Gorgeous Sunny Days

Pretty Yellow Flowers, Alki Beach~West Seattle, Wa, 17 June 2012

Funky Cool ~ Alki Beach, West Seattle, Wa 17 June 2012

Shore of Alki Beach, West Seattle, Wa 17 June 2012

Space Needle, viewed from Alki Beach, West Seattle, Wa 17 June 2012

Here in the PNW, we enjoy any sunny days we can get, and we've had two sunny days (Sunday and today). As I drove into Seattle on Sunday mid-morning, the clouds started dispersing and the sun started coming out. By the time I got to Alki Beach later that day, the clouds were quickly dispersing and gave way to. . . a sunburn on my face. Oops. Not too bad of one,thankfully.

Sunday proved to be a pretty gorgeous sunny day, with the rain cloud returning later that evening. I had the pleasure of wishing my dad a Happy Father's Day, though he was still in the hospital at the time. Well, technically, he was out taking a walk on the grounds, enjoying the nice weather and being grateful for a "second chance at life" and appreciating the ability to breathe deeply (as deep as one can with only 50% lung capacity).

I think the strolling walk along Alki Beach, located in West Seattle area, took about an hour or so, taking the time to breathe in the sea air, hearing the laughter of children and the quiet chatter of other people out enjoying the day. Though there were a lot of people, and a lot of traffic, it was quieter than I expected. It was an enjoyable outing, especially after the coffee and brunch.

The pics posted here I took on that day, and I still couldn't capture the fullness of the beauty, all the little details in the variety of people and buildings, plants, clouds, everything lit up with the sunlight. If you click on any of the pics, you can see a larger version, and then you might have to use your browser's "back" button to get back to this entry. Or not.

Mostly I just wanted to share the photos. . . oh, and. . .

My dad was discharged from the hospital yesterday and subsequently went to eat pizza! Who could blame him, after a week of hospital food? The good news is that he was well cared for during the emergency, and during his hospital stay. It also appears he'll be well taken care of while he tries to recover from the pulmonary embolism (PE) that he had a week prior. We're all very grateful for every good turn that came about, from my mom's presence of mind in getting him to the hospital quickly, to the nurse who (although she was headed home) took my dad straight to an exam bed without him having to "wait" to the doctor's who clearly explained what had happened, his treatment, and prognosis, as well as all the folks who've kept my folks (and us) in their thoughts and prayers.

Today was another unexpected sunny day (it was forecasted to rain Sunday and today!), and I had another nice stroll along Alki Beach. West Seattle is definitely its own place, very different from other parts of Seattle. The pace seems a bit slower, people more relaxed and social-able, prices decent given the economy; just an overall nice place to visit these past couple of days. Neat little shops, too, of which I haven't been able to visit all of them, but I got to quite a few and it's been enjoyable. Although it's still "city," I've felt surprisingly. . . comfortable. It's been a fun experience, and one I'd probably do again.

Oh, yeah, and today I got a phone call from the Art Gallery-- they're declining my work for now, but were quite nice about it and even had suggestions for how to make it more "art" and less "craft." Since I hadn't really asked for it in the first place, I'm not terribly disappointed and see it as only a positive experience. In fact, there are countless ways it's been positive, so though my work (which is actually a few to several years old) was denied as it didn't suit the gallery's needs, I'm finding it stress-relieving as I don't have to quickly build up a stock to place there. I can take my time to design new things, and maybe come up with some sort of "signature," and I can focus on my priorities instead of my hobby. Crocheting is a hobby, not my life, and I don't want it to ever become so consuming that it becomes stressful or my "life." I can't name a single negative thing about the whole experience, in fact! Everything positive, even in the way my work was declined (it wasn't "rejected," subtle but important difference).

I think that covers the update of the past couple of days. Now to find a way to relieve myself of the discomfort of eating too much ice cream (I rarely eat ice cream, and ate about 2/3rds of a pint!)! Oops. :-)

~Cedeham~
p.s.
Sometimes one has to take a break from responsibilities and enjoy the "little things" in life. The break can provide a clearer perspective, not unlike cleaning the lens' of one's eye glasses.