Sylvia McNair, The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner.

Happy Easter.

It's the first day of spring and we've got Sweet Tony with the Ralph Sharon quartet playing that Duke Ellington song. You'll smile, trust me.

photo by Ballard Avenue

When she tired of chasing the camera, she ducked down behind the curb to stalk anyone foolish enough to try to sneak by. This is a cat with a rich fantasy life.

photo by Ballard Avenue

It's easy to see which houses have kids in them. Look for the bunny trees. They're everywhere in Ballard this week.

photo by Ballard Avenue

I didn't catch her name, but her owner described her as a "huntress." If there are no mice she's happy to make a camera her prey.

photo by Ballard Avenue

No pampered jocks here. The facilities are a bit spartan in college club baseball, and the after game buffet is probably across the street at the KFC. Still, the guys play hard and it was a good game. During the fourth inning a squall came up from the southwest causing a rain (and lightning) delay. After a half hour or so the game resumed and Big Bend was the winner, 5—2.

photo by Ballard Avenue

We recently wandered up to Capitol Hill for a baseball game between the Seattle University RedHawks and the Big Bend Community College Vikings. The RedHawks play at Bobby Morris Field, a multi-purpose playfield for all sports, so the baseball teams have to use a portable pitching mound. Something didn't look quite right, so they got a tape measure and found that sure enough, the pitching rubber was only 60' 4" from the plate, not the regulation 60' 6". The home plate umpire conferred with the two coaches who said, "Aw, let's just play the game!" Maybe they figured being a couple inches closer might help their pitchers get those early season curveballs to break over the plate, not in the dirt in front of the plate.

photo by Ballard Avenue

Remember the nurse log/light pole? Call the police! It's missing!

Uh, wait a minute. See the new pole in the background? Right. OK. Never mind.

Blacky loves trains.

Seattle Opera is presenting Tosca this month. I don't much care for Tosca but I'll give them credit—they did a good job with the "shabby little shocker."

I like the Lego version better. It's shorter. The rest of the Lego Tosca is available here.

photo by Ballard Avenue

I can't help it. Too many westerns in my impressionable youth. Whenever I'm hiking in the Arizona hills, I see these sorts of rock formations, and think Geronimo and his band of Apaches are going to pop up and take issue with my presence on their land.

photo by Ballard Avenue

You'd think it was the state flower. Everywhere you go in Arizona, even here 5000' up the side of Mt Lemmon, you find those damnable plastic garbage bags.

Have faith friends. Someday there'll be Ballard content again, but until such time, enjoy this performance by the Nicholas Brothers in the movie "Stormy Weather." Fred Astaire called this "the finest dance performance ever filmed." Your jaw will hit your desk.