When I arrived in Seattle June 25, I headed for one of my favorite places from which to watch the sunset, namely the Kerry Park overlook on Queen Anne Hill. It's the place from which the postcards photos of downtown Seattle are shot, and on days with perfect atmospheric conditions, the view of the city is backed by Mt. Rainier turning strawberry ice cream pink in the setting sun.
It was rather gray and misty that night. so I didn't see Mt. Rainier. The lights of the city were just beginning to glow in the twilight.
No matter what time of the day or night, people can always be found at the lookout, showing off the city to visiting friends and shooting photos. I'm always amused at the notion that people attempt to take flash photos of a distant skyline, and there were plenty of flash photos that night. Kids often turn away from the view to climb in Doris Chase's sculpture ``Changing Form'' made from Corten steel that rusts to a beautiful finish.
I was looking at the view and shooting a few photos when something odd happened. All of a sudden a group of French-speaking tourists showed up, led by a young woman who was clearly American. She was very emotional about Michael Jackson's death that day and insisted that everyone light their cigarette lighters while she shouted out a tribute.
Then, to my surprise, she demanded that everyone in her party climb over the wall and head down the very steep hill. Everyone complied, even though some of the women were wearing wildly inappropriate shoes for such a trek. All the way downhill she kept shouting about how wonderful and immortal Jackson was.
I'll be so glad when all the Michael Jackson hoo-hah is over. He always struck me as such a tragic emotionally immature person, surrounded by paid sycophants and enablers. The tackiness of waving cigarette lighters as a tribute seemed a case in point. It's all mighty strange to me.
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