West Seattle, Washington
14 Friday
10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska, as always; here’s the latest “fresh sheet.”
Just in case you’ve missed it – here’s the full list. The morning starts with two “sunrise” services – multidenominational at Forest Lawn in High Point (map) at 6:30 am, the local UCC churches joining together on the beach at Alki/57th (map) at 7 am. Note that some churches are offering breakfasts and egg hunts as well as worship services.
WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli shares two views of the Washington State Ferries vessel Issaquah, usually on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run but currently in drydock at Todd Shipyards:
Also along the West Seattle waterfront: David Hutchinson provides a new view of one of this spring’s most famous local families:
David writes:
There are currently 24 goslings being tended by 2 pairs of adult geese. You can see them roaming the lawns between Salty’s and the Don Armeni boat ramp each day and then leaving in a group after sunset for the beaches of Jack Block Park to spend the night. By the end of July, they will have grown to near adult size and will have learned to fly.
We closely followed the development of last year’s group of goslings and found it very fascinating. Hopefully, despite their controversial status, people will take advantage of this opportunity to see nature close up and will be tolerant of their presence over the next several months. Sadly, last year we observed individuals setting their dogs on groups of adult geese with goslings and quite a few kids seemed think that it was amusing to throw rocks at them as they swam by.
For more information about Canada Geese, check www.canadageese.org/faq.html
We received another goose-family photo today from Manuel:
P.S. Not West Seattle-specific, but if you too are a bird fan, you might enjoy reading the latest on Seattle’s urban peregrines (they’re not mentioned so far this year, but some have been known to nest under The Bridge).
Another crime report to share today – out of the WSB inbox, from Nick:
Sometime early Friday morning (4/10) our car was vandalized on the street side by someone gouging a key completely from front to back in the neighborhood off Delridge near the West Seattle Bridge on 26th St SW. There has been a lot of extra activity in this area in the past year or so and has been escalating. If anyone has any information or saw anything suspicious in the area around that time please let us know. It’s kind of sad when things like this happen unprovoked and just goes to show that you always have to be on your guard…
Side note for everybody: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; in addition to making sure there’s a Block Watch in your area, we highly recommend attending the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, to bring concerns to local police leaders (and the volunteers who run the group), and to hear firsthand about local trends. 7 pm April 21, Southwest Precinct meeting room.
4 weeks from today — Saturday, May 9 — it’s the 5th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, not one big sale but rather MANY sales, some big, some not-so-big, all over the peninsula, 9 am-3 pm. Here at WSB, it’s our second year coordinating the big event, and we have some updates for you:
REGISTRATION: By request, we expanded the registration period from 2 weeks to 3 weeks this year. The first week is now over, and we’ve got 60 sales on the list so far – last year set a record at almost 150 – can we beat it this year? This is the FIRST major Garage Sale Day in the city this year, since Greenwood has moved its event to fall. Three ways to sign up: Register and pay online (go here); print out the form (go here) and postal-mail it; or pick up a pre-printed mail-in form at Hotwire Coffee, Illusions Hair Design, Stor-More Self-Storage, and Brunette Mix (all 4 are WSB sponsors) or at one of these two Seattle Public Library branches, West Seattle (Admiral) and Southwest (35th/Henderson). Deadline for us to receive registrations is Saturday night 4/25 — we’re making the map available earlier this year (the very first copies will be available at our table at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival on 5/3), so we really need everything in by deadline.
WHAT TO DO WITH ANYTHING LEFT OVER: It’s official – Northwest Center will partner with West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day again this year. That means the dropoff spot in The Junction (44th/Edmunds) will stay open later than usual on Sale Day itself, or you’ll be able to book a Big Blue Truck pickup online for AFTER Sale Day, once you know how much you need to donate. (NW Center welcomes your stuff any time, of course; here’s a list of what they take.)
REMINDER – TWO SALE SPOTS IF YOU DON’T HAVE ROOM FOR YOUR OWN: Hotwire Coffee and C&P Coffee are both making space available in their courtyards – contact Lora at Hotwire or Cameron at C&P ASAP if you’re interested.
The official all-Garage-Sale-Day-all-the-time site is at westseattlegaragesale.com, where you’ll find registration info and other updates any time; you can also become a fan of the new WSCGSD page on Facebook by going here.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Dunsany:
While I was in Caffe Ladro this morning, someone backed into the side of my car smashing in the section in front of driver-side door. The car was parked down on Frontenac street [map] from 10:30 am until 12:30. Driver took off – no note and no witnesses to be found. I’m pretty disgusted with the complete lack of responsibility of people right now.
See anything? Let police know: 206-625-5011 is the non-emergency number. Frontenac, by the way, is the cross-street north of Caffe Ladro, as seen here on Google Street View:
Thanks to those who’ve e-mailed to tell us about a medic call at Seacrest. We have someone on the way and should have information shortly about what’s happening. 2:19 PM UPDATE: Talked to the medic/fire crews (who have since all left the scene). Someone thought there was a problem – there wasn’t – all’s well – nobody treated/transported, case closed.
“Egg hunt on aisle 7” – you can almost imagine the overhead announcement. That’s just one of the scenes from inside West Seattle Thriftway, where the traditional crowd waited excitedly outside just before the 9 am egg hunt:
High stakes there – prizes in this egg hunt included a Wii and Mariners’ tickets! And if that wasn’t fun enough – an Easter Bunny sighting (our video camera followed his/her entourage):
(Added later: Thriftway now has its photos up online at westseattlethriftway.com – if your family’s in one of the photos, you can e-mail info@westseattlethriftway.com to request a copy!) Then at 10 am, community centers all over West Seattle had egg hunts too – by then the rain had stopped and the sun was even trying to come out. On the field at High Point Community Center, we spotted the REAL Easter Bunny – this gentleman who was out scattering the eggs and treats:
That section of the field was stormed shortly thereafter by the oldest kids:
Check out our video from just after they got the “go” signal:
Younger groups had their own egg hunts, one on the tennis court, one in the playfield corner at 34th/Myrtle:
If you missed today’s egg hunts, note that a few West Seattle churches are planning their own, right after Easter services tomorrow morning; see our West Seattle Easter services list for the locations.
A few notes of interest in the House Transportation Budget legislation passed 65-30 late Friday (with both 34th District State House members, Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson, among the “yes” votes): The bill now includes an amendment by Rep. Nelson (see it here) to fix the situation that the mayor sounded an alarm about earlier this month – a proposal that would have tied Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project money to some other city improvements (original WSB report here). Also, while it’s not the final say on whether a tunnel will replace the Central Waterfront “mile in the middle” section of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the House bill does include the money needed for the tunnel itself and also says:
(23) Expenditures for the state route number 99 Alaskan Way viaduct replacement project must be made in conformance with Engrossed 38 Substitute Senate Bill No. 5768
… which is the bill that says a tunnel should replace The Viaduct. 5768 is in the House Rules Committee right now, and House Speaker Frank Chopp — who advocated an elevated replacement earlier in the Viaduct solution search — has been quoted as saying he won’t keep it from going to a floor vote, possibly early next week.
That’s our video from last year’s egg hunt at Delridge Community Center – which, along with every other West Seattle community center, is planning one at 10 am today. First, there’s the 9 am egg hunt at West Seattle Thriftway and the 11 am Eastridge Christian event at Lincoln Park, all listed here along with church services today and tomorrow (and more).
It’s just one night — but its ripple effects will make a difference in thousands of lives over the ensuing year. The West Seattle Food Bank‘s “Instruments of Change” fundraiser is coming up, and this Thursday is the deadline to RSVP for tickets. The event May 1st at The Hall at Fauntleroy not only features KIRO Radio’s Gregg Hersholt as emcee, but also includes former mayor Norm Rice as a special guest speaker, plus live music and a Dessert Dash. Go here for full details, including how to get tickets.
Checking through the inboxes to make sure we didn’t miss anything good during another busy, crazy week, we have a few photos to share: Several people photographed the vivid Thursday sunset – the version above is from Dan E. And remember the Jefferson Square sign putting us in triple-digit heat last weekend? What a difference a few days make:
Brian sent us that photo of the J-Square sign in subzero mode. (He took it earlier this week, but we happened to be within line of sight of that sign this afternoon and can confirm it’s still in subzero mode!)
First, from seattlepi.com, a Delridge man has told police he’s being harassed – with his truck repeatedly egged, and a swastika drawn on it. Second, a vandalism report from the WSB inbox tonight, sent by Shannon:
I wanted to report some new activity in our area. When we woke up this morning we noticed that someone had spray-painted some type of graffiti on the fire hydrants in bright orange paint. On the way to work, I realized the graffiti was on all the hydrants along 48th Avenue between Brandon and Raymond [map]. We made a police report – hope this isn’t signs of more to come. I park on that street and will definitely be bringing everything in from my car tonight – CD player, CDs, etc.
You may have noticed yellow tape cordoning off some areas along the sidewalk in The Junction’s business district: Liz at the West Seattle Junction Association tells WSB that landscaping work is happening along California between Edmunds and Oregon, through next week, and the tape will come down as the new plants go in. West Seattle-based Artego’s is donating their services.
(3/16/08 photo from Doug and Anne, originally published here that night)
On March 16, we brought you breaking news about a West Seattle kayaker who got into trouble off Brace Point. The photo above was shared by local residents, as the ferry crew that helped get Scott Redfern out of the water returned their small vessel to the Issaquah. Today, we received Scott’s story, told firsthand. He also provided all the photos in the story below.
By Scott Redfern
Special to West Seattle Blog
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the rescue crew of the Washington State Ferry, the Seattle Fire and Police Departments, and Gaye Hewson, who opened her home to me. I would also like to thank my friends who have held me close to them and for their love and caring. I feel embraced by this community of West Seattle that is where I make my home. For those of you that know me but are not in touch: I am grateful, healthy and whole. I love you all.
These days are hard as winter slowly recedes. It leaves me wanting for warm and sunny days. With heart-felt sighs and grey, dreary skies, I force myself out to exercise between storm breaks, in this case in the wake of a storm.
Before I took the kayak out I went for about an hour run in Lincoln Park. I chugged up the wet, muddy slippery hills carrying the burden of my extra winter weight. Upon return from my run I look out from my apartment at the wind blown water and the white caps. My endorphins are coursing and I feel like more work. I want to push back against the depressing weather. I’ve been out there on days like this before. It seems every other day it changes direction. Today the winds and swells are moving from south to north.
WSDOT says a truck in trouble is blocking the ramp from the West Seattle Bridge to northbound I-5 — and the cameras on our Traffic page verify a backup on the eastbound bridge as a result. 4:40 PM UPDATE: WSDOT says the truck’s been cleared to the shoulder, so the backup should start easing.
After encountering a brief mention of “Fauntleroy Bridge seismic work” on a city page listing future projects, we checked with SDOT to see what that’s about. Here’s the explanation of what’s on the drawing board for a half-mile section at the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge, from SDOT communications director Rick Sheridan:
This work will upgrade the Fauntleroy Expressway Bridge, which spans over SW Admiral Way, Harbor Ave SW, SW Avalon Way, SW Manning St., and local railroad tracks that access the adjacent steel mill. This reinforced concrete bridge is approximately 2527 feet long and carries traffic between the West Seattle Freeway and Fauntleroy Way SW.
The city completed a first phase of seismic retrofit work in the mid 1990s. This covered widening and strengthening bridge supports, and tying bridge segments together over the supports. The project you referenced is a second phase of work. This will upgrade the structure to prevent a collapse during a 1000 year seismic event, which is the new national design standard.
We have identified the bridge weaknesses that need to be retrofitted to meet this new standard. A consultant contract is being negotiated to design and detail the retrofit work. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in early 2010.
Lots of discussion here following the city’s update on the recycling/trash transition Thursday, now there’s a sequel: The city is cracking down on the apartment/condo pickup problems – read on:Read More
WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli took that photo of the newly completed staircase through Orchard Street Ravine in Gatewood, site of a work party tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow’s also prime time for egg hunts; though we have a special page with Easter (and Friday/Saturday) services here, and an overall Easter page (including Saturday/Sunday egg hunts) here, those events are just part of what’s in this West Seattle Weekend Lineup – with other highlights including West Seattle Nursery‘s spring open house, and lots more going on this weekend, more than three dozen events ahead on our list brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club:Read More
Reminder: Discount early registration is still under way for the first-ever West Seattle 5K – benefiting local schools. It’s happening along Alki on May 31st, same day that Alki Ave will close (roughly from Seacrest to Cactus) for Car-Free Day-Turned-Celebrate-Seattle-Summer-Streets. Not only can you sign up online, you can also designate donations for the participating schools – start here.
A regional roundup from WSDOT, including I-5 slowdowns in the city as well as possible challenges elsewhere – if you’re hitting the road this weekend, read on:Read More
During last night’s West Seattle Art Walk, stopping by Brunette Mix (WSB sponsor) in The Junction would have brought you a little Parisian flavor – Vertu Cakes‘ creation echoed the Eiffel Tower. Elsewhere, treats abounded:
Beneath the painting by “subdued surrealist” T.S. Pew, that’s the dessert buffet offered last night by M3 Bodyworks (whose ad on the WSB sidebar is a gateway to the latest M3 specials). You can see more of Pew’s work at other local businesses including Elliott Bay Brewery and Mashiko, and online at tspew.com. Also on display last night, the work of student artists:
That’s art from Holy Rosary School students, shown last night at The Kenney, the southernmost stop. Last but by no means least, the classic Art Walk pairing may be art and snacks, but at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District, the elegant pairing was modern living and modern real estate:
Click! joined forces with 360 Modern, a regional firm that handles, as noted online, “the buying and selling of modern homes.”
Even if you missed last night’s Art Walk, or – like us – only managed a few stops, keep in mind that many of the art displays are at the participating venues for the entire month – so keep an eye out for art as you shop in West Seattle. Next month’s Art Walk – always on the second Thursday – is May 14. And watch the WSB Events calendar for other Junction (and elsewhere) happenings in the meantime, like this one just announcedt:
April 24th from 7-10pm Carmilia’s, Clementine, Edie’s and Sweetie are joining together to host a night of beauty and fashion. Each store will have mini-spa treatments, drinks, treats and of course shopping with great deals. Visit each store and get a punch card stamped good for a glass of bubbly at West 5. There will also be a VIP Discount card given out, good for discounts at the stores and the participating salons (Julie from Ola, Heidi from Seattle Style Salon, Sara from Sara’s Skin Butik and The Body Bar). Please join us for an amazing night. Questions? Call Erin at Edie’s, 206.937.2029
FURLOUGH: This is another one of those money-saving furlough days for King County government. Here’s the list of what’s open and what’s closed.
GOOD FRIDAY SERVICES: Many are listed on our Holy Week/Easter services page; for other Easter-related activities, such as tomorrow’s big slate of egg hunts, go here.
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