Now the decay is beautiful, with the layers of mold and rust and graffiti and the broad strokes of the the anti-graffiti paint. The drips discolored the walls and grew spindly stalactites. The moss and weeds and molds and mushrooms amass in beautiful splatters of red, green and brown destruction. Destruction that will eventually be complete, completely erasing the once stronghold of the Pacific coast.

DURING MY WALK TODAY through the neighborhood of Capitol Hill in Seattle I found myself taking pictures of ordinary things from extraordinary angles. I climbed a tree to frame a fluttering plastic bag against the sunset then I noticed the way my feet were dangling like tentacles. I peered down on a fire hydrant to see a happy yellow face and wondered what else had hidden-in-plain-sight ordinary objects surrounded me that had personality and dynamism, if only you tilted your head at the right angle.

RIDING MY BIKE along the waterfront parks that link together to form one continuous path from downtown to Ballard and beyond, I pulled over to take a few photos of the exceptionally clear day. While I stood on the side of the bike trail goofing with my camera a flock of Canadian geese flew directly over my head. I only just caught this photo before they wheeled towards Queen Anne hill and out of sight. I think I would have got a better shot if I had not been listening to my iPod, but that is only useless speculation…oh well.

BALLARD IS A HOP, skip and a jump away from Seattle making it a perfect destination for the local and visitor alike. Aside from a killer music scene and plenty of great bar/restaurants, Ballard is also home to the locks, a series of water gates similar to the Panama Canal, only smaller and much colder. Built i 1911 and officially called The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the passage way connects the salt water of the Puget Sound with Lake Union and Lake Washington. Visitors can roam the beautifully manicured grounds, watch ships pass through and visit the fish ladder where at certain times of the year spawning salmon can be seen from special underwater viewing rooms. 15 minutes by car or bus from downtown Seattle get you to the locks.

AFTER A WEEKEND of stuffing my face with turkey and catching up with family (and drinking lots of beer) I was glad to be back in Seattle. The weather has been a mix of bad and worse but today as I looked out the window while washing dishes I notice the intense colors reflecting off adjacent windows. The post-Thanksgiving sunset was as beautiful and bright as you could want. These cold weather almost-winter days can have the clearest and most vivid sunsets owing to the clarity of the rain swept air.

AFTER A DAY SPENT Taking photos, none of which turned out to be any good, I pulled off the road to take a shot facing the westerly waterfront. The sunset is like a photo gimme, I mean, anyone can snap a good picture of a sunset. It’s glorious, you really can’t screw it up. But I like capturing the sunsets and occasionally posting them as a sort of record. And with the weather blowing in from the Pacific and stirred up by the Olymipic mountains, Seattle is set up for some spectacular sunsets. No two sunsets are alike and therein lies the magic in what might otherwise be mundane.

RIDE TO THE TOP of San Bernardo mountain and overlook the valley below. The gondola ride was about $5 and originates in San Martin park. At the top of the mountain is a tiny cafe to grab a snack and a series of garden paths that wind around man made waterfalls, which sounds pretty cheesy but is quite pleasant. Salta is a nice enough place but I think it best serves as a jumping off point for further explorations of this beautiful region. I recommend a day trip to Cachi with a stop at Los Cardones National Park, just don’t hug the cactus!

IN THE SHADOW OF MT. FITZROY we scrambled down loose talus slopes. What looked like ripples from the trail are revealed to be 12 foot waves of frozen water. The glacier is a field of chaos; cracks, cataracts, sheer drops… danger and uncertainty presented itself in a massive blanket of ancient, compacted snowfall. The small group I joined in the predawn dark stopped and stooped to fasten cramp ons and listened as our guide expressed in broken English the reality of glacier travel. It is dangerous, unpredictable, unstable and beautiful in ways that only natures genius can evoke. Of course he didn’t say it like that.

I JOG PAST LO-FI, my go to spot for snapping pictures of sick graffiti and am not at all surprised when I come face to face with a new mural of a Dia de la Muerte gun toting woman throwing up ‘Westside’. I guess this is just the sort of thing I should expect by now, but the fresh crop of aerosol lifts my mood as I wiggle the cap from my cameras lens. Just below the constant rumble of interstate 5 the LoFi can easily escape those unfamiliar with the performance space but it can’t hide from me as I scurry up a ledge to get a better camera angle.

ENDANGERED AND ENDEMIC, the Silversword is only found above 4,900 feet elevation on the Hawaiian islands. The silversword will grow 5-20 years before flowering and when it has finally bloomed it dies. In the new morning light of Haleakala volcano the leaves of the silversword glimmered before my lens like gossamer. The plant that has made a home in the inhospitable high-altitude lava flows is now under assualt by invasive species brought by curious travelers such as myself…