Have Seattle's Space Needle & Great Wheel Turned Blue & Yellow In Support of Ukraine?

I what you see here on Facebook. Do not know if it is real or faked. One never knows, anymore, unless one sees something for oneself.

But, I suspect this Support Ukraine color scheme is real. Turning the Space Needle Blue and Yellow, along with the Great Wheel on the Seattle Waterfront.

It looks like some of the Seattle Skyline is also showing Blue and Yellow support for Ukraine.

I know other towers in the world have gone Blue and Yellow in Support of Ukraine, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Is the Statue of Liberty, in New York City, able to sport changing color schemes? If so, it should be turned Blue and Yellow. If not, it is time for a Statue of Liberty lighting upgrade...

The Passing Of Tom Robbins From America's Most Misunderstood Region

The bard referenced is Tom Robbins, the misunderstood region is the Pacific Northwest, more specifically, Western Washington. Even more specifically, the Skagit Valley region of Western Washington.

MSNBC published an interesting article about the passing of Tom Robbins, titled "America's most misunderstood region has lost its bard".

I particularly liked the poetic part of the article which described the Skagit Valley, a location where I spent all my formative years...

He once said he didn't know the plot of his books before he started writing; you'd be forgiven if you weren't sure of them when you were done reading either.

But then you'd come across a description of the Skagit Valley, where he made his home, and plot seemed secondary.

"It is a landscape in a minor key," he writes in "Another Roadside Attraction." "A sketchy panorama where objects, both organic and inorganic, lack well-defined edges and tend to melt together in a silver-green blur. Great islands of craggy rock arch abruptly out of the flats, and at sunrise and moonrise, these outcroppings are frequently tangled in mist. Eagles nest on the island crowns and blue herons flap through the veils from slough to slough. It is a poetic setting, one which suggests inner meanings and invisible connections."

For decades Tom Robbins lived in the Skagit Valley town of La Conner, which is sort of the Skagit Valley's #1 tourist town. Due to La Conner's waterfront attractions along the Swinomish Channel, with the Rainbow Bridge acting as a scenic backdrop.

Before I moved to Texas I lived in the Skagit Valley town of Mount Vernon, on the east side of that town, a couple miles from Big Rock, it being one of those 'great islands of craggy rock arch abruptly out of the flats", alluded to by Tom Robbins in Another Roadside Attraction.

Hiking to the top of Big Rock was a frequent happening, for me...

Visiting Seattle With The New Zealand Family

Back during the pandemic, on YouTube, I met a New Zealand family who billed themselves as The New Zealand Family. Their YouTube videos I was watching were of a genre known as reaction videos.

The New Zealand Family seemed mostly to be reacting to videos about America.

Here is how The New Zealand Family describes their YouTube channel...

What's up NZedders! We are a family of four from New Zealand who has always had the dream of travelling to America. After the pandemic hit and international travel wasn't an option we decided to explore America and its amazing culture online. Our online family keeps growing and we want to bring you all on our journey as we try, taste and see everything the USA has to offer for the first time! Our goal is to travel to all 50 States and dive deep into what gives each one its own incredible, unique charm.

Well. I knew The New Zealand Family had made it to America, because I'd watched a couple YouTube videos documenting their RV trek up the American West Coast, including the Oregon Coast, where I watched them visit the Sea Lion Caves, finding that interesting, seeing how that attraction had been upgraded since last I was at that location.

Then, last night I saw a new video from The New Zealand Family, titled New Zealand Family see Seattle for the first time (NFL LEGEND AND AMAZING WEATHER!)

Seattle has long been my favorite city. Seattle regularly shows up on lists listing cities for various attributes, like "Best Skylines in the World" or "World's Most Scenic Cities".

I have not been to Seattle since August 14, 2017. At that point in time, I was appalled seeing all the homeless camps as we drove through Seattle on I-5. It was shocking to me.

Well.

In this video from The New Zealand Family I was pleased to learn that those homeless camps are no more, that that problem has been greatly mitigated.

Another thing I enjoyed, watching this video, is it was my first look at the re-built Seattle waterfront, and how it looks now, with the Alaskan Way Viaduct removed. That is what you see in the screencap at the top, the New Zealand mom and dad walking on the Seattle Waterfront, with no double decker elevated highway blocking the view.

A Seattle local acted as the guide for The New Zealand Family, taking them to some of Seattle's well known locations, like Pike Place, the aforementioned waterfront, and the Space Needle. 

In the video, The New Zealand Family did not make it to Westlake Center, where they could have ridden the Monorail to Seattle Center and the Space Needle.

They did not make it to Pioneer Square, which is the location of the Seattle Underground, an attraction much talked about in the video, and walking distance from the stadium where the Seahawks do their football thing and the ballpark where the Mariners do their baseball thing.

The New Zealand dad apparently is a big Seahawk fan, and hopes to attend a game, one day, and was real excited to meet a former Seahawk when they were at Pike Place.

They also did not take a ride on the Seattle Link light rail, riding the tunnel through downtown, with its five themed stations, including the one at Westlake Center.

I'm suspecting The New Zealand Family may do another video or two or three of their time in Washington. Driving across one or two of the floating bridges. Crossing one of the mountain passes over the Cascades to Eastern Washington. Going to the Washington Pacific Coast, which is a bit different from the Oregon Coast, and includes Olympic National Park, and the Hoh Rainforest.

Or they may make it to Mount St. Helens. That volcano was discussed in the Seattle video.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Largest In The U.S.

Saw this This Is the Largest Tulip Festival in the U.S. — With Tens of Millions of Blooms Set in a Verdant Valley via and article on MSN.

The Verdant Valley being referenced is the Skagit Valley. A valley which will soon be extremely colorful due to blooming tulips. And other flowers.

Some of the text about this verdant valley in the MSN article...

If the name Skagit Valley sounds familiar that’s because it probably is. The verdant valley in Washington produces everything from cheese and beer to garlic and berries. Seafood is plucked from the sea and served up fresh and all-you-can-pick blueberry farms dot the landscape. The edible bounty is noteworthy, but the valley is best known for its tens of millions of tulips covering the valley every spring.

The blooms can be viewed and celebrated during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which is considered to be the largest tulip festival in the U.S. This year, the festival’s 41st, will feature a parade, art shows, a downtown street fair, and more — all set to a colorful, blooming backdrop.

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I sure do miss living in the Skagit Valley. All the fruit that grows there, much of it free for the picking, such as blackberries. Or free for the catching seafood, like clams, crab and salmon...

What? Seattle Is Once Again The Most Liveable City In America?

 A couple days ago, I saw, via MSN, at article which sort of amused me, titled The 10 Most Liveable Cities in the U.S. That Will Change Your Life (For the Better!).

There was a time, back in the 1990s, when time after time various entities would claim Seattle was the Most Liveable City in America. Those days seem long ago. 

And then I clicked on this MSN list of the 10 Most Liveable Cities in the U.S. to see...

1. Seattle, WA

Seattle, famously known for its overcast skies and coffee culture, has transformed into a hub of innovation that’s hard to ignore. 

With the likes of Amazon and Microsoft setting up shop here, job opportunities are as abundant as the raindrops – and that’s saying something! But it’s not just about work; Seattle boasts a blend of cityscape and nature that’s hard to match.

What sets Seattle apart is its unique combination of a bustling urban environment and breathtaking natural surroundings. The iconic Space Needle, often draped in mist, is a testament to the city’s forward-thinking spirit. 

But what’s more astonishing is the city’s accessibility to nature. Just a short drive away, you’ll find yourself amid towering evergreen trees, serene lakes, and hiking trails that could make even the most seasoned explorer swoon.

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In recent years Seattle has been the recipient of some bad press over things like way too many homeless people, violent BLM protests, that type thing. 

Since those days back in the 1990s when Seattle got so much positive press, the town has boomed. Adding the Amazon complex at the north end of downtown, light rail running under downtown, a new baseball and football stadium, a new transit tunnel under downtown, a rebuilt waterfront, a multi-billion dollar convention center expansion. And more.

At one point, a few years back, Seattle had more construction cranes sticking up into the sky than any other town in the world.

So, what are the other cities MSN thinks are America's most liveable?

Well, #2 is Austin. I like Austin. Austin is sort of like Seattle-lite. Austin is the most progressive, liberal city in Texas. And, like Seattle, Austin is known for its music scene.

#3 is Denver. I like Denver.

#4 is Portland, Oregon, another town I have spent a lot of time in. Portland is an easy town to get around in with its Max light rail transit system. Downtown Portland is fun, with some streets blocked from auto traffic.

#5 is Raleigh, North Carolina. I have never been to Raleigh. One hears good things about the town.

#6 is Minneapolis, Minnesota. The town which triggered the BLM protests would not seem to be all that livable, to me, but I have never visited that town. I am sure it has many redeeming qualities.

#7 is Washington, D.C., another town I have not visited, but would love to.

#8 is Boston, one more town I have not visited, but feel no strong compulsion to do so.

#9 is San Francisco. Like Seattle and Portland, this west coast down gets a lot of negative press, mostly from right wing media. I have been to San Francisco many times. San Francisco may be my favorite American city. Chinatown, the cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, the Embarcadero, and much more.

#10 is Charlotte, which has two North Carolina towns in the top ten most liveable cities in America. I have not been to Charlotte, but like Raleigh, I have heard good things.

These type lists are fun, if not, by any means, definitive. Of the liveable towns on this list of ten, there are two I would love to move to. Seattle or Portland....

Leavenworth Adventure Park Tumwater Twister

Yesterday my nephew, Jason, emailed me four photos, three of which were showing my great nephew, Spencer Jack, scootering through the John Wayne Trail tunnel in the Cascade Mountains. This was blogged about in Spencer Jack Rolls Us Through Washington Cascades John Wayne Trail Tunnel. 

Mention was made in text accompanying that email that Jason and Spencer Jack ended the day staying overnight in my favorite Washington themed tourist town, Leavenworth. 

Jason made mention of a new attraction under construction in Leavenworth.

An Alpine roller coaster.

This sounded intriguing, so I Googled "Leavenworth Alpine Coaster".

Doing such quickly had me understanding one of those four photos Jason emailed me which I did not understand what I was looking at upon first perusal, yesterday. That is the photo you see above. Which I now realize is Spencer Jack standing in front of the Leavenworth Adventure Park, under construction.

The Leavenworth Adventure Park will have multiple zip lines, rock climbing and that roller coaster, which will be named the Tumwater Twister.

Tumwater is the name of a creek which runs through Leavenworth on its way to the Wenatchee River.

The Tumwater Twister is not your ordinary roller coaster. It is a two person bobsled type ride.

The Tumwater Twister bobsled is pulled up that track you see being built behind the Bavarian chalet under construction.

Upon reaching the summit the Tumwater Twister descends via a series of twists and turns. The bobsled riders can apply braking to slow down if they feel the need.

The Tumwater Twister sounds like a lot of fun to me. I suspect it will be quite popular.

You can watch a YouTube video about the Leavenworth Adventure Park and take a simulated ride on the Tumwater Twister...

Happy 117th Birthday To Tonasket's Tootsie Aunt Alice

Today, that being March 29, is the birthday of the Tonasket Tootsie known as Alice, or Aunt Alice, by some.

The year of the birth of Aunt Alice is in dispute.

Some Tonasketans believe Aunt Alice to have been born in 1905, making the Tonasket Tootsie 117 years old today.

And thus, one of the oldest people on the Earth planet.

Seeing Aunt Alice, in 2022. one would not possibly believe she to be 117 years old, what with the reality looking less than half that age.

We do not know how old Aunt Alice was in the above photo from the Aunt Alice archives. Ten years old, maybe? 13, perhaps?

For her birthday today, Aunt Alice posed for a recreation of that long ago birthday you see photo documented above. You can see that recreation below, where you will also note that Aunt Alice, in 2022, does not look anywhere close to being 117 years old.

The photo immediately below photo documents Aunt Alice with her gang of fellow Hippies, back in the 1960s.

I wonder if the 2022 version of Aunt Alice can still snugly fit in to her bell bottom jeans?

It is believed the above photo was taken at Everett Community College, where Aunt Alice was matriculating, early in her pursuit of a doctorate degree in the culinary arts.

And below we see Aunt Alice in blonde bombshell mode on her 2022 birthday.

Isn't Aunt Alice a cutie pie at possibly 117 years old? She is like the Tonasket Dolly Parton.

Aunt Alice used to sing and play guitar, til arthritis rendered her fingers unable to strum. But such should not affect the ability to warble.

I don't know if Aunt Alice is currently singing at any of the Tonasket night clubs.

Anyway...

Happy Birthday, Aunt Alice!