A Foggy Morning Walk
Since my arrival in San Antonio, the weather has been mostly sunny and warm. Yes, a few good rainstorms but never fog. It was lovely!
I have moved around a bunch and have lived in many different regions. Some of those residences have been in areas where the weather can often be unfriendly; on the cold side. Northern Germany, Idaho, Eastern Washington and Alaska. All wonderful and their changing seasons always pleased me.
Since my arrival in San Antonio, while there have been a few epic rainstorms, the weather has leaned towards, hot, sunny and humid. I'm not against those things, of course, but the frequency of the hot days and days in which I sweat too much come far too often for my taste. When the recent chilly days passed through and brought some early morning fog, I headed to the downtown canyons to take a peek.
Had I gotten downtown earlier, I'm certain that the fog and mist would have been even stronger. Despite my tardiness, it was still a treat to see the tops of the bigger buildings obscured by the low clouds. With such shallow cover, city noises seemed to be dampened. There's a strange type of echo where the noises roll a bit then get swallowed up by the void. It's eerily comforting.
I'm not certain if it was this phenomenon that kept the city's visitors speaking in hushed tones or simply the less-than-postcard-perfect weather but those that were out in the morning light seemed almost reverential to nature.
You'd think it odd coming from a California boy but too much sun bogs me down. I get headaches from the light flares, I don't handle prolonged heat well and, this is unproven, there's something about living in harsh, cold environments that toughens people up and weeds out the weak and silly. Where you find heat and sunshine, you'll find more people. Where you find chill, fog and sleet, you'll cross paths with folks that either HAVE to be out in it or WANT to be in it. I want to be in it.
Now, a bit of fog on a 53 degree morning isn't like haddock fishing in Alaska but it was sufficiently out of the ordinary that it seemed reason enough to make a trip to the concrete canyons of downtown San Antonio
And what canyons they are. It seems that as the city grew, the low, flat plains made it more worthwhile to build the newer, taller buildings outside of the city center. It seems that most of the buildings from the early part of the 20th Century have been left intact and the ones added to it seem to have a similar feel and look to them. Everywhere you look, you see the familiar orange stones. Very seldom will you see sleek marble or shiny steel. Sure, here and there but it seems rather tastefully done.
I dare to say that many of these buildings are on historic registers. There is certainly a large number of history plaques about, more per Sq/ft than I've seen in the US. Seeing as the city is approaching its 300th anniversary, that's understandable. So much richness!
And lastly ... don't forget to look up!
#Hoopfest2015 from atop The Liberty Building
Spokane's Liberty Building has a front row seat to Hoopfests! I was lucky enough to be allowed on top this year.
I've visited The Liberty Building a couple times before, each time finding more gems held within this treasure. With its prime location at Washington and Main, the building has seen more than its share of Spokane history. Plus, they are in the middle of Hoopfest every year! This year, I was lucky enough to be allowed atop the Liberty Building to get a bird's-eye view of #Hoopfest2015. Escorted by the owner, Shannon Ahern, I went during the peak of the day, with the baking sun directly overhead. On any day, it's one of the best views in town but on this, Day One of Hoopfest, with the games in full swing, there was no better spot in town to catch this special glimpse of Spokane's premiere event!
With 7,000 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 225,000 fans and 450 courts spanning 42 city blocks, it seems that one could see it all from up here. Truly it was the highlight of my day!
Shannon was very kind to enjoy his aerie and I was very grateful to be able to catch this rare glimpse into Spokane and its richness. I hope that you enjoy the view as much as I did.
Break Dancers at Huntington Park
With the chill in the air, Summer is but a memory. But what a fine memory!
The Little Captains
Another Hoopfest image that I'll treasure. Team Miami Baller, keeping the streets ..... and 'Merica, free!
