Saturday, July 5, 2008

Olympic Sculpture Park and Fireworks @ Myrtle Edwards Park (July 4)

With several fireworks shows to choose from in Seattle and surrounding areas, decisions must be made. Most years, I go to Gasworks Park in Fremont for the show. The variety of colors and streams used in those fireworks push the boundaries of traditional fireworks shows. Downside is that Gasworks gets suffocatingly crowded.

When reviewing the choices, Myrtle Edwards Park combined with a trip to the Olympic Sculpture Park seemed a good plan. I hadn't yet been to the nine-acre waterfront park (opened in January 2007). I'd seen this austere beauty a few times whilst driving by. A tree constructed of metal:

5 Tree of Metal_hero

In a daydream state, you could walk by and overlook that this is not an actual, breathing tree. In the setting of an industrial park gone fancy, it especially works. As you enter the park, you see the first of the giant orange cones:

6 Cone & Neil

The entrance has several eye benches. The are functional art pieces that people actually use--see the heads occupying each seat.

8 Waterfront has eyes

9 Joining the Eyes

For the fireworks, guards were checking the contents of backpacks and larger bags and containers:

11 Uh Oh

Getting into role:

12 The Frisk

13 The Frist Redux

Once in the path, here is what you see:

14 Scultpure Park Wall

15 Iron

18 Neil and More Art

19 Ampersand

20 Needle Mantis

Being Myrtle Edwards newbies, we had no idea from where the fireworks would be launched. What added to the confusion was how little crowded it was. By 5:30, to have arrived to find a good spot at Gasworks would be tough, but here there it was no problem. We found a spot and put down the blanket. Scene of love next to us. (Please see background):

23 Animal Kingdom

The weather was cooperative:

26 Neil_Waterfront

There were patriots all 'round. Please notice the fantastic work-of-art red-white-blue mohawk:

33 Patriots 

34 Patriots 

The fire brigade was either putting on a pre-show or perhaps testing the water pressure/hoses/safety setup. Pix don't do it justice:

37 Neil & Fire Brigade Boat

38 Neil and Fire Brigade Boat

46

The crew:

53 4th Crew

The show began a little after 10pm and seemed to last a long time--about 28 minutes. Gasworks wins the fireworks content--much more spectacular, but Myrtle Edwards wins the venue contest. I wasn't able to get terribly wonderful shots. Here are the heroes:

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Fountain on the way out of the park. Triptych:

75 Olympic Park Fountain

76 With Andy @ Fountain

77 @ Fountain

Post-fireworks shenanigans:

78

View of downtown waterfront from Bell Street Pier overpass:

79 Downtown Seattle

Seen at Lava Lounge. We argued about this. Most of us believed this was by design:

81 Oh Dear

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Grand finale...lamp graffiti:

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