This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark (I haven’t aged at all since I first wrote this introduction) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
Me and the TC strolled down to Gas Works Park, on the banks of Lake Union in Seattle.
Crows cawing, swifts swooping, seaplanes buzzing overhead: Gas Works Park is a scene of calm and beauty with a touch of surreality. In the depths of the park, surrounded by giant tanks and cranks, we met a metaphysical mastermind and chatted about the intricate, delicate state of our currently accepted reality, bendable by artificial intelligence and by the super intelligence granted to some rare individuals.
The book I’m in
Never Go Back, by Robert Goddard. Two hapless RAF veterans find themselves mixed up in murder and mayhem, tied up in a nice bit of historical cold war skulduggery.
The photos
Me taking advantage of an abandoned bicycle for a quick pic on the approach to the park:
Geese abound on the grassy slopes. This cyclist took care to move slowly through the gaggle:
You can rely on a goose to have a good grasp on reality:
A bright bicycle is dwarfed by the tanks, staircases, platforms, and chimneys of the old gas works:
For 50 years, from 1906 to 1956, a coal gasification plant occupied this piece of land. The machinery was used to convert coal into gas, which the citizens of Seattle used to power their homes: lights, cooking, refrigeration, and heating.
Now much of the machinery is fenced off. Look closely at the photo below for another glimpse of me:
Entangled intricacies of piping and platforms:
People cavort beneath the pipes:
Graffiti has its say:
Some bits and bobs of the old gasification plant have been brightly painted and put on display:
While me and the TC were taking the above photo, we met the person who’d founded the Church of Craig. He’d also hobnobbed with metaphysical geniuses at the centre of the universe (in Seattle that’s a real thing) and found the secret way into the fenced-off playground at the old gas works. The TC and me now belong to an elite group of twelve who know the entrance. To gain access, you have to suspend your belief in the commonly accepted reality.
Shadows stretch out from the giant tanks while Seattle basks in the summer sun:
This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark (I haven’t aged at all since I first wrote this introduction) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
Me and the TC are enjoying the superb weather of summertime Seattle. We’ve encountered some interesting folk, including a triffid (read my previous post), Sal the Salmon (photos below), and a metaphysical mastermind (coming up in my next post).
Yesterday we trickled along to the Ballard Locks, north west of Seattle. The locks are also known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, named after the engineer who led the first phase of construction starting in 1911.
The book I’m in
Never Go Back, by Robert Goddard. Two hapless RAF veterans find themselves mixed up in murder and mayhem, tied up in a nice bit of historical cold war skulduggery.
The photos
Me with Sal the Sockeye Salmon, at the fish ladder built alongside the Ballard Locks. Sal and his mates are taking it easy in the deep waters before tackling the next jump up the fish ladder:
The fish ladder is built so that you can see it from above and also go underground to view the fish through glass windows in the walls. The Sockeye Salmon are making their run at the moment, but in lower numbers than past years.
The Ballard Locks are part of a series of constructions built in the early 1900s to make a navigable pathway from Lake Washington to Puget Sound. Once the various construction projects were finished, ships could carry cargo such as log, wood, and fish from the lake to the coast and in reverse.
The locks make it possible for boats to move up and down the Lake Washington Ship Canal, travelling inland from the coast or vice versa, even though there’s a big difference in the level of the water in Lake Washington (which is more than 6 metres above sea level) and in Puget Sound (which is at sea level).
Here are a sailing boat and a dinghy entering the locks from the direction of Puget Sound, wanting to jump vertically upwards by a few metres into the canal. There’s a dog accompanying the sailor on the yacht:
The yachtsman secures his boat in the lock:
The lock gates close behind the boats:
The lock operators watch from the side:
The filling-valves open below the water level, letting in the water from Salmon Bay. The water rises in the lock, lifting the boats with it, until eventually the water level is the same on both sides of the top gate, and the boats can move into the lake:
This lock is the larger of the two Ballard Locks. Things can get quite busy. In fact, the Ballard Locks are the busiest locks in the US:
A dam wall with a spillway holds back the waters of Salmon Bay from plunging down into Puget Sound. This picture shows the spillway, viewed from the Commodore Park side of the canal, which is on the side opposite the locks:
This video is taken from the walkway above the spillway, looking down at the patterns on the moving water, then raising the camera to look out towards Puget Sound.
This is the view from the spillway, looking west towards Puget Sound:
On the Commodore Park side of the canal is the fish ladder, winding up the bank from sea level at the bottom to the lake level at the top of the ladder. In all, there are 21 steps in the ladder:
This is the dam wall seen from the Salmon Bay side, with part of the fish ladder in the foreground:
Here’s another picture of the salmon under the water, on their way up the ladder from the ocean to the lakes:
This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark (I haven’t aged at all since I first wrote this introduction) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
Alarm! This worm was wandering along a quiet Seattle road when I encountered a triffid. Fortunately for me, the creature was firmly rooted in the ground, gathering sustenance no doubt for its next foray into the world of us earthlings.
The photos
Approach with caution! A triffid rooted on a suburban Settle street:
The thing dwarfed the TC, but nevertheless, as is her wont, she insisted that I approach it for the obligatory portrait.
This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark (I haven’t aged at all since I first wrote this introduction) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
The picture below shows the Seattle skyline, as seen from the top of Smith Tower. The TC, bless her cotton socks, says that the light-coloured angular shape on the left half of the image looks to her like a glitch in the space time continuum. We more sober souls know it’s more likely to be yet another a skyscraper plated in reflective glass.
Word of the day
Glitch is the word of the day. This worm is surprised to learn that it’s a relatively new term, originating among space scientists in the 1960s. The word glitch first meant a sudden surge in current, which often was the cause of a malfunction. Later the word’s meaning broadened to mean a short-lived fault that’s difficult to track down.
The book I’m in
The Hunter’s Oath, by Jason Dean. Yes, I’m still stuck in the same book as I was in the previous two posts. It’s a good read, featuring action hero James Bishop. The hero is a little like Jack Reacher, only meaner.
This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark (I haven’t aged at all since I first wrote this introduction) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
This atmospheric motorcycle repair shop is on Aurora Ave N in Fremont, Seattle:
Click on the picture to zoom in, and take a look all the bikes and flags behind the windows.
The business is Vallantine Motor Works. This worm likes the combination of gothic styling and beautiful machines. It quite makes me want to wander in and see what’s going on.
The book I’m in
The Hunter’s Oath, by Jason Dean. A good, fast read with action hero James Bishop. The hero is a little like Jack Reacher, only meaner.
This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark (I haven’t aged at all since I first wrote this introduction) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
The TC, bless her cotton socks, has visited Seattle a few times, but without seeing the renowned Mt Rainier. Friends and colleagues assured her it was a spectacular sight, but often hidden by cloud.
On this visit, suddenly, there it was. As if someone had dropped a great big mountain out of the sky.
Here’s Mt Rainier, seen from the bridge on Aurora Ave N in Fremont, Seattle:
The Fremont Troll lurks under the same bridge. I posted a couple of picturesof the troll and the underneath of the bridge.
Mt Rainer lies 87 kilometres south east of Seattle. It’s an active volcano. Although it’s currently dormant, it’s considered one of the 16 most dangerous in the world because of the large amount of damage an eruption would cause to living creatures and property.
Word of the day
On-premise is the word of the day, used in phrases like “on-premise software/services,” to compare such services with those in the cloud. “On-premise” is a malapropism for “on-premises”. The question is whether the malapropism is now in sufficient common use for us to start using it without feeling uncomfortable. The TC, bless her cotton socks, still feels uncomfortable with such use of “on premise” or “on-premise”.
Here’s what the TC says:
I first read the term “on-premise software” about 5 years ago. I was completely flummoxed. “What? Is this software that’s offered under the assumption I’ve accepted some premise or other? Where’s that premise written?” Now, 5 years is a long time in the tech world, but perhaps not outside our industry. As a tech writer, I want to avoid giving people that unpleasant brain-bump of “that breaks my language parser”. What’s the harm in getting it right, and saying “on premises”? I guess someone else’s answer may be: the docs sound old and fuddy-duddy.
The book I’m in
The Hunter’s Oath, by Jason Dean. A good, fast read with action hero James Bishop. The hero is a little like Jack Reacher, only meaner.
The TC caught this troll by surprise as it emerged from its den under the Aurora bridge in Fremont, Seattle.
I think the troll caught the TC by surprise too, but she had enough composure to snap the picture of the troll, and to turn her back on it to snap the view of the bridge from underneath.
This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark (I haven’t aged at all since I first wrote this introduction) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
Me and the TC have just spent a few days in lovely Kirkland, on the shores of Lake Washington, WA, in the USA. Kirkland is across the lake from Seattle.
The days were a little grey and drizzly, with a chill around the edges. The TC, bless her cotton socks, was in her element.
My impressions? There’s a touch of colour in everything.
The book I’m in
Dead Man’s Debt, by Elliott Kay. A good military space yarn, with characters to love and cherish. Until they die.
Travel tip
Pack layers. The Kirkland weather is quite changeable, and ubiquitous air conditioning makes the temperature unpredictable.
Recommended restaurant
Milagro Cantina, 148 Lake St S, Kirkland, WA. Tasty comfort food, excellent service, good atmosphere.
The photos
Me cozying up to a gnome on the way to the Kirkland City Dock. He was a little cold and grey:
This squirrel was looking for a touch of colour:
A cyclist’s bright green jacket stands out:
There weren’t many people around at the dock:
This bird looked lonely:
Me chilling out with some young blades at the Kirkland city hall:
The US flag and the State of Washington flag curl in the breeze:
Take heart! Spring is in the air:
Flying out of Kirkland, we saw the first break in the clouds:
This is the blog of a 25-year-old bookmark. I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC) .
Today’s travel notes
Are you interested in the seamier side of Seattle? Or even the seamstresses of Seattle? This worm was not, until recently. Then me and the TC took the Seattle Underground Tour and emerged with a new understanding of the way sewers, seawater and seamstresses have shaped this great city.
Our Underground Tour guide gave us a hilarious potted (or perhaps “pottied” would be more appropriate) version of Seattle history. According to our guide, the original designer of the city took no account of the twice-daily high tide that capriciously plagued the area where he wanted to build his city. As a result, the downtown streets were always either under water or dangerously muddy.
This problem was compounded when the indoor toilet came into vogue. Now the rich folks at the top of the hill sent their waste down the hill via a single wooden sewer pipe. All was fine and dandy at low tide. But when the water rose, as it still insisted on doing twice a day, it reversed the flow in the pipe. Downtown toilets became geysers, spouting a mixture of sea water and sewage some ten feet into the air. Downtown streets were even more of a morass than before.
This seemed to be an intractable problem, until the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. Read on to discover the solution. And the seamstresses.
Travel tip
Seattle has lots of great coffee shops. It’s cold in Seattle, especially underground. The underground tour lasts a long 90 minutes. Taking all these factors into account, it’s a good idea to make use of a toilet when there’s one at hand.
Recommended restaurant
Icon Grill, 5th Avenue, Seattle. The glasswork is impressive if a little overwhelming. The food is good too.
The book I’m in
The Girl who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland.
This worm is delighted to be ensconced in a good, spine-stiffening book
The photos
Me, with Peg acting as counterweight, hanging nonchalantly from a tap under the Seattle streets:
Underground in Seattle
Underneath the Seattle sidewalks lurks an alternative city. You walk on pavements, with buildings rising at your side, just as if you were above ground. Windows and doors appear in their rightful place on the walls. But above your head is the underneath of the pavement!
The Underground Tour has an interesting history of its own. In 1954, Bill and Shirley Speidel came up with the idea in an effort to save the older parts of the city from property developers. The final straw, so we were told, was when the old Seattle Hotel was torn down to make way for the “Sinking Ship” parking garage:
Underground in Seattle
The Underground Tour starts off in the old Pioneer Building, built in 1891 after the Great Fire and once acknowledged as the most beautiful building in Seattle:
Underground in Seattle
Here we are in the darkly atmospheric Doc Maynard’s Pub, inside the Pioneer Building. The tour guide is preparing us for the great underground excursion:
Underground in Seattle
Going down…
Underground in Seattle
Underground:
Underground in Seattle
There’s a lot of room down there, and a lot of old junk. This young dude is checking out the debris while his mother examines the supports holding up the road above our heads:
Underground in Seattle
The story is that the Great Fire of Seattle in 1889 was a blessing in disguise. It destroyed all the old wooden buildings and gave the city a chance for a complete face lift. The city decided to raise the level of the streets, to avoid that twice-daily dunking in muck.
Meanwhile, building owners started enthusiastically reconstructing their own private buildings, in brick instead of wood this time, but at the original street level. Huh. So come a certain date, they had to abandon the lower floors of their buildings when the city simply built the new road above their heads.
Hence the gap. Hence the Underground Tour. And all largely thanks to the indoor toilet, if our tour guide is to be believed. As convincing evidence, the tour operators have left various water closets strategically placed at points in the tour for us to see:
Underground in Seattle
Missed that one? No worries, here’s another, nicely framed with its own mood lighting:
Underground in Seattle
Toilets aside, there are scenes of weird beauty down there too, like these two glass windows left hanging in an archway:
Underground in Seattle
We saw people’s feet walk over skylights in the sidewalk above our heads, like this one:
Underground in Seattle
Me still underground, hanging about with an old sign the TC found lying on its side. It must date from the early days of the Underground Tour:
Underground in Seattle
And what about the seamstresses, you ask? They were, of course, not seamstresses but rather ladies of the night who plied their trade in the old downtown streets of Seattle. The city authorities at one time considered driving them away. But then some entrepreneurial councillor realised that real money was exchanging hands here. So, as our tour guide remarked, the city imposed a sin tax on “liquor, gambling and sewing”. And so the “seamstresses” played their part in supporting the city too.
This is the blog of a 25-year-old bookmark. I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC) .
Today’s travel notes
Starbucks are alive and well and living in Seattle. Where it rains.
If you’ve ever been anywhere near Seattle, you’ll know that it’s not hard to find a Starbucks store in that town. In fact, it’s hard not to trip over them at every corner. So the TC was surprised and delighted to see this tweet from a fellow Seattle visitor:
Starbucks in Seattle
She rushed to his aid, tweeting enthusiastically that the very first Starbucks was just around the corner from where he was sitting. In fact, the hapless tweeter was inundated with helpful suggestions of where he might quench his thirst. His tweet was a joke, of course.
Travel tip
Don’t fight it. When in Starbucks, go for the coffee with everything in it.
Recommended restaurant
Duh.
The book I’m in
The Girl who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland.
The TC has just started this book and she’s totally engrossed in it. She does mention that it’s a bit heavy on her hands, so every now and then she finds welts gouged into her skin after a lengthy reading session. This is the second book in the “Millennium” series.
The photos
Me and Peg with a Caramel Macchiato in the original Starbucks coffee shop in Seattle:
Starbucks in Seattle
This worm felt warm and comfy, surrounded by all that dark wood and shiny soft leather. The TC downed her drink with apparent enjoyment, after the obligatory photo shoot.
Starbucks opened its first store in 1971. After a few years, that store moved to its current location in Pike Place, where the TC found her Caramel Macchiato. Here’s a view of the outside of the store:
Starbucks in Seattle
This is the sign on the pillar at the door:
Starbucks in Seattle
The logo on this store is a bit different from the ones you see on other stores around the world. It features a sort of medieval mermaid, inelegantly endowed with two tails. She makes no attempt to cover her breasts with her hair as in later versions, and is altogether a more interesting and more real personality that the later versions. Like me:
Starbucks in Seattle
This is the logo you see now on most Starbucks stores and packaging:
Starbucks in Seattle
If you’ve got it, flaunt it, that’s this worm’s motto. That’s all for today dudes.
Travelling Worm 