Log in, sail out
The website for Washington State Ferries wi-fi service now says wi-fi for the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is delayed yet again and now not scheduled to start until September 17th. (The same WSF page allows you to check the service status on individual ferries where it’s installed.) However, commuters driving through West Seattle on their way to the Fauntleroy dock can get a wi-fi fix at yet another stop along the way — the Corner Inn at Fauntleroy/Cali now has huge signs in its windows announcing FREE WI-FI.
2 weeks till Westwood Village tacos, burritos, etc.
An e-mail address popped up on help-wanted signs in the window of the future Taco Del Mar in Westwood Village, so we wrote to ask when it’s opening. Heard back in short order from owner Travis, a WS resident who also owns the Jefferson Square Taco Del Mar. He says they’re hoping to be open by September 8th, with hours 7 am-10 pm Monday-Friday, and are still “eagerly looking for employees (who can work during the days!!).” Here’s the address for job inquiries.
Two for today
From the Sunday events in our West Seattle weekend lineup (posted on the site every Friday morning), two today-onlies:
ARTS IN NATURE FESTIVAL, DAY 2: Its name evokes “paintings among the trees” to the uninitiated, but the schedule of events is far wilder, in more ways than one. Camp Long, 11 am-6 pm.
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE, JR., FINAL PERFORMANCE: 2 pm today @ ArtsWest. The kids in this show put it together during a month of Musical Theater Adventures day camp, and we’ve heard nothing but good things. (Mentioning them one last time gives us the excuse to run this cute photo, courtesy ArtsWest.)
35th closure
Huge thanks to several WSB readers who e-mailed us at this late hour to tell us about 35th being blocked off near the High Point Library. According to LyndaB, the problem apparently has something to do with a dangerously leaning power pole she had noticed earlier in the day; City Light’s on scene as well as police.
Sights over the Sound
Two beautiful sights, both from Lowman Beach: Most recently, that’s where we happened to be when we spotted fireworks across the Sound, over Bainbridge (visible no doubt to anyone with a north- or west-facing West Seattle water view). Turns out the fireworks were part of the Town & Country Market 50th anniversary party. Earlier, here’s tonight’s sunset scene from Lowman, in a photo sent by Maria Esztergalyos (thank you!):
Beach volleyball history on Alki
Today’s beach volleyball on Alki wasn’t just any old sporting day at the beach — this was the first time the EVP Tour stopped @ Alki, and the first time Comcast taped beach volleyball for broadcast. We dropped by the women’s championship match in late afternoon; it featured local standout Bri Murray, one of the Northwest’s top-ranked beach-volleyball players:
Bri and her partner Wendy Stammer (from Tigard, OR) won the first set; we couldn’t stay to see how the whole match turned out, but expect to find it online later.
The weather was iffy, with light showers passing through early on, but the sun prevailed, gracing scenery including the Golden Princess passing by after sailaway for its Alaska cruise:
You may see some of the players around WS tonight, as an afterparty was planned at Rocksport. Video of today’s games is supposed to be available via Comcast Digital “On Demand” programming starting September 10th.
Fool on the hill
(PHOTOS ADDED BELOW @ 7:45 PM) WSB reader Venkat sends along the story of someone whose erratic drive up and down the Gatewood Hill stretch of Cali apparently didn’t go too well:
We were having coffee at Ladro when we saw a car with a flat tire driving along. Didn’t think anything of it, and about 2 minutes later saw sirens going the opposite direction. About 10 minutes later, after finishing up coffee, we saw police cars towards the Thriftway, when we took a look, sure enough it was the flat tire car, with the driver in the back of the police car (i.e., in custody).
When we were headed back home, up California (towards Thistle) we saw a sign had been knocked down. I thought I saw a wheel mark on the lawn of the sidewalk. We talked to some of the neighbors and someone drove their car around 70 mph, up the sidewalk, knocked over a street sign, crashed into a generator, and drove off down to Ladro (where we saw the car).
I think no injuries were sustained (except for the transformer, and someone’s railing and front yard) but it was an odd incident.
7:45 PM UPDATE: Finally found the spot after our second drive-by along the hill. Note in the second photo, the offending vehicle left something telltale behind.
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“Way to be!”
That’s the salute rowers got as they passed the finish buoy this morning at the Sound Rowers-sponsored Great Cross-Sound Race from Alki to Bainbridge and back. Here are the 60-plus participant boats as they lined up just before the 9 am start:
Less than 52 minutes later, the winner finished the 7 1/2-mile course. Here he is, Evan Jacobs (who with a partner finished first last year too), coming ashore:
Next to finish, the team of Todd Silver and Rainer Storb (fifth place last year). As the dozens of others continued to arrive at the finish buoy, each one got the hearty “Way to be!” and an air-horn blast from race managers at a tent by the bathhouse. Alki spectators’ side note: A few other inspirational feats of physical achievement will be making their way along Alki, on land, soon — Courtney wrote to tell us that it’s just been announced that the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk will include Alki this year, with a cheering station to be set up in the 1700 block on Sunday, September 9th, between 7:40 and 10:15 in the morning; we also heard today from organizers of One Race/One Village, a fundraiser 5K happening on Alki on October 6th.
Free tix, cool pix
There’s a new link in the gray navigation bar atop the Admiral Theater home page, enticingly titled FREE TICKETS. Click it and you’ll find this page about its restoration project. Donate $40 and they promise a name plate on a new seat, plus two tickets to any regular Admiral showing. Photos on the page include two historic pix, 1930 and 1949.
Mystery plane
We noticed it while out walking in our Upper Fauntleroy hood a little while ago, and some readers wrote us that they saw it too: this mysterious white plane doing low circles over WS. We tried calling the FAA to find out what they knew; their 866-TELL-FAA hotline was amazingly unhelpful, and when we finally found a local number, they were closed, with a recording “leave a message.” Here’s hoping it’s nothing to worry about. We would speculate the dark object hanging off the side might be a camera, though we thought more aerial photography is done with helicopters than planes. Any enlightenment welcome. 9:45 PM SEMI-UPDATE: We think we at least know whose plane it was; an e-mail tip says a call to 911 yielded a mention that a State Patrol plane was in the area — this article about those planes mentions the camera mounted in a “black bubble” on the side.
Shadowland takes shape
The facade of the former Neilsen Florist shop in The Junction continues to evolve toward the space’s new identity as Shadowland.
Its proprietor tells WSB “things are moving along well” — they’re now drywalling inside, and hoping to open in about a month, though he adds it’s been tough to nail down a date (so many factors outside a would-be entrepreneur’s control, as we have learned while watching other new WS businesses-in-progress).
Gather ’round Camp Fire
With school starting in less than 2 weeks, the machinery’s starting to rumble for kid activities too. We got e-mail this week from Camp Fire USA, which wants WS families to know it’s starting registration for group programs (and in addition to what’s mentioned in that link, even has a preschooler-level program for kids as young as three; Camp Fire offers “community family clubs” too). We have a soft spot for Camp Fire; one of us was a Blue Bird way back when (and was sad to learn while working on this post that the Blue Bird designation was retired in ’89).
WS weekend lineup: Cross your fingers for sunshine
Last weekend in August, and we just can’t bear to see any more rain. We’ve got rowing & volleyball at Alki, the Art in Nature Festival, a narrated history walk around eastern WS, and a job fair (today!) … 31 ways to have fun without leaving the peninsula:Read More
Construction countdown
Just one week till construction starts “in earnest” on Ercolini Park west of The Junction, according to Bill Barna, one of the neighbors who’ve been leading the drive to make it reality. He sent us a photo (below) showing the park site tarped over after city crews busted sod to clear the lot in preparation. Just one little thing preventing everything from being perfect … the last leg of their fundraising effort is a few thousand $ short, which could affect how EP ultimately looks and functions. If you can help, they’re taking donations quick ‘n’ easy online.
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This is it … the final weekday morning of the I-5 work that once swamped us in speculation that West Seattle would be cut off from the rest of the known world. 
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