In the shadow of the Pointy End*

*couldn't resist the Song of Ice & Fire reference 

We didn't take the time (or shell out the bucks) to go up top in the Seattle Space Needle. But, boy, there sure are lots of wonderful things to see (and play on) around its foot. And they're mostly free!

The first big sculpture we encountered was this cool collection of tubes...

visitors from the other coast

...here's what they look like from directly below...

note that blue sky again!

Then what do we see but some fabulous Chihuly flowers peering over a hedge...

This is another paid attraction that's probably worth the price of admission. But we had limited time as well as a little one with us. And a playground beckoned. Believe me, you don't want to get in my granddaughter's way if she sees a playground!

Admittedly, this enormous play structure is a bit beyond her at present...

...but there were smaller slides more her size, and she always enjoys watching the bigger kids anyway.

For me, I spent a good bit of time in the playground area snapping pictures of this amazing structure:

Isn't this the most amazing building?! The last time I was in this park (in 1992, on our way to Alaska; you can see some photos here) I doubt if this museum was even a gleam in its architect's eye. I guess I should have heard about it in the interim, but hadn't, so it was a super-awesome surprise to discover. It looks, from the website, like it's a pretty neat place on the inside, too. We'll have to take that in sometime on an adults- or older-kids-only excursion.

For now, though, I just couldn't get enough of the exterior...

my first look at it

around the other side

to complete the futuristic look, there's a monorail!

Next up, I'll take you down to the southern end of Puget Sound for some different looks at this varied, exciting, and super-scenic area.

Wordless Wednesday: bi-lingual creepiness in the security line

Seattle Sights

Yes, that city under the astonishingly clear blue sky is Seattle. I had a delightful time in the greater metro area last week, and it didn't rain a drop on us! 

The occasion was a nephew's wedding (Congratulations, Matt and Danaé!) but I was lucky enough to be able to add on some sight-seeing days. So fun family (and granddaughter!) time was made even more enjoyable in this great setting.

Since we were almost always in the company of small children, we perhaps didn't see the kind of sights we might have chosen were we on our own. (Although some adult spots were visited, like the original Starbucks, shown on the left with one of their best customers.)

And I'm really sorry we weren't able to get up north to see Amy and her tulips, but the traffic was a challenge even for the adults in the party; asking the little ones to bear with that much more of it was a bridge too far.

As you might know if you have taken kiddos to new places, there are compensations. It really is fun to show them new things, and watch them have new experiences.

For example, we had a nice lunch at Lowell's in the Pike Market, and even the youngest enjoyed its incomparable views. That's Grammy with one of her granddaughters at the window on the right.

And here's what you could see through one of those nice windows:

There aren't too many places, certainly not near where we live, where you can see such an gorgeous amalgam of natural beauty and human-made awesomeness. Here's a look out another Lowell's window...

Unfortunately the ferris wheel and the adjoining aquarium will have to wait a few years until our next generation is a little older and taller (although they probably wouldn't be intimidated by the ride even now—they're pretty fearless).

On my only previous visit to Seattle I had to miss out on the Pike Market since I was there for a work meeting. So I was especially glad to be able see it this time, both inside...

...and out:

The rest of downtown Seattle is pretty photogenic, too. I like both the old buildings...

...and the new...

aren't those blocky protuberances interesting?
I wonder what the views are like from inside them

...as well as the generously sprinkled pieces of public art, like this driftwood whale...

...and this perfect meeting place landmark (really handy when you're trying to keep track of several different groups of relatives!):

There are two other, even more iconic Seattle symbols and we got to see one up close. I'll tell you about that next time. 

The other one is a little farther away, and it sometimes isn't even visible, but at least on this clearest of our days, we could see it...

That's the downtown viaduct (that we learned is in the process of getting buried!) on the left in the foreground, and the stadiums for the Sounders, Seahawks, and Mariners in the near background. The big guy in the far background is, of course, Mt. Rainier, such an amazing sight it looks almost like a fake piece of stagecraft. The highest point (!) in an area that's blessed with so much wonderful scenery. I'll be showing you samples of this variety in the next several posts.

Wordless Wednesday: the heart of early music

Wordless Wednesday: East Texas clover

Home sweet slough

When we arrived at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park late Thursday afternoon, our trip organizers extraordinaire had reserved some gorgeous campsites for us all together along Gum Slough (I tried to work "Gum Slough/Gumshoe" into the title for this post but couldn't quite come up with anything).

Isn't that something?! Unfortunately, we didn't ever take advantage of this lovely waterway for paddling, although some of our friends did. But I did take a lot of pictures from the shore. Here's a sample:

morning sun and still water

even stiller water

I can never get too much of trees reflected in still water

cypress knees

a cloudy morning...

,,, and a setting sun

One of our party, staying home from the Saturday paddle, got to see an alligator gliding by in our slough! We only caught a glimpse of one just at the end of our Friday paddle, when we saw one across the way from our launch point.

Carnivorous reptiles or not, though, you can't have a much better place for camping than this...

I mean, look at those trees!! A tree aficionado like myself can't help but channel her inner Tolkien and take lots of pictures of these beauties...

so tall, and so graceful!

sunrise just touching the tops

Show-stealing Slough

Isn't that gorgeous?! Our second day of paddling in the Piney Woods took us 9 miles down the Angelina River, to its confluence with the Neches, and then a little further.

I had gotten tired enough the day before to make me a little skittish about such a long paddle. Especially on a wide, wide river like this, when we'd heard that headwinds were occasionally a problem.

However, as it turned out we were very lucky on almost all counts: the swifter-than-normal current that had made the Friday's paddle such a workout was in our favor Saturday, giving us a welcome boost; and the winds we feared were only intermittent light breezes. So it turned out to be an easier, rather than a more difficult, day.

We launched at the tiny village of Bevilport, which we learned a little about from the historical marker on the right. There's a nice boat ramp, since most of the craft that depart from here are of the motorized (usually fishing) variety. We did see quite a few powerboats during our paddle, and most of them were nice enough to slow down to minimize their wakes. The ones that didn't were treated to some shaken fists and a few choice words. (That, of course, they couldn't hear.)

One of the selling points of this trip was the chance to see dogwoods. Unfortunately, these showy woodland decorations were past their peak, which doesn't last very long. We did see this one on the Angelina...

,,,and I saw a lot more on the way home than on the way out. I think I must have just been better-tuned-in to the forest after spending three nights sleeping in it. 

Next time we come out here, we might end up camping somewhere other than the state park (although it would be difficult to give up its amazingly fine showers!). We discovered a series of Army Corps of Engineers campsites along the river that would be ideal for boat camping, and stopped at one for a nice lunch...

...although no one tried out the rope swing  . Here's another view from the sort of bluff where we found our picnic table. Can you believe how still that much water can be?!

As nice as the main river was, and as grateful as we were for its current gently pushing us along, the highlight of our paddle, the slough that stole the show, was Bee Tree Slough.

We'd heard about this swampy wonderland of ponds, pools, and connecting sloughs, from the rangers who guided us on our paddle the day before. Its entrance isn't far before the Angelina and Neches join forces, and was a little hard to find. So as neat a landscape as it is, I was just as glad that, ranger-less, we ended up leaving it the same way we entered. (After a lot of talk like, "gee, this slough looks like it will take us back to the river," and "let's see where this goes"—no thanks! I think it would be really easy to get lost in this maze.)

Here's a selection of views of this eerily beautiful environment, hidden in plain sight...

one of those tantalizing sub-sloughs

ghost trees in the largest open area

more ghost trees

and still more!

one of the picturesque sub-sloughs

My faithful readers won't be surprised that the trees in here were among my favorite elements. Take a look at these impressive specimens...

...not to mention this one...

...while some smaller foliage was also worth a look...

What a magical place! A perfect example of why it's always a good idea to chat up rangers whenever possible. We might have seen this place on the topo map and thought it might make an interesting side excursion, but it's always best to have expert advice when you can get it.