West Seattle, Washington
10 Tuesday
SIGN: Amy reports a sign sighting on the Fauntleroy “overpass,” which would be the first one in a long time, since extra DON’T YOU DARE DO THAT-type signs went up … Unfortunately, she says the sign bears an unfriendly message we won’t repeat. Off to check it out as soon as we hit “publish” on this item. (Added later – Nope, it was gone.)
LINK #1: Remember the Cat’s Eye Cafe’ on Fauntleroy north of Lincoln Park, closed after a car hit it three years ago, now the Four Aims Center? Its former owner Julie Malcolm is in the street-food business up north, according to this Edmonds article about Here and There. Sounds a little bit like the Snohomish County version of Skillet
LINK #2: Husky football players visit Roxhill Elementary, and gohuskies.com tells the tale.
We know we’ve shown you the Harbor Ave Canada geese over and over again … but this afternoon, we just happened to be working in the car at Don Armeni for a short time, and there they were, and we were powerless to resist the desire to pull the camera out of the laptop bag, and … Besides the two little guys shown with the adults here, there were also two — elder siblings? — in the group (and note the aft end of the Magnolia-docked cruise ship at left):
ADDED 11:28 PM: David Hutchinson, who has shared excellent photos of the Harbor Ave goose families, says he and wife Eilene have been observing them all and he happens to have a lot of backstory:
The 2 older goslings were hatched on one of the pilings near Salty’s the thirdweek of April. Their father is the larger adult with the large indentation in his feathers on the right side of his chest. Based on our observations, he is the “alpha male” goose along Harbor Avenue. When he and his family approach, everyone else leaves very quickly – even the 4 adults with the 19 goslings.
We have observed him and his mate since last year when they had 4 goslings. Only 1 lived to adulthood – 2 disappeared and we took the 3rd to PAWS with a badly injured leg (it later had to be euthanized because the injury led to a severe infection). This year there were originally 4 again but 2 of those disappeared. The 2 smaller goslings you photographed were “adopted” by this family on Mother’s Day, May 10th. That morning they showed up at Don Armeni with a different family and by afternoon, they had joined their adoptive family and their parents had left. From what we have read, very young goslings have not “imprinted” on their biological parents and will go off with other goslings of similar size. Once this happens, the adoptive parents will not allow the biological parents near.
Alki photographer David Hutchinson has shared several great shots of the Canada goose families many West Seattleites (and visitors) have been watching – and in the final moments of Mother’s Day 2009, he shared this comparison, explaining:
My wife and I have enjoyed following the development of the large family of Canada Geese goslings this past month during our walks along the Harbor Ave waterfront. This large combination of families is being watched over by 2 pairs of adults. Their number seems to have stabilized at 20 down from the 24 we had counted a couple weeks ago. This is a much higher survival rate than another family of 5 goslings, all of which have now disappeared. The photos are of the same group of goslings and were taken about 1 month apart.
Thanks to the Junction-area resident who sent that photo taken within the past half-hour or so – more traces of the WaMu/Chase bank change, in this case, outside the 44th/Edmunds drive-thru. Some signage has changed inside local branches, but till now, exterior signage hasn’t. Also happening tonight – three meetings we’re covering around West Seattle, including the Parks Levy presentation/discussion at the West Seattle Golf Course:
Good turnout, as you can see; thanks to Sharonn Meeks for sending the photo – reporter Jonathan Stumpf is there for WSB and we’ll have his full report later.
Eric Shalit sent us this photo late last night; things were a little busy then but we want to share it now. It’s his son Max Shalitmontagne and date Fiona, “heading off to the Garfield High School Senior Prom … on a tandem bike (courtesy of Aaron¹s Bike Repair).” They rode from West Seattle to Pacific Science Center for the occasion. Eric adds, “Max is 100% car-free by choice. He rides about 200 miles a week, commuting and having fun. Max loves cycling!”
The miracle of portable technology – you can take advantage of brilliant sun and not stay out of touch. We were actually photographing the flotilla of brant in the background, when we caught the beachgoer in the foreground. Elsewhere on Alki, crews were getting the tennis courts in shape for summer:
If you “follow” WSB on Twitter (@westseattleblog, or, if you are just checking in via the Web, twitter.com/westseattleblog), you may also have seen this photo link we tweeted – beach umbrella sighting!
ADDED 2:50 PM: One more it’s-warm-and-everybody’s-out photo, this one from Cass:
She added, “It’s all in the perspective …” (Which certainly can be said for many things!)
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!)
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
Thanks to MargL (via e-mail) and Mark (via Facebook, where we are WS Blog) for those photos of the double-take-inducing Jefferson Square time/temp sign this afternoon. It may feel dramatically warmer, but so far we haven’t seen official temperatures beyond the low 70s. (And more 70s tomorrow!)
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
A family of Canada geese along Harbor Ave got their 15 seconds of fame this afternoon — catching the attention of media photographers (including ours) heading away from Seacrest after the diver-rescue incident. These little guys even turned up in a clip on the channel 4 news.
Yes, we know some consider geese a nuisance, but you know, they’re noble in their own way. Including lifelong fidelity.
Back on Tuesday, we published video and photos from Gary … now, Cynthia sends two close-up looks at a high-flying Alki regular:
Cynthia took those photos near Cactus on Sunday. So — how many bald eagles are around here, you ask? Here’s one measure: The Seattle Audubon Christmas Bird Count tallied 54 within a 7.5-mile radius of Pioneer Square; see the results here.
ADDED THURSDAY AFTERNOON: Cynthia had one more photo to share:
We’ve seen eagles more than a few times in our 18 years of living in West Seattle, but can’t quite recall HEARING them – so thanks to Gary Jones for getting close enough to capture audio as well as video from Alki Point this morning, and sharing the results. At one point, he spotted four eagles in the same tree, and got still photos too:
Thanks again to Gary for sharing the video and photos – if you capture wildlife, breaking news, memorable scenes, editor@wsb.blackfin.biz – any time!
THE GROUCHOS: This is at least the third year that Groucho Marx faces have appeared in the bridgeside greenery of Pigeon Point. This news comes from Mark Bourne, who chronicles the sighting here and even wrote about them for Film.com last year.
GARBAGE TRUCKS: Not only did some trash/recycling procedures and pickup dates change starting today, WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli noticed something else:
He says that’s the first time he’s noticed one of the new “powered by natural gas” trucks, and adds, “You can’t really tell from the video but they are noticeably quieter than the old ones. They are also the cleanest garbage trucks I have ever seen.” We found a little more information at the Waste Management Seattle website — actually an excerpt from an earlier city news release about the new solid-waste contracts: “Sixty percent of the (WM) trucks will run on a bio-diesel blend and 40 percent will run on compressed natural gas.” Remember, if you’re STILL confused about the changes, you can find more info here or call the city’s “customer service” line at 684-3000.
BONUS SIGHTING: Moments after we published this item, we received a note, with pix, re: yet another interesting sighting — Larry Nitkey wondered if this was a “bridge to nowhere”:
Still looking for complete verification but 99% sure it’s for the Hood Canal Bridge project, judging by what’s in this Sunday article. (Note that the bridge’s six-week construction shutdown is just a month away – it starts May 1st.)
Followup to our recent report that new banners had been designed to replace the undeniably worn ones hanging around The Junction – the new ones are now up along 42nd and 44th (the latter is where we took the photo above).
The Alki Masonic Hall in The Junction went Wild West last night for the Sanislo Elementary PTA’s Jamboree, raising money for programs at “the small school with the big ideas,” as the PTA website calls it.
Thanks to Dartanyon for sharing pix from the Sanislo dinner and auction. Two other photos to share this morning – the Olympic Mountains are “out” in all their snow-frosted (albeit hazy) splendor, and as Shannon observed in the note accompanying the pix, that doesn’t always last long:
Thanks again to everyone who e-mails photos (and news tips!) to share – we’re reachable many other ways too, all listed on the WSB Contact page.
Photos in honor of St. Patrick’s Day – first, West Seattle’s legendary green street line, down 41st SW north of Admiral; next, a lot of green now to be seen at the Morgan Junction park site, well on its way to completion (it’s scheduled for an official dedication during the Morgan Community Festival June 13th but will be done long before then):
The city’s just sent out more reminders that the naming process for this park is under way — get all the details in our most recent report here – the deadline is April 6. P.S. Not green, but — in case you’re looking for a lucky pot of gold – might have been at the end of the rainbow that Rhonda watched move across Puget Sound during this morning’s showers:
Thanks to Anne at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) for e-mailing to ask “what’s up with all those cars and car carriers?” at the vacant ex-Huling lot south of the 76 station. We went over to check it out and here’s the deal: The traveling cast and crew of “The Lion King” are about to move on to their next stop, and they needed a place to rendezvous, so the vehicles that the cast and crew have been driving can be transported to the next stop (Michigan, they said). Why here? “Big empty lots are hard to come by!” was the reply.
Thanks to the multiple tipsters who e-mailed (editor@wsb.blackfin.biz) about this: All that noise in the 5000 block of California SW is from a labor protest south of The Junction; Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters members say they have a beef with a scaffolding company, which they say they’ve been targeting at worksites all around the region. We’ll be checking for more information on the background, but meantime, if you heard or saw this and wondered what it’s all about, that’s the scoop. Thanks to Karen for the photo you see above; we’re there now to check on the situation and will have video shortly. 11:31 AM UPDATE: Swapped video for the original photo (you can hear how loud the protest is; Seattle Police also have been keeping watch). We also have a message out to Berg Scaffolding, seeking comment on the union’s claims.
Just out of the WSB inbox from Lisa:
There’s a scam going on at Westwood Village this morning. A guy ‘recognized’ me as someone who had offered earlier to help him. The story is that he has a van with his 7 yr old sister and they’re trying to get back to Bellingham but they’ve run out of gas. There’s another ‘helpful person’ who has gas cans and is willing to drive this fellow to a gas station to get the gas, but doesn’t have money herself to buy it. When I offered to take him & his little sister to a gas station and buy both gas can and gas, he got huffy and found an excuse to break off the conversation. Both are caucasian, and possibly in their 30’s. He’s younger, and is tall & skinny with blemishes. She’s older and heavy-set and is in a white sedan. Just thought I’d pass a warning along. I also let the manager at Target know about the situation so that he could call the police to drive through the area.
You’ve probably seen this one a few times yourself, but if not, our favorite scam/urban legend site, Snopes.com, has a page about it.
While walking to The Junction this afternoon, we noticed this juxtaposition – a festive snowman and snowdrift on a business window along California SW, seen across the top of the road-median “snirt” pile. Snow, of course, always looks especially lovely from a distance:
JayDee sent that photo from 56th/Spokane (map), as well as this photo of 56th looking blissfully ice-free in today’s sunshine:
Thanks yet again to everyone who has sent photos during and after Snowstorm/Snowmare/Snow-however-you-prefer-to-remember-it ’08 … we appreciate and publish photos all the time, from breaking news to community events to timely beauty shots, so please keep our address (editor@wsb.blackfin.biz) handy (if you can spare a moment, program it into your cameraphone too)!
Via Twitter, James reported a film shoot of some kind at the West Seattle Taco Time (map). Via Facebook, Amanda reported seeing Pat Cashman and crew filming a commercial there. Not sure if they’re still there – advise if you’re in line-of-sight (or line-of-salsa), while our roving crew heads that way. 12:06 PM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick‘s back with the photographic proof (above). If you are new to Seattle and want to know what Pat C’s famous for – many things but most notably (to us as 1991 arrivals, anyway) the long-gone and much-missed local TV comedy show “Almost Live!” which aired on KING every Saturday night till about a decade ago. When we got here, it was our primer – and an uproarious one – to Seattle neighborhoods. Many have lost much of the character for which “Almost Live!” spoofed them but our nostalgia burns bright. Here’s a sample of Pat C’s work from AL via YouTube:
Another long-gone staple of Seattle life … the never-ending rug-shop going-out-of-business sales in Pioneer Square. Lots more “Almost Live” clips on YouTube, including the all-time favorite Ballard Driving Academy. And KING still shows re-re-re-re-runs after Saturday Night Live. The show was so hot in its heyday, KING was allowed to delay SNL a half hour to run AL first after the 11 pm news.
This picture gets its own post – thanks to Courtney, who photographed it on Kenyon between 35th and 36th. She reports, “Those are real fish in its belly.”
(this post covered 5:12 am to just after noon – afternoon updates are in a newer post; click here to go there)
(latest image from city camera pointing east on The Bridge; refresh for updated image)
(latest image from city camera at Fauntleroy/Alaska, pointing NE; refresh for updated image)
Before the time-stamped updates, our link list:
WSB Traffic page with additional cameras/links relevant to West Seattle commuters
City info on snow/ice routes/procedures (including link to plowed-routes map)
County info on snow/ice routes/procedures (including Metro reroutes)
Metro “adverse weather” service status
King County road alerts
Latest forecast
WSDOT trouble spots via Twitter
Washington State Ferries “service bulletins”
Live 911 log for Seattle fire/medic calls
FIRST UPDATE AT 5:12 AM: Seattle Public Schools will start two hours late today, and its buses will be on their “snow routes,” per the district’s website; other area school changes here. More school and commute updates to come – once you get to work (or wherever), please share what your drive was like, so others will know – thanks! More to come. We’re monitoring citywide traffic reports and for starters, the “major routes are OK – side streets are still the problem” overview prevails. (We saw the plow going back along California, south to Thistle and then turning around to head back, again at 2 am.)
5:34 AM UPDATE: From Metro, its overview:
Because there was no significant precipitation overnight, most Metro Transit buses are operating with regular routing Monday morning. But, approximately two dozen routes – mainly in West Seattle, South Seattle, and East Kent – are experiencing problems due to icy side streets. As of 4:30 a.m., only a few were on snow routing. The other routes in those areas are operating with chains, which could slow service.
Here’s the Metro service status page; we’re checking for West Seattle specifics. (Here’s the full Metro news release.)
5:54 AM UPDATE: Metro’s Linda Thielke tells WSB the “adverse weather” info page IS BEING UPDATED NOW so currently has LAST NIGHT’S INFO – here are a few things from this morning: “Right now, the 22 can’t go on California between Morgan and Thistle. The 21 is running a shuttle through Arbor Heights, otherwise on regular routing. The Route 23 is staying off of Highland Parkway. The 37 and 53 are using Erskine Way to avoid 49th.”
6 AM UPDATE, BUS SPECIFICS NOW AVAILABLE: The Metro page IS updated now; it shows the 21, 22, 23, 37, 53 and 128 ALL on “adverse weather routing.”
6:10 AM UPDATE: Monitoring TV reports (as well as radio reports, police/fire/public works frequencies on scanner, websites etc.). The Bridge is OK (see “live” camera at the top of this post), onramps can be dicey (er, icy), it’s reported.
6:30 AM UPDATE: Sanding truck just went by our nearest arterial intersection (California/Thistle) again. We’ll be checking later on an interesting question: Will trash/recycling pick up today? (This is our neighborhood’s pickup day, anyway.) Thanks to everyone who continues to post commute reports in the comment section — some questions, there, too, so if you’ve been out driving, maybe you can help answer them, neighbor to neighbor. Adding to the school info: South Seattle Community College will start at 10 am today.
6:48 AM UPDATE: Wondering about the rest of the week? No more snow expected till Tuesday night and Wednesday – the forecast (for what it’s worth) on Wed. COULD, we say COULD, be ugly – “anywhere from a couple to as much as six inches of new snow for the lowlands” that day, according to the “forecast discussion.” So just in case – today/tonight’s a great time for shopping … Meantime, as commute comments continue to come in beneath this post, Elyse writes, and Scott C said this in e-mail, getting all the way to Everett was no problem – smooth sailing outside WS – 35th to The Bridge is fine.
6:57 AM UPDATE: That photo from Talani at Stor-More Self-Storage (WSB sponsor) via Facebook, with this note on the nearby Avalon/Yancy intersection (map):
We see cars driving down Avalon, we see busses driving down Avalon, we see cars driving down Yancy…we see them all going very slowly and cautiously…we hear crunching, even when they are on the black top…so sheets of ice are out there, even though it’s lookin’ better than yesterday…we care about ya…be careful out there…free hot chocolate, coffee, and mochas at Stor-More Self Storage today from 9-6 for all our brave neighbors.
7:29 AM UPDATE: Metro has added another route to its table of buses on “adverse weather” routes – NOT a West Seattle bus (it’s the 123) but nonetheless we want to make sure you’re getting the latest regional info in case you transfer – this is the newest screengrab (*removed because it’s outdated – see 11 am hour for latest one)
8:02 AM UPDATE: Another school change: Westside School is starting at 9:30 am. No major road problems reported so far. We’re going out for a pic of our intersection now that it’s light, just to see what several overnight deicings/sandings have done.
8:19 AM UPDATE: The Olympics are gorgeous pink and snow-frosted (finally). The sidewalks, death-defying. Just took a short walk outside WSB HQ for these views and nearly fell despite all efforts at safely. First one is looking north on California from Thistle – both looking well-sanded/de-iced; second, though, is what Mona would call an Icy Side Street of Death – SW Sullivan, a block south of Thistle:
8:35 AM UPDATE: Just got a note from Sharonn Meeks; in the Fairmount neighborhood, steep 37th is closed from Providence Mount St. Vincent north to SW Alaska:
8:58 AM UPDATE: Thanks to Michelle for letting us know that Holy Rosary School has now changed its status – instead of a delay, it’s closed for today. (Website confirms.)
COVERAGE CONTINUED TILL NOON – TO SEE THE REST OF IT, CLICK AHEAD:Read More
| Comments Off on Thursday night notes: One sign, two links