March 2009

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which runs the Log House Museum in Alki, is urging the preservation of the land-marked 100-year-old Alki Homestead Restaurant, previously Fir Lodge, since the January fire that damaged the building has made its future uncertain, according to a press release from the society.

"The Southwest Seattle Historical Society advocates protection and preservation of significant historic structures on the Duwamish Peninsula," read the release. "We nominated the Alki Homestead Restaurant building for city landmark status and the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board designated it a Seattle landmark on Oct. 18, 1995.  Then and today, the building needs preservation."

An early morning fire Jan. 16 damaged several parts of the structure including the dinging area and roof.

The Executive Board of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society states the following:

State transportation department maintenance crews re-opened the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Battery Street Tunnel a few minutes before 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22.

The Battery Street Tunnel was scheduled to be closed until 5 a.m. tomorrow, but crews made good progress with necessary maintenance and inspections. The viaduct was closed for its semiannual inspections on March 21 and 22.

In addition to structural inspections, the state and the City of Seattle coordinated maintenance and preservation work during this closure.

This weekend crews:

Searched for and removed loose concrete on the viaduct
Repaired expansion joints and damaged bridge rails
Applied a protective covering to exposed rebar
Serviced drainage systems and traffic cameras
Washed the walls of the Battery Street Tunnel, and inspected the lighting and ventilation systems
Tested the fire suppression systems in the Battery Street Tunnel

The state plans to release preliminary inspection results on March 27, according to a news release.

I was going to do a completely different topic for today, but something more impressive has taken its place. Have you ever had a garden, or plant question, that you can’t find an answer to? Try the Elisabeth Miller Plant Answer Line at the University of Washington Botanical Gardens. I’ll bet they’ll find your answer.

I often visualize these librarians accessing information at lightning speeds, working with huge databases built along moving sidewalks, housed in a gigantic labyrinth, lit with florescent lights and lined with plants of all kinds. Computers are buzzing and whirring, with lights flashing and bleeping, signaling their next challenging question. Tall ladders that whisk the librarians up to the stacks upon stacks of books, that are there waiting, ready, for that very detailed answer, to that very obscure query that just came in off the hotline.

The “Just-ask-us-phone” that lights up green, every time there’s a gardener in need of an answer. “Have no fear, Elisabeth Miller Library is here!”

Perhaps I’ve watched too much science fiction movies over the years.

It looks like a normal library.

Last week we received more devastating, albeit expected, news. Our national recession and our state’s rapidly increasing unemployment rate, now at 8.4 percent, the highest our state has faced since 1987, have significantly reduced our tax collections.

The state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council’s latest forecast projects our historic revenue shortfall to a daunting $9 billion — a quarter of our state’s budget. This figure represents the gap between our current budget commitments in education, health care, public safety and environmental protections and the revenues needed to support these commitments. This shortfall is higher than any witnessed in modern times and is among our nation’s most severe.

In fact, if we eliminated all state funding for our total state’s correctional system, our total higher education system, all the care for our seniors, and all the care for those with developmental disabilities — all those cuts combined would not bridge our shortfall.

Russian Americans Sergii and Masha Roata came from Tacoma to have their formal wedding photos taken, with a few spins thrown in, on Alki Saturday.

The White Center Food Bank is now open the third Saturday of every month, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Their first Saturday was today, March 21 and 28 families were served.

The staff and volunteers said that number will greatly increase as word gets out about expanded hours. The food bank is located at 10829 8th Ave. S.W.

“Our evening program has been so overwhelming with families that we decided to open one Saturday a month,” said Rick Jump, the food bank’s executive director. “If demand continues to increase, we will consider opening on more Saturdays. We have seen a 70 to 80 percent increase of families we now serve over the same time last year. The bad economy definitely has a lot to do with that.”

Registration begins at 10 a.m. and proof of address is required on each visit. The White Center Food Bank service area includes between Southwest 140th Street and Southwest Myrtle Street and between Highway 509 and Puget Sound.

The White Center Food Bank also welcomes donations to help meet the increased need in the community. Donations may be mailed to 10829 8th Ave. S.W.

My son Chris, who is now 20 mumble-something years old, would surely be embarrassed to see his name in print in relation to diapers, so don’t mention this to him please.

But I have to say that today’s baby bottom cover is far and away a different animal than what I had to use 20 some-odd years ago. I remember keeping safety pins stuck in soap so they would be easier to go through the folded cloth diaper, sticking my fingers more times than I could count with said pins (ouch!) and plastic pants that created a welcoming environment for diaper rash bacteria.

But I loved putting something so soft on my baby and knowing those diapers could be washed instead of thrown away. Not that I didn’t ever use disposables, I did, but the cloth just felt better.

And so I find that years later, much has changed about diapering. One Ballard Mom I talked to, Jennifer Kakutani, currently uses sign language as a way to communicate with her 2-year-old daughter, Alita, about potty times.

There are psychics, astrologers and fortune tellers and then there is Elisabeth Mose. She is not a psychic in the classic sense. She calls her work Guided Mirror because she "mirrors" the emotions of her clients in intuitive readings to co-create answers to life's questions.

She uses some of the tools you might expect, such as cards, but primarily creates what she calls a "self reflecting experience."

"I don't feel I am a fortune cookie", she said, "I have dialog with people and that's how it works. That is my personal gift of talking with people, hearing what they have to say, reflect it back, how they feel and that's how we come up with change."

Mose mentioned one client who had ongoing problems with adultery.

"We had an intense dialog about her feelings," Mose said," and we were able to co-create some answers for her. I mirrored her and I suggested she get in touch with her mother, and she did....and the situation is very much improved."

Mose was born in Denmark and has lived in West Seattle for nine years. She began work in this field in 2001 and consults with people all over the world, either by phone or in person, since she is an experienced world traveler.

In just a few weeks the Morgan Junction could see a new bar open that is unlike any other in the neighborhood.

The Feedback Lounge is located in the Beveridge Place's former home near California Avenue Southwest and Fauntleroy Way.

Co-owner Jeff Gilbert described their vision for the new establishment as “a rock bar…but nice.” Each of the three owners, Gilbert, Paul Larkin and Matt Johnson, have worked in the music industry in the past. Their passion for all different styles of rock music will be reflected in their new bar.

The bar’s three 60 inch plasma screen televisions will play various music videos including live concerts at The Gorge. Gilbert has gotten a license to program the entertainment himself and promises to play everything from KISS to Frank Sinatra and certainly a lot of local music.

The Feedback Lounge will also boast a promising collection of rock memorabilia from collectors around the area and a display of rock photography.

Toward the back of the venue a satellite bar, named the “whammy bar” will be surrounded by a collection of very unique and unusual guitars.

Three days after winning its debut game, the Ballard High School girls lacrosse team showed signs of its inexperience in a 17-2 dismantling at the hands of Bainbridge.

The Beavers, now 1-1, allowed Bainbridge to get a lot of shots on goal. Despite allowing 17 points, Ballard goalie Hannah Breton had 18 saves.

Jayne Barnes and Amanda Bryan were the two Beavers to score.

The lacrosse team will look to rebound against Eastside Catholic at 5:30 p.m., March 24 at Ballard High School.