Thursday, May 14, 2009

A beer for a blog

Sometimes, one needs a beer to blog. Just a little liquid "brain lubricant." I'm sitting on the ferry in the bustling "galley", as professionals around me grab beer and book, beer and pretzel, beer and computer, beer and a friend. Then there's me: beer and blog.

It's been a long week, a crazy week of changing schedules and habits. I woke up at 4am both Monday and Tuesday, then spent the night at my friend Abby's house in North Bend on Wednesday. All this means two things: braindead for blogging, and no ferry for blogging. I don't know what I would do without this picturesque ride across Puget Sound to keep up my writing, and time to think.

I want to show you something, and I want you to look very closely at the below picture.
Do you see the observation deck? It's the largest ring on the top of the Space Needle. Look above that. Do you see the flagpole jutting into the sky, with a little prick of light at the top? I was standing RIGHT NEXT to that flagpole this week, and I was so frightened I almost had an accident in my pants, and then realized - hey, this is pretty darn cool. Just WHO gets to go to the TIPPY TOP of the Space Needle?

No, I wouldn't stand next to the outside railing for this photo, and made the KOMO television reporter who took this picture stand on the other side of the inside railing. I look cold, nervous, and the buildings are well......really, really small. That is because I am several STORIES above the observation deck. I know, I climbed three flights of steep stairs (ladders) to get here, which I'll show you later. AHHHH just looking at these photos freaks me out, or makes me want to base jump.

The center of this platform held the flagpole, and I stuck to the middle the entire time, with my hand on the inner railing, or against the middle tower. The flagpole was within my grasp, almost.

I took a lot of pictures of Puget Sound, and Bainbridge Island, because there was the widest distance between myself, and the outer railing. I wish I had gotten more of Queen Anne, or the lakes, but that side only had 10 feet, and I never set foot over there.

I guess I just wanted to see what my home looked like from very far up, and very far away. Can you see it? That tiny sliver of land mass 7 miles away. I love Bainbridge Island. In the below picture, you can see my dear friend, the ferry boat, and West Seattle in the distance. These aren't the best pictures ever because I was freaked out, and freezing.

What goes up, must come down, and I had to descent the three flights of stais (ladders) backwards, with my purse swinging haphazardly at my side. Other people seemed to have a better time of it:



I was there for the flag-raising of the "tourism matters" campaign. I just feel so lucky being a reporter; I get to do incredible things like this.

2 comments:

Paula said...

Wow, amazing pictures, amazing experience, what a rare opportunity. Thanks for taking us on that journey. I know I would be scared being that high up.

Yes, beer is a good brain lubricant, but not too much. Just enough. (As the BF taught us, watch alcohol content.) It's sunny in PDX so I went to the new Old Lompoc and sat in the sun on the back patio, drinking "a" beer, eating their special salad, working on ideas for that press release. Easier than doing it at work or home. Probably how you feel on the ferry - a good environment away from things you have to do.

Kelly Anne Powers said...

Haha! I was getting freaked out just reading this blog! I could barely look at the pictures and then had to remind myself, "THEY ARE JUST PICTURES." But man. Heights. Bleh.

(But cool you went :)