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Erik (w/ Lucy). ©Ryan Schierling

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Edith's home; the Mirabella retirement community. ©Ryan Schierling

(L) Edith Macefield has lived in this little house in Ballard since 1966. When developers approached the 86-year-old with a one million dollar buyout for her property and the 108-year-old house, she refused. "I don't want to move. I don't need the money. Money doesn't mean anything," said Macefield. The five-story project, which is being built around her house, will include a parking garage, fitness club and a grocery store, just like every other new development in Seattle.

(R) The high-end, exclusive Mirabella retirement community, currently being developed in the South Lake Union district, is touted as the retirement community of the future. There will be a saline swimming pool, four restaurants, an arts studio and a 300-seat theater, and, according to the New York Times, a none-too-cheap pricetag for warehouse oldster living. "David Rensvold, a 69-year-old retired pilot, and his wife, Sandy, have reserved a $691,000 two-bedroom independent-living apartment at the Mirabella. Their monthly charges will be about $4,200."

Wetpaint.

©Ryan Schierling

I just finished up a great job for Wetpaint.com.

They're a Seattle-based company that lets you create and build your own wiki websites. (For those who aren't so internet-speak savvy, a wiki is a type of website with pages that anyone can edit and contribute to, used for anything from social networking to distributing information.)

Wetpaint was named one of Time Magazine's 50 Best Websites in 2007, and companies like HP, Oracle, T-Mobile and Dell, as well as entertainment giants like CBS, ABC, Showtime and Discovery Channel already have sponsored Wetpaint-powered communities.

(Or, you know, if you just really liked Chewbacca or something, you and your friends could start your own Wookie wiki. Or, or maybe a Buck Rogers and robot friends one... a Twiki wiki. Bidi bidi bidi.)

Sorry. I'll stop.

They've got a fantastic loft space near Pioneer Square (no cubicle culture here), and I spent two days shooting office reportage and portraits, figuring out what makes the place hum (their own industrial-size Starbucks coffee machine) and cajoling folks out from behind their headphones and giant monitors.

©Ryan Schierling

©Ryan Schierling

©Ryan Schierling

©Ryan Schierling

©Ryan Schierling

Many thanks to Kevin Flaherty for giving me the freedom to run amok, and to everyone who was patient with me as I poked about, asking questions and turning the camera on them during their nine-to-five.

Going, gone.

Pamela and Bill. ©Ryan Schierling

Bill and Pamela stopped by this morning before leaving Seattle for good. I took a few photos with the old Polaroid, but it didn't really hit me until this afternoon, when I put these two pictures together. One moment you're here, enjoying the grill smoke and PBRs, the next, you're eating Rubio's fish tacos and basking in the sunshine.

Julie and I, and Ghetto Melrose, are truly going to miss you both.

Bon voyage, bonne chance, friends.

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Dawn; Onur. ©Ryan Schierling

No Such Thing vs. Econ 101.

©Ryan Schierling