#spitzenberg

Green hill, Pennsylvania in June

Do you use LinkedIn? On a recent walk at Alki Beach 🐚 I was thinking about why I use it. My account was dormant for several years 💤 & I brought it back to life when the #BloggingonInstagram Indiegogo campaign launched. 📖 I didn’t realize how robust LinkedIn had become, 🗣️ & since my book was published, I’ve been trying to post & check in more often. ✅ When I log in, I feel overwhelmed & anxious. 🤯 There are so many updates & posts by people that I should be seeing, 👁️ liking ♥️ & engaging with. 💬 Do I worry about comments & likes on my posts? 🤔 No. Yet, just as is the case here, reciprocity & engagement are keys to making it successful & I feel I should do more. 👏 Nearly every time I’m on LinkedIn, I feel an overwhelming urge to leave as soon as possible. 🏃‍♀️ If you use it, I’m wondering if this happens to you, too? @Tim_Hughes1 @Rodjonesartist @dcasha ⚡ & others have tagged me in posts that have included a bunch of important people. 🙌 I’ve felt honored & flattered & haven't always been sure what to do. 🤷‍♀️ In some cases I’ve shared the post, but I didn’t jump in & start chatting with new faces. 🗯️ I know that’s how conversations start here, or on Twitter. 🐦 Why not there? When I first joined LinkedIn, it was exclusive and invitation only & its users were expected to add only known connections. ☑️ It was like a system of verification. 🤝 It’s now very similar to other social networks where the number of followers or connections is an important metric 📈 & strangers frequently reach out to connect. 👋 This week a close friend told me he deleted his LinkedIn account 🔗 & found it quite satisfying! If you’re on LinkedIn, what is the greatest benefit to you? 👍 If you’re not on LinkedIn, are you interested in joining? 🙋‍♂️ Why or why not? . . . PHOTOS: Recent #Alki photos & a #Spitzenberg #applepie baked last night (@tpagosseattle).  It’s not my best-looking pie, but better crust this time, @rsimonson.sea! . . #alkibeach #westseattle #stormyskies #sunsetpic #seattleskyline #linkedin #linkedinmarketing #linkedinlife . . . (at Alki Beach Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWNV6ddrt5h/?utm_medium=tumblr

My grandparents came to the United States from Japan at the turn of the 20th century. They settled in Oregon and cleared land so they could plant fruit trees. They grew strawberries between the rows so they could harvest a crop while their trees matured. 🍓 Decades ago, my grandmother discovered a unique strain that my family patented as "Classic Delicious." 🍎 . . Many Japanese Americans born during the baby boom are known as "Sansei," or "third generation." 🥉 My sansei cousin bought the family orchards, and uses different methods compared to my uncles or grandparents. Despite modern and efficient practices, farming is still a 7-day-a-week endeavor when the fruit cycle is in progress. Likely he will be the last in our family to farm. 👨‍🌾 . . The apples pictured above are in my back yard here in Seattle, and were identified by my uncle as "Spitzenbergs." 🍎 Spitzenbergs are old-fashioned apples, which makes sense given that the tree upon which they grow is 125+ years old. 🌳 They are the most fabulous apples for baking. In a friendly blind-taste test, guess which one won? 😉 . . We don't prune, spray, thin or fertilize the tree or fruit, so it's rather miraculous that it still produces at all! . . Mid-October is when I usually bake the first apple pie of the year. . . Stay tuned! . . PS @nixkuroi let me know if you want to stop by for some organic apples. ☺️ . . #apple #apples #appletree #spitzenberg #organic #tree #fruittree #japaneseamerican #sansei #farmer #farming #orchardist #agriculture #Seattle #centraldistrict . . #verizon #bettermatters #pixel2xl . (at Central District, Seattle) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoGTNCenIfG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lkv2hlj20zt5

Nice to see they look as magical from afar as they really are when you’re there. :-)

November 26.

After this, cloud cover rolled in.

Sunset over Spitzenberg Hill.