I was pleasantly surprised today by the artful shadows on the large round table in back:

Yep, more blurry photos. I can’t blame these on my Panasonic Lumix ZS1. I took these (and the accessories photo from the other day) with my Palm Treo 850. There are a lot of things I love about my Treo – it’s a great phone and handheld (palmtop?) computer – but photo quality isn’t one of them. (My Treo’s a couple of years old, so I’m not including a link.)

*I might try to get some good interior shots of Caffe Fiore one of these days.

(An auto shop at 20th Ave. NW and Leary Ave. NW in Ballard.)

Wide rice noodles wrap around a filling of corn, peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and tofu. Served with a spicy sweet & sour sauce.

(5407/5409 22nd Ave. NW)

(Souvenir, 5325 Ballard Ave. NW)

You can read more about the project here, here, and here.

and took some test shots around Ballard this afternoon. As you’ll see, I need to spend some more quality time with this camera. Some of the shots are a bit blurry. That might be because I was juggling an umbrella as well as the camera, or because I was more focused on being damp and cold than on taking pictures, or because I need to increase the image stabilization option.

From the Ballard Farmers Market:

I took these pictures from the same spot, using the zoom feature for the second one (obviously).

As a follow up to this post, here’s an exterior shot of the new Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai restaurant:

And here’s a shot of the beautiful cherry blossom light fixture in Moshi Moshi Sushi (taken from outside of the restaurant):

And, just for the heck of it, a cabbage in a bicycle basket:

Here’s the brand new QFC grocery store on 24th Ave. NW, just north of NW Market St.:

I love the functional art — the rain gutters drain into a glass bowl supported by two metal hands, then the water zig-zags onto two big glass leaves, then into a huge spoon, and finally into a ceramic pot.

Check out My Ballard for an interesting article about the artists who designed the art for this store.

Farther south and east in Ballard, here’s what the Kolstrand Building looks like at the moment (see also this post):

And finally, a reminder that spring is on its way and will be here … eventually:

The atmosphere is similar, but not identical, to their Wallingford location — bright gold and deep burgundy hues, rich wood, botanical and organic shapes, a fresh flower in a small vase on each table. Jhanjay Ballard is quite a bit larger than the one in Wallingford. The spacious dining room feels quite welcoming and offers a good view of the open kitchen.

The food was, of course, delicious. I had the Star Potato Puff (mashed potatoes, green peas, and diced onions seasoned with curry and layered between two lightly pan-fried Roti pancakes, served with cucumber/red onion chili sauce) and Rad Nah (wide rice noodles stir-fried with broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms, swimming in a thick gravy; usually includes egg, but of course I had the vegan version).

The service lived up to that of the original Jhanjay: Attentive, efficient, friendly, and smiling — lots of smiles. The owner, I believe she said her name is Nata (sp?), came over to talk with me for a few minutes after I finished eating. I complimented the beauty of the restaurant, thanked her for a wonderful meal, and warned … I mean, assured … her she’d see me again soon.

Jhanjay Vegetarian Thai Cuisine, 5313 Ballard Ave. NW, near NW Vernon Pl. and the … south? east? southeast? … end of the Ballard Farmers’ Market. Open Monday – Friday, 11am – 10pm and Saturday – Sunday, noon – 10pm. (Jhanjay has not yet updated their Web site with their new location.)

PS: Sorry for the lack of photos to go along with this post. My regular camera is broken, and the camera on my cell phone doesn’t take very good pictures.

4760 Ballard Ave. NW:

Scandinavian-American Bank, built in 1902 (now the Starlight Hotel); Ballard Ave. NW & NW Vernon Pl.:

Kutzner Block, built in 1904; Ballard Ave. NW & NW Vernon Pl.:

This charred door is about all that’s left of the Ernst Brothers Hardware building, which used to sit between the Scandinavian-American Bank and the Kutzner Block:

Built in 1904, the Ernst Bros. building was destroyed by arson in the 1950s.

The Ballard Historical Society has provided plaques for the Scandinavian-American Bank, Ernst Bros., and Kutzner Block buildings, among others in the area.

The Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board also has more information about our beautiful neighborhood.