Bellevue Botanical Garden

Bellevue Botanical Garden

Night Blooming - Watch video of its construction

The sculpture is made of wood from grain silos in eastern Washington

inside the sculpture - looks like shooting stars

Can you find the hummingbird?

Snow Every Night at 7:30 pm

 From Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve you can count on snow in Bellevue - every night at 7:30!

Snowflake Lane - “magical evening performance for the entire family. It’s a holiday spectacle of live toy soldier drummers, exhilarating music, animated snow characters, glittering lights all surrounded by snow falling every night along Bellevue Way.” 

Notice the lights - Seattle Seahawks colors

Several downtown blocks of Bellevue Way are closed 

for about an hour for this wonderful performance 

The performers interact with the children

This little boy tried to imitate the dancer's moves

He was so stuffed into his scarf and puffy coat that it wasn't easy for him!

Let it snow!

Bellevue Square Mall is beautifully decorated

If you look closely you can see Rudolf's red nose shining brightly!

Cruisin'

We went cruising on Lake Washington. During the 1 1/2 hour tour, a narrator filled us in on the history of the east side of the lake - Kirkland, Bellevue, and other communities. 

Bellevue

Hunts Point

Seattle is on the west side of the lake

Bill & Melinda Gates' compound - It's a pretty amazing place. Check it out here.

The 520 bridge across Lake Washington is being rebuilt. It's about finished. At 7,710 feet, it's the longest floating span in the world. It's also the world's widest, 116 feet at the midpoint. Click here for history about the original bridge. Click here for information about the newly completed bridge. The bridge sits on 77 concrete pontoons which are secured by 58 anchors to the bottom of the lake. (Does that mean 19 of the pontoons aren't anchored?)

As we cruised the lake, I felt great gratitude that we can live in such a wonderful and beautiful place.

Carillon Point, Kirkland 

Kirkland - looking towards Marina Park in downtown Kirkland

panorama - at the Marina Park dock in downtown Kirkland

So It Is With Life

Life is always a mixture of good/bad, happy/sad, sun/rain, ...

Early one morning I walked towards the Seattle Temple. I noticed the beautiful sculpture of people playing. I observed the beautiful temple and thought about the sacred work that takes place there. I took in the petal-strewn sidewalk. Only then did I notice the drizzly rain. The rain and lack of sunshine didn't take away from all the beauty around me. 

So it is with life. 

Gardens

These beautiful gardens at the Seattle Temple brought back wonderful memories of gardens I used to have. I enjoyed creating and caring for gardens. Every once in a while I miss having a garden. 

Our yard on North Street was very shaded. It took years of experimentation to discover which plants worked well with the soil and light (and my medium commitment to gardening). I remember when someone introduced me to hostas. Not only did hostas like shade, they are a low maintenance plant. That's a wonderful combination! Over the years I collected hostas from Mom, my sister, and others. I enjoyed purchasing some unusual varieties. I love the variety of sizes and colors. It was fun to share them with friends when the plants needed dividing. 

Click here and here to read about my "legacy" garden in Worthington

Snapshots from Saturday

We were on the cleaning crew early Saturday morning. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members of the congregation clean church buildings in preparation for Sunday services. 

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These signs were at a Botanical Garden

Around here there's a lot of signage about who can park where. 

Some signs are familiar

"Low Emitting and Fuel Efficient Vehicles" get preferred parking right up with handicapped spots. You should see what kinds of vehicles park in "compact" spaces - some of them are huge! Often most of the close-to-entrance spots are labelled "compact."