Lady Bug Circus

Dinner at Buca di Beppo

We went to Buca di Beppo for the first time. See the tip of the Space Needle in the bottom of the photo?

I thought it was an old Seattle joint but it's not. There may even be one in your neck of the woods.

The interior is kitschy old Italian. On one table a bust of the Pope is in a Plex-glass box that sits in the middle of a lazy susan. What's that commandment about not being a glutton?

Above it, the ceiling is domed and painted with angels.

To get to your table they walk you right through their kitchen. There's even a table IN the kitchen that can be reserved for special occasions.

Everyone who works there is super friendly and very accommodating.

Huge platters of delicious pasta dishes. This is a photograph of the people who were sitting next to us. I forgot to take pictures of ours. We had chicken parmigiana, a combination platter of stuffed pastas and Tiramisu for dessert.

So try it out sometime, it's fun and delicious.

Columbia City

There are several different neighborhoods in Seattle. Columbia City is one such neighborhood that I drive the bus through quite regularly. It has lots of cool old buildings, some neat shops and many places to eat.Today was a day to explore it. The first shop we popped into was a cool children's store (Retroactive Kids)that is a mix of vintage and new items for kids and adults. There is also some very cool art by one of the owners, Trisha Gilmore. She combines TIN! with paintings of various little animals in clothing. Very great.

This is one way to store your bike. Hook it on a pulley and hike it up.

We ate at Tutta Bella. One of the clients on my bus told me about it and it was everything he said it was-delicious. Forgot to photograph it until it was over.

This is a co-op gallery where Bill Herberholtz has some of his work.

There is a marvelous bakery that we had to try out.

A used book store...

and a flower shop.

We also popped into a Somali grocery store to look for cool tin. I bought some cookies (great tin), some dates, some soda in cans I've never seen, some powdered coffee that has ginger and cinnamon in it and some charcoal eye liner. There were 9 men and 1 woman there. I asked each person if they were registered to vote, only one man was.

It was a great day and the sun was out too.

More cool fences and a tree

Skis! Excellent recycling going on there, huh?

This fence is brilliant.

This is a Sourwood tree. Last week would have been a better time to take a photograph, but at least you can get an idea.

Colorful houses

                                                   These two colorful houses are on the same block in West Seattle. If the surrounding greenery was different I would swear they were in Mexico or Berkeley, CA. I love these little houses. They are the bright spots in an otherwise dull landscape. The majority of houses here are either a shade of gray or a shade of beige.

Road Side Shrines to Lost Loved Ones

The first roadside shrine I remember seeing was on a car trip from Mexico DF to where the Aztec pyramids are when I was in first grade. Seeing it gave me the chills. It was explained to me that someone had died there, and if you were a good Catholic you left a few pesos for the family in the shine. Even back then I thought that was a bad idea because someone else would surely come along and steal it.

More and more I am spotting them from the bus as I drive all over King County. I want to stop at each one and find out about the people they were made for. Sometimes I see baby shoes or small ball caps.

Today I stopped at two of them. This person must have liked Honda motorcycles, beer and vodka and was loved by their friends. There is a snap shot of a couple but I don't know who the shrine was made for.

This shrine I pass on the way to work. The young woman who died here was very well loved and known by many. There was news about it in the local paper when it happened. She was a passenger in a car that was hit by a drunk driver.

The shrines are sad, sweet and haunting and hopefully a reminder to motorists to drive more safely.