Author: Carl Setzer

Walking in Edmonds, My Grandparents, Sunsets and Memories

Carl Setzer

One of my favorite things to do: walk along the Edmonds waterfront. It’s picturesque and just delightful, especially when the weather is nice (like tonight). Yet there’s far more to this for me. For most of my memory, Edmonds was the home of my grandparents.

I walked along the same space with my grandpa, though it’s worlds different now. So many differences: no longer able to fish off the ferry dock and pretty much all the businesses they knew are gone (I don’t miss the old cat-food/meat processing facility that was over by Anthony’s, though…blech!), yet there are things that trigger memories. Some of the old buildings, the older restaurants (hi Pancake Haus!), but the biggest thing was walking by the place my grandparents lived. In the dusk, looking at the building, I have expected to see grandpa walking out.

These memories drive home how much this little city by the bay has changed. Yet there’s so much the same. He’d know where he was were he to materialize in front of me, familiar and alien. I do love my dichotomies.

The photos here are, simply, snapshots of this evening’s walk. I think I’ll bring my camera down there, soon, and explore the city in terms of my memory.

 

City of Lynnwood Free Community Shred Event – No, Not Skateboarding, Documents!

Carl Setzer

Here’s a great way to get rid of those sensitive documents. Brought to you by the City of Lynnwood. I intend to use this myself.

Shred Truck

Saturday, May 12th from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Lynnwood Operations & Maintenance Center

20525 60th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA

 

FREE COMMUNITY SHRED EVENT

Bring and shred financial statements, receipts, invoices and any other personal documents*. Documents will be shredded on-site by LeMay Mobile Shredding.

*Up to three paper bags or two file storage boxes per household.

Reflecting on our burst of summer-like weather 

Carl Setzer

Well, it was pretty hot today. A real scorcher by Seattle standards. The temperature above was in Marysville, taken right after I got in.

I’m not the biggest fan of heat, but it doesn’t bother me like some folks. I remember getting off the plane. In Orlando. In August. The wave of heat and humidity was invigorating. Weird, I know. But it brought up memories of the Philippines. A wonderful period in my life. That was many decades hence. Yet it’s still in my heart. 

Where I hate heat: when I’m trying to sleep. I love feeling cool. No logic. Just is. Thank goodness for fans. 

Now the layer of grimy duat covering my cars each morning irritates my sinuses. That’s been adding an element of misery. Fortunately, my allergy meds work mitigates my misery. V_

Clearly, spring has sprung. 

And, in classic Seattle, Charlie Brown-esque luck, after one last nice, albeit cooler, day, we launch into another dripfest weekend. Oh, we hapless Seattleites and our penchant for indoor weekend fun…or rain gear. We’ll need to utilize one, or both, this coming one. 

May it be wonderful for each of you. Rain or dry. 

You Excited About Ninja Batman? I Am, But I’m A Geek

Carl Setzer

This will either be really cool, or a total farce. Either way, I want to see it.

And this t-shirt looks pretty awesome. Just might to dedicate a smidge of my geek fashion budget to getting one.

Anyone else looking forward to this?

A great respite in this dreary spring of Seattle’s discontent

Carl Setzer

Quite the lovely day, today, north of Seattle. A wonderful sunny and warm respite in this gloomy spring of our discontent.

We have a project slightly north of Marysville, right off of Centennial Trail. So most of my team took a walk this afternoon. A delightful way to spend an afternoon.

The site’s going to have great views of the Olympics and the valley north of Marysville. It’s a really fun project. Been creative with AutoCAD and laying out lots. Getting to the site and seeing the land, the layout and flow is much more powerful than topographical lines on my computer.

Lots of wins. Though I did spent a chunk of this evening dancing with CAD. In all, a productive day, just in unexpected ways.

A view along Centennial Trail
A lovely afternoon walk

A Sunday At Edmonds Beach

Carl Setzer

I slept poorly last night, so I took a brief nap after church (I ran media/video today). Our taekwondo school has a blackbelt class on Sunday afternoons. Lately, the act of spinning around for certain kicks has been very unpleasant. Dizziness sucks. I’ve never been a fan. As a small boy, I hated the little “merry-go-rounds” at playgrounds, as I find them nausea creators. It’s been with me my whole life. If anything, it’s gotten worse. Or my tolerance for discomfort has slipped. Not sure which. But the details are less important than the results. My desire to spend Sunday afternoon spinning around has waned.

While my wife was partaking in the blackbelt class, I opted to walk. My favorite place to meander is the Edmonds waterfront. When I lived down there, we’d walk every day. Sometimes twice a day, especially on weekends. North on Third, down Sunset, along the water from Brackett’s Landing to Marina Beach then back up the hill.

One of my desires in 2018: spend more time with photography. So, below are photos I took during my excursion.

A Sunday Walk In Edmonds
Photos from a Sunday afternoon walk in Edmonds on April 15, 2018

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday, and are feeling refreshed and ready for Monday.

What was your favorite part?

The Temperate Life

Carl Setzer

We in Seattle have a unique concept of weather. Living in a temperate climate impacts the use of adjectives. Things like “heat wave” and (today’s Daily Prompt) “frigid“. 

I’ve heard “frigid” used to describe temperatures in the 30s (Fahrenheit). Now, if you’re from Buffalo, Chicago, Moscow or Beijing, you might find that a bit puzzling. Understandably so. Yet, with some insight, it makes sense. 

Western Washington’s average temperature ranges from 37-77 F over the year, with a mean of 54 F. Extended exposure to this makes for a unique view of weather extremes, especially what defines those extremes. 

A quirk of  Seattleites: this narrow range of comfort. Seattle folks complain of brutal cold in the mid-30s, and of extreme heat in the upper 70s. Folks from Buffalo are still wearing shorts in the 30s, and Floridians are wearing light sweaters in the 70s. 

I’ve come to believe that this framework helps us cope with the length and breadth of grey days. So many transplants I’ve known struggled with the extended grey. It carries its own brutality. For me, though, it’s beautiful. 

 

The 2018 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Is In Full Bloom

Carl Setzer

The festival started back in March, but there are events going all through April. This is an iconic event in the greater Seattle area. As such, traffic can be a bit of a monster. Just plan to be stuck in traffic, and your life will be better. If you want to avoid crowds go mid-week. It helps a lot. However, for the next few weeks, many school districts will be on spring break, so it won’t be perfect. But far fewer cars.

I’ve biked the fields before, which is great especially when the weather’s nice (don’t bank on that during spring in Seattle). A great bit of advice is to park at a park-and-ride and bike from there. I’ve parked at Washington Elementary School, but I don’t know if that’s sanctioned, so I risked tickets or towing.

Getting hungry? In Mount Vernon one of my favorite places to eat is the Calico Cupboard. It’s a favorite for most everyone who knows anything about the region. So, budget plenty of time. At last check, they didn’t take reservations. It’s first come, first serve. It’s worth the wait, but, especially if you have younger kids, you’ll want to strategize that. Or you could head to the one in La Conner, which isn’t that far.

If you’re thinking of a treat, and you’re not too frozen from the tulip fields, check out the Big Scoop Ice Cream shop. A regional classic place and just a lot of fun.

If you want something warm and caffeinated, Mount Vernon does have it’s share of Starbucks, but you should check out Woods Coffee, though it’s pretty small. There’s also Ristretto Coffee Lounge which has been on my list of places to try.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has pulled together some great tips. Definitely take a few minutes and review these. It’ll eliminate a ton of aggravation. And don’t forget to check out the interactive map before you go. It’s quite well done.

May your tulip excursion be delightful!

 

Discovered Two New Seattle Geektastic Events

Carl Setzer

Found these two while on Twitter today:

It’s great to find fun new events to add to my list. I do my best to keep this up-to-date. If you find something, let me know!