OMG!!!
“Oh my God what just happened!!!”
“I don’t know, are you all right, you’re bleeding.”
“I am? I think so, what is this thing in our car?”
“The top of a power pole?”
“Oh my God, we’re going to get electricuted!”
“Don’t move, stay still, help will come.”
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Hélène Vaillant at WILLOW POETRY has a photo prompt that jump started this story.
This is my first time here at What Do You See. When I saw this fabulous prompt I thought of something that happened south of Seattle, near the Museum of Flight yesterday, as a massive storm descended on the area. (This is not Ethel & Cheryl speaking for a change)
SEATTLE’S KOMO NEWS… Tukwila, Wash. — Two people nearly died after a massive power pole impaled their windshield in a chain reaction that brought down one pole after another. First responders called it a miracle that the people survived the massive power pole crashing on top of their car as they frantically worked to get them out alive. The pole that toppled onto the car still had live wires, posing a challenge for rescuers. Both were taken to a local hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.
A WHALE TALE
© C.E.Ayr
A WHALE TALE… A Drabble for FriFic
Somewhere in Chicago a telephone rings…
“Hi Cheryl, it’s Ethel!”
“What’s up now, Ethel?”
“Pack your bags we’re going whale watching in Friday Harbor! I got a cheap flight to Seattle, and a boat’s going to take us up to the San Juan Islands to see whales.”
“Ethel, why on earth would I want to see whales?”
“You said you liked Moby Dick?.”
“Moby Dick is a book about a whale. I said I liked the book.”
“Oh… I thought it would be fun.”
“Well I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Besides we haven’t gone anywhere in a long time. I’ll start packing.”
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I’m afraid to say that I haven’t written a story for TedBook since last February… life has a way of getting in the way. My friends in FridayFictioneers will be shocked, because, here’s a story… The Girls are Back! Each week I faithfully look at the photo prompt Rochelle puts up, and this week I couldn’t pass… also finally having the time to write something helps. Glad to be back. Thanks to C.E.Ayr for this week’s photo, and to Rochelle Wisoff-Fields for hosting such a diversified group of writers each week… to read this week’s crop of stories … FriFicWriters
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For those of you that don’t know, I live in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington state. The west side of San Juan Island is home to 3 pods of Orca Whales (also known as Killer Whales) consisting of about 73 members during spring thru fall. They swim up and down the channel chasing salmon, while being chased by boats. Whale Watching is a major industry on my island, with many whale watch companies here, in the other San Juan Islands, from Seattle and coming 20 miles away from Victoria on Vancouver Island, B.C.
Whale Watch Boat… The Odyssey coming into Friday Harbor
Friday Fictioneers: THE TRESPASSERS
THE TRESPASSERS… A Drabble for FriFic
This is actually not the real ferry-boat (I forgot to take a photo), but a stand in. The model can be seen at Seatown in Seattle.
After a stop at the first of many Starbuck’s we had an exciting car wash… 
and upon reaching Seattle, my Birthday got off to an exciting start in the make-up department at Nordstrom…
somehow this was a familiar theme throughout the day. We stopped to admire the Christmas windows at Tiffany’s (designed by my friend Christopher Young in NYC)…
After a delicious lunch at PF Chang’s, we boarded the famous Monorail… 
and headed for the Seattle Repertory Theater to see a matinée performance of…
It was an excellent production and lots of fun… 
Checked out the Space Needle on the way back to the Monorail… 
We went back to the Mayflower Hotel… 
in the heart of downtown Seattle and got ready to go out to dinner at one my favorite Tom Douglas restaurants … 
A fabulous meal of Pork Chop and Garlic Sausage followed with a nice birthday dessert… 
A restful sleep at The Mayflower and a day of shopping finished off the Birthday Bash.
Friday Fictioneers: THE ICON GRILL
I was going to ask everyone to guess what city this was taken in, except that might be too obvious. Each week, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields hosts a meeting of the FRIDAY FICTIONEERS. She posts a photograph, and an august group of writers pen a 100 word flash fiction based on their impression. Sometimes she ‘borrows’ one of those writer’s photos… this week she chose one of mine.
Instead of writing a fiction story, I thought it would be interesting to share my thoughts, and more photos of the Icon Grill. For the first time in my Friday Fictioneers history I will write more than 100 words… Hey, it’s my photo and my story! I always stuck to the 100 words because I was afraid of Rich, who believe me, counts every one. It’s been over 14 months since I wrote my first story… I had commented on one of Madison Wood’s FF pieces and she suggested I write one… I said I couldn’t because I wasn’t a writer… She said “Bullshit!” So I did… here is my first FriFic story… Friday Fictioneers#1… Semi-Precious Gememoir… not exactly fiction, but a start.
My new favorite restaurant in Seattle is the Icon Grill, under the monorail train track across 5th Ave from the Westin Hotel. I like to stay at the Westin… right in the heart of downtown and a block away from The Palace Kitchen. A short walk to the Seattle Art Museum, Pike Place Market, Tom Douglas Restaurants, Penzey Spices, all the theaters that count, and shopping. In short… all the things I like to do in Seattle. I’d looked at ‘The Grill’ before and didn’t pay much attention, maybe I was a bit put off by the tacky marquee in front…most likely left over from some old diner long before the Westin. The neon sign was pretty cool though, so we checked out the menu in the window and were surprised at how upscale it seemed. I was in town with my friend Michel Ann to see the musical “Flashdance” at the Paramont Theater. She really wanted Crab Benedict, and they had it listed so we went for breakfast at the Icon Grill. We were not really ready for the assault on the senses upon entering. There was stuff everywhere you looked… paintings, lamps, blown glass orbs of every shape, size and color… and the colors of the restaurant with the rich wood was absolutely beautiful. Like a decorator on steroids… but I got the feeling it all evolved over the years, and that’s what makes it special to me. We were seated in a spacious comfortable booth and ordered. The food was exceptional without being ‘over the top’ with cuteness that seems to make the rounds these days. Priced fairly, and best of all… great coffee! But what also impressed me, was that our waiter Michael had been serving diners there for 13 years… that is the mark of a good restaurant, or any business, when the ‘help’ stays like that. I was taught how to be a bartender by Liz Sinclair at Paragary’s Bar and Oven in Sacramento some 35 years ago… she is still tending bar at Paragary’s… and last time I was there I saw a few waiters I worked with then. That restaurant is family… and I could see by the interaction of the staff, that the Icon Grill is family. The art of being a good server is to make the diners feel they are welcome and important… without letting them know you are doing it. To size up the table and know how much interaction will make them happy, and know when to shut up. That is tricky to do well, I like to think I was pretty good… Michael is excellent at his job. I couldn’t wait to start taking photos of this ab fab place, I couldn’t help it. The banquet or meeting room blew me away… and the men’s room, well there’s a photo below. I used to hang out in bars a lot, and if I had lived in Seattle, this would have been my bar. The beautiful and relaxing ambience of the Icon settled a feeling of comfort and joy into that booth… the company didn’t hurt either. Michel Ann loved her Crab Benedict and the bite she shared was delicious… that’s my choice next trip. Here is the photo Rochelle chose for the prompt…
The photo I took with my iPhone and posted on facebook, that became the prompt…
And here are some more of the Icon Grill. If you are ever in Seattle… go see Michael and tell him I sent you. Their motto is Aroused Americana!
Here’s the ICON GRILL!
Paramont Theater… The play was fabulous!
The Dinning Room
The Bar
Art…
Looking down from upstairs…
Looking down at the bar area…
The Banquette Room…
The Men’s Room…
Everywhere you look… it’s crazy!
Back Bar…
Got to love it!
So that’s my tour of the Icon Grill in Seattle… to read my friends stories -> -> -> ->
Friday Fictioneers… ROAD TRIP
Two smart-ass California kids weren’t about to wait in line to see her. Hey, that line had stretched for blocks yesterday.
Snuck onto the near deserted grounds and realized it would be pretty easy to get caught, and the security guards wore Trooper Hats. So we made our way to the entrance, and hid between the concession stands until a crowd gathered. We mingled with and rode up on the first elevator to see her.
Looking out, there she was… Seattle.
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This is actually a true story, so a Friday Memoir instead of Fiction. In 1962, my best friend and I left Sacramento in his 1956 powder blue Thunderbird to see the Seattle Worlds Fair. Two 18 year old kids on their first Road Trip. We stayed with his cousins in Seattle and went to the fair every day. The line to go up the Space Needle was worse than Disneyland and took hours. We did hop the fence one morning and joining a group of suits, we went up on the first elevator of the day… which included the Governor of Washington. (True Story) The fair hadn’t even opened and the dignitaries probably thought we were someone’s kids. That was a fun road trip.
Last year I went up the Space Needle again… first time in 50 years. I don’t remember what it looked like then (I don’t think we were too impressed)… now, it is a sight worth seeing. And the souvenir shop in the base of the Needle is the best gift shop I’ve ever been forced to exit through. I bought some glasses… 
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This edition of Friday Fictioneers is somewhat special for me. I took the picture used as this week’s Photo Prompt. I didn’t know that Rochelle Wisoff-Fields was going to use it… but then I did tell her she could use any of my photos, and gave her the link to my PhotoLog… Oh, here it is, btw… TedBook’s Daily Pics.
To read some great stories by talented writers based on the Sunglasses Booth, go to…
To join us and write your 100 Words, go to the Friday Fictioneers blog and visit… Rochelle…
