The good news is that Seattle is back to normal…with the weather.
Unpredictable, beautiful in own way through every condition. The other day it was sunny, but with low level fog giving moments of surreal blue haze. The next day, a spooky fog through the day, hiding the Space Needle from viewers afar. Then the next day, we got some needed rain.
The forecast today will be partly cloudy, partly sunny, higher humidity, maybe rain. We will see. For those living local and around, enjoy the moment when the Seattle weather can just be itself.
Today, on November 11, also known as Veteran’s Day, where we remind ourselves to honor those who served.
This is the day to honor the 18.2 million veterans of the armed forces currently living in the United States. As of 2018 (according to the U.S. Census community survey), an estimated 50% of those veterans are age 65 and older, while 9.1% were younger than age 35. 1 and 12 overall, are women. About 6.3 million are Vietnam-era vets.
There’s more to all that, and most of us probably know a veteran who served, who may have been through combat duty or willing to go into that high level of danger, because they believe in our country that much. We thank them, and give share some extra treatment where we can, perhaps talk and discuss that service, share stories, be proud of them, and never forget. Others can understand, maybe be inspired, or delve more into the lives of those who served, while many among them still have there own battles to fight.
According to a recent report by the Department of Veteran Affairs, 6,139 Veterans in 2017 committed suicide, compared with 5,787 in 2005. About 5.1 are on disability. The number of Veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome varies by their time of service, where 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan related conflicts suffer from some form of PTSD. The last count by the VA in January 2018, estimates 37,800 living without a home on a night during that time.
So yes, there is a lot more to this day than parades and social media shout outs, because what this entails is more than the day. Don’t forget, honor, keep communications, and be kind enough to help when needed, to those who served.
–Orion T
The above shot was from the Columbia Tower this morning in Seattle to its Space Needle, with my decent zoom lens.
Late night walk through the mist on this Sunday night by Seattle’s Space Needle. All is quiet now, after a very busy weekend. I must go home and rest. Good night Seattle!
This was early last night, after midnight. Here in the Seattle Center, the 12 man spirit of the SeaHawks is going Beast Mode through the thick fog (see previous Space Needle pics!). The Super Bowl will be the next day, and the Pacific Science Center knows what’s up.
Also, I love the fog.
And, below is a bonus of where I stopped by this night..the Benaroya Music Hall, also showing some Seahawk cheer!
Continued from previous Part 1 and Part 2, where I lost myself in the fog and I had a strange yet short adventure. And now, I return back to the Federal Way transit station.
And I have a little time left to look around..
And, there are others. But, not for long..
I explore the parking structure, because it’s there. And to get a better view from above.
Everyone is gone, almost.
I look at the time. I best go back (bus arrives at 9:45 pm).
and here I am again. Almost empty..
Another one appears, than disappears.
And the last one runs. But not too late. Here comes the bus.
And that was all. I slept very soundly on very comfortable seat. I remember nothing else..
Continued from yesterday (part 1), to the night before..among shadowy characters..
Above and below, we have a playground further away from the transit station. The basketball court has a very colorful layout, and very smooth. I wish I had a ball. But, I will playfully walk around.
Here is a two-dimensional maze, daring lost souls in the fog to partake..
And here is a hoop guardian, ready for basketballs to pass through. It waits patiently for the dark and fog to pass.
Soon, I would I would need to board the bus. But there was a little time, but not much..to explore a little more. Next up, the Federal Way Transit Station itself..
In the middle of somewhere, by a transit station in Federal Way (further south of Seattle)..I missed the bus back home, after leaving another bus from work. I was early for the next, by 45 minutes. I could wait impatiently and wear down my phone battery with obsessive social media play. Or, I could let my curiosity take over and walk away with the phone buried in my knapsack.
So, I wandered in the fog further away from the station and around the corner, drawn towards different lights. Between them, odd silhouettes stranded about.. These were the strangest strangers, frozen in the fog.
And, I wondered in my wandering..Who or what were these strange stone apparitions? Did they also miss the bus? Would I join them?
There is no escape. I am among them now..
This one is important. A spell or counterspell in process, I can only guess..
Here, I think is some part of a grand epic with an aquatic setting. Details are difficult, as the night hides much.
This one is different, and most suspicious…
And this one, I think strays from all company. It stays alone, especially tonight.
I could find no more information while here, other than shadowy visuals. Perhaps in the future, I will google this place. But for this foggy night, I like mysteries to stay as they are.
But, I noticed something else in the distance, far beyond this tree. It was enough to draw me away from the binding spell of the this strange gathering.
The long bus ride to work was a sleepy extent of nothing. I left Seattle about 30 minutes ago, heading south to work near Tacoma. Traffic seemed slow at first leaving the busy metropolis that I lived deep within. And with each blinking morning light in the morning haze, my eyes sank closer to the headrest of my comfy seat, on the Sound Transit ride.
But not all the way…
I blinked awide, to find myself drifting high above the clouds. Or at least, that’s what was actually happening, as the bus on the highway reached its high stretch on some hills where one could either see nothing, or everything depending on the weather. Here..was unreal, perhaps could be easily fooled all was a dream, and I might have actually gained a good night’s rest..
And that moment of realization; I snapped this above picture of mediocre pixilation from my decent smartphone, through the dirty window inside a vessel traveling at least 60 miles per hour (traffic improved). I took the shot needed, to prove later that such the sight was not a dream. I watched the white fog layer speed by, drifting with the fully snow capped Mount Rainer in the back. All was breathtaking, for the minutes lasted. Then, the trees arrived on the hill censoring the smooth silky oasis. The all-view soon disappeared..forever, and the road would become part of the thick layered fog. And there was nothing again.
A picture for today, from the south Puget Sound in Washington State. It’s not quite the morning, more of the noon as the low marine layer fog remains present for much of the day.
The birds, I have no idea on specifics. Their domain is a small platform surrounded by the water, marked many times by the feathered flyers around.
This shot, from the local ferry boat transit from the Fauntleroy, West Seattle Terminal to the Southworth Terminal, with Vashon Island as a stop in-between. I on some extra work for the ferry involving the collection of travel surveys, going back and forth for much of the day. I can’t recall which terminal was near, or what land is underneath that fog. I was very busy with the work, and enjoying the foggy exterior for that it was, not as much where.
TRAVELING ORION 