All Hail the Mighty Tulips of Skagit Valley

In the month of April, one million people travel and visit the Skagit Valley in Washington for one reason: to see millions of tulips. This year, the state of Washington has had an unseasonably warm winter and spring, which has caused all floral blooming to begin early; the tulips were no exception.

Roozengaarde is the largest tulip gardens in Washington; it's located in Mount Vernon. My first Tulip Festival experience was in 2013, and I visited Roozengaarde. It was definitely a wet, cloudy, gray, and rainy spring day; the puddles in the tulip fields were mid-calf deep; but the tulips were beyond amazing. I have so many things I want to do and see in Washington that I hardly ever repeat experiences, but I told myself that I would attend the festival again in the future, and hopefully I would get a glance of the mountains that surround the tulip fields.

Tulip Festival round two happened this year, on Easter Sunday at Roozengaarde; it was a sunny and an egg-cellent day for sharing the experience with my mom (who was visiting from the midwest). The tulip gardens were definitely much busier with the sunshine and the holiday traffic; but the views were beyond spectacular!

We were just a little early for some of the tulips to be in full bloom, but I definitely understood why some of the gardens opened earlier this year. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was that we were almost too late to see any daffodils. The daffodils were mostly already wilted and turning brown; there was still a few perky, yellow ones left. The display garden was a little too crowded to spend too much time in, besides, my mom was very eager to start skipping through the tulip fields.

Since I attended the festival in 2013, the tulip fields seemed to have doubled in acreage this year. If you get a chance to attend the festival, you definitely should. After we left the tulip fields, we explored the adorable resorty city of La Conner. Oh my goodness, does La Conner have amazing bakeries, and especially scones. It was my first time exploring La Conner and I will definitely visit again. Enjoy the pictures and happy springtime to all!

It was a clear and sunny day to see tulips and mountains

These tulips are called Princess Irene 

The pastel Easter tulips were not blooming yet

It was hard to get a picture of the fields of tulips without people between the rows, because this was the most ignored sign ever 

Rainbow colors of tulips

Display gardens tulips

My mom and me and the beginning of the tulip fields

Staying on the main road (as the many signs posted asked for) and taking a picture among the tulips

Display Garden: Tulips with daffodils and mountains in the background

Display Garden: Abigail (my niece's name) strain of tulips

Display Garden: Aladdin strain of tulips

Display Garden: Ballerina strain of tulips

Display Garden: Fabio strain of tulips

The daffodils fields that were almost done blooming

Pompeii, Just Two Blocks Away

One of the great things about my apartment's location in Seattle, it is only two blocks away from the Seattle Center. The Seattle Center is a great place for tourist and locals to spend ample amounts of time exploring because it is the park, arts, and entertainment center of Seattle, and of course, the iconic Space Needle is there too. One of the museums located in the Seattle Center is the Pacific Science Center.

The Pacific Science Center is definitely a fun, interactive, and educational destination when visiting Seattle. I took my niece to it, and we spent several hours exploring the museum. Another great option while visiting the Pacific Science Center is catching an IMAX movie; also, some great traveling exhibits circulate through this museum as well. For instance, I saw the traveling King Tut exhibit in 2012, and this year, the traveling exhibit is Pompeii: The Exhibition. I was able to see this exhibit with my mom, who unlike me, hasn't visited Pompeii in Italy. Seattle is the last stop for this exhibit's US traveling tour.

Pompeii: The Exhibition showcases the miraculous artifacts unearthed since the epic eruption about 2,000 years ago. One of the largest collection of body casts ever presented are part of this exhibition. Part of your museum experience will be getting to sit through two videos; one consisting of the history of Pompeii, and the other is a four-minute condensed movie of the three days of Mount Vesuvius continuous eruption. A little history of the city of Pompeii:

• In the year 79, Pompeii vanished beneath thick layers of volcanic ash left by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
• The rediscovery of this city was about 250 years ago.
• Some of the discoveries included garden frescoes, marble statues, helmets, shin guards of Gladiators, coins, religious altars and shrines, jewelry and so much more.

Overall, the exhibit was impressive and just illustrated that nature can be both destructive and restorative at the same time. At the end of the exhibit, there is a room devoted to the volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest. One of the questions pondered is: could what happened to Pompeii happen to Seattle if Mount Rainier ever erupted? The short version answer is no, because when/if it erupts, it will not be erupting the "mud" that Mount Vesuvius erupted. The mud is key to the preservation qualities that helped all the artifacts to remain intact. 

Here are some of the photos and commentary from the exhibit if you didn't get a chance to see the exhibit in your city:

Anchor: This anchor was found southwest of Pompeii, at the mouth of the Sarno River. This object serves as a reminder that 2,000 years ago Pompeii was an important port, a hub for markets and trade throughout the Roman Empire. 

Ptolemy II Philadelphus: ruler of Egypt from 283 BC to 246 BC

I think the middle statue (the one without a nose) looks like Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter in a toga. 

Wine Amphora: The pointed base of this amphora fit snugly on top of another of identical design. This allowed merchants to stack the containers, making for efficient storage and transport. It also enabled shopkeepers to keep the stock they needed to meet the demands of their customers.

Labrum: This marble fountain rests on three legs each in the shape of sphinxes, mythological creatures that were half-human, half-lion. The sphinxes here have bodies that are part-vegetable and end in lion paws. Acanthus leaves wind around the main column. This supports the pipe that connects to the water source.

Cast of Man: The volcanic eruption of Vesuvius is still being studied today. Recent research suggests that many Pompeiians were killed by surges of extreme heat (570 degrees Fahrenheit) resulting in an instantaneous rigor mortis, with bodies frozen in time. This fact would help explain the variety of poignant death postures.  

Statue of Ephebe (Young Man)

Fresco with Dionysus Enthroned 

Gladiator Helmet with Bas-relief Decorations and Shin Guards

Bathtub

Clay Figurine of a Gladiator 

Gold Necklace: This long, thick chain is made up of four strands of gold with delicate links that look like fabric. The pendant is shaped like a crescent moon,  an ancient symbol of Venus, Goddess of Love. The necklace was probably wrapped several times around the neck. 

Head of Gaius Caeser: This bust is thought to depict the 10-year-old Gaius Caeser, grandson of the Emperor Augustus. In an official work commissioned in 13 B.C., the 7-or-8 year-old Gaius Caesar shares the same large face, voluptuous lips, and bangs with dovetail peaks.

Star Wars and the Power of Costume

One of the most visited museums in Seattle, Experience Music Project (EMP), is currently showcasing a traveling exhibit, which is only stopping in 12 cities in the United States. The exhibit is called Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume. The premise behind the exhibit is to allow visitors to explore the creative process behind dressing an entire galaxy of Star Wars characters in a behind-the-scenes look at the most iconic costumes in film history.

I have been to the EMP museum once before, and did not anticipate returning unless an unbelievable exhibit was being showcased; for instance, like a Desserts of the World exhibit or a Gotta Have Coffee exhibit.

My mom is currently visiting me in Seattle; therefore, we are visiting some of my favorite things to do and see in Seattle and the State of Washington. However, my mom learned that this exhibit was being featured during her visit. In other words, I have returned to the EMP (my least favorite museum in Seattle). My Star Wars knowledge comes only from watching the last three movies (only once, and I barely know the main characters' names), the episode of Friends where Rachel dresses up as Princess Leia, Pitch Perfect taught me that "Vader" means "father" in German, and references in The Big Bang Theory episodes.

However....the exhibit was amazing, even if I am not a devoted fan to the saga. Here are some glimpses of the costumes and some information behind the costumes and the movies.

• "In many cases in the film, the actors are working in a blue environment. So the only thing they have that is clue to the environment that they are working with is their costume." -George Lucas
• "Costume is not separate from character design." -Sang Jun Lee, Concept Artist, Episode III
• "For Episode I, I think we made well over a thousand costumes...Couture-level cutters, sewers, dyers and printers, embroiderers, beaders, milliners, leatherworkers, mold makers, sculptors and jewelers used a multitude of techniques to create articles of beauty, or ceremony, or authority, as the occasion demanded." -Trisha Biggar, Costume Designer, Episode I, II, III
• "I was hired to give George Lucas a chance to get as close as he could to the ideal look for htings he had been dreaming about getting into his films....Science fantasy allows me to create realities that have never been seen before...I've done a lot of dreaming in my life--and now I'm getting a chance to put it all to work." -Ralph McQuarrie, Concept Artist, Episode IV, V, VI
• "We didn't look at any films specifically, but had a lot of books, all the books there were on science fiction and science-fiction films, books on World War II, on Vietnam, and on Japanese armor." -John Mollo, Costume Designer, Episode IV, V
• "For the first Star Wars films, I wanted the costumes to be simple but timeless...outfits modeled on the archetypes that audiences would find understandable and familiar." -George Lucas
• "On the prequel trilogy, I knew a different approach was needed...we would be visiting the Republic in its heyday, spending time in the galaxy's lavish capital, and witnessing royalty, opulence, and advanced, albeit sometimes corrupt, civilizations." -George Lucas

Droids
C-3PO and R2-D2

The Stormtrooper
The entire wardrobe budget for the 1977 Star Wars film, produced in England, was $220,000. The costumes that stood out for their cost were the Stormtroopers ($93,000). 

Princes Leia

Chewbacca
 King of the Creatures: George Lucas was trying to do a combination of a monkey, a dog, and a cat.

Emperor, Sith Robes
Darth Sidious, the evil Dark Lord of the Sith who becomes Emperor of the Galactic Empire, wears the instantly recognizable black hooded shape that was established in the first trilogy. Darth Sidious's costume barely changes or develops throughout the saga.

Jedi Robes
Every prinicpal Jedi needed multiple versions of their costume to accommodate wear and tear, and for stunt requirements, doubles, and unexpected problems. During a wet scene, the vintage wool cloak fabric quickly began to shrink and shortened to almost knee level in a matter of minutes. This meant using and running a new cloak for every take.

Padme Amidala, Lake Retreat Dining Gown with Feathered Cape
George Lucas helped designed this leather-corseted gown

Padme Amidala, Lake Retreat Arrival Dress
Is a ombre (layer)-dyed silk chiffon and silk satin dress, held at the neck and arm by hand-cut abalone shell. Concept Designer wanted a dress that "looked as if it would fall off if one sneezed."

Senator in Action
Padme must dress as a Naboo starfighter pilot as a safety precaution. The Geonosis Action Costume, which she wears in the epic arena battle, is perhaps her most iconic costume from Episode II. The costume alludes to the all-white costume that her daughter, Princess Leia, wore in the original films.

Star-Crossed
Behind the seams the finishing touches: the night before the wedding scene was to be filmed, costume designer Trisha Biggar decided the gown needed a little something "extra." So she pulled an all-nighter and pearled Padme's wedding dress herself.

Senatorial Fabrics

Aerial view from the second floor of the exhibit

Aerial view from the second floor of the exhibit

Darth Vader: Iconic Villain
"He's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil." -Obi-wan Kenobi
"Darth Vader became such an icon in the first film, Episode IV, that the icon of evil sort of took over everything."
-George Lucas
George Lucas wanted him to look like a "dark lord riding on the wind" with black flowing robes, a large helmet like that of the Japanese Samurai, and a silk mask covering his face.

Twas the Season for Cherry Blossoms

Spring came early this year to Seattle due to the unseasonably warm "winter"; therefore, cherry blossoms began blooming in February. The season for cherry blossoms has almost concluded but you can still spot a few trees that have blooms left.

One of the greatest displays of cherry blossoms blooming in Seattle is on the University of Washington's campus. The trees surround the entire perimeter of the quad. The trees in the university's quad are over 80 years old. This year, these trees were in full bloom on March 14th. I unfortunately didn't make it til the end of March, but the trees were still beautiful. The grounds were covered will fallen cherry blossom petals. When a gust of wind blew through the trees, the blooms were so fragile, that they were constantly falling, resembling snow.

Every year, it is disheartening when the cherry blossom trees become bare (the magnolia trees become bare about the same time); but then I remember, field of tulips season is just around the corner.

If you are visiting Seattle during the spring, you should definitely head over over to the University of Washington's campus. The campus, even when it's not cherry blossom season, is gorgeous! My favorite building on campus is the Suzzallo Library; the Reading Room is a must-visit destination, and I call it "The Hogwarts Library".

Here are some photos from the cherry blossoms from around Seattle, with an emphasis on University of Washington's trees: