We walked to the match today.
The Seattle Sounders have a March to the Match before each game. It is about a 5 block walk with the band and boosters and anyone who shows up. Today we marched 6-7 miles and then joined the march for the last 5 blocks.
On the way to the March we stopped at the Seattle Art Museum and got a membership. A Picasso exhibit is coming in the fall, and I think being a member will work in our favor at that time. I like the museum for other exhibits as well, and this will get us there more frequently.
Before reaching downtown we walked near the east edge of Lake Union for a bit. As we passed an older couple picking up trash along the road, a blue heron soared past in landing formation. Three of the four saw the heron, I did not. We walked a bit further and spied the heron, on a dock that was attached to some working building (e.g. not a houseboat).
The heron stood for a bit. I tried to take a picture with my very old school cell phone. Found the correct button, only to be told that my memory was full. Now, the fact that I had to find the correct button should alert you to my non-use of the picture taking ability of the cell phone. Memory full?!? Yes, full of 200 pocket pictures.
Back to the heron. He/she started to watch very carefully to one side and took a very slow, ginger, set of steps to the end of the dock where the building was attached. The last steps were very slow, and very gentle. It was much like watching a cat stalk his prey. The neck “coiled” by compressing into a tight s-curve. The heron had been up-right to this point, and I expected to see a strike once the neck was compressed. But instead, the heron pivoted around its hip joint, bringing its head closer to the water. Finally the head sprung forward, beak first, the final foot to the water and nabbed a small frog. (I think it was a frog, but was not close enough to get a true verification.)
It was really something to watch unfold, literally. The time from the landing to the strike was probably less than 5 minutes.
Back to the match. The Sounders lost 1-0 to the San Jose Sharks. It was an exciting game, and sunny. Ashlan and Carl are at the baseball game now, it is raining, but they have a big umbrella called a roof.
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