Folks, this is me today — I’m off to Kansas to visit family. As I board the plane through the moveable ramp the snow-covered Mount Rainier will loom in its majestic grandeur. I’ll do my best to update from the mid-west. In the meantime, check out Jensen’s Northwest Airlines plane at Sea-Tac. Plane buffs: does the model number help us with a date range? Click for high-res.

It’s always encouraging to get reader submitted photos showing old Seattle. But when Josh Salwitz e-mailed me with a huge batch of slides he’d found at the Salvation Army selling for $1.50, I knew he’d hit the jackpot. Not only is there volume, but this collection is framed well and the color survives beautifully. Here we are at the 9th and final installment in the World’s Fair Sliding series feature. If you need to catch up on these excellent Seattle Center construction and World’s Fair snapshots, just click here. As we round out this series we have to say huge thanks to Josh for scanning and sharing these with all of us. Click on the thumbnails to admire the full-res shots.

Check out this 1928 aerial shot showing a regraded Denny area with then new Orpheum Theater front and center. It’s a lot of fun to compare this super-high res 1.8meg file with the modern bird’s eye. Look up on 7th and Westlake — you can see Hotel Larned and the triangular building next door survive. The Orpheum was torn down in 1967 and (according to HistoryLink) took longer than expected to demolish due to its “sturdy construction.” Yeesh. Click for the high res.

We took a week off from the World’s Fair Sliding series but we’re back! This time around it’s Part 8 where we fully get to the Fair itself. Click here to catch up on Parts 1 through 7. Once again a huge thanks to Josh Salwitz for finding these slides at the Salvation Army, scanning them, and sending them in. Click for the high res.

On my commute today I was surprised to find I-5 completely closed off and empty. What could be the cause? A quick look at West Seattle Blog answered that question. In this vintage photo, Max R. Jensen shows us an I-5 almost as empty and sans motorcade (it must have been nice). The date is unknown. Click for the high res shot.

What a hot one this weekend, eh? And speaking of hot ones — Vintage Seattle reader Allen is back with a hot one… a hot vintage Seattle elite hot one of a photo. As if his recent Pike Place shot wasn’t hot enough (OK I’ll stop), he sends along this image showing C.B. Blethen and family outside their home. When you’re a Blethen I suppose there’s no stopping you from rolling your hot ride right onto the lawn! And in true Seattle fashion, the house is no longer around (sigh). Allen writes:

Today we press on with Part 7 of our 9 Part series of vintage Seattle Center and ’62 World’s Fair photos sent in by Josh Salwitz. In this batch you’ll find two further construction photos and more snaps from the Fair itself. Once again huge thanks go to Josh for sending these in. Until the next installment… click for the high res versions.

I must admit that there’s a special place in my heart for 50s/60s style motels and Aurora had plenty of them in the day. This shot comes from the archives of Max R. Jensen who photographed almost every square inch of the city and surrounding area over the years. It looks as though a Holiday Inn stands where the Crest Motel once did. Click for higher res.

Allen is once again on top of his game — this time he shot over a circa 1910′s Pike Place Market. As he says, nothing mind blowing but a crisp classic all the same. Allen writes:

The hits just keep coming with the slides that Josh Salwitz found at the Salvation Army for just $1.50, scanned and sent in. We’ve been following the construction of Seattle center and with this batch we finally make it to the Expo itself in 1962. Enjoy and be sure to click on the images for the high res glory.

Perkins Lane — it’s been called “the ground-zero of Seattle landslides.” See the sign advertising land with a view in 1938 and below in 1954 a homeowner finds out what “no slides” really means. If you can afford a house on this street maybe you also have enough money to watch your house fall into the ocean, scrap it, and build a new one. Click for the high res.

We’re back with Part 5 of the “World’s Fair Sliding” feature, courtesy of Vintage Seattle reader Josh Salwitz. Thankfully for the rest of us, he purchased the slides from an unkown photographer at the Salvation Army for just $1.50 and scanned them in. If you need to catch up on Part 1 through 4, just click here. Once again thank you to Josh and here they come:

Today we once again celebrate that body of photography work that long time Seattle photographer Max R. Jensen left us. I especially enjoyed this comment from John F. in the Max. R. Jensen tribute page, which I think is worth quoting: The “real deal” indeed.

What’s old is new again, again. Fox News knows how to get ratings and the Black Panthers are back. This U.W. site has the backstory on the Black Panther Party Seattle chapter. Check out this 1969 photo showing the Seattle Panthers gathering at the Capitol, weapons in hand. Click for the super high res.