Compline

On Sunday evening I headed over to St. Mark's Cathedral on Capitol Hill, a large square building with a distinctive minimalist 'rose' window that overlooks Lake Union.  You can see it clearly from the Foundation.  St. Mark's is famous for its sung Compline service, founded in 1955 by Peter Hallock, who still sings in the 18 male voice choir.  The sound was superb, echoing throughout the space. In the early years the choir sang to an empty church, but as flower power took hold in the 60's it began to attract a young hipster crowd and they're still going strong today, turning up in droves with blankets and quilts that they spread on the floor and then lie back upon, to gaze at the ceiling and soak up the sound. Never mind that there was plenty of space to be had sitting in the pews...The smell of pot seems ubiquitous in Seattle and was particularly noticeable on the bus going up Capitol Hill as well as among the congregation.