Paul D. Natkin: January 2010

Sunday, January 31, 2010

There were three people looking at the view when I arrived at the Viewpoint. They were huddled under the laurel tree, talking amongst themselves and pointing in various directions, as they picked out landmarks.

Three People Looking at the View, Jan. 31, 2010

Saturday, January 30, 2010

I had no time for anything today. It's the full moon tonight, but I haven't found it yet. Last night I could see it, behind a thick veil of clouds.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Today I met three sailors at the Viewpoint: two from Germany and one from the Philippines. They had come to see the grave of Bruce Lee, across the street. One of the Germans was from Rostock, in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, and the other was from somewhere in North Rhine-Westphalia. The latter told me that in order to do get information on their ancestors, people with roots in this German state usually have to come to the United States, to one particular place. (I think it was somewhere in the Northeast.)

Lovers on the Edge, Jan. 29, 2010

Thursday, January 28, 2010

There's been no snow this year--which is quite different from last year--but all the same, when you look into the distance, you know it's winter. Here, of the four seasons, winter is probably the quietest. At least that's how it seems to me. Today, as I looked across Lake Washington, I felt the silence of the landscape. Oh, of course, if I were to go to all the places I can see from the Viewpoint, I would encounter plenty of noise, regardless of the season. But the impression one gets at this time of year is nevertheless one of silence.

Silent Scene, Jan. 28, 2010

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The moon is close to full again. I haven't been to the Viewpoint all day long--too busy. But maybe I'll make it yet.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I didn't make it to the Viewpoint today. But I thought of it several times.

Memory of Tomorrow, Jan. 27, 2010

Monday, January 25, 2010

It was strangely springlike on this day in late January. Plants are in bloom that normally wouldn't be this early, and the air is heavily laden with their various scents. But looking out over the lake, as I stood at the Viewpoint, I knew it was winter. There was a weight to the scene that you don't feel when all the trees are covered with leaves. Today, most areas beyond the Edge were blue, white, black or gray.

Winter Scene, Jan. 25, 2010

Sunday, January 24, 2010

It was clear this morning--well, I mean dry--but I had no time to go to the Viewpoint. Then the rain began, and I wasn't in the mood to take photos in the rain. Without the rain, I'd be someone else; as oppressive as it sometimes is, it makes me who I am. But I'm still thinking of the sky three days ago.

View of the Cascades, Jan. 21, 2010

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Yesterday I didn't go to the Viewpoint. This photo is from the day before yesterday. It's not every day that one sees the reddish color of the foothills of the Cascades.

Strange Colors, Jan. 21, 2010

Friday, January 22, 2010

Sometimes a painting looks like a photograph. And then, sometimes a photograph looks like a painting. This one, of the Cascades, in some ways reminds me of a watercolor, in other ways of an oil. I took the photo yesterday.

Like a Watercolor, Jan. 21, 2010

Thursday, January 21, 2010

There was quite a dramatic display of the effects of light and shadow at the Viewpoint this afternoon. Many people sat and stared, as the display changed by the minute.

Sunlight and Clouds, Jan. 21, 2010

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

There are many kinds of moss growing in the parks below. Each one is different from the next. No two kinds are the same.

Moss Down Below, Jan. 20, 2010

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

I never did make it to the Viewpoint yesterday, and I'll be lucky if I make it today. It's already dusk, and I'm beginning to find winter a bit oppressive, although it's a light winter this year, and there are already small signs of spring here and there. I want to return to a photo I took a few days ago. It's not in perfect focus, but that's not the point.

Moss and Lichen on Leaf, Jan. 2010

Monday, January 18, 2010

Today was a long day, and I didn't make it to the Viewpoint. But maybe I'll get there yet. The fog of two days ago is still on my mind.

The Lovers in Fog, Jan. 16, 2010

Sunday, January 17, 2010

There are several kinds of ivy growing in the parks below, and at the Viewpoint itself. The most prevalent is English ivy, which was apparently planted in the area in the 1970s. Here, English ivy is a non-native, invasive species.

Ivy, Jan. 17, 2010

Saturday, January 16, 2010

This morning, the visibility was very low here. We've had many foggy mornings in the last few weeks, but this was the thickest fog I've seen this year.

Sentinel in Fog, Jan. 16, 2010

Friday, January 15, 2010

Many birds can be seen at the Viewpoint, or from it--still more in the parks below. Here's a nest in a tree towards the south end of the park above.

Nest, Jan. 14, 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010

It was pretty gloomy at the Viewpoint when I arrived there, shortly before dusk. A man and a woman were just passing by. The woman recognized me from other visits to the Viewpoint. "I've seen you in all seasons. Now there's nothing--just nothing," she said, waving her hand towards the view, now almost completely devoid of leaves. "But even now," she said, "there's something to see." At least that's what I think she said. At first I wasn't quite getting it. I took a photo of the bark of the Sentinel, fairly low down on the trunk.

Bark of the Sentinel, Jan. 14, 2010

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

There are many kinds of moss growing in the parks below. Even above, at the Viewpoint, one finds moss--for instance, on the large rock at the head of the path.

Moss on Rock, Jan. 12, 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

It rained yesterday. It's raining today. It's going to rain tomorrow. I went to the Viewpoint, and there was lots of mist above the treetops and over the bay and lake. Two young squirrels were playing around the Sentinel. Squirrels' behavior is, I know, very calculating--or at least methodical--on one level. They find nuts, they bury them, and then, months later, they remember where the nuts are buried. But on another level, squirrels' behavior seems so erratic...

Squirrel and Sentinel, Jan. 12, 2010

Monday, January 11, 2010

It rained today, but I was determined to go to the Viewpoint, all the same. By the time I got there, the rain had let up, to a point. Above the treetops, there were patches of mist. I didn't stay long.

Gray Day, Jan. 11, 2010

Sunday, January 10, 2010

This morning there were stripes of orange across the eastern sky. By the time I arrived at the Viewpoint, maybe fifteen minutes before sunrise, the orange color was much paler. I waited for the sun to clear the horizon. I was not alone.

Clouds at Sunrise, Jan. 10, 2010

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Lichens often appear, as if from nowhere, on the paths in the parks.

Lichen, Jan. 9, 2010

In the two continguous parks below, one finds a number of species of lichen.

Lichens on Twig, Jan. 9, 2010

Tomorrow, rain is expected. Today the ground was soggy, and there were more clouds than clear areas of sky, but there has been no rain so far. I noticed an odd cloud formation over the lake, along the east side.

Strange Cloud Formation, Jan. 9, 2010

Friday, January 8, 2010

I didn't make it to the Viewpoint today. But I thought about it many times.

The Bay at Sunrise, Jan. 7, 2010

Thursday, January 7, 2010

This morning I got to the Viewpoint about forty-five minutes before the sun came up. I didn't stay until the sun cleared the horizon, but what happened before this was spectacular. What's strange is that there were no other photographers there.

The Lake at Sunrise, Jan. 7, 2010

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

It was somewhat sunny at one point today, but when I finally got to the Viewpoint, the sky was overcast. It was fairly cold outside, but not freezing. People in the usual categories came by: a couple dog-walkers, a jogger, three people who live in the neighborhood... I took about five photos.

The Lake and Mountains, Jan. 6, 2010

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

I made it to the Viewpoint before dawn today, but I didn't take any photos. Later I went back. Just as I arrived, a couple came walking by. I asked them whether we were looking at fog or mist. The woman seemed especially sure that it was mist. I asked them what the difference was. The woman said, and the man with her concurred, that mist is made of larger droplets of water. I'm not sure, but I'm always curious what other people think.

Fog, Jan. 5, 2010

Later last night it began to rain, but the droplets were fine enough that what was coming down could almost have been called mist. Looking down the street, I thought about how quickly the present becomes the past.

Dark Street, Jan. 4, 2010

It rained all day yesterday. By evening, the fog set in. There may have been fog earlier, but not as much as there was by evening. In the evening there was more fog than during the day.

The U District from the Hill, Jan. 4, 2010

Monday, January 4, 2010

I waited at the Viewpoint yesterday evening for the moon to clear the horizon. But it was nowhere to be seen. Too overcast. I left and came back a few hours later, but still no luck.

The Edge, Jan. 3, 2010

I decided to head to the opposite side of the Hill, to see what I could find there. I made my way around the cemetery, passing the old wall. By this time, it was after midnight.

The Old Wall, Jan. 4, 2010

I was struck by the beauty of the lights on Queen Anne.

Looking towards Queen Anne, Jan. 4, 2010

I walked west, then south, towards Gage Academy. The view from just north of the Bishop's residence is always wonderful, especially at this time of year.

Lake Union with Space Needle, Jan. 4, 2010

I walked further, to St. Mark's, where I took some shots of the Space Needle and the buildings that surround it.

Space Needle and Crane, Jan. 3, 2010

Sunday, January 3, 2010

As I arrived at the Viewpoint, I suddenly wondered whether it was dusk yet and what the official definition of dusk is. I asked a couple who where just leaving the park. They said they thought dusk is when it's still light, after the sun has gone down. They said it was still late afternoon, not dusk, but they agreed that it looked quite a lot like dusk. The sky was overcast, and the light was quite blue. It was cold, although not freezing or windy. I was surprised how many people came by jogging, or walking their dogs, and how many sat and read or looked at the view.

The View, Jan. 3, 2010

A large flock of crows came flying overhead. There were hundreds of them, or at least that was my impression. I didn't actually try to count them. They were moving too fast. The headed out toward the lake.

Crows, Jan. 3, 2010

Two People Approaching, Jan. 3, 2010

Woman on the North Bench, Jan. 3, 2010

The moon rises at 20:39 and sets at 09:37. It will be eighteen days into the current cycle. It will be 361506 kilometers from earth and in the waning gibbous phase.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

It was dusk when I arrived at the Viewpoint. Around the Bay and beyond, almost everything was blue, of one shade or another.

Dusk at the Viewpoint, Jan. 2, 2010

Friday, January 1, 2010

The sky was overcast when I got to the Viewpoint today, and it was drizzling. I took some photos of the hillside, which is covered with blackberry bushes.

The Hillside, Jan. 1, 2010

Paul D. Natkin