Category: Seattle and Beyond

The Beauty Of Beginnings

Carl Setzer

I’ve long been a member of Lynnwood’s Trinity Lutheran Church. The past year and a half or so, we’ve been transitioning pastors. Never the easiest process. But we’re on the other side of that journey. 

Today we welcome Pastor Hector Garcifas-Toledo. Pastor Hector represents, to me, the evolution of my little suburb. First, we’re not very little anymore. And our ethic make up has changed radically since I was a kid. 

Growing up, Lynnwood was very white, middle class. My neighborhood is quite multiethnic now. We have myriad languages nearby. The microcosm of our planet, reflected here, delights me deeply. 

Pastor Hector has lived this microcosm. Born in Mexico, having lived in Taiwan, and serving as a pastor throughout the U.S., he understands diversity at the deepest levels. He IS diversity. 

I’m quite excited for him to join us, and for my congregation to move forward into the  next stage of our journey. The world is changing. My city has changed, and is changing. We’re ready to embrace that, finding ways to serve our neighbors. It’s quite wonderful, indeed. 

So, welcome to our neighbor Pastor Hector! I’m excited to see what our journey together brings. 

Any of you remember the Seattle radio station KJET ?

Carl Setzer

My friend Mike was a DJ at KJET, a progressive radio station from back in the 1980s. Lots of wave, groups like The Clash, etc.

Here he’s pulled together a show based on this classic 80s tunes. Check him out on Mixcloud and follow him if you’re a fan of that platform.

 

A Look At BrickCon 2018

Carl Setzer

We spent this early afternoon at BrickCon. It’s hard, really, to imagine the scale of this event. 100s of exhibitors, 1000s of attendees. Swarms of people. As much as I delight in the creations, it’s also a bit exhausting to meander and jostle with so many people. I enjoyed myself, but after an hour and a half, we were ready for lunch at the Armory and a nap. I could hear the grand food at Skillet calling my name. Always a happy thing.

Below are a few photos from the day. I hope you enjoy!

A fun and full day around south Snohomish county today

Carl Setzer

A fun and busy day. It started with the Edmonds School District Foundation’s annual 5k. My wife ran it, and I walked. Ran into gobs of friends, which is always a delight. Said wife was happy with her time, and I was pleased to have most of my FitBit steps done before 9:00 in the morning. All great things.

Next was trying to get some new contacts ordered. Ugh! My wife’s insurance changed to EyeMed, which has been a royal irritation to my gluteus maximus. And, thus, this element of the day turned out unsuccessful. Next weekend, I’m sure.

Oil change, lunch, and the gym. Fun, effective, and boring as hell to read about. Next!

We went to see my friend Eugene Capon and Scobot speak about XR/VR/AT. Got some good ideas I want to flesh out. I’ll also go down and check him out at Seattle’s YouTube fair next month.

Mountlake Terrace’s homecoming was tonight! Had a few details to iron out for that. JC Penny at the mall to the rescue.

The dance was fun. The kids enjoyed it. My wife and I went to Edmonds, walking the waterfront and then grabbing pupus/tapas.

Tomorrow, we’ll make our way down to Seattle and BrickCon. That will be awesome. Looking forward to it. .

Autumn is here

Carl Setzer

I’m seeing yellow leaves upon my car in the morning. The trees are showing shades of yellow and red within the green.

Soon the leaves will hit the ground with vigor. And the season’s work will commence.

I’m looking forward to things pumpkin, to sweaters, and the cool Autumn light.

Are you excited about in fall the way I am? What are most you looking forward to?

Scene in Edmonds: Whale of a Sunday

Carl Setzer

Some great photos over at MyEdmondsNews.com.

How many places can you watch whales clearly not too far from shore.

Click on the photo or here for all the photos.

My Musical Teen Years: A Seattle Story

Carl Setzer

Music has been a core part of my life for decades. I have no real memory where music wasn’t a core element of my soul. Surrounding myself in Seattle’s music scene certainly made that happier and more fruitful. I had a wide range of organizations supporting performers and a plethora of opportunities. This is something that’s particularly delightful about Seattle.

Like many kids, I started band in elementary school. It was just “something I did” through junior high. High school, though, offered something different. I had the opportunity to study with Paul Cobbs, now with the Everett Philharmonic. Dr. Cobbs opened my eyes to a whole new realm of musical possibilities. Besides diving deeper into classical and orchestral music, Dr. Cobbs introduced me to jazz. Life-changing, with ripples through my life to this day. It was jazz that got me into poetry. Jack Kerouac, I’m looking at you.

Throughout my high-school career, I performed with a dizzying array of organizations. Besides my school’s myriad ensembles (concert bands, jazz ensembles, backing up the choir, orchestra), I played with the Seattle Cascades Drum Corps, Cascade Youth Symphony, State Band amongst the formal organizations. There were plenty of small ensembles and workshops I also got to work with. This region has always been a great place to be a young musician.

Now it’s better. Or at least I’m far more aware of what’s out there, as the parent of a musically inclined child. Just a few orgs I can rattle off (besides the above):

Add to these some excellent programs to grow the dedicated young musician:

Our region’s music scene has long been dynamic and energizing. No matter what style you dig, there’s someone playing it live nearby. That spills over to our kids. Music kept me sane as a boy and young man. It delights me deeply to see that opportunity continuing and growing.

Whidbey Summer Open Studio Tour: A Belated Recap

Carl Setzer

Well, I promised a couple of weeks ago that I was going give more details for the artist’s tour I did on Whidbey, but life got a bit maniacal. So, here we are, a bit late, but, well, here we are.

The tour covers the whole island, from the southernmost tip all the way up to Oak Harbor. Check out the map below, giving the studio locations.

We only explored the southern parts of the island, focusing on Freeland and Langley. And we pretty much just went from our first to the next closest, and so forth. For a tour that’s got some geographic spread, this seemed the best way to go.

First we stopped at Sharon Spencer’s studio. Her work combines native American themes and styles, along with some asian influence. What I saw was amazing, but I deeply delighted in the architecture of the studio itself. Allowing plenty of tree filtered light in, I felt at home in this very northwest styled space.

Sharon Spencer's "The Embrace"
Sharon Spencer’s “The Embrace”

Our remaining sites blurred together, order-wise. So I’ll put them here in random order.

I love Codie Carman’s use of color and line. Very bright and cheery. Her paintings make me think of island life at its best.

Painting by Whidbey Island's Codie Carman
Painting by Whidbey Island’s Codie Carman

Christi Shaffer’s pottery delighted me deeply. I love the intersection of functional and elegant her work brings.

Penelope Crittenden’s sculpture’s modern elegance warmed my soul. Oh, and since I love owls, too, her work has a happy place in my heart.

The proverbial last but not least was Gina Michel’s glass art. One piece she had on display (not the one below) charmed the musician in me deeply. An electric guitar, made of glass. Though not playable, it was still rather awesome. She told us about crafting a piece from an old harp. The photos were amazing! Amazing enough that it was bought by a music school to inspire those students.

 

I plan to make the 2019 tour (August 24 & 25, 2019). And, perhaps, budget even more time and explore further. I might even be clever and bring my camera.

A new concept for me: smokestorm

Carl Setzer1 Comment

The greater Seattle area has been dealing with unhealthy air quality for the past few weeks. Smoke from wildfires, first from California then British Columbia has choked us. So Cliff Mass, a well regarded climate scientist from the University of Washington, coined the term”Smokestorm“. 

The air quality has impacted most of us. I don’t have any asthma issues, service felt the impact. Mostly that my chest has felt congested, and I get winded far more easily. People in vulnerable looks have her but much, much worse. 

The rain over the past few days, though light, has been welcome. Most of us, though, wanted a good, solid rain. First to clean the air, but also to help extinguish these fires. 

How have you dealt with the smokestorm? Hopefully you’ve been able to find ways to make life pleasant. I’d like to hear what you’ve learned, seen, felt. 

Exploring Whidbey Island: 2018 Open Studio Tour

Carl Setzer2 Comments

As it’s Whidbey Island’s Open Studio tour this weekend, we spent this afternoon and early evening exploring art studios on South Whidbey. Our focus today was on Freeland and Langley. 

This studio tour is something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time. Glad i got this chance this weekend. 

I’ve met some really fascinating artists, and got some insights into how artists run their business in the 21at century.

I’ll write more about that shortly. Right now, it’s been a long day. And I’m taking benadryl due to the region’s smoke issues. So, I’m about to fall asleep. 

Good night!