Cranes of Bellevue photo challenge

Bellevue, WA is going through quite a growth spurt, even as growth slows in much of the rest of the US. The "biggest construction year yet is reshaping Bellevue" (Seattle times Aug 2006).

Some people don't like change, growth. Others are fascinated by it and want to celebrate it. I can't stop staring in wonder at the forest of cranes in my adopted city. Bellevue has been extremely smart about growth -- zoning for mixed use, choosing good projects, making the downtown an ever more livable and vibrant mix of residents, retail, and office.

I took a few photos of this explosion of progress. They's up on Flickr here, geotagged to the (fairly exact) location where I took them. But it would be wonderful to capture all this building in time-lapse, and with a better eye. I'm not a photographer, and it's be quite a task for a single person to capture this mushrooming of a city day-to-day anyway.

So here's a challenge to my photographer friends: capture more of the unfolding of this story. Let's collect them all on flickr, and perhapse we can get a bit of a time-lapse effect going. And comment here on your favorite. A free coffee at one downtown shops to whoever takes the best photo in the cranes of Bellevue photo challenge. :)

Here's a search for all flickr photos tagged with bellevue and cranes.

Beautiful Woodworking

One of my high school buddies has been doing some amazing custom/contract woodworking projects the last few years. When I had the chance to visit last, he showed me several furniture pieces with inlays and complex patterns, humidors, and more.

He's started a blog with pictures on notes on some of his projects.

I'm amazed at the patience and craftsmanship that are required for this kind of work. It's worlds away from the software development and bit-pushing that I'm used to, and nothing virtual can hold a candle to it.

Check out Dustin's Gearbox Woodworks blog for more.