salmon and skateparks

when you live in the midwest, the seasons are told by the changing in the leaves' colors. from green to red, the weather begins to settle in around you and lower temperatures shove you deeper into your jacket. the chill in the air, the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet let you know that fall is indeed here to stay for a while.

the pacific northwest is much the same...although they don't gauge the season's change by the leaves [although there are plenty of leaves to crunch]. they chart the season's change by the salmon run. what a beautiful display of tragedy. on a four year cycle, hundreds of salmon return up stream to their birthplace to mate, lay eggs, and die. we are lucky enough to live three blocks away from the cedar river. sockeye salmon were transplanted to the cedar river about eighty years ago and have flourished.

how cool is the renton public library?

the view up the cedar river from the renton public library.

from the salmon lookout at the renton library.

as we walked the bike path up and down the river we could see the
sockeye salmon's display of purpose.

these salmon were about 24 inches long.

my beautiful wife!

as we began the trek back home, i couldn't help but notice that the renton city skatepark was in our path. i love sitting and watching folks of all ages and ethnicity skating and biking among the mounds of concrete. note: if you are on a city council, do your neighborhood a favor and build a skatepark for the kids/adults!

right.

center.

left.

i feel the sentiment. i always wanted to make a sign with this same
message and hang it at the put-in-bay ferry dock.

we've seen forty year old guys riding the bowl reliving their california
glory days all the way down to six year olds showing off for their moms.

these guys were smooth!
i could've watched for way longer than an hour!

this guy makes we want to buy another skateboard and learn to ride again.

my lovely wife playing in the leaves on the way home!
one of her favorite fall activities!