A Little More Little

I had some errands downtown today, and the overcast sky was perfect for photographing another of Lanny Little's murals. The one I shared last month was on the Fairhaven Village Green; today's graces Bellingham's only parking garage, the five-story Parkade.

Whimsey is one of the gifts that Lanny Little brings to these murals -- I love the juxtaposition of this fanciful village, with its welcoming arch and owl, in the midst of cars and signs about where to park.

The big window about Ski to Sea refers to Bellingham's annual major athletic event of the year. Held the last weekend in May, the Ski to Sea race is a highly competitive team relay event over 93.5 miles, from Mount Baker to Bellingham Bay, with seven race "legs" -- cross-country ski, downhill ski/snowboard, running, road bike, canoe, mountain bike, and kayak. There are also parades, a junior race, and community parties -- it's quite a weekend!

Upstairs in that same "building" you'll see Lanny Little himself at work, just as in the Fairhaven Village Green mural. To his right are four windows, three of which are open. From the first, a boy flies his balloon; in the second is a girl with her feline friends.

Perhaps the boy in the third window is just getting over a cold, and his parents told him to keep the window shut. The open fourth window does not distract the youth deep in a book titled Kit Carson. (Is that hairstyle really something you'd see in 1998, when this mural was painted?)

One of the things I like best about this public art is that it's a bit hidden -- you see it if you drive into the Parkade, of course, but you can't really see it from the street unless you are walking. It always makes me smile.