The voting continues....

As of THIS minute, 3:31pm, Pacific time, not adjusting for any deviations of the time on my laptop, 299 people have cast their votes. Not too shabby for just over 24 hours of voting time, but there were nearly 500 votes cast last time so I expect a lot more to come in during the next few days. While normally I don't want to give any hints about the outcome of the voting, I do want to say that I am heartened that so relatively few of you would prefer to see me in a dunk tank. There are such people out there, but I am happy to report they do not make up a majority. =)

If you haven't cast your votes yet, drop by the Voting Booth and do so now. Last time I announced that, I forgot to open the voting booth doors, but they really are open this time. *nodding*

On another note, I saw a strange thing during my walk this afternoon. For those of you who know me, you might know that I often like to walk around Alki, a small section of Seattle with beautiful views from the snow-covered Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound, to Mount Baker and Mount Rainier (also covered with snow year round). I've seen a lot of strange things during my walks. I've seen bald eagles, sitting out on the beach. (Beautiful birds, I might add.) I've seen raccoons, hiding behind the seawall. I've seen amazing sand sculptures, and once I even saw a man getting a ticket for not having his dog on a leash, which thrilled me to no end. =) I've seen the lowest of the low tides and the highest of the highs. I've seen calm waters and raging waves, and I love watching the ferries plow the waters--especially at night when they're lit up brighter than prisons. I've had cops chase me out of the park (after hours), and I've surprised letterboxers looking for boxes. Last week, I saw some baby seals, lounging on the beach. And one bizarre evening, I was even shot at.

I've seen a lot of strange things on my walks along Alki over the years, but this afternoon I saw something I'd never seen before. A submarine, going south from points to the north. I'd never seen a submarine plying the waters here. Not that I didn't think they weren't around--there is a navel base here, after all, but aren't submarines supposed to be under the water? Exactly. *nodding* I've seen navy ships many times, but I'd never seen a submarine before, and I always assumed it must be because they were under water and out of view.

Not today, though. Today, I watched a submarine, riding free on the surface of the water. I wondered about where it was coming from. Training exercises? Or was it coming back from a tour around the world, after months on the open ocean? I have no idea, but it was still kind of cool to watch a living, breathing submarine moving around in the open water. Not a relic of the cold war, permanently anchored to shore for tourists to visit. A real submarine, in use today, doing whatever it is submarines are supposed to be doing.

I pulled out my monocular (I almost always carry one in my pack--I like them so much I even include them in the Amazon.com link on Atlas Quest). The submarine was a few miles out--not exactly a lot of details were visible--but through my monocular I could see a dot of color on the top of the submarine. Orangish in color. The submarine itself was black, jet black, and I imagine the dot of orange was a crew member, probably enjoying the wind in his hair and the breath of the open water compared to the usual drudgery in the cramped, stale air inside the submarine.

Oh, how I'd love to trade places with that man in orange--just for a couple of minutes. =)

The submarine eventually turned behind Bainbridge Island, and I lost it from view.

But how cool is that? I saw a submarine!