Blue Thursday

FOOTBALL FANATICS:  Yesterday was an epic adventure. It marked the opening day of the National Football League season, and since Seattle won the Super Bowl last season, the Emerald City got to play host to an amazing array of events to kick off the new season.

Several blocks downtown were transformed into the 2014 Game Day Village, and the kids and I rode the bus  down Thursday morning to check out the action.  

There were dozens of vendor booths, many of them giving out freebies and offering football-related activities.  One of our first stops was the Tostitos booth. There, we scored a few bags of their brand new Fajita Tostitos, which won rave reviews from CJ.  

The booth had a photo opp where you could pose with some Seahawks-themed props, and if you uploaded the pic to social media, you got a free dishtowel. We did that, but we also came back to the booth about an hour later, because THE Walter Jones was going to be there for photo opps. Not every day do you get to meet the Seahawks' best offensive lineman ever and a National Football League Hall of Fame member!

Mr. Jones is a very large man. :) And he was a very friendly man to the kids, too. I love this photo of him making room for Annabelle and her wings on the couch. 

And here's the smile-for-the-camera shot.

At the Bridgestone  booth we each got a pair of free sunglasses (hooray!), and the kids participated in a catch-a-pass activity, where you could really go for the ball without worry, as you were landing in a pit of foam,  

CJ was proud he got his mitts on the pigskin.

We stood and watched as one Seattle Police Department member gave it a go. Love how he really laid out for the ball.

The kids made a 'team pride' video in an NFL Network booth, and we saw Laywer Milloy, former UW Husky great and NFL player, on stage for a couple of minutes. 

There was an entire block dedicated to kids' activities.  CJ and Annabelle each designed their own penalty flag.

They also designed Under Armour shirts. As a reward, they got a free headbands. They completed a Play 60 obstacle course (pictured on the blog lead), and got Under Armour shirts for doing so! (We donated one of them to Rick's class as spiffs.)  

We visited the Topps sportscards booth, and each of us got two packs of Topps. (We also gave those to Rick to use as rewards for his classroom.) And they played a game where they threw footballs at a screen, trying to hit a receiver. 

At a little after noon, we made our way to CenturyLink stadium to meet Christian.

A week or so ago, I saw a link to request priority "seating" right next to the stage for a special Soundgarden and Pharrell Williams pre-game concert via 1iota.  We had to check in at 12:30 at the stadium's south entrance, and then the wait was on. They held us in a concrete pen until about 2, at which point, oddly, they marched us back outside the stadium all the way to the north  parking lot. No idea why they didn't just have us check in there to begin with ...

So we got to our 'seating' area, and it was just asphalt. No bathrooms, and the only luxury was $3 a pop bottled water. I shooed the kids and Christian to the far side of the stage, and there, we found refuge - a two foot slice of shade along the front rail. That would be our home for the next 2.5 hours. 

A veteran of festival 'seating' concerts, I showed the kids how to stand to protect your space (arms and legs spread, braced against the front barricade). 

Soundgarden came on a little after 3. They rocked HARD. The bass was so heavy, our clothes were shaking even when we were standing still! 

 Lead singer Chris Cornell has no trouble hitting the crazy notes live.

After Soundgarden, Pharrell Williams was up with a fun set.

Here are the kids' reviews of the concert.

CJ's review: 

On September 4th, I went to see a concert near CenturyLink Field that featured Soundgarden and Pharrel Williams. At about 12:30, we entered the stadium and took a long walk, which probably shouldn't even be called a walk because a lot of it was just standing around, impatiently waiting for the concert. At one point, we *finally* got to the outside, hoping to see the stage...... Only to have to walk even more (thankfully, quickly to the stage).

One we finally got to the stage, we waited shortly to see a nice little documentary about the Seahawks' last season, all which led up to Super Bowl XLVIII, which was in my opinion the Seahawks' greatest victory in their forty-year history.

Now, finally on to the big show, the concert opened with Soundgarden, more specifically, their song "Flower". Their performance was very entertaining, and I am happy to say that Soundgarden's performance was my first Grunge concert.  The rest of Soundgarden's setlist includes their songs Been Away Too Long, My Wave, Spoonman, Outshined, and Rusty Cage. Following Soundgarden's gig, we got to see Pharrel Williams perform, including some songs he was involved in, like Blurred Lines, Get Lucky, and his most famous song, Happy. [1]

In the end, I was very satisfied with the concert.

[1] Notice: Sadly, I couldn't find the full version of Pharrel Williams' setlist online.

Annabelle's review: 

On September 4, 2014, I went to see Sound Garden and Pharrell Williams perform in front of CenturyLink Field for the Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers football season opener. I am "Happy" to say the game ended in a Seahawks win. Here is my review of the concert:

First off, there was Sound Garden. Their music was very good, and my hearing was a bit funny after Sound Garden played, because it was very loud. My favorite song was Spoonman, named after Artis the Spoonman, a street performer in Seattle originally from California.

Next there was Pharrell Williams, who played all the songs that you would expect him to: "Hot in Here", "Beautiful", "Drop Like It's Hot", "Blurred Lines", "Get Lucky", and of course, a Pharrell Williams concert wouldn't be complete without his smash hit from Despicible Me 2, "Happy"! 

The concerts were great, and definitely worth the wait. The bands were amazing, and i got a free t-shirt! I also forgot to mention, the most epic part of the concert would have to be the very end of the song "Happy", being the last song in the concert. At the end, tons of Seahawks colored confetti shot out onto the crowd, all at the same time! My brother, CJ and I took huge piles of confetti home. The concert was truly awesome. 

The concerts ended at about 4:45, and the game started at 5:30. It was kind of weird to be walking away from stadium as others streamed in, but oh well, we had a fun day without having to see the game in person, Instead, we headed to West Seattle for a viewing party at Rick's house, which was big fun!

We headed home during the third quarter. It was a beautiful drive, and fun driving past the stadium, listening to the game on the radio and feeling the energy emanating from the CLink!  That, and the view to the west was amazing!

Go! Seahawks!

Not gonna lie, not much learnin' went down today. Instead, we were focused on football! More specifically, the Seahawks' home opener, which also marked the opening of the National Football League season this year.

It was a looooooong day, because we went to a couple of pre-game concerts, plus lots of other fun stuff! Check back tomorrow for a full report :)

Back at It

MORE, MORE, MORE: Our garden just keeps on giving. Today, we made Round 3 of salsa verde, the tomatillos and peppers all from our garden, we just had to go to the store for cilantro, onion and lime juice.

KINDA SORTA BACK-TO-SCHOOL: Today marked the first day of the kids once-a-week school up in Shoreline. No classes today, just signing in and doing some paperwork. Next Wednesday they'll be taking science and an investigation-type class together, plus Annabelle will have an art class. 

On the way home, we stopped by a Domino's for the free pizza we won as part of their Domino-no promotion, thanks to Philadelphia Phillies pitchers combining for a no hitter a couple of days ago.

A BUSTLE IN OUR HEDGEROW:  Today, we started the History of Rock, Part 2 class (via Coursera). Hooray! We've been looking forward to this since the day part one of the class ended a few months ago.

Today's lectures included British based blues rock of the late 1960s and early 1970s. There was talk of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and, of course, Led Zeppelin. 

The kids were both familiar-ish with the penultimate "Stairway to Heaven," but today they watched the concert footage of it from "The Song Remains the Same." I warned them that the joke used to be that when DJs wanted to go to the bathroom, they'd put Stairway on ... it's that long. The video we watched today was an 11 minute commitment, DEFINITELY worth that. It is simply glorious. Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jimi Page were so young when this concert was filmed live in NYC!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q7Vr3yQYWQ

For contrast, afterward, I had to show the kids video of "Stairway to Heaven" being performed in tribute to the band when Led Zeppelin was part of the Kennedy Center Honors program in 2012. It is poignant watching the now senior citizens watching their work being kept very much alive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK_DOJa99oo


Another thing we learned today that I guess I already knew on some level but had never really thought about was the fact that AM radio was primarily for artists popping out singles, while FM was the land of the LP (think "Dark Side of the Moon").  We also learned that Black Sabbath was named after a Boris Karloff movie, and it was a purposeful, opposite end of the spectrum answer to the happy go lucky 'flower power' hippie movement at the end of the '60s.

Covering Ground

CAMPUS VISIT:  This morning we went to school, but not back-to-school, like so many students are right now. Rather, we went to visit Kennedy's new first grade classroom in the Wallingford neighborhood.  The dragon (less than a foot tall) can be found in the park behind the Good Shepherd Center (pictured in the background). The lovely old brick edifice is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ken's classroom is in an annex south of the big building.  Once we entered, we found his class mascot, a (as yet unnamed) hedgehog. 

 We also spied what appeared to be a Seahawks 'rally monkey' hanging from the ceiling. Not sure what a monkey has to do with the Seahawks, but it was cute, nonetheless.

This Star Trek the Next Generation mug was sitting on a shelf. I told Ken it is going to frighten the children! ;)

We dropped off a stack of books and puzzles for Ken's classroom (the kids made sure the puzzles' pieces were all there).

Then, we went and explored the 6-plus acres of lovely grounds adjacent to the gorgeous old building.   There are a many pieces of art throughout Meridian Park, including the dragon atop a post (the photo leading this blog post), and this cute little robot, K-25.  

The park is home to a P-patch (community garden), and the Seattle Tilth demonstration garden, plus in the common areas there are multiple mature apple, plum and nut trees, so there are all sorts of edible all over!

Out in front of the building was a 30-plus foot high monkey puzzle tree and it had what we presumed to be 'fruit' on it - big old spiky coconut looking thingees!

Scientifically speaking, the specimen is actually Araucaria araucana, an evergreen native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. (We learned on Wikipedia tonight that because of the great age of this species, it is sometimes described as a living fossil, and that its conservation status was changed to "endangered" by the IUCN in 2013, due to its declining abundance.

We learned tonight that the brown 'coconut' looking things are actually female seed cones. The globules will disintegrate this fall and release around 200 seeds (3- to 4-centimeters long). 

VOLUNTEERING:  This afternoon, we headed just east of Interstate 5 to yet another Seattle greenspace, Volunteer Park. 

What prompted our visit? Numerous media reports that one of the Amorphophallus titanum, better known as the Corpse Flower, was in bloom in the Volunteer Park Conservatory. The flower gets its common name from the fact that its bloom smells like rotting flesh.  While some of the plants bloom every 2- to 3-years, others don't bloom for 7- to 10-years. The last time a Corpse Flower bloomed at the conservatory was 2008.

After paying admission and strolling past multiple lovely tropical plants, we found the corpse 'flower.' And, it wasn't blooming (curses to the multiple media sources who said it was). It's getting *ready* to bloom, but right now there's not much to look at and it doesn't smell AT ALL. 

I guess we'll have to go back in the not-too-distant future. Sigh. However, it's not too early to enter the convervatory's contest to name the bloom. The contest winner will receive their 

very own corpse plant (a healthy, 2-year old specimen that may or may not stink some day). 

Entry forms are available in the Conservatory’s Palm House Gift Shop or people can Tweet their entry to @Ivan_Von_Katzen before Monday, Sept. 8.
CJ sent in his entry for the flower's name this afternoon.  He suggested Audrey III (after Audrey II in "Little Shop of Horrors." Annabelle suggested George. I thought Carrie Ann would be good, since it sounds like carrion, which is what the flower smells like (or so we're told).

Here are a few random beauty shots from inside the conservatory, proving the trip wasn't a total bust.

Since we'd driven all the way cross town in rather horrible traffic, we thought we might as make our effort worthwhile, so we explored some of Volunteer Park's 48.3 acres.

Right away, we came across a stand of trees with neat-o trunks - perfect for climbing, even if you're afraid of heights!

And we soon spied a reservoir, where some of Seattle Public Utilities' water is stored.

Nearby were a couple of man-made ponds stocked with koi. A couple of ducks appear to have taken up residence. They were so still, we darn near missed them.

Seattle Art Museum's Asian Art Museum is on the grounds of Volunteer Park. Stopping there is on our to do list, for sure. Today, we settled for a photo opp in a sculpture out front. The art is Black Sun by Isamu Noguchi.

Continuing south, we found the Volunteer Park Water Tower.

The round tower was built by the city's water department in 1906.  At its base, we were standing at an elevation of 444.5 feet, the highest point of Capitol Hill.

We climbed the tower's 107 steps, to reach its observation deck, at an elevation of 520 feet. (By comparison, the Space Needle has a top elevation of 725 feet).  We took the stairs swiftly and without stopping. I'm not gonna lie, there was some huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top. But the 360-degree view was worth it!  We looked for the Space Needle, of course. ...  

It was easy to find downtown.  

We had no trouble spotting Queen Anne High School.

And you could see Lake Washington and Bellevue, the University of Washington. I'd love to be up there on a blue skies day. 

There were a number of wonderful posters in the tower, detailing the history of some of Seattle's parks. 

We had things to do, so we didn't hang out too long on the observation deck before heading down the 107 stairs. 

A plaque on the north side of the tower honors L.B. Youngs, the first superintendent of the water department (1895-1923). 

After Volunteer Park, the kids and Christian hit up Pop Mounger pool, another Seattle Parks facility, for what was almost certainly the last outdoor swimming session of the MPA kids' summer. 

THREE STRIKES WE'RE IN: Last night, some Philadelphia Phillies' pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter. You know what that means for 20,000 lucky people who are registered on MLB.com? Free pizza! 

                   
                        photo: www.mlb.com/dominono

Dominoes offered this twice before this MLB season, and each time, we've been able to score a free pizza (me the first time, Christian the second time). Today, we EACH scored one. Hip hip Hooray for free pizza!

GREEN DREAM: A Facebook post today from German astronaut Alexander Gerst read, "So sieht der Blick direkt nach unten aus wenn wir uns in einer Aurora befinden." 

     Photo:  NASA/ESA/Roscosmos

Translation: "This is what we see looking down while being inside an #aurora."

Gerst is an ESA astronaut, geophysicist, volcanologist and explorer, currently living and working on board the International Space Station.