October 2007

The statue of Leif Erikson is back where it belongs at the Shilshole Marina over undergoing an extensive refurbishing that included. Staff at Artech, an arts preservation company used walnut shells and ground glass to blast away corrosion on the 42 year old statue. It now sits in a new Scandinavian plaza and an unveiling ceremony will take place on Oct. 7, 3 p.m. "It looks better than we ever thought it could be," said Kristine Leander, president of the Leif Erikson International Foundation. Foundation Board member Mary Englund was glad to see the statue refurbished. "It's wonderful.

Caesar, 22 pounds, takes his morning stroll down Northwest 58th St., along Ballard Commons Park.

Four year old Davyn Waters runs to first base after hitting a baseball thrown by his mother. Waters seemed to enjoy the brand new playing surface at Loyal Heights Playfield.

A hand crafted sign warns of events skyward. The sign was at the alley entrance to the Ballard Building.

The only sun that shined in Ballard Commons Park Saturday at the fourth annual Sustainable Ballard Fest weekend was this fold-out sculpture, constructed by Port Townsend artists headed by Thaddeus Jurczynski, center. Left is Eddie Griffiths of Wallingford. Right is Karen Starling, of Port Townsend. The sun sculpture opens to reveal a depiction of a sustainable eco-village. It was commissioned by the political organization, the Bakbone Campaign.

Despite the rain recently, St. Alphonsus Parish School officially opening the new playground on the first day of the school. The Rev. Rogelio Barcelona blessed the shiny, new structures, and eighth-grader Lucy Kelly cut the ribbon that opened the playground for use. The new structures were funded through the Fund-a-Dream campaign at last year's annual school auction along with sales of handmade ceramic tiles to individuals, families and local businesses.

Seattle public officials love to spend a lot of time and money "getting the pulse of public opinion, but sometimes the gap between the "show" and the "tell" is more like a yawning chasm.

Ref. 67 will cost you

By Don C. Brunell

Referendum 67, which will appear on the November ballot, purportedly targets insurance companies, but make no mistake, it's all about money - your money.

It will mean more money out of your pocket for higher insurance premiums and more money in the pockets of the attorneys who are pressing the lawsuits.

Let's be clear. People should be fairly compensated for legitimate losses as quickly as possible and, in the vast majority of cases, they are.

Ballard will not gain anything, in my opinion, from reelecting Jean Godden to the Seattle City Council.

Regarding your editorial on high rents: That's about the size of it, Jack. I fear that many of our friends and neighbors would rather there be no lower income people in Seattle, although they are probably reluctant to acknowledge that sentiment even to themselves.

After all, we scruffier sorts are prone to doing things that leave the city less "livable," such as leaving our '73 Camaros up on blocks in the driveway and wearing sleeveless undershirts out in public.