Seattle And Puget Sound

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Get Your Rain Coat

Seattle is known for its rain and cloudy weather. If you live here, you learn to carry on in spite of it.

One of the first things to do is invest in a waterproof rain coat. A rain coat makes everything possible and you feel invincible.

Then off you go. Because you never know when sun breaks will shine through.

Especially at this time of year, with fall moving into winter, changes of sun, rain, mist, and clouds are mercurial. 

This rain coat is from an Eddie Bauer outlet store. When you're on the ferry, the wind blows your hair everywhere in the obligatory photo-op with the Seattle Space Needle in the background.

Puget Sound

 
“In geography, a sound is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land.”
— Wikipedia
 

Seattle sits next to the large body of water known as Puget Sound.

Interesting facts from Explore The Sound:

  • Puget Sound covers 1.6 million acres and has 2,500 miles of shoreline.

  • The region’s 2.1 million acres of state-owned submerged saltwater lands are home to 211 fish species, 100 sea bird species and 13 types of marine mammals.

  • There are 68 state parks and 3 national parks, as well as wildlife refuges, national forests and other public lands that border Puget Sound.

  • The Sound helps drive $20 billion of economic activity in Washington State.

  • The Puget Sound region encompasses 12 counties populated by approximately 4.3 million people.

  • Ninety cities and towns border the Sound.

  • There are 19 major watersheds in the Puget Sound region.

Out On The Water

The deep, salt-water of Puget Sound laps at the shore of Seattle. While it's wondrous to observe from land, it's even more satisfying to be out on it.

On this day, we headed out on a private boat. Although the forecast called for rain, we were lucky to have none during our time on the water. Just another example of making your plans and seeing where they take you.

We encountered powerful waves due to a strong wind. Our boat rocked up and down and we imagined ourselves as pirates on a wild sea. 

The boat captain adeptly navigated the waves that tossed us like a bucking bronco and he maneuvered our boat into calmer waters. The sun glistened and danced across the water in happy delight.

Being In Nature

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can expand their connection with nature through their use of TRT® hands-on while they are outside, be it on land or water. When we access universal energy, we begin to see the inter-connections between man and animals and all that exists. 

Atoms hum together whether they be liquid, vapor or solid. The song spins out loving threads binding us in a tapestry that sparkles in the firmaments of the heavens.

Being in nature uplifts our hearts and the Seattle area provides ample opportunity to be outdoors.

 

 

Dahlia Flowers

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City Flower of Seattle

Although I've lived in the Seattle area before, now that I'm "settling down," I'm learning more details about this place that I'll be calling home.

One thing I discovered through Seattle Refined – a television program dedicated to all the ins-and-outs of the Seattle area – is that Seattle has a city flower. It's the Dahlia.

 
“Ordinance 32137, approved November 19, 1913, established the dahlia as the City’s official flower and requested that the Park Board of the City plant and cultivate the flower in suitable quantities to make effective displays in the City parks.”
— Seattle City Symbols
 

In this post is a set of photos of Dahlias that I took with my iPhone 7. These flowers were blooming with wild abandon even at the end of September.

In this first photo, I was lucky to share a dahlia with a busy bee. His wings were buzzing so quickly that you can scarcely see them. The rich yellow of his body contrasts with the red intensity of the flower. 

Stop And Smell The Flowers

Flowers speak to our hearts. I was lucky to discover an entire garden dedicated to Dahlias in the town of Silverdale which is just across the water from Seattle. It's an interesting little patch that was cultivated and located at the town's post office. 

I've been there before, running into the post office to take care of mailing errands. I had not paid attention to these sweet flowers blooming in all their glory.

When I finally noticed, it was a great reminder to increase my awareness of my surroundings and to "stop and smell the roses" – or in this case, the dahlias. There's often some truth to be found in an old adage.

Dance With The Flowers

I loved taking the time to wander in the garden, snapping pictures with my phone camera. Standing amidst so many flowers, all singing their melodious songs, my spirit was filled with wonder and appreciation for nature.

Gratitude washed over me to be with the open hearts of these flowers in all their many shapes and sizes. We shared a dance of our spirits.

Many Variations Of Dahlias

Dahlia flowers have many variations in their shapes, colors and petals. In the photo above, this one appears to have a fire burning within.

I was surprised to learn that Dahlias originated from Mexico and Central America since The Pacific Northwest is markedly cooler and wetter than those areas. However, a post about growing Dahlias had this to say:

 
“Although dahlias are native to the highland areas of Mexico and Central America, they are particularly fond of our cool-summer Northwest Coast climate in Washington State, and it’s easy for anyone to grow them to perfection with very little care.”
— Puget Sound Dahlia Association
 

Gardens As Sweet As Your Smile

Wistful inner petals encircled the nectar-filled jewel at the center of this lavender flower above. Its feathered patterns enchanted both pollinators and me. I was intrigued that it, too, was a Dahlia.

The Old Farmers Almanac informs us that the Dahlia was named for Anders Dahl (botanist), born on 17 March 1751.

 
“The Dahlia you brought to our isle
Your praises forever shall speak
‘Mid gardens as sweet as your smile
And colour as bright as your cheek.”
— Lord Holland (1773-1840)
 

Dahlias Are Magical

For students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®), it's possible to share and direct radiant energy with plants and flowers. One way is with TRT® hands-on by gently cupping your hands around a flower.

Your Radiant Touch® accesses universal energy and expands upon the wholeness that is within both you and the flower. It can be a wonderful exchange between universal hearts.

 
“Did you know that the city of Seattle has an official flower?
It’s the beautiful dahlia, and there is nowhere better to see them than the Volunteer Park Dahlia Garden, and no better time than August - when they’re in full bloom.”
— Seattle Refined
 

In the dahlia garden, there were many more flowers in colors of orange, yellow and white. There wasn't enough time to photograph them all.

Next season, when dahlias are blooming, I hope to capture more photos of these flowers that are like magical fairies. A visit to Volunteer Park Dahlia Garden is on the books.

 

Bake Your Election Day Cake

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Election Day Is Nigh

National and midterm elections in the United States take place every two years.

Some people are glued to their television sets to follow minute-by-minute results.

Others, to avoid the stress of it all, keep their tv sets off and check the results once the drama is all over.

Take A Stroll Into The Past

If we were whisked back to colonial times, we'd find ourselves busy preparing our Election Cakes. In early America, Election Day was an important celebration, second only to Thanksgiving.

Our Puritan ancestors did not acknowledge the religious holidays of Christmas or Easter, believing they were too connected to Papist idolatry. Furthermore, to say that religious, "holy days" existed implied that other days of the year were not holy which was not acceptable to them.

Election Day, therefore, provided a rare chance to celebrate in high fashion. Parades filled the streets. People came to town from outlying areas and everyone fêted the day with religious ceremonies, dancing balls and fine food.

Election Cake Old World Recipe

I found an official Election Cake recipe from 1796. With these quantities, you’d have a lot of cake.

“Election Cake:
30 quarts of flour
10 pounds butter
14 pounds sugar
12 pounds raisins
3 dozen eggs
one pint wine
one quart brandy
4 ounces cinnamon
4 ounces fine colander seed
3 ounces ground alspice
Prunes and currants

Wet flour with milk to the consistence of bread over night, adding one quart yeast;
the next morning work the butter and sugar together for half an hour, which will render the cake much lighter and whiter; when it has rise, light work in every other ingredient except the prunes, which work in when going into the oven.”
— Simmons, American Cookery, 1796

Cakes of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were typically produced through soaking or sour leavening, not unlike sourdough breads. This traditional method of soaking flour in sour milk or leavening dough with sourdough starter optimized nourishment received from these foods. In a time without mass-market refrigerators, it also made use of sour milk that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Election Cakes were filled with healthy, wholesome fats such as butter and fresh eggs. The added alcohol helped with preservation of the cake. The dried fruits made it similar to our infamous fruit cakes of Christmas.

Get Out And Vote

Election Day Cakes were also a way to entice people (in the beginning, men with property) to come out and vote. They could vote and receive a slice of delectable cake. Later on, it was even a bit of a bribe to vote straight down a ticket.

Cake sustained not only the voters, but the people counting all the votes late into the night.

Vintage Election Cake For Today

We can bring the past into our present by baking our own version of an Election Cake.

What better way to celebrate or soothe your disappointment than with cake? 

If you'd like to try a modern-day version of Election Cake, here is a recipe. It has a yeast mixture that harkens back to our historical Election Cakes.

Election Cake Revival

Voting is a remarkable aspect of our heritage in the United States. With the passing of the decades, people have tended to become blasé about this privilege. Others hold the stance that you can't complain about elected officials if you didn't vote. 

How fun to honor our history of voting with a present-day revival of Election Day Cakes. We could be creative and celebrate with any cake of our choice.

Here's a bundt cake from Martha Stewart that makes a great Election Day Cake. No yeast mixture is needed. This Kentucky Bourbon Brown Butter Cake would hit the spot, whatever the voting outcome.

Baking Cake With TRT®

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can use TRT® hands-on when they are baking, with the ingredients before mixing and with themselves prior to starting a recipe. 

It's also fun for students of The Second Degree of TRT® to direct energy to our history as we learn more about the past – where we've been and how that connects to where we are going. It's your own discovery process.

Celebrate your right, and privilege, to vote.

Cake brings all of us together on this wonderful day of our democratic process. Go forth and bake your cake.

See you on Election Day.

 

Moving Is Filled With Goodbyes

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Goodbye Takes Many Forms

Moving is a time of saying hello to unknown, future adventures.

It's also replete with goodbyes.

Saying Goodbye

Moving means saying farewell to grand things: jobs, co-workers, a house that was a home, friends and family.

There are also goodbyes to little things, those sparkles that brighten one's day. Like loving gestures whispered on the wind and permanently seared upon my heart. Now, without them, a pale cloud of thin sadness drifts over me.

It's the goodbye to a sumptuous farmers market filled with year-round delectable treats. Or the wistful farewell to a food co-op with a bulk section that inspired envy.

Goodbye To The Little Things

It's little conveniences that are figured out over the space of several years. To avoid frustrating freeway backups, I discovered bucolic back roads. I whisked through wide fields dotted with cows and horses, heads bent to the tufts of grass before them.

The car dealership that provided good service (how rare is that?) and courtesy car washes. Or, the best place to buy gas.

The hair stylist. I finally found a good hairdresser after enduring a series of terrible hair cuts. She listened to what I wanted. She knew her trade. My heart sinks to think of the hairdresser-search beginning again.

Goodbye To The Earth

I said goodbye to each plant and tree that I had planted in the front and back yards. I watched them grow and change through five years of seasons.

The maple tree in my front yard grew stronger and straighter than all my neighbors' trees planted at the same time. Maybe the water helped, maybe it was the love. 

That tree had a story. Soon after I moved in, one of the stakes holding the tree broke. The furniture maker who came to adjust a piece of furniture noted its state of disrepair. Without being asked, our goodbyes had already been said and we hadn't mentioned it, he drove back to my place with another one to replace it.

I happened to look out the window to see him at work. Each strike of his mallet on the stake was made with deliberate, careful attention. I didn't walk outside, not wanting to disturb this selfless act of caring. He never knocked on my door, never asked for recompense.

My heart still smiles when I think of it. His stake held tight over time against the fierce, delta winds. My maple tree reached to the sky with that firm support, straight and tall. 

I was able to thank him in person for his thoughtfulness, five years later when I had another piece of furniture to repair. He was sweetly proud of his handiwork and we stood together, admiring "our" straight tree.

I hope the new homeowners appreciate its regal beauty.

Little things, left behind as my car drove out of town.

Goodbye Held In The Heart

Use of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) – TRT® hands-on supports us, especially when wistful feelings of loss pass over. It's not about making it go away, figuring it out, or shoving it down and putting a ribbon on top. 

It's the simplicity of a hand in your heart as you hold the loss, as you hold the love. The fire accessed with TRT® burns – quiet and steady. We are that fire deep within, burning bright, in gain and in loss.

Goodbye. Hello. The continuum of our lives.

 

A Song For Ariel

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Saying Goodbye To The Neighbor's Kitty

Moving can include saying goodbye to the neighbor's kitty. 

Ariel, a long-haired grey cat, came into my life a couple of years after I moved in to my place in California. The neighbors in the two-story house behind me moved out and soon after, she started to appear in my backyard.

"Hello! I'm heading over the fence to hang out in your backyard." 

Whose Kitty Is This?

I visited the people in the house behind me, to check if the cat was theirs. I was deeply concerned this might a situation of people moving and abandoning their pets. But, fortunately, they confirmed the cat belonged to them and that her name was Ariel.

I have to say I don't "approve" of outdoor cats. Veterinarians agree that cats are healthier, safer and live longer lives when kept as indoor cats. 

A Backyard And A Kitty

But, when Ariel decided to make my backyard, her backyard, it didn't seem appropriate to lecture the neighbors on my views of proper care for cats.

Trying to chase her away would have been silly, as we're all familiar with the challenges of herding cats. 

I certainly couldn't wish her harm. In fact, on the contrary, I fell in love with her as my friendly neighbor and frequent visitor.

"Meow! I'm at your sliding glass door. Are you there?"

Enjoying The Backyard

Ariel and I both enjoyed the backyard. She would pop over the fence early in the morning and spend most of the day there. She had a couple of spots that had been worn smooth into comfy lairs by her body. 

She would greet me with a soft meow and come out from under the bushes when I entered the backyard. She'd come to the sliding glass door to say hello in the evening.

Being a cat lover, I wouldn't dream of resisting her sweet face and freely shared TRT® hands-on with her. I talked with her.

What a sweet, loving kitty. I could pick her up and hold her; she loved being petted. She was always kind and gentle with me when I handled her.

 I consciously made a decision to never feed her any food so she wouldn't think of my place as her real home, but she, nonetheless, made it her second home.

She would head over the fence, sometimes late at night, back to her own house. I'd tell her that she should be home with her family.

"My name is Ariel, and there are secrets within my eyes."

Saying Goodbye

I told Ariel, more than once, that I had to go away for good, that I was moving. Trying to explain that is not so easy even with other humans, much less animals.

I left a note for the new homeowners about her and I hope they will be kind to her. 

When we have to say goodbye, students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) are able to apply TRT® hands-on as they are preparing for the transition. Loss and grief are a natural part of leaving, even when you know you must go, even when you might look forward to departing for new adventures.

Students of The Second Degree of TRT® can also direct energy across time and space to people as well as to animals. 

I continue to direct radiant energy to Ariel and pray that she will be safe and sound.

 

The Sea Beckons

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Time To Say Arrgggh!

'Tis our illustrious Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Aye, on September 19, every year, ye best be sayin' Arrgggh and Ahoy. Toss in an Avast to get someone's attention!

Pirates And The Sea

When we invoke pirates, we call forth the sea and its magical allure. Siren songs float in the waves like driftwood. Mermaids coax us into the watery depths. 

What is the swirl of tides that echoes in our pulsing veins?

As the moon pushes and pulls at the shore, does the salty water in our own bodies long to join in the dance?

Wild Sea, She Be A-Callin'

A mesmerizing whisper in the lapping of waves at the shore's edge brings a primordial recognition. Sometimes, it's as if we see something out of the corner of our eye. Or, it's a sound we thought we heard behind us, but no one is there. 

Hello, did someone call me home? 

When the sun touches the water, our hearts leap. Our pulse quickens as we stare in wonder at the sparkling diamonds of sunlight. Precious jewels available to one and all.

Primordial Call

Could we crawl back into the sea and swim with the dolphins and whales? Not as separate humans, but as sea mammals, together, smiling knowingly at one another? We could whirl through the uncharted depths of liquid dark and light and open our hearts until they fill the entire ocean. 

We can connect with the sea at deeper levels with our use of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®). Being near the sea, we can spend time with our TRT® hands-on, expanding our awareness of our connection to water.

At The Second Degree of TRT®, we can direct radiant energy to sea life and the water itself. Our entire planet needs support on many levels. Directing energy supports the weaving of wholeness of inner light for the sea.

Perhaps you're less enamored with the sea, and more intrigued with desert or mountains. Let it be your own discovery process.

Planet Water

Planet Earth should be called Planet Water given that it's much more water than earth. Our human-centric viewpoint defines everything through our own limited eyes, seldom stretching past our own awareness. But, sometimes, secrets from the sea are revealed and we wonder, might there be other perceptions of reality just as relevant as our own?

A Life At Sea

Let Talk Like A Pirate Day carry you away.

Imagine a life at sea. The odor of briny salt water swirls inside you as you sniff the air. Your sea legs know, without thinking, how to shift with the roll and swell of the waves.

It's a time when we traveled between distant lands on great, grand ships with our arms wide open instead of winding our way, huddled together, in security lines at airports.

Just for a day, indulge yourself and have a Pirate Heart that loves the sea and dreams of hidden treasure.

Lighthouse photo: James Peacock

We Remember 9/11

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Remembering 9/11

Five years, 15 years, 25 years, or more. It doesn't matter how long ago.

We will remember.

Unimagined Horror

Airplanes, whose purpose is to move us here and there, had that benevolent purpose twisted and perverted. They were used instead as weapons of terror. 

The world watched in horror as airplanes were hijacked and flung into wanton acts of death and destruction.

A photo taken on September 10, 2001

A World Changed Forever

Lives were shattered as evil exploded past barriers of comprehension. There have been a lot of articles that cover the lives lost.

Everyone is familiar with stories of both the fêted and the unsung heroes who selflessly sacrificed for others, for people they didn't even know. We know many stories of loved ones lost.

Sometimes, certain people stand out for us. For me, it's the Hanson family.

A Family Held In Time

The Hanson family is forever frozen in time as a Christmas family from 2010. They were not allowed to live to see their next Christmas.

All three of them were obliterated because they were flying together on United Airlines Flight 175 on September 11, 2001. That plane crashed into the World Trade Center's South Tower.

Their little girl, Christine, with her wide smile, red hat and sweater, was only 2 1/2 years old. She was the youngest fatality on the flights. Her parents, Peter and Sue Kim Hanson, hailed from Massachusetts. They were headed for her first adventure in Disneyland and to visit Sue's family in California.

Peter Called His Father From The Plane

Phoning from the plane, Peter Hanson was able to reach his father, C. Lee Hanson. Peter told his father that hijackers appeared to be planning to crash the plane into a building.

"Don't worry, Dad. If it happens, it will be quick," Peter said with his Korean-American wife and his little girl, Christine, sitting next to him.

Moments later, Peter's father watched on television as his son's plane burst into a fireball as it hit the World Trade Center building.

Sue Kim Hanson was a doctoral candidate in microbiology-immunology at Boston University. Peter Hanson held an MBA and was vice-president of sales at a software company. Little Christine loved helping her father in the garden.

I didn't know them personally. I have never met any of their family. Yet they remain forever seared upon my heart.

I cannot begin to imagine what they went through in those last moments as their bodies crashed into the building. The grief of their family and friends must be an excruciating pain.

People Work Together

Almost as soon as the World Trade Center’s twin towers fell, thousands of firefighters, police officers, construction workers, search-and-rescue dogs and volunteers headed to Ground Zero to offer their help.

A search-and-rescue dog from 9/11 is comforted and receives subcutaneous fluids to help with dehydration. 

The cleanup and recovery efforts at Ground Zero lasted for more than a year, with crews working around the clock.

Connect With Events

For students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®), we are able to connect with the events of that time and hold them in our heart today, no matter how many years have passed.

Students of The First Degree and Second Degree of TRT® can apply extra time with TRT® hands-on in positions of their choice, perhaps in the heart or a combination of heart and solar plexus. 

Students of The Second Degree of TRT® can also direct radiant energy to a certain event or to people who touch your heart. It might include our first responders and service dogs who worked tirelessly in rescue operations. Whatever connects with you personally.

A Flower At The 9/11 Memorial

We see the hand of Pope Francis as he lays a white rose on the 9/11 Memorial on September 25, 2015.

The 9/11 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center complex and occupies approximately half of the 16-acre site. The memorial plaza is an eco-friendly site. There are more than 400 trees surrounding the reflective pools. A drop of healing nature in a big city of concrete.

“The National September 11 Memorial is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993.”
— 911memorial.org

The Mission Statement for The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center reads:

 
“May the lives remembered, the deeds recognized, and the spirit reawakened be eternal beacons, which reaffirm respect for life, strengthen our resolve to preserve freedom, and inspire an end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance.”
— 911memorial.org
 

We remember 9/11.

And may we seal the door where darkness and evil dwell.