Beauty in any beholder's eye

Sunday we spent the day in Seattle with our older daughter, and after a delicious brunch at the amazing Portage Bay Cafe (followed by a brief side trip to my beloved Bedrock Industries) we wandered over to the Ballard Locks, which we hadn't visited since she was a pre-schooler.

The salmon were running, so it was a delight to stand before the windows and watch them follow their ancient imperative to go against the flow (sometimes I wonder if I have a similar imperative!)

But there's also the boats to watch, coming in and out of the locks -- some laden with pirates, some large, some small, some dripping with wealth and brightwork, others, decrepit, being towed in for maintenance by small powerful dinghies.  It's got to be incredibly awkward for a boater, the first time they go through: there are lots of instructions to follow, and piles of tourists lined up on the walkways above to shout words of sympathy, warning, and encouragement as the water rises...

And, finally, there was also a small but charming botanical garden.  I'd forgotten to bring my camera, so was reduced to using my iphone3, not known for its photographic capabilities.  Some things, though, are just so incredibly beautiful even a weak camera can't help but love them.  This is an absolutely unretouched photo of one of the huge tropical leaf plants in the garden; aren't those colors amazing?

My friend Dave referred recently on Facebook to what he calls a "duh" moment, to explain a pottery mistake that led to a beautiful piece.  My forgetting the camera was a "duh" moment, too, but it did leave me free to enjoy the day and my family.  And clearly, when I did really need to capture something, I had all the resources I needed.  Somehow I suspect that's more often true than not; that, left to its own devices the universe provides what's best for us... I wish I could learn to stop worrying and trust that more.

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