West Seattle, Washington
23 Sunday
7:23 AM: Just back from Seacrest, where the King County Water Taxi‘s first West Seattle-to-downtown run of 2010 left right on time about half an hour ago. We’ll add video of the sailaway shortly; above, our iPhone photo of the first two passengers at the portable-farebox stop (or, if you’re using ORCA, the portable reader). Lots of info in our preview from last night. ADDED 7:52 AM: Here’s the sailaway, which took 2 minutes as the Rachel Marie backed away and pivoted to point toward downtown.
Fairly quiet, you might notice – when we were at a Ballard shipyard for our sneak peek at the RM as it underwent renovations, we were told that would be one noticeable difference. Right before boarding began, by the way, we caught inaugural captain Neil and crew member Ben on camera:
As for whether the Water Taxi really will run year-round from here on out – we checked last week with King County Executive (and longtime Water Taxi advocate) Dow Constantine‘s transportation specialist Chris Arkills, who says the funding question has yet to be worked out, but that Constantine “remains committed to it.” P.S. Remember that the season-opening party for the Water Taxi (which returns as a WSB sponsor as of later today) is this Sunday, noon-2 pm at Seacrest, with free rides all day.
On this 4th night of Disaster Preparedness Month, 
yet another big quake reminds us that we’re in Quake Country too: The 7.2 quake that rocked northern Mexico and Southern California (Twitpic at left). You’ve heard a lot about what you should do to prepare for quakes – and we’ll take a closer look at some of those specifics later in the month – but you don’t always hear a lot about “what to do WHEN one hits.” OK, maybe you’ve heard “go stand in a doorway” – what if there’s not one nearby? And what if you’re outside, or in a car? FEMA has a short four-part list of tips – take two minutes and read it right now. (You can even scroll down and take a pop quiz afterward.) Next step, the one we’re going to mention every one of this month’s 30 nights: Know your nearest Emergency Communication Hub. If a major quake (or other type of disaster) takes out communication/utility infrastructure, that’s where you’d go to find out what’s going on and how to get help. (The Hubs map is part of the West Seattle Be Prepared website, the subject of our DPM Night 1 advice; on Night 2, the important docs to store safely; on Night 3, picking an out-of-state relative/friend whose number is carried by everyone in your family, for check-in purposes.) Any particular preparedness topic you feel confused/under-informed about? Just mention it so we can be sure to hit it as the month goes on – local volunteers are plugged into an amazing wealth of information and resources. Oh, and join the West Seattle Be Prepared Facebook group too – you’ll find an interesting quake-info link there, just a few updates down the page!)
Story and photo by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
If you’ve noticed activity in the storefront where Dante’s closed a year ago, between the Admiral/California Wells Fargo and Zatz A Better Bagel, here’s what’s coming: The Cask.
The Cask is described by co-owner Shon MacDughlas as an “Old World ale and wine house” which will offer local, independent-label wines and 150 imported beers. MacDughlas notes that the venue, which he co-owns with his wife Dedria Pope, a West Seattle-based Windermere real-estate agent, has applied for a “multi-faceted license” allowing them to offer beverages for retail sale as well as serving them.
The Cask will provide a “cozy” atmosphere with wood features (including the bar top, made from a fallen old-growth fir), lamplight, and music, including a lounge with space to accommodate solo musicians.
—The boat schedule
—The new boat
—The “new” docks (upgrade on West Seattle side, location change on downtown side)
—The new fares
—Added shuttle service to Morgan Junction (midday weekdays only)
Thanks to Trileigh, wildlife photographer extraordinaire (remember Wollet the owlet?), for providing the first photo we’ve seen of one of the orcas that have been in the area today. She took the photo from the south side of Lincoln Park. (Here’s our earlier story, with updates and comments tracking the sightings.) ADDED 8:52 PM: Trileigh sent this one later, after going through hundreds more she took:
(BACK TO ORIGINAL 5:35 PM REPORT) And we’re happy to be able to share another great photo, an “Easter seal” courtesy of Seal Sitters‘ Robin Lindsey, photographed this morning before the sun went away:
There’s another photo on the Seal Sitters’ “Blubberblog“ – see who the seal shared the raft with for a while.
30 sales — from North Admiral to White Center – are on the list so far for the 6th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, coming up Saturday, May 8, 9 am-3 pm, all over the peninsula – not one big sale, but a multitude (close to 200 last year) of sales big and small, transforming West Seattle into a garage-saler’s parade for the day. Registration opened Thursday and continues till April 22, when we start building The Big Map. If you want to sell a few things but don’t have space at your own place for a sale, both Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) and C & P Coffee are stepping up to offer space again this year – check in with Hotwire or C&P if you’re interested in reserving space there. If you plan to do that, but still want your own “ad” – up to 10 words about your sale – on the map, please register as an individual, noting the group site as your sale address (otherwise, each of those locations will simply be on the map as “site with multiple sellers”). Ready to sign up? Here’s the form; any questions, e-mail garagesale@westseattleblog.com.
Richard e-mailed WSB to share these photos, explaining:
Every Easter Sunday morning for the past few years, we’ve awoken to find the fences, shrubbery and landscaping in the alley between 36th/37th/Findlay and Juneau [map] artistically festooned with hundreds of yellow marshmallow ‘Peeps’. We have have a couple neighbors who we think are the ‘Peepers’, but we’re not sure (and we don’t feel like getting up in the middle of the night to catch them in the act!). The kids and families along our block love this, and we think it’s a great and fun tradition. I’m attaching some pics of their ‘artwork’. Happy Easter! (p.s.–I took all the pics this morning at 8:30)
ADDED 2:26 PM: And from somewhere else in West Seattle – Karen sent a photo, saying her daughter discovered the chickens love Peeps too:
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: We got one more batch of photos from a mystery sender. This is our favorite:
ORIGINAL 9:56 AM REPORT: Just got note and text from Gary — orcas spotted west of the Alki Point lighthouse, heading “slowly south.” Off to look. 10:20 AM: Orca expert Jeff Hogan just called, says they’re off Lowman. 10:28: You need binoculars to see them – they are by Blake Island and heading south fairly fast. 10:46 AM: They went into the far passage off west Vashon, out of view, but keep an eye out later – Jeff says they’re transients. 11:46 AM: And now they’re heading back north, per commenter Jen – who also just called. Watch the comments; we’re heading back down the hill to look again! 1:35 PM: Just back from whale-watching – you definitely need binoculars – they’re out between WS and Blake Island again, and you can look for a very, very small boat, which is virtually next to them. We just watched them for quite some time from a vantage point near the West Beach Condos west and downhill from Marine View Drive’s north end (map); they did not seem to be going in any particular direction. We’re told that what some describe as “playing” – we saw tail-slapping while watching – could mean they’re feeding. Bottom line, they could be visible off our shore for quite a while. Keep an eye on comments here, and/or on our Facebook thread.
On this Easter Sunday/second-to-last night of Passover, here are some of the West Seattle highlights:
ANNUAL EASTER MORNING SUNRISE SERVICE: Forest Lawn, 6701 30th SW (map), 6:30 am. Sponsored by the West Seattle Ministerial Association, which says Holy Rosary‘s Father John Madigan will today become the first Roman Catholic priest to preach at the nondenominational tradition. Outdoors unless it’s raining, in which case it’s in the chapel; refreshments afterward.
OTHER CHURCH HIGHLIGHTS: Another outdoor tradition, West Seattle’s three UCC churches have a sunrise service at 7 am on Alki Beach (east of the Bathhouse) … Many churches have breakfasts and egg hunts, including WSB sponsor Tibbetts United Methodist Church, where breakfast is served 8-9:45, preceding 10 am service, which is followed by their egg hunt …
EASTER BRUNCH: Many more West Seattle restaurants serving brunch every weekend this year than last – it’s been a popular addition recently. One hotspot is WSB sponsor Skylark Café and Club, which serves brunch 9 am-3 pm; newly opened Heartland Café started taking reservations Friday so don’t show up without calling to see if any reservations are left; you can find Junction brunch ideas on the West Seattle Junction Association website; the fabled Salty’s on Alki buffet is being offered morning till night and has “prime … seating” reservable for parties of 4 or fewer, per Salty’s Facebook page.
SUNDAY SHOPPING: No holiday break for West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm, The Junction (44th/Alaska), as always (here’s today’s Ripe ‘n’ Ready list of what’s new) … It’s the third and final day of the spring sale at Alki Bike and Board (details here) … New wine shop Bin 41 wraps up its four-day grand-opening party with Pinot Noir tastings 11 am-2 pm … Avalon Glassworks is open and demonstrating glass-blowing 1-5 pm.
Every night in April, in honor of Disaster Preparedness Month, we’re spotlighting something you can do to be ready in case of the unthinkable – simple steps, in many cases. And this one really is simple: Since it’s Easter and Passover, you may well have been seeing, or at least talking to, more of your out-of-the-area family and friends than usual. 
And they are the key to this hint: In case of a localized disaster – like an earthquake – you may be able to reach someone outside the area more easily than someone close by, so it’s important to pick a distant relative/friend who will agree to be your check-in point, then make sure everyone in your family has their phone number handy – so you can at least coordinate messages through that person, if you can get a call through to another area but not someplace locally. Put this person in your cell speed-dial, and in case land lines work but mobiles don’t, have their number in your wallet or something else you carry with you. Meantime, an option for checking in locally is to arrange to rendezvous at your nearest Emergency Communication Hub – there are now nine in West Seattle, chosen as part of a volunteer coordination/planning effort that’s been in the works more than two years, and it’s vital to know which one to go to if ALL lines of communication are down and you need to get information and/or help. They’re all on this map, which is part of the thorough West Seattle Be Prepared website, which was the subject of our Disaster Preparedness Month Night 1 report, while “getting important documents together and putting them in a safe place” was the topic for DPM Night 2.
Every Saturday morning, volunteers descend on some of West Seattle’s green treasures — for cleanup, for restoration, for a helping hand to make sure natural spaces survive in our city. One of them got some TLC today, and Mike Arizona shared the photo above, with this report:
On any given Saturday along West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek you will find volunteers working to restore the creek and the greens spaces that surround it to a more natural habitat. This Saturday was no exception!
Thanks to a energetic group of volunteers from Seattle Works, 500 square feet of the Delridge Natural Area was freed from invasive blackberry and the entire area was mulched and cleared of trash. Today’s volunteers prepared the site for planting of native plants and trees this fall.
Check out Longfellow Creek at www.longfellowcreek.org and learn how you can help preserve and enjoy a West Seattle treasure.
Most Fridays, our weekend preview features work-party listings around West Seattle for the following day; you can also check ahead for opportunities here and around the city via the Green Seattle Partnership website.
With highlights on the WSB Easter page including three outdoor sunrise services – including the annual nondenominational one at Forest Lawn and the three UCC churches’ gathering on Alki Beach – you might be checking out the forecast tonight. Right now, it looks promising – a chance of morning showers, making way for a partly sunny afternoon, says the National Weather Service.
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society sent word today that a 95-year-old Craftsman in the Admiral District known as the “Bloss House” has been nominated for city landmark status, and a hearing is 2 1/2 weeks away. Above, the house (4055 SW Holgate) as photographed by the King County Assessor’s Office in 1938, and below, 2010 (in a photo by Historic Seattle, which made the nomination):
Log House Museum director Andrea Mercado explains, “The Bloss House is unusual in that it is an early West Seattle craftsman with almost all original era styling inside and out.” According to the nomination document, its living room is “unaltered,” with features including leaded glass and unpainted mahogany, among the home’s many other distinctive features inside and outside, and its owner is only the third since it was built in 1915 – artist Ruth Ward has lived in the house since buying it in 1971. In addition to reading the nomination document, you can also look at its supporting photos and graphics in this document. The hearing is set for 3:30 pm April 21st, before the city Landmark Preservation Board, which meets at the Municipal Tower downtown; if you are interested in commenting on the nomination and can’t go to the hearing, you can e-mail your thoughts to beth.chave@seattle.gov. (The list of city landmarks in West Seattle gained two additions last year – the Seaview Building at The Kenney [WSB coverage here] and The Sanctuary at Admiral, formerly Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist [WSB coverage here].)
From the West Seattle High School Grad Night team:
YOUR MOTHER WILL LOVE COOKIE LEE JEWELRY FOR MOTHER’S DAY!!!
Go to the website for Cookie Lee, (www.cookielee.com), then place your order with Mary Toal, WSHS parent, by April 12th at : mary.toal@becu.org or at 938-2276.
All profits from Cookie Lee sales placed by April 12th will go to Grad Night 2010, to help keep our seniors safe on Graduation Night.
PLUS – all profits will be MATCHED BY BOEING EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION (BECU) – Please help us take advantage of this amazing and generous offer, and you will also enjoy high quality jewelry!!! Thanks Mary and thanks BECU!!!!
At the Southwest Community Center play area (video above), the preschoolers dashed – while the action at West Seattle Thriftway was more like “streaming in”:
Those are two of the egg hunts we checked out this morning. Like most, Southwest CC separated the hunters by age group – this photo is from the youngest group as they toddled around the back lawn, with parents close by:
Back inside Thriftway, eggs lined the aisles (the eggs are filled, by the way, by folks at Highlands Community Church in Renton) as the littlest searchers (who get a head start) went through:
Many egg hunts featured additional activities – at SWCC, kids could color while waiting for the big event:
And then there was the Eastridge Christian Assembly egg hunt at Lincoln Park:
They even had a bouncy slide:
And Eastridge was collecting diapers for WestSide Baby:
In all, those were among at least eight egg hunts in West Seattle this morning, including all five city-run community centers – Marco shared this photo from High Point CC:
Some local churches will offer egg hunts after services tomorrow, and St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church is even having one a week from tomorrow (April 11) at 11:30 am. ADDED: Thanks to Annette for sharing a photo collage from one of what we are sure were many egg hunts at private homes – this one in Gatewood:
This new restaurant’s opening (yesterday was the official Day 1) has been of so much interest, the arrival of its website is worth noting. Sue pointed it out in the comment section following our Wednesday night preview. It’s at heartlandcafeseattle.com – no menu posted yet, though. They’re on Twitter, too, at @cafeheartland. And if you’ve tried it and want to talk about it, there’s a thread going in the WSB Forums.
The 64-car Chetzemoka is the first new vessel built for Washington State Ferries in more than a decade – since the Jumbo Mark II class trio – and this morning it made its Elliott Bay debut, leaving Todd Pacific Shipyards on Harbor Island under tow, headed for some finishing work in Everett. We watched it from a spot just east of Anchor Park – one week after standing at almost the exact same spot, watching that visiting gray whale. According to the project page on the WSF website, Todd has a contract to build two more ferries like the Chetzemoka, which is destined for the Port Townsend-Keystone route, where the state’s been using a leased ferry since the Steel Electric-class vessels were taken out of service (the 2nd will go to that route as well, while the third is scheduled to run between Tacoma’s Point Defiance terminal and Tahlequah at the south end of Vashon). If you’re wondering about the name Chetzemoka, it’s explained here. ADDED 11:15 AM: A closer view from further along the journey (from a photographer who asked not to be credited):
EGG HUNTS: The storm lifted just in time. The list’s on the WSB Easter page, but in short – West Seattle Thriftway (indoors) at 9 am, all West Seattle community centers at 10 am, the Eastridge-sponsored hunt at Lincoln Park at 11 am. (*And a few minutes after we published this, C&P Coffee sent word it’s having an indoor hunt at 10 am.)
PANCAKE BREAKFASTS: Alki and Hiawatha Community Centers are also having pancake breakfasts ($4/person) starting at 8:30 am.
LOCAL STUDENTS PLAY BASEBALL AT THE SAFE: West Seattle High School plays Auburn Mountainview at Safeco Field at 12:30 pm. Admission is free; gates open at 11:30 am.
And two sales to mention …
MS-FIGHTING GARAGE SALE: One week before this year’s MS Walk in Seattle, Lisa‘s team (shown in a photo from last year) is having a garage sale today in West Seattle for one last fundraising boost. 9 am-3 pm, alley behind 3040 46th Avenue SW (map).
HOMEMADE BRIGADE: The bazaar-style gathering of local craftsfolk is back at Freshy’s Coffee in Admiral, starting at 10 am.
ALKI BIKE AND BOARD: Its annual spring sale continues today; full details online,, including snow gear up to 70% off (even as the mountain snow continues).
WHITE CENTER CAMBODIAN FESTIVAL: A big event just south of West Seattle – 10:30 am-5 pm, on 98th SW east of 16th SW (map), it’s the annual Cambodian New Year Festival; more here.
Lists courtesy of Square One Books
Great weather for cozying up with a book! A day later than usual this week (other news got in the way), courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her store’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:
Hardcover:
1. Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar
2. The Long Way Home by David Laskin
3. Solar by Ian McEwan
4. Shell Games by Craig Welch
5. Bite Me by Christopher MoorePaperback:
1. The Stieg Larsson Mysteries
2. A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
3. The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall
4. All About Lulu by Jonathan Evison
5. Shadow and Light by Jonathan RobbChildren/Young Adult:
1. Poppleton in Spring by Cynthia Rylant
2. Savvy by Ingrid Law
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan
4. Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett
5. The Warriors Series by Erin HunterTeen:
1. North of Beautiful by Justine Headley
2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
3. The House of Night Series by P.C. Cast
4. Fang by James Patterson
5. Twilight:The Graphic Novel by Stephanie Meyer and Young Kim
Square One is in Jefferson Square.
All month long, we’re planning a nightly spotlight on Disaster Preparedness Month, and steps you can take – not just the same old ones you’ve heard over and over again and maybe even tuned out – to be sure you have the best chance at “getting through it” should something big happen. 
Tonight, expert advice forwarded by the local folks behind the Emergency Communication Hubs around West Seattle – at the heart of this excellent web resource – something particularly timely if you are still working on your taxes and have some of these docs out already: The documents you need to compile and set aside ahead of time, so you wouldn’t lose precious time in recovery mode.
After a major disaster, you may need financial assistance and will want to document any property loss for insurance and income tax purposes. Having ready access to the documents necessary for completing application forms, as well as those which could be difficult to replace, will help reduce delay and frustration.
At A Minimum:
1. Gather property insurance papers (home, auto, boat, etc.) and make copies.
2. Gather health insurance papers (medical provider, dental provider, life, extended disability, etc.) and make copies.
3. Gather financial papers (bank, investment, retirement, etc.) and make copies.
4. Gather wills, powers of attorney, and estate papers and make copies.
5. Take photos or videos of all valuables as documentation for insurance claims.• Store these copies and photos in a safe deposit box, or in a ziplock bag in your freezer (you may want to disguise these documents by putting them in a clean box like a frozen pizza box).
The latter advice is frequently offered by police, too, in case you become a theft/burglary victim. Even if you can’t do all this right now, find a few of the documents that are handy and start – get those to the safe-deposit box or freezer – add to it as you are able. Meantime, our nightly spotlights continue Saturday night; if you missed Night 1 on Thursday, it was simple advice – Know your hub, which you can do by browsing the West Seattle Be Prepared website (and joining its Facebook group too – check out the quake info posted today).
The sign in the above-left photo is one of two that brought a lot of smiles and comments when we published photos sent by their creator, Jim Sander, a month ago. Tonight, Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding says the sign’s been stolen – along with most of the community signpost that held it (“after” photo, above right):
At some point during the day on Friday some low-life scumbag decided to vandalize one of our Pigeon Point neighborhood signposts. These signposts were donated by residents of the Pigeon Point neighborhood. These sign posts are normally used to notify residents of upcoming meetings and events that are taking place in our neighborhood. Now we will have to come up with the funds to replace this signpost and the Welcome to Pigeon Point sign that was attached to the crossbar on top. These signs have been in place for several years and we have had some occasional damage, but nothing on this scope. If anyone has any information about this vandalism please send an e-mail to pigeonpointcouncil@comcast.net.
Ironically, the road closure/detour that inspired the signs is just a few days from wrapping up.
That’s a bit of video from Constellation Park/Richey Viewpoint south of Alki Point, favorite haunt – in weather like this – of TV crews and intrepid stormwatchers. We saw both represented while we were out, briefly, at dusk. Note the past/future driftwood in the surf – extra-dangerous, so don’t get close. (We were there about an hour ago; high tide was at 9:15, so the surf will pull back a bit in the hours ahead, with the next high tide at 7:44 am.) Meantime, on the forecasting front, the National Weather Service‘s wind advisory is now extended till midnight, and tomorrow morning looks showery/breezy (egg hunts are still on, though – schedule here). ADDED 1:05 AM: John Polnik shared this video from central Alki, where he says a small outage hit Phoenecia – we had driven through after 8 pm and saw the streetlights appear to be “strobing”:
City Light’s outages page did not show any West Seattle outages so whatever this was, was apparently small. SATURDAY NIGHT NOTE: Phoenecia was part of that micro-outage and tells the story on Facebook.
Attention has turned to the two future pump-station-overflow projects in south West Seattle over the past few weeks (Fauntleroy/Barton coverage here, Murray/Lowman coverage here), but it should be noted that work at the 53rd Avenue Pump Station expansion on Alki is still not all done – specifically, the street-restoration work. Martha Tuttle from King County Wastewater Treatment Division sent this update today:
King County continues to make progress on the 53rd Avenue Pump Station restoration activities. Crews recently completed sidewalks and curbs on the south side of Alki Avenue SW from 53rd Avenue SW to just beyond 54th Place SW.
Weather permitting, final paving of the roadway through this area will be completed over the next couple of weeks. In order to schedule this work, three days of clear weather must be forecasted. Neighbors and visitors should anticipate continued traffic revisions to complete paving. At times, traffic on Alki Avenue SW may be reduced to one lane. Traffic control and flaggers will be on site to help vehicles through the construction zone. King County thanks pump station neighbors and frequent users of the area for their continued patience.
It’s been 2 years and 2 months since the project began.
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