photo by Ballard Avenue

Emma's mom is off to San Francisco for a holiday, so we'll be looking after Emma, her sister Frida, and new brother Ashton. Photo opportunities ahead!

video from DailyMotion
Accordeon

Our Prime Directive is to provide you, dear reader, with vignettes of life in Ballard. But since everyone needs an exit strategy in case of circumstance, lassitude, or, as in the case of the Bush White House, criminal incompetence, we have a Secondary Directive, which is to acquaint you, dear reader, with the joys of the accordion. Hence today's posting, the sort of charming thing you'd expect of a Frenchman besotted with the King of Instruments.

photo by Ballard Avenue

You don't often get to take pictures of birds from above. We can thank the people on the lower car deck of the ferry Cathlamet for this one. They were tossing french fries to the gulls flying alongside the boat. I was standing on the upper car deck and snapped this bird joining the feeding frenzy.

photo by Ballard Avenue

Emma and Frida have a new brother: Ashton. He's made himself at home.

photo by Ballard Avenue

Believe it or not, this is only about half the Seattle Skandia Spelmanslag. I couldn't fit all of them in the picture. They play all your favorite Swedish waltzes, polskas, and schottisches and everyone has a good time.

photo by Ballard Avenue

Yah sure and y'know it vuz Tivoli at de Nordic Museum dis veekend an' everone had a goot time. Even de crew making de aebleskiver vere hafing fun even tho it vuz about 120 degrees standing in front of dose stoves. T'ankfully dere vuz plenty of Carlsberg beer vaiting for dem at de beer garden.

photo by Ballard Avenue

Frida was keeping an eye on Dibble Avenue NW when she saw something interesting.

photo by Marcus

Believe it or not, we left Ballard for the Fourth of July. We met our friends Peggy and Marcus at Seward Park, one of the nicest parks maintained by that larger city to the south. After a lovely picnic, we walked along the lakeshore and Marcus, who is six, took this picture of some of the locals looking for a handout. Alas, we had no Wonder Bread and they sailed on.

Seen here singing The Willow Song from The Ballad of Baby Doe. One of the greats.

photo by Ballard Avenue

Gosh, thanks for the nice words and all that, but it wouldn't it be great if Adams Elementary School would just unwrap the plastic so we could see what our tax dollars bought? First we thought it was a crypt, then we thought it was a missile silo, and now we're just not sure of anything...

photo by Ballard Avenue

Those crazy kids. They're going to miss those shoes on the hot pavement of NW 59th Street this summer.