West Seattle, Washington
16 Friday
TUNES: KUOW profiled the West Seattle Big Band today. Jim Edwards sends this link.
TREATS: Free “Deathcake” tasting 1-3 pm tomorrow @ Cupcake Royale. (Hat tip to C Ro.)
Two and a half weeks after owner Angelia Paulsen‘s untimely death, Red Cup Espresso in The Junction is open 7 days a week, according to a sandwich board we saw out front – 6 am-2 pm weekdays, 7 am-4 pm weekends, which appears to be a bit of an update from what her husband told WSB last week.
Following up on this morning’s dignitary-laden kickoff event (WSB coverage with video clips here) on the King Day volunteer work at West Seattle Elementary: Before the scheduled wrap-up a short time ago, we dropped by again and found the work in full swing:
And also got some before-and-after views of spots we’d photographed when a group of volunteers did prep work last Thursday:
One more King Day note – Dr. King did visit Seattle once, in November 1961: HistoryLink.org tells the story.
So who says the Internet is a threat to face-to-face interaction? It brought us 10 more acquaintances tonight — in the name of soup. We’d never been to a Soup Swap, had never even heard of the concept, but that all changed after a recent visit to Nerd’s Eye View (among the 100-plus West Seattle-based blogs linked and frequently updated here). There, we saw this post, and left a comment along the lines of “wow, cool concept” – which to our surprise and delight brought us an e-mail invite from the person who hosted tonight’s West Seattle Soup Swap. This has actually become a national phenomenon (you’ll note from that site, National Soup Swap Day is supposed to be this Wednesday, but many gatherings like the one we attended west of The Junction tonight are being held on other dates). NEV author Pam explained tonight that the whole thing started right here in Seattle, on Capitol Hill, a couple years ago. If you’re a soup fan, check it out. The ones now in our freezer following tonight’s Soup Swap range from carrot habanero to beef ‘n’ cabbage (the full lineup, six containers from each contributor, shown above). This time of year, as temps keep dipping, it’s truly Nature’s Perfect Food.
Hotwire Coffee (inaugural WSB sponsor) proprietress Lora Lewis has those decorations up in her Junction store now, and there’s more to them than meets the eye – part of some Valentine’s matchmaking innovation, and Lora tells the story better than we can:
Remember in grade school those little Valentines cards you would secretly pop in someone’s lunch box or desk? Well, just turn the clock forward a ‘few’ years and that’s what we’ve got going on at Hotwire. For the next month you can stop by the shop, have a little photo taken and put it on your very own grown up sweetie box. Maybe someone comes in and sees what a cutie you are and perhaps pops a little valentine in the box. Not that adventurous? Well, then just come over and see who is up for grabs and maybe put your own little message in a box! You never know unless you try!
Already ‘taken’? Then don’t hesitate to pass this on to any of your friends who you feel are ready to meet that special someone! Oh, on Saturday, February 16th from 5 pm-7 pm, we’re going to have a meet & greet where all the people who had a picture and everyone who put a card in a box will be there to read their Valentines.
If you only have a photo available in digital format – here’s how to send it to Hotwire.
That’s what the sign on Capers’ back door said. And first, we must thank them yet again for playing host, with refreshments (including delish brownies) for all in attendance. Now, thanks to the people who dropped in, some of whom you see here —
Attendees included some folks we already knew (including some of our fine WSB sponsors), some we didn’t. (We met “Bob Loblaw”! But sorry, no photo. You had to be there.) And the winners are …Read More
Second-to-last reminder (we’ll bring it up again toward day’s end) — if you’re in The Junction tonight or not otherwise occupied, we hope to see you TONIGHT at Capers, 7-8ish pm, at the informal gathering announcing the honorees in the first-ever quarterly West Seattle Community Recognition Awards (explained here). 
Since this is the first time, there’s no big formal program planned — no big speeches, no golden statuettes, no tuxes and gowns (sorry), just a chance to come say hi, find out who the recipients are, and meet some of your fellow West Seattleites. Can’t say whether 10 people will be there or 100, but the three of us will be, as will Julie Mireille Anderson of Divina (who hatched the idea for this as a new way to recognize and thank some of the unsung heroes of West Seattle), and the nice folks from Capers who offered to host the gathering (thank you, and also thank you to the judges, who we’ll be listing later, as well as to the people who sent nominations). 7-8ish pm, Capers in The Junction (west side of California, midblock between Oregon and Alaska).
After we mentioned the “Day of Service” volunteer work planned for Monday @ West Seattle Elementary, Seattle Works e-mailed to let us know some of the work it’s doing in conjunction with City Year would actually start today. Here’s some of what’s happening at the school right now — starting with the outlining of a hummingbird mural outside a classroom:
Outside the school, these volunteers are literally laying the groundwork for a play area that will serve the district’s special-needs preschool that’s on the WSES campus:
And this carpentry work will create decorative planters for the school’s entrance:
As you might have guessed from the orange shirts, most of the volunteers at WSES today are from Home Depot — Seattle Works says the Delridge store coordinated the effort but the HD workers are from all around Puget Sound. Meantime, organizers are still looking for donations to complete the preschoolers’ play area; our original post has info on how to help.
Eight days after Red Cup Espresso owner Angelia Paulsen‘s tragically early death in a car crash, her husband Sean O’Dea e-mailed WSB early this morning to ask us to share this with you:
I cannot possibly find the words to describe or thank everyone for the level of support that has been offered to us at this time. I have had hundreds of people come to me with offers of help with anything I could possibly need. This has come from merchants, customers, neighbors and friends. It feels like the entire community has stepped up at at a time of overwhelming grief, and overwhelmed us with care and love. We are doing our best to keep the shop open, and will be open every day from 6 am to around 2 pm. As soon as I can, I plan to have it back to regular hours. I know how much Julian and I loved Angelia, and am extremely touched and honored by the love and respect shown to her memory. Thank you all.
Sean had previously posted in the comments section — up to 111 as of early this morning — following our original report on the accident.
One more reminder that friends of Angelia Paulsen, the Red Cup Espresso owner killed in a crash last Monday, are planning a candlelight vigil outside her shop in The Junction tonight – 7 pm, 4451 California (just north of Oregon; Ginomai has offered its parking lot on 42nd just south of Genesee if you have trouble finding parking). And anyone who wants to make memorial donations to help pay for her son Julian‘s education can do so at Viking Bank.
Also, a followup – it’s been exactly a week since a diver died after getting into trouble at Seacrest; his fiancee (who provided the photo shown at right) posted about him on WSB the next day. According to an online obituary, the diver, 33-year-old Josh Magee, was laid to rest yesterday in Reno, where he lived before moving to Seattle in 2000.
Since we first reported Tuesday on the tragic death of Red Cup Espresso owner Angelia Paulsen, the comment area below that first report has become a touching board of tributes and memories. One of those came from her husband Sean O’Dea; we e-mailed him to ask him if there was any information he would want you to know about the shop’s future and how to help the family, and he wrote back late last night:
I have been thinking of renaming the shop to Angelia’s Espresso and keeping it open as a tribute to her. As you can probably guess, I have a lot on my plate right now, and am not too sure of when that will happen, but I will let you know. Angelia’s brother, sister and nephew want to open the shop tomorrow [WSB NOTE: that’s today, 1/10] and offer coffee for whatever donations patrons would like to make for our son Julian’s education, and Viking Bank has set up a fund for him as well.
As reported previously, her memorial service is 11 am tomorrow at St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Renton (church website here), and friends plan a candlelight vigil at 7 pm Saturday night outside Red Cup (on California north of Oregon, next to Pagliacci).
In case you missed it in comments below our original coverage, Erin Thomsen has left this on behalf of Angelia Paulsen‘s family, after reading all the memories and tributes in those comments:
To all of you who have left such wonderful memories of Angelia, we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. Reading about the love and kindness and laughter she shared with everyone of you has meant the world to all of us. Her smile and radiance will live forever in every life she touched.
10:50 PM ADDENDUM: Thank you to Angi’s longtime friend Krissi for sharing the photos we just added above.
As we first reported this morning, a car crash on I-5 early Monday killed Red Cup Espresso owner Angelia Paulsen, and her memorial service is this Friday. Now there’s word of a tribute Saturday night outside her shop – this just in from Patty:
There will be a candlelight vigil to celebrate the life of Angi outside of Red Cup espresso on Sat at 7 p.m. All are welcome to join us. Angi was a very dear friend to us all. She will be truly missed.
EVENING UPDATE: Please see other coverage higher up the WSB home page (here and here) for additional info; we did, however, just add the photos seen above, sent by friend Krissi. AFTERNOON UPDATE: Just checked the Red Cup door; the service for Angelia Paulsen is this Friday morning, 11 am @ St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Renton. Here’s the note that’s on the door:
ORIGINAL 9:23 AM REPORT: Meredith just e-mailed to say that Red Cup Espresso in The Junction is closed and a note on the door says its owner has died. 9:28 AM UPDATE: Another reader e-mail says the owner died in a traffic accident yesterday morning and services are this Friday. 9:40 AM UPDATE: Washington State Patrol public information officer Trooper Jeff Merrill just confirmed to WSB that 36-year-old Angelia Paulsen, Red Cup’s owner, is the woman killed when her car crashed on I-5 in South Seattle early yesterday. Citywide media covered that crash; thanks to “k” for finding a short mention in the middle of this Times “digest.”
That’s when you’re invited to join the WSB team and myriad fine folks for the announcement of the first quarterly West Seattle Community Recognition Award recipients, plus some general mingling. 
Location to be announced shortly. What are those awards we speak of, you’re wondering? Long story short, Julie Mireille Anderson from Divina wanted to find a way to celebrate some of the incredible people in WS, and hatched the idea, inviting WSB to help sponsor and coordinate. How could we resist? Good news is, there’s still time for you to nominate somebody. We originally explained it all here, and now there’s one update: You can get the nomination form in a Word doc (click here) so you can fill it out inline. (Explanatory info is in a Word doc too; get that here.) Nominate somebody right now, then join us on Jan. 18!
First: While out checking on the Seacrest diver rescue (see report below this one) and West Seattle bridge accident (second report below this one), we also drove along Alki and happened onto this amazing scene: Dozens of people crossing over to the beach at Pepperdock (first photo) around 2 pm, carrying red balloons, which after what looked like a moment of reflection (second photo), they released (third photo). Since we were in our car, we couldn’t ask who or what it was for – please post a comment if you know. 10:20 PM UPDATE: Finally found confirmation; a memorial gathering for a young woman who died.
Second: West Seattle’s Rainbow Girls braved the blusteriness at midday to collect Christmas trees outside the Masonic Hall in The Junction for the treecycling fundraiser we mentioned here on WSB. If you missed it, our other treecycling info is here.
From the WSB Events page and Weekend Lineup list: It’s not happening in West Seattle, but it features a well-known West Seattleite: Georgie Bright Kunkel (photo left) speaks at Elliott Bay Books at 2 pm today about the book she and husband Norman Kunkel co-authored to tell the story of his experiences during World War II and beyond, WWII Liberator’s Life: AFS Ambulance Driver Chooses Peace. (Among so many other writings, Georgie contributed her Christmas story “The Red Plush Coat” to WSB last month.)
First pic, Cub Scout Pack 793 in West Seattle; second pic, 598th Maintenance Company in Iraq. During what Pack 793 advisers describe as “their most successful popcorn-selling season ever” — more than $12,000 sold, beating last year’s record $9,000-plus — they collected community donations so they could send popcorn to the soldiers for Christmas — and that effort resulted in $710 worth of caramel corn, chocolate caramel crunch, and microwave popcorn going overseas. Why the 598th, you ask? One of its soldiers is uncle to one of the Scouts. (Read more on the Pack 793 website.)
… West Seattle’s 95-year-old discus champion Leon Joslin is featured in the Times today. Inexplicably, the article doesn’t name the “West Seattle retirement complex” where he lives, but we just got a note from Jerald (thank you!) adding some context:
He lives at The Kenney in assisted living. He’s a long-time WS resident and retired from real estate. The triangular office building across from the Original Bakery (Fauntleroy) used to be his and is still named after him.
The USA Masters Track & Field Rankings site has a longer list of his accomplishments.
Pix of this morning’s swim, courtesy of Dan E (thanks!):
Water temperature, by the way, was 48 degrees (warmer than the air, though!).
Also happening on Alki this morning – Harleys gathering for their annual New Year’s ride, south through Burien and on to Federal Way. Video of that in our next post; meantime, a few more Alki Polar Bear pix from Dan E:Read More
Nominate somebody for the West Seattle Community Recognition Awards. Quick, easy, free. If you missed our announcement just before Christmas, read it here.
WSB dropped in for a quick soundbite as the retirement celebration began this morning for Lien Animal Clinic‘s Dr. Larry King. We asked what he’s going to do now:
The clinic, of course, will keep going strong. Read more about it and its staff at the Lien website.
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