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7th Oct 2005
Sleeping in Seattle
Friday, 7th October, 2005
Nicky had a meeting at Beadworld at about 10 am so we breakfasted at a nearby mall with a huge bookstore and associated coffee shop which was hot wired and ideal for getting back onto the e-mails.
Breakfast consisted of that slightly stodgy standby favourite of the Americanos; French Toast, served up with lashing of Maple and a creamy mocha.
We were running late but then cruised in by Beadworld, Nicky’s amazing beadshop with every size, type, colour and creed of bead. Anne decided she was going to make a necklace and I, not really knowing how long it would take … but you know me, anything for a quiet life … decided to make one too.
The first part of the process takes a long time and that is the selection of what you’re actually going to string-up. There’s glass, there’s pottery, there’s wood, there’s stone, there’s metals … and it goes on.
Anyway once the crucial selection had been made, we both settled down at a table. Needless to say Anne’s was an ambitious project, with three strands, bunches of beads, lumps of metal, while mine a fairly simple symmetrical affair.
I guess that I was finished up after about an hour or so … all strung and finished.
It as a cracking day outside so Nicky and I went off downtown and Anne remained ensconced in beadwork.
I was keen to check out the Totem pole in Pioneer Square which features on a postcard I bought some months ago. We parked near the rather leafy old centre of Seattle and there it is 102 years after my postcard image. Close scrutiny reveals that it’s a replica, the rotten older one was torched some years ago and this one re-instated on the spot. The big difference I suppose are the trees which now dwarf the totem and shade the rest of the square. Most of the building remain, but one which features just in the corner of my pc had to be demolished after an earthquake in 1949.
Just nearby is the bookshop owned by David Ishii; a fantastic store and we were able to chat with David about the history of the totem and he fished out some references from his bookstock. He was wildly enthused by the project and took us across to a little postcard shop just across the old Mall and introduced us to the owner, Mary Patterson.
Chatted with Mary for some time and eventually rummaged through the vast stock of cards she has filed away. I bought a few American cards for reference and also a really nice one of Loch Ericht with some cattle standing in the water – probably before the dam was built. Sadly another shop owner, in the same Mall was away at a trade fair as his shop looked fantastic with posters, postcards (and ephemera).
We returned to Beadworld just after three in the afternoon and Anne had not long finished her creation and had really enjoyed her focussed and creative day.
Nicky had another meeting to attend and we rode along shotgun, getting dropped off at a Mall nearby, where we decided to tackle the thorny issue of the mobile phone not working and as a major step forward bought a throw away model for $20 and a load of minutes, so that we can begin to join the telephone age once again.
Picked up at 5.30 and as we cruised round the city watched the sun set on a fantastic day in Seattle. Took a few shots on the way round, but nothing spectacular. We had supper at a Thai restaurant (soft shelled crabs) and got back to the house at about 9.30
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Diary Photos
| 7th Oct 2005 |
| Anne at Beadworld, Seattle |
| Here's Anne with Christine, making her bead necklace |
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