lady in red

Do you like to people watch?

I think the love of people watching is universal…I have never met someone who does not enjoy it. I could grab some tea (Strawberry Cream from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf preferably) and just sit or walk around and watch people for what seems like hours.

I remember this one time I was in Seattle…which is one of my favorite places to people watch. I remember I was right by Pike Street Market. That place was really neat because during the summer it is this huge market and you can buy just about anything. I remember how excited I was to see that one place where when you order your seafood they rap it up and throw it to this other guy who is on the other side of the counter so they can weigh it. And when I say throw it…they really do throw it pretty fast. I would say it is a mix between a baseball pitch and a softball pitch in form and the fish just fly through the air.

It was really fun to watch.

After watching them do this, I don’t know if I could catch one of these flying fish. My friends and I had a great time watching though.

I also remember there was this little whole in the wall place that served cheese. The closest thing I could compare this place to was that of a brewing company who brews its own beer. But this place brewed its own cheese. For the three days I was there…everyday I ate their macaroni and cheese. They had this bench where you could take your food and sit and watch people as they walked buy.

It was one of those meals that even today I still crave that Mac and Cheese from time to time.

I also remember there was this bookstore district. It was one of my favorite things I got to see…it was literally blocks and blocks of books. Some new…some old…either way it was just fun to walk into these places and just look around. The people who ran these places cared so much about their books. I remember I would ask them about different books and they would know immediately if they had it or not. And if they did have it they would know the exact place the book could be found.

Next time I go back I hope I get to spend more time walking around those few blocks of books.

You know how when you go to certain cities they have those people who are on all different streets and they normally have some talent that they want you to give them money for. It can be anything from magic tricks to playing the drums with pots and pans to playing music and singing…do you know what people and cities I am talking about?

I remember one of the days we wanted to see the first Starbucks ever in the history of Starbucks. I am not much of a coffee drinker, and so when everyone went inside to get Starbucks coffee I waited outside.

There was this guy and girl that were performing right outside the Starbucks and so I watched them while I waited. This girl was wearing a red dress and she had red shoes on. They were tap-dancing shoes. And as the guy played the guitar and sang she tap-danced to the music. It was so much fun watching her dance. She quickly had a crowd around her.

It was at that moment I took this picture.



When I took it though I didn’t want to see her face…just her red dress and her red tap-dancing shoes. As if that wasn’t enough I took this photo and turned it into an oil painting in Photoshop. I wanted to memorialize this lady and so she has since then become the lady in red to me.

When I look at this photo every once in awhile I think of her gifting…it was so special and unique. Without being cheesy (no offence to my favorite Mac and Cheese place in Seattle) just like you and I.

Now when I people watch I think of this lady in red. I wonder what these people walking by would do if they had to stand outside the very first Starbucks and reveal how special and unique they really are.

I wonder what they would do? I wonder what I would do?

heart.soul.mind.
kyle diroberts