August 2009

Cheryl grew up next door to us in West Seattle. She is a special person with a wonderful gift of self expression as she tells about her life that she lives with gusto in Alaska.

I have saved many of her emails that describe the new home that she and her partner Stewart have built with materials that had to be brought to a remote location at Sterling, Alaska.

Just recently she told me about her venturing into rural life by raising chickens with Gallo Grande ruling the roost. She lovingly cares for her flock, assuring her lone rooster that he will never have competition as he struts about the yard.

Raising chickens and a garden were all a part of this new adventure in moving out of Anchorage where she had lived for more than 20 years. The building period took a little longer as they had to hide indoors when bears were coming by in their migration pattern. But moose provide winter meat along with fish in abundance.

Stewart spent a very long day hunting for moose only to return to find a female moose and her young staking out a place in their yard. Of course females are not fair game and so the winter moose meat would have to wait.

Her first sail was at one week old. She learned to walk on the grounds of the Ballard Locks.

In high school one of her teachers gave her a nickname that she actually rather liked. Stefanie Dorn became "boat girl."

Along with her parents and younger sister, Jessica, Stefanie's home until college was either the F or G dock at Shilshole Marina. When she was 8 years old they moved from a 40 foot Taiwanese ketch into roomier quarters – a 52-footer named Irene.

She and her sister still had to share a room but when they were teenagers their father built them a privacy wall.

Bruce Dorn has owned a boat since he was 26 years old, the same age as Stefanie is now. After he got married he and his wife Andrea would summer on the boat but live on land in the winters.

Except Andrea Dorn noticed she seemed to see less of her husband in the winter because he needed to check on the boat. She decided to try "just one winter" as a live-aboard; they never moved off again.

The American Red Cross is collecting donations for a family left without a homes after a fire destroyed their house in the early morning of Aug. 24 at 10044 20th Ave. S.W.

The North Highline Fire Department responded to the call and were able to put out the blaze. The residential home, however, was completely destroyed affecting seven adults.

The Red Cross provided the individuals with shelter, food, clothing and other related support.

"All Red Cross assistance is free so if people would like to donate to our local family relief fund it would help families like the one from the fire yesterday," said Red Cross spokesperson Katherine Boury. "Donation information is available on our web site at www.seattleredcross.org."

According to Boury, the American Red Cross Serving King and Kitsap Counties responds to an emergency similar to this one every 42 hours. 

Red Cross assistance is free.  More information about the Red Cross can be found at www.seattleredcross.org.

The West Seattle Herald is working to obtain more details about this incident.

Secret Garden Books hosts and sponsors several author readings and events.

Events either take place at the bookshop, 2214 N.W. Market St., or at the Ballard Public Library, 5614 22nd Ave. N.W.

Upcoming events:

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 7 p.m. at Secret Garden Books
Nancy White Carlstrom, "It's Your First Day of School, Annie Claire"

At this Ultimate Tuesday event, which is every last Tuesday of the month, the author will read her own work and there are prizes for all listeners. Carlstrom (once an owner of the Secret Garden) is the author of more than 50 books for children, including the "Jesse Bear" series.

Wednesday, Aug. 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ballard Public Library
Matthew Amster-Burton, "Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater"
 

A joint White Center-South Delridge Neighborhood Community Safety Coalition Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at St. James Place, 9421 18th Ave. S.W. this Thursday, Aug. 27.

Also that night, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is hosting an Ice Cream Social in Cottage Grove Park, 5206 26th Ave. S.W.

Residents of North Delridge are encouraged to come and meet neighbors, play lawn games and more.
The events begins at 6:30 p.m.

For more information email northdelridge@gmail.com.

The Calvary Interim Housing Task Force released the minutes from its Aug. 6 meeting today.

According to the minutes, there remains no large problems with the SHARE homeless shelter located the old Calvary Lutheran building at 7002 23rd Ave. N.W.

According to neighbors, there have been problems with drug dealing in the neighborhood as well as the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Association soup kitchen that operates in the Calvary building. Both of those issues are unrelated to SHARE.

Security patrols operated by the SHARE shelter residents agreed to watch for any drug dealing and report it to police.

These security patrols, operated nightly have been greeted by neighbors, according to one shelter resident.

The soup kitchen that the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood operates on Mondays has lead to patrons sleeping in the church yard and decreasing the feeling of safety in the neighborhood, according to neighbors.

Pastor Steve Grumm of Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church, operators of the Calvary Lutheran building, agreed to talk to the association about having more supervision and shorter hours for the soup kitchen.

Hundreds of volunteers are needed to work at nine restoration sites along the Duwamish River at the semi-annual Duwamish Alive! work day set for Saturday, Oct. 17.

“This is the last big volunteer outdoor event of the year and a great chance for families to get out and pitch in to make our community and our hometown river a better, healthier place,” said Dhira Brown, People For Puget Sound Restoration Ecologist and event coordinator.

More than a thousand volunteers worked at 12 sites at the Duwamish Alive! Earth Day in April weeding, mulching, planting and cleaning up.  Volunteers are provided tools, gloves, instructions, and refreshment. Work on Oct.17 begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m..

October work sites include: Herrings House Park, West Seattle Greenbelt, Brandon Street Restoration Area, Gateway Park North, Roxhill Park, Hamm Creek Estuary, Duwamish Riverbend Hill, and Codiga Farm. A cleanup work crew using kayaks will also be organized.

For complete program information and instructions on how to sign up for work crews, click here.

Directed by Michael Bay
Rated PG-13
(Two stars)

If you’ve ever shared a house with an 8-year-old boy, you’ve undoubtedly had a close encounter with a Transformer—those toys that, with a few twists and snaps, morph from trucks into robots—probably in your stocking feet and with the unfortunate addition of a coffee cup in your hand (I’ve been there).

Two years ago “Transformers” took the popular toy line from being underfoot onto the silver screen. The film was a textbook lesson in how to balance bone-crunching CG action with a funny story about a hapless high-school kid who thought he was buying his first car, not a galactic warrior.

The result was one of the best popcorn movies of the year.

Now with the franchise’s second film, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” we get another lesson: that more is less.

The story picks up with our hero, Sam (Shia LaBeouf), heading off to college and saying goodbye to his girlfriend, Mikaela (Megan Fox), and his trusty Camaro/Transformer, Bumblebee (Bee to his friends). Sam doesn’t realize that trouble is brewing.

The Golden City lounge, a notoriously divey bar attached to the Golden City Chinese Restaurant just off Northwest Market Street, has recently expanded into the former Scream Barbershop space next door.

The new space houses a few extra tables, various arcade and pinball machines, a pool table and a giant Corona bottle.

Neighbors of the lounge, located at 5518 20th Ave. N.W., have had their problems with it in the past.

The owner of Scream, which closed in March, cited the negative impact the neighboring bar had on business as one reason for not renewing its lease.

Kevin Johnston, who works across the alley from the bar, told the Ballard News-Tribune in June that patrons spill out of the Golden City and smoke and drink in the ally.

The Ballard News-Tribune is awaiting comment from the lounge.

The deadline for the mayor's Small Business Awards nomination forms is Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2009 Small Business Awards. The 2009 awards will honor the diversity and excellence of Seattle’s small businesses, and their contribution to the city’s economic vitality and quality of life, according to the city.

Ten winners will be selected on the basis of excellence in management, entrepreneurial spirit, customer service, and community involvement.

“With innovative products and services, small businesses are vital to our community - creating good jobs and adding character to our neighborhoods,” said Nickels. “I hope you’ll nominate your favorite local business and tell us how it is making life better in Seattle.”

2009 marks the 25th year of the Mayor’s Small Business Awards program. Over the last two decades, the awards program has recognized more than 240 small businesses, many of which have gone on to experience significant growth.