Sunset settled over the Cascade Mountains as my brother-in-law and I shagged flies in one of the baseball diamonds at Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, WA. The school is up on a ridge southwest of town and, as you can see, has an amazing view of the mountains. I had to cut the games short in order to snap this hurried panorama while the fresh snow was still lit with alpenglow.  It wasn't the most technically sound shot - I was attempting to stabilize the fully-zoomed lens and camera on a round fence post with shaky hands - but it turned out well enough, I think.

Anyway, lucky students. 

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In late December, my wife and I had the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the King Street Station Restoration project and a trip up the clock tower. My father-in-law, who works with Sellen Construction, the project contractor that generously allowed for the tour, invited us down for this exclusive opportunity. We had the time so we did just that, with camera in hand, excited to see what this whole project was about and to hopefully have a look from the clock tower balcony.

I'd been by and to King Street Station a number of times prior to this - usually from the outside though, when getting on or off a Sounder train or catching a bus on 4th Ave (see the crazy picture below, taken a couple years ago when I was bored waiting for a bus) - and aside from a general appreciation of the building as a whole, never really looked at it too closely. The time or two I went inside I didn't study it too much. I don't remember the marble. Or the intricate plaster. Going about your business sometimes leaves little room for appreciating where you're at. You're too focused on the fact that it's 4:03 PM and the train leaves at 4:07 PM and you've still gotta go down a block, across the street, down the stairs, and into an open car. 

That's why I like carrying a camera around - I look at the world differently when I have one in my hand. The camera can capture what you're seeing and preserve it. Simply knowing this is possible makes me feel a responsibility to do it. And that makes me look and see. Or to at least try. This time, the station was our destination, not just a waypoint, and touring it was the focus of our trip, not catching a train. 

We arrived a little early so we walked uptown to Pike Place Market and killed some time there. Smelled the flowers. Tasted some samples. Bought some fish and crab legs from these guys. And got a free mini doughnut with a coffee for the return trip. The clock tower greeted us amidst the hustle and bustle of construction activities when we got back.