West Seattle, Washington
10 Wednesday
When we dropped by Delridge Community Center at noontime Saturday, our quick pic captured only a glimpse of the volunteer power behind Delridge Green Up. Last night, Holli Margell from the North Delridge Neighborhood Council e-mailed WSB to share these photos and warm words for those who pitched in (including “early team” arrivals in the top photo, with Nancy Folsom in front wielding Adopt-A-Street supplies):
A huge THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped make Delridge Green Up a success!
We enjoyed chocolate cookies from Jennifer Knutson, fruit from Kirsten Smith, hot beverages from Amanda Leonard and Holli Margell.
Our volunteers spruced up Delridge Park by picking up trash, weeding and mulching, and our Adopt A-Street Team cleaned up Delridge Way.
Karrie Kohlhaas refreshed our Welcome to Delridge Sign, which was completed with help from Amanda Leonard – Thanks to Pete Spalding for the paint!
Tasha Mosher and her daughter Ilah show off some “treasures” found while picking up trash to our youngest weeding volunteer, Cooper Margell.
Patrick Baer finished up the mulched bed. Our weeds pile almost equaled the mulch pile.
Though NDNC’s next meeting isn’t until next month, you can connect with Delridge-area leaders this week – as the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meets at 7 Wednesday night, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (the stately brick building in the background of the last photo above).
If you are one of the few who can answer that question “Yes, we are as prepared as we possibly could be” – congratulations! If not, join West Seattle Be Prepared and the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network for another special FREE training session tomorrow (Monday) night, this time at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 6-7:30 pm. If you were among the 50 or so who attended the first one earlier this month (here’s our coverage, including video of the entire presentation), note that this one is different – with more of a focus on earthquake safety, among other things (here’s an explanation of how the two sessions are differentiated). Disaster Preparedness Month is only half over but this week is the big spotlight for quake survival – Wednesday is the statewide drop/cover/hold drill. Meantime, the perennial preparedness advice – be sure you know your Emergency Communication Hub!
With one month to go till the bigger-every-year West Seattle Helpline benefit, the Taste of West Seattle, the lineup of food and beverage providers is now finalized – more than three dozen this year! WSB sponsors Hotwire Coffee, Metropolitan Market, Skylark Café and Club, and Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering are participating, as are Angelina’s, Avalon, Bakery Nouveau, Bamboo Grill, Beveridge Place Pub, Bin 41, Blackboard Bistro, Blue Willow Catering and Luncheonette, The Bridge, Chaco Canyon Organic Café, Circa, Cupcake Royale, Duke’s Chowder House, Eats Market Café, Elliott Bay Brewery, Fresh Bistro/Herban Feast, Freshy’s, Full Tilt Ice Cream, Great Harvest Bread Company, Husky Deli, Kokoras Greek Grill, Locol, Phoenecia at Alki, Porterhouse, Prost! West Seattle, Salty’s on Alki, Schooner Exact, Slices on Alki, Spring Hill, Sugar Rush Baking Company, West 5, West Seattle Cellars, and Wing Dome. It’s at The Hall at Fauntleroy again this year, and tickets are on sale now at tasteofwestseattle.org – $40 in advance (it’ll be $45 at the door, 6-9 pm May 19th).
(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
So what constitutes a “Green Home“? WSB contributor Katie Meyer checked out another stop on the West Seattle leg of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild‘s Green Home Tour during its second and final day today (here’s the stop we made on Day 1).
This one was Mighty House Construction‘s project in Sunrise Heights, a few blocks east of the mini-business district with West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor), Café Osita, John’s Corner Deli (with the cow on the roof), etc. Speaking of the roof – top photo is a “scalable” solar-panel system designed and installed by West Seattle’s own Solar Epiphany. Katie reports it’s a grid designed to hold several frames of four panels each; one panel is in place now, but Mighty House’s Laura Elfline says more are planned over the next six-plus months. Also a work in progress, the back yard, with an ongoing conversion away from the old-fashioned water-guzzling, chemical-tempting lawn mode:
More ahead:Read More
It was a big, but short-lived, Seattle Fire Department response in the 5900 block of High Point Drive SW (map) about an hour and a half ago – the last unit was rolling away barely 20 minutes after arrival – and that’s because it turned out to be not just a “food on the stove” call, but one without “extension” (meaning, the fire did not spread beyond the stovetop problem). Thanks to Mike Daigle for the photo!
Meet the newly elected commander of West Seattle’s VFW Post #2713, Morgan Junction resident Ron Zuber, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army. In the photo, he’s at left, receiving the gavel from past Commander Steve Strand. Ron says the VFW (whose hall is at 3601 SW Alaska in The Triangle) would like to be even more of “an active partner in the community” than it’s been, adding, “We welcome an opportunity to host your event for a modest fee. … Please let us know how we can help!” The VFW, in fact, is going to be a group site for the upcoming 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 14th) – 15 tables available at $10 donation (that goes to the VFW) per table; call them at 206-935-4352. Ron also notes that the VFW welcomes new members, including “all returning veterans that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. All it takes is a copy of their DD-214 paperwork.”
From Sanislo Elementary mom Lisa, a photo at the end of Saturday’s Ultimate Frisbee match between Sanislo and Daniel Bagley Elementary. Lisa says the Sanislo All-Stars (fourth- and fifth-graders coached by third-grade teacher Ellen O’Connor, who also coaches Denny International Middle School‘s UF players) came out victorious. (Reminder note, Seattle Public Schools are on spring break all week long, returning to class Monday 4/25.)
And from Tim, a postscript of sorts to our Friday night story about “Scottie Joe,” who’s been installing the facing outside the future A Terrible Beauty at California/Edmunds:
Tim shared that photo of his 5-year-old daughter Akela, saying “Scottie Joe” let her “install one of the stones and told her that whenever she came by she will remember that she put that one rock in.”
From one of the wonderful photographers who has been kind enough to share their work here: Danny McMillin spotted this otter near Cormorant Cove along Beach Drive Friday night. Gives us another occasion to note that the otters we see here in West Seattle are not sea otters – those are the furry, more compact creatures that live out in the open ocean; these are river otters.
They do spend time out of the water as well as in it, so when you’re driving along Alki Avenue, Harbor Avenue, or Beach Drive, among other close-to-the-water streets, they’re another reason to be extra-watchful.
We’ve received two reports of incidents that don’t clearly qualify for West Seattle Crime Watch classification, but are both of potential interest – one as a warning, one as a mystery. One involves a frightening encounter early today, the other a mysterious discovery last night, and both – apparently coincidentally – happened along the Genesee Hill stretch of SW Genesee west of California (map) – read on for both:Read More
With one week to go till Easter, we have published, and added to the site navigation (the tabs under the sunset photo in the header), the new WSB Easter page, with three groups of listings: Egg hunts (most are next Saturday, but not all!), church services (including Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday), and a few Easter brunch notes from local restaurants. Still a work in progress, so if you are involved with, or know of, any activities/services/brunches that are NOT on the page yet, please send us the info so we can add it! editor@westseattleblog.com – which also is where you are welcome to send word of Passover activities in West Seattle, since that holiday starts at sunset Monday; we are including Passover events in the regular Events calendar.
So much going on Saturday, we made it to only one stop on the West Seattle leg of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild‘s Green Home Tour before it wrapped up for the day. But the good news is, if you had that problem too, it’s continuing today (Sunday), 10 am-4 pm! Above, architect Sheri Newbold of live-work-play and contractor Anne Higuera of Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor), in front of tile work inside the “Kitchen Art House” tour stop at 2651 47th SW in the Admiral District. That’s one of four sites to stop at in West Seattle, and two of the others offer more workshops during the Green Home Tour today – from the list that’s been on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, courtesy of Laura Elfline from tour co-sponsor Mighty House Construction – at her company’s stop on the tour, #19 (3108 SW Webster):
* Luke Marcum w/Markham Home Performance, thermal imaging camera on his side and a blower door too! 10 am-4 pm
* Eric Thomas w/Solar Epiphany highlighting the expandable solar systems | 11 am-2 pm
* Josh Brinkco w/International Studio – “making green look good!”
* Sandy Peterson w/Urban Land Army mobilized w/ her bucket brigade and all things about edible gardening | Noon -3 pm
* Make your own green cleaning supplies courtesy of CoolMom (while materials last!)
And at the Envision Homes stop on the tour, #16 (2216 Walnut SW):
11 am…Rainwater Harvesting and Indoor re-use
Noon…Recycled and Reclaimed
1 pm…IAQ…Low-toxic living
2 pm…Solar Thermal Assisted Heating
3 pm…High-Efficiency Building Envelopes
Though we’re just mentioning the West Seattle offerings, the self-guided Green Home Tour is regional – full details start here.
Delridge Community Center was the epicenter for volunteer work fanning out around North Delridge today as part of “Delridge Green Up,” a multi-site project organized by the North Delridge Neighborhood Council. Here, volunteers weeded and cleaned up the highly visible garden spot by the community-center entrance; other work today included sprucing up the “Welcome to Delridge” sign, and the quarterly NDNC Adopt-A-Street litter pickup. (P.S. If you live or work in North Delridge, NDNC would love to see you at its monthly meetings – second Monday, 6:30 pm, Delridge Library.)
(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
Healthy kids are safe kids, so the safety experts – aka Seattle Fire Department team members – from nearby Fire Station 32 were part of the picture today as the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) celebrated its annual Healthy Kids Day. The weather was perfect to climb up the “rock,” too:
More photos ahead!Read More
WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz captured the scene on video as Zippy’s Giant Burgers handled a giant crowd in its final hour of business in West Seattle. Its original location in Highland Park, which opened in May 2008, is now closed. As first reported here two months ago, Zippy’s is moving to a new, larger location in White Center (9614 14th SW) because foreclosure against its former landlord at 16th/Holden left the building with an uncertain fate. We’ll add a bit more later, including the customers who “tied” for official final order in HP! An intensive week-plus moving process now begins, and Zippy’s hopes to open in WC on April 25th. ADDED 10:17 PM: Also from Deanie – Zippy’s proprietors Blaine and Rahel Cook:
And a last look at the simple storefront:
Zippy’s website has a countdown clock looking ahead to the reopening, by the way.
One week after news of the death of Chef Joseph (Joey) Brewer, 35-year-old co-owner of The Swinery in West Seattle, memorial plans have been announced, via the business’s Facebook page and in a WSB comment:
Please join us on Monday, April 18th, 2011 at Lincoln Park shelter 3 from 4-7 for the Memorial of Chef Joseph Brewer.
Friends, fans, customers, family and community members are encouraged to come and celebrate the life of this incredible man.
Chefs Chris Merguez (Swinery), Jeremy Homan, Trina Recktenwald-Homan, Anthony Hubbard, and Wi…ll Parr will prepare food.
Lincoln Park • 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW
(2010 WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli) In the WSB comment, there is also an obituary for Mr. Brewer – read it here after the jump:Read More
Cari Simson of the Duwamish RIver Cleanup Coalition estimated 1,100 volunteers have been part of today’s Duwamish Alive! events at 13 spots from Alki south to Tukwila – and more than 75 of them were here at Port of Seattle-owned T-107 Park, for a ceremony that just concluded the day’s work. Top, the Blue Heron Canoe (read about it here) heading out from the new hand-carry launch at the park; (added) here’s video after it launched, with skipper Mike Evans of the Snohomish Tribe asking permission to proceed, while, offcamera, James Rasmussen of DRCC and Duwamish Tribe welcomes the canoe:
Below, the new bench the Rotary Club of West Seattle just dedicated in honor of the late Ken Wise (His son, Tom is at the far right in the photo).
Many more photos, and video – those speaking here included Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin, and Port of Seattle Commissioner Gael Tarleton – to come, including the unveiling of the new interpretive sign here. The followup event that’s getting under way now is an Earth Day Festival at Pathfinder K-8 School on Pigeon Point.
ADDED 8:32 PM: As promised, additional photos ahead:Read More
The sunshine’s great for shopping and strolling, and that had a lot of people starting their Tax-Free Day in The Junction by lining up for something to drink at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor). All along The Junction’s main streets, look for those red balloons – along with sales above and beyond the participating merchants picking up your sales tax, like this deal on bags at Brunette Mix (WSB sponsor):
Here’s the list of participants, and some of the deals (more to be found when you’re there in-store). Also note, while you’re in The Junction, it’s Record Store Day at indie shops around the country – always a big day at Easy Street Records.
ADDED: We dropped by Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) late in the afternoon to ask how the day had gone – busy! they told us (between customers). And inside Easy Street, shoppers were browsing classic vinyl:
A WSB’er pointed out to us that Easy Street just got a shoutout in a TIME.com story noting 10 great American record stores:
“We got the sun we ordered!” exulted Dolly Vinal of the West Seattle Wildlife Habitat Project when we saw her a little while ago as a Duwamish Alive! work party began at the project’s Seacrest Park demonstration garden. She is also thrilled about the turnout – more than a dozen people already were digging into the waterfront garden, which Dolly says just mostly needs post-winter cleanup, though they also have received “some great native plants” from Seattle Parks. This is one of a dozen-plus locations, from West Seattle to South Park to Tukwila, where you’ll find volunteers working on our area’s precious greenspaces over the next few hours; one of them is T-107 Park on the river itself, where a dedication ceremony at 1 pm will spotlight new features including an interpretive sign. And at 2 pm, an Earth Day festival at Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point follows the work parties. More to come!
(Added 10:12 am – Pete Spalding, Heather Hsu, Barbara Schneider at WS Food Bank donation station outside Metropolitan Market)
We previewed several of today’s biggest events extensively here just last night – for Tax-Free Day in The Junction, the Green Home Tour, Duwamish Alive!, Y Healthy Kids Day, get details by going here; for toplines on Green Up Delridge!, the HP3 environmental-adventure race, and Westcrest Park tree-planting – go here. And we’ll be publishing as-it-happens coverage throughout the day, here and via Twitter (@westseattleblog) and Facebook (“like” WSB’s semi-new page at facebook.com/westseattleblog)
Meanwhile, here’s some of what else is up:
DONATE FOOD! West Seattle Food Bank Feinstein Challenge Food Drive, 9 am-5 pm, Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) – WS Food Bank will be at the store to take food and monetary donations (because of the Feinstein Challenge, they count extra through the end of this month).
Also today, a popular restaurant turns into Memory Lane:
(Video by Deanie Schwarz for WSB)
ZIPPY’S FINAL DAY IN WEST SEATTLE: That’s Kelly, recounting the top four burgers on the hit list, as she and her co-workers prepare to serve you on the last day at Zippy’s Giant Burgers’ original Highland Park location, serving food till they’re out or till 4 pm (whichever comes first), 16th/Holden (planning to reopen 4/25 in new 9614 14th SW location)
FREE SWIMMING: It’s APRIL POOLS DAY. Seattle Parks and Recreation will join other public and private swimming organizations throughout Washington to celebrate the 18th Annual April Pools Day – 10:30 am-noon, water safety and more, at Southwest Community Center and Pool (2801 SW Thistle Street).
FOOTBALL AND CHEER SIGN-UPS: SWAC Football & Cheer is holding sign-ups at the Roxbury Safeway from 11 am – 2 pm. Serving Boys & Girls ages 7-14 More details: www.swaccougars.org.
PREPAREDNESS MONTH CONTINUES: Our daily reports will resume this weekend. In the meantime, today’s big event is the Communications Academy at South Seattle Community College (details here)
EARTH DAY AT THE LONGHOUSE: Duwamish Longhouse (4705 W Marginal Way SW) Earth Day Weekend at the Duwamish Longhouse free admission, special exhibit: Holding Mother Earth Sacred. Today: Indian frybread available, 10 am – 4 pm; dedication of canoe launch site with Blue Heron Canoe, 1 – 2 pm Saturday; Seattle Storytellers Guild: Earth Day Stories, First Nations, All Nations takes place 1:30 – 4 pm.
THRIFTWAY BARBECUE SEASON: West Seattle Thriftway’s first Fundraising BBQ of the Year will be held today to benefit quake/tsunami relief.
ANIMAL REIKI: Free Animal Reiki Demonstration with Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing, 3:00-4:00 p.m. at Mud Bay – Admiral District, 2611 California Ave SW, West Seattle. This event is free and open to animals (and people) who would like to experience a sample of energetic support for mind/body/spirit or learn more about Reiki. Please bring your animal companion on leash or in a carrier. (More information here)
DOG SOCIAL TONIGHT: 2nd Annual Dog Social at Muttley Crew Cuts (4200 SW Admiral Way Suite C), 7-10 pm. Socialize with other dog owners while your K9 friends play. There is a raffle and $2 dogs, beer and wine (w/ ID), and snacks. All proceeds go to English Springer Rescue America (ESRA). Facebook Event page here
Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Over the past few days, a corner of the West Seattle Junction has been transformed by the skills and charms of renowned contractor Joseph Peter Douglas (“call me Scotty Joe“). He’s applying Irish stonework by hand to the exterior walls at the northeast corner of California SW and SW Edmunds, where A Terrible Beauty Irish Pub and Restaurant expects to open next month, as reported here 3 weeks ago.
Stopping by to ask about his art, we discovered quite a story behind it.
Born and raised in Scotland, with two brothers who were stone masons, part of Scotty’s apprentice work after his training involved helping to rebuild castles in Scotland, he says, and working on stone walls originally built by Roman soldiers. “All the construction trades in Scotland – they teach you all the tricks of the trade, you know? That’s the kind of stuff you don’t mess around with. It’s not like a piece of wood you can take on and off. They just built to interlock, so that the wind could blow through them. They built dikes and big walls – we took them all apart and rebuilt them back, stone by stone. I lived and worked in a Scottish castle for a year as part of my training.”
In addition to the four big events mentioned in our previous report, three other Saturday happenings meriting an advance reminder (did we mention, it’s a BIG day around West Seattle/White Center?):
GREEN UP DELRIDGE! North Delridge Neighborhood Council‘s Karrie Kohlhaas just sent one last reminder around:
Meet: Delridge Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way SW. Find us to the right side of the main entrance of the Community Center.
When: Saturday, April 16th from 10am – 2pm. You can show up any time to help out, but if you want to join the Adopt-A-Street team, you may need to catch up to them along Delridge Way.
Bring: Gloves, hot beverage tumbler or water bottle, any tools you prefer, depending on which team you want to be on (painting, gardening, or litter pick up).
We provide: Tools, garbage bags and garbage pickers, hot drinks, paint.
Meet neighbors, lend a hand and feel proud that you care about your neighborhood.
WESTCREST PARK TREE-PLANTING: The more help, the merrier, here too. From Mike Shellenberger:
In conjunction with the HP3 runners’ event that starts at Big Al’s Brewing this Saturday, April 16th, the Green Seattle Alliance (GSA) Volunteers will be planting hundreds of native evergreen trees in Westcrest Park. The intent is to begin to replace the older deciduous trees, like maples and alders, that are reaching their life span with native longer lived evergreens like fir, cedars, pines etc…We can use as many volunteers as we can get. The more folks that volunteer, the more we can plant. Just show up at the Westcrest Park main parking lot on the west side of the Park near the Kids Play area at 9:15 AM Saturday and we’ll put you to work on this important project.. While volunteering, people can also walk the Park’s trails and view Spring’s new arrivals. For instance, the beautiful native trilliums are in full bloom..See you Saturday.
HP3: Billed as the first and only environmental-adventure race of its kind, this is a 16-mile course with multiple tasks, to be run for the first time tomorrow in eastern West Seattle/White Center – details here!
Updates on four major Saturday events:
TAX-FREE DAY IN THE JUNCTION: Look for the red balloons outside Junction stores tomorrow to know who’s part of this year’s “Tax-Free Day” (as in, the merchant pays your sales tax). More than three dozen stores are on the list now – see it here, along with a list of some of the special offers that you’ll find above and beyond the “tax-free” discount. (WSB sponsors on the participant list include Brunette Mix, Click! Design That Fits, Dream Dinners, Hotwire Online Coffeehouse, Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy.) Official sale hours are 10 am to 6 pm.
HEALTHY KIDS DAY AT WEST SEATTLE/FAUNTLEROY YMCA (WSB sponsor): This annual favorite is tomorrow, 10 am-1 pm. A citywide overview is here; to plan your participation, check out the long list of activities, and where you’ll find them in and around the YMCA facilities, by going here.
Now, two events so big, each has its own Google Map!
GREEN HOME TOUR: West Seattle has a major presence on this year’s self-guided 2011 Green Home Tour presented by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild – 10 am-4 pm Saturday and Sunday. The tour is explained here; its West Seattle and South Seattle stops are listed here, including a home by longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction (look for #17 on the map) and one by tour co-sponsor Mighty House Construction (location/description here). The Google Map above shows not only the area stops but also related stops – PCC Natural Markets’ West Seattle store (WSB sponsor) is a “sustainability stop,” and the West Seattle Tool Library (newly reopened at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center) is open for tourgoers. Plus – there’s a long list of workshops, too – note the West Seattle sites.
DUWAMISH ALIVE! We’ve already previewed this a few times – the semiannual cleanup/restoration event focused on some of our area’s precious greenspaces, 10 am-2 pm tomorrow, followed by an Earth Day festival at Pathfinder K-8 (2 pm-4 pm). If you haven’t volunteered yet, you can still show up at one of the locations above to see if they need help (text list is on the Duwamish Alive! website).
(Photo by Katie Meyer for WSB)
Checking city permits, we discovered yet another new business on the way to the southeastern end of the heart of the West Seattle Junction. Between Yummy Teriyaki and the future Bang Bar Restaurant and Lounge, a tobacco shop is in the works for the space best known as a former laundromat. WSB contributor Katie Meyer found the proprietors of what is listed on a city-permit application as “West Seattle Tobacco Company,” though they have not finalized a name yet. They tell her the store will cater to cigar smokers – no smoking on the premises, but they plan to stock “quality” cigars, including Dominican and Brazilian imports. They also plan to sell cigarettes, loose tobacco, and accessories. As you enter the space, they say you will see cigar humidors flanking the entrance, with other tobacco items further inside. The decor is expected to include warm colors, rugs, and even a chandelier. The shop-setup work is still in the very early stages, but they are hoping to be open in about a month and a half.
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