in water

This picture is looking out on the beach at a park in Seattle called Golden Gardens. This is at sunset.

View of Puget Sound from Golden Gardens Park

I like this picture. This picture shows a view of Puget Sound. This is looking West from a park in Seattle called Golden Gardens.

If you ever visit Seattle, I recommend a visit to Golden Gardens.

Trees in evening light at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle

This is kind of a simple picture, but I have always liked it.

This picture was taken at a place in Seattle called Golden Gardens Park, I was walking there one evening, when I turned away from the water and looked back at the trees.

I quickly snapped this photo, later when I was looking back through my pictures, I found that I really liked this picture!

It shows nice color - I can see that, even though I am partially color blind!

Sign about vandalism on the door of men's room at the Ballard Library.

This is going to require a little explanation on my part, so here goes...

This picture is a picture I took about two months ago. This is a picture of a sign that was on the door of the men's room at the Ballard branch of the public library.

It's a long story, but as soon as I saw this sign, I knew that this would be a big news story.

I am an enormous fan of the numerous hyperlocal news websites here in Seattle. I do think that something interesting is cooking up here.

I often get a real kick out of reading the comments sections on these hyperlocal blogs. There's something about anonymity on the internet, that just turns some people weird.

That's why I do the militant opposite of anonymity, you always know where I stand.

Anyways, people had been very upset about problems at the library, and as soon as I saw that vandalism had forced controlled access to the men's room, I knew that I needed to send this picture over to the myballard.

Which is what I did - the result was a blog post that contains a fascinating look into Seattle culture, please read the comment section of this blog post.

P.S. Can someone explain to me why there are two different Wikipedia sites dealing with word hyperlocal?

Picture of the outside of the Panama Hotel

I put this picture and a group of others, up for my Mom. This is a place called the Panama Hotel in Seattle's International District.

This place is currently a tea and coffee shop. This building was also featured in a book that came out in 2009 called "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by an author named Jamie Ford.

After my Mom read the book with her book club in California, she asked me to take some photos of this building and send them to her. She very much enjoyed the book.

The book is a romance story that also deals with the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

My family has a lot of connections to Japanese people, because my grandfather is a survivor of Bataan, and my cousin is half-Japanese. My grandfather, Jack Aldrich, had his time during World War II featured in a book that his wife wrote.

Also, my hometown was used as assembly center for Japanese Americans during World War II. This has only recently been acknowledged.

The Sun Cleaners dry cleaning sign at Woodlawn Avenue and N 45th Street in Wallingford

I've always liked this picture. This is a picture of a dry cleaning sign located at the intersection of Woodlawn Avenue North and North 45th Street in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood.

When I took this picture, the Woodlawn Ave N street sign was over the words "DRY CLEANING" which were displayed on the sign, above "DRIVE IN".

I really like this sign, and I wonder how old it is.

Wall of Sunset Bowl after demolition

This picture was of a portion of the Sunset Bowl's colorful wall after demolition work was nearly finished.

I took a number of pictures of demolition work, but not many of them turned out that great. Still I posted them, mostly for historical reasons. I also have more on my computer that I never posted.

Sunset Bowl before demolition

This picture is of a local bowling alley called the Sunset Bowl. The Sunset Bowl was located in Seattle for many years, until it was bought during the tail end of Seattle's housing boom.

After the economy went to shit, the bowling alley just sat, vacant.

Finally a decision was made to tear down the bowling alley. If you want to read more, here is an article about a final tour of this building that some people made.

Here is a an article that has embedded video of the last wall being torn down.

I only went bowling here once, in about 1999 or 2000.

Fremont branch of the Public Library

This picture was always in the back of my mind as one of my favorites, but after I went back and searched for it, it is not nearly as good as I remember.

Since, however, I remembered this as being one of my favorites, I am not going to judge it now, in hindsight.

This is a picture of the Fremont branch of the Seattle Public Library system. The same architect that designed this building also designed the University District and Green Lake branches.

Flower picture

I liked this flower picture. This was taken on North 50th Street in North Seattle.

Tree branches in the water of Green Lake - THIS is the picture I was thinking of!

This is the picture I have been thinking of! These are tree branches dipping into the water at a place called Green Lake in Seattle.

Plants in sunlight on the shore of Green Lake

This picture is of plants on the shore at a place in Seattle called Green Lake. I liked how this picture came out.

Tree branch dipping into water of Seattle's Green Lake

This picture is of a tree branch dipping into the water of a freshwater lake in Seattle called Green Lake.

Vladamir playing his xylophone at Green Lake

This picture is of my friend Vladamir. He is playing his xylophone at a place in Seattle called Green Lake.

Cliff face at Discovery Park at low tide

This picture was of a rock face on the water at low tide. This was at a place in Seattle called Discovery Park.

Political graffiti on pieces of cement on the beach in Magnolia

I am often interested in overtly political graffiti. I can remember going to San Francisco a couple times when I was pretty young, and I remember seeing very overt, political graffiti in downtown San Francisco. It would always be about causes I had never heard of, and in the pre-internet and pre-google days, I couldn't go on line to look up what they were talking about - which somehow made it all the more interesting.

In my opinion, at least, you see very little overt political graffiti in the city of Seattle.

This picture is of some overtly political graffiti. This was spray painted on cement blocks sitting on the beach in an area of town called Magnolia.

It reads: "NO NORTH AMERICAN UNION" and "NO I.D. CHIPS" and "DON'T GIVE IN". It then continues on with "TO THERE LUST FOR POWER OUR RIGHTS ARE BEING TAKEN AWAY" and "EMBRACE DIVERSITY" and "FUCK THE SPD".

I don't really know what this all means, but I found it interesting. Seattle isn't a very political city at all, it's very establishment, so it is interesting to see someone's views expressed in such a way.

View from Seattle's West Point during a very low tide

This picture didn't turn out all that great, but what it shows is interesting.

This is a place in Seattle called West Point, which is the westernmost point in the city of Seattle.

The tide was very, very low the day I took this picture, I was able to walk much further out on this area of land than usual.

View of 2 signs and Puget Sound - Carkeek Park on Thanksgiving

This picture was taken at a place in Seattle called Carkeek Park. It was taken on Thanksgiving Day of 2009.

I took a group of pictures that day, but not that many of them turned out very good.

Sunlight on plants out front of the Wallingford QFC

Nothing exotic. This picture is of plants that were sitting in the sunlight out front of the Wallingford QFC supermarket.

I like this picture.

Man holding Gottschalks "Going out of business" sign

This picture has historical importance. Gottschalks was a local retailer that went out of business in Merced in 2009.

I was walking around one day in 2009, when I saw people holding these signs about the closing. I asked the man if I could take a picture of the sign, and he said yes.

Picture of a toad I spotted in a creek near Dunn and Gardner

This is a picture of a toad I spotted floating in a creek in Merced. This toad was in some water near Dunn Road and Gardner Avenue.

Cool looking truck that was parked in downtown Merced in 2009

This was a picture I took of a cool looking truck that was parked in downtown Merced in 2009.

Roadside memorial in Merced

I was walking around in Merced last year. I was walking in this area between the old Gottschalks and the Walmart.

This area used to be mostly empty, but after I left they developed this area with new retail. Some of the stores included a Barnes and Noble and a Jamba Juice.

Anyways, out behind the new stores, there is a curvy road. While walking out in this area, I came across a roadside memorial for two people who died.

There wasn't any information, other than the names of the people on the crosses.

I snapped this picture.

Guilty looking cow

Just look at this cow. Guilty of something!

Self portrait from Merced # 2

See, not all pictures of me are horrible. This was a picture I took in 2009, when I was playing around.

Look how serious I look! For a while there, I was getting up early every morning, going on long walks before dawn. Lifting free weights, chopping wood and satellite dishes, doing pilates.

Didn't last.

This picture wasn't bad either. This one was hilarious!

Look, i'm 12. Look, i'm 14.

All emotional and shit. Sunburned and suffering from a dislocated shoulder.

Chevy Malibu parked in Merced

This picture is of a Chevy Malibu parked in a parking lot in Merced. This picture was taken in 2009.

The Merced area is really into cars and the car culture. The film American Graffiti was set in Modesto, just up the road.

You'll often see a lot of classic cars on the road and around town.

As a side note, the building there in the background used to house my childhood doctor's office.

Apartment complex across from the Rivera Middle School baseball diamonds

This picture is of an apartment complex located at 1099 Buena Vista Drive in Merced. This is across the street from the Rivera baseball diamonds, if you are familiar with the area.

Merced county has very, very high rates of poverty. According to the census bureau, nearly 21% of the people in Merced county are living under the poverty line.

I remember walking by this apartment complex and thinking that it looked like a prison.

Cat drawn into the sidewalk on Buena Vista Drive in Merced

This picture is a cat that was drawn into the sidewalk along Buena Vista Drive in Merced, California.

I bet a kid this!

Funny sign that was on the ground outside of Courthouse Museum

I like this picture. This is a picture of a sign that was on the ground in 2009 in Merced. This was out in the street in front of a place called the Courthouse Museum. You can see a picture of the Courthouse Museum here.

Sign says "Spaceship Broke. Need Money for Parts and Labor. Thanx. Have a Good Day"

So Seattle, think you've got a graffiti problem?

This picture was of an abandoned apartment complex located on R Street in Merced, California. This isn't far from the excellent Pizza Villa and Fahrens Park, if you know the area.

Not only is a big, falling apart, apartment complex allowed to decay in public. No one, apparently, cares that it's covered in graffiti, either.

Small moon and 3 flag poles

You know what never, ever seems to work? Taking pictures of the moon. I've stopped even trying with the camera that I have. Still, of all the failed moon pictures, this is the only one that came out even half decent.

This is a picture of 3 flags flying out front of the UC Merced campus entrance. Out on the left hand side is the moon.

Impression of the word "Mervyn's" left on building after store closure in Merced

This is a picture from my hometown. This was at our local mall, called the Merced Mall. For my entire life there had been a Mervyn's department store here. But all Mervyn's stores went out of business in 2008. This picture was taken in 2009, it was shocking to see Mervyn's empty, especially since they kind of acted as anchor for an entire side of the Mall. The impression of the words was left, even after the sign was physically removed from the wall.

House on Lake Road that ended up burning down

This picture of a house located at 3645 Lake Road in Merced, was by no means one of my favorite pictures. I took this picture in probably April of 2009.

What happened, however, was that I read an article in my local newspaper about a suspicious fire at this location. The article even mentions a "gutted minivan" which I believe is the minivan in this photo.

So, historically, this picture is important. This could be one of the last photos of this house before it burned down. I always thought people were living in there.

Picture of sign out front of my old elementary school

This picture is kind of a sentimental favorite for me. I went to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade at this school. My elementary school is named after a guy named Luther Burbank. I took a number of photos, and everything looked exactly the way I remember it. They still haven't gotten rid of those "temporary and portable" classrooms that they put here in the mid-1980's! Guess they weren't temporary OR portable!

Only in Merced, kids. Only in Merced.

This is an actual store in downtown Merced on West Main Street. I think I went in here twice as a kid, very scary. A word of warning: the "wig" portion of their front window is truly scary!

Ceiling out front of an old theater in Merced

This picture requires some explanation. This picture is of the ceiling out front of a place in my hometown called the Merced Theater. This place used to be a movie theater, and I went to many movies here, especially in the Summer when it would be super hot outside.

The movie theater closed in 2002, but a preservation effort is underway, and the theater is scheduled to re-open this Fall.

Self portrait from Merced

Dear Apple Computer-

I'd forgotten what I looked like until Photo Booth came around. I lived in an apartment, but I got rid of all my mirrors. What was going on in my mind back when this picture was taken? I don't remember.

Yours truly-

Robby Delaware

P.S. Delete later.