August 2009

I knelt down on one knee, while simultaneously crunching a miniature birdbath, trying to get a shot of my wee, in-ground garden.

I lay down beside it and still couldn’t get the angle that I wanted. Besides, my faded perennials were in the background. Yuck.

I squatted down on the miniature pathway, twisted ever so slightly and dislodged a bunch of the stonework. Dang!

I knelt down again, this time I was sure I got myself in the right spot. Uh. No. And, um, I couldn’t get out of the position either – I need to do more yoga.

There has to be a better way.

I love problems. I’m one of those people that never say die. At a young age, I don’t know exactly when, or how, I discovered there are ways around everything - everything - you just have to find it.

So, when I came across the problem of documenting my in-ground miniature garden, I kept trying different ways to photograph it and I really had to figure out something.

We are in the midst of house hunting and my beloved garden that is finally all together, and looking just lovely – has to be moved soon. Which is why I want to document the heck out of it.

Seattle School Board member Steve Sundquist held another “Coffee with Steve” at Uptown Espresso near the Junction Wednesday, Aug. 26 and about 10 parents and PTSA members shared questions and concerns with him about their neighborhood schools.

While the teachers union has reached a tentative contract agreement with Seattle Public Schools, Sundquist explained that as he has been part of the negotiations, contract specifics could not be discussed until the contract is ratified in about one week. School starts Sept. 9 in Seattle.

Sundquist did say that Seattle students have much to look forward to this year.

“The IB (International Baccalaureate Diploma) Program offered at Sealth High School has gotten the attention of lots of middle class parents,” said Sundquist. “Some parents from the West Seattle High School geography are taking their kids down to Sealth. But there are also more AP (Advanced Placement) classes at West Seattle High School, so I think you’ll see that get calibrated over time.”

It's the last day of business for GreenGo Food, the tiny restaurant at 5402 20th Ave. N.W. But, the mood in the fast, healthy food purveyor is anything but funereal.

There are two reasons for this. One, the restaurant is hopping on its last day, keeping owners and sole employees Heidi and Dylan Stockman busy and breathless.

Second, and most importantly, after GreenGo closes its doors Aug. 28, the Stockmans, including their 4-year-old son Cypress, will be packing up and moving to Mexico to work on a farm, fulfilling a life-long dream.

Dylan said GreenGo, which opened in February but was operational at farmers markets before that, was originally started so that they could eventually sell it and use the money to start a farm.

"When our friend came to us and said, 'We have a farm,' that was a no brainer. That was easy," he said.

Heidi said the restaurant isn't closing for a lack of business, though it always could have been better. ("OK, we failed miserably at marketing. We accept that," she said.)

The main reason for the closure after half a year in business is the toll owning and operating the restaurant was taking on the Stockmans.

Smokin' Pete's BBQ
1918 N.W. 65th St., 783-0454
Monday-Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Smokin' Pete's is one of those places we've overlooked for quite some time, based on a long-past visit that yielded little pleasure. We pass the former butcher shop regularly and talk more among our selves about the custom handbag shop across the street.

Maybe it's because we really liked the old butcher shop and never really made the adjustment to Smokin Pete's. We wondered who Pete was and why he smoked. But, for whatever the reason, this place was off our radar.

When driving by recently, we noticed an incredibly rich, sweet and smoky aroma. We commented that if the food tastes anything like it smells, we'd best get ourselves in again for a return date with some barbecue.

So in we went, and when we spotted a soccer mom and another soccer mom with their soccer children, sitting quietly and working studiously through big plates of brisket and links, washing it all own with pints of micro, we felt the endorphin factory kick in.

Seattle Public Schools Building Excellence III Program has released another update on the construction of the co-joined Denny MIddle School and Chief Sealth High.

"Last month, the Project 1 contractor completed the retaining wall along the east property line as well as continued work on the sewer line along with east property. Grading for the north parking lot was started and will be completed by the first week of August.

This month, August, work for Project 1 will include site asphalt paving at the north parking lot and east road.

For Project 2, installation of the short aggregate piers will be completed by the end of this month. The Project 2 contractor is starting the interior renovation of the main classroom building for Chief Sealth. Foundation work will also be starting in August along with site work including grading, excavation and underground utilities for the new Denny school.

Installation of some storm sewer piping and connecting to the existing sanitary manhole in Southwest Kenyon Street, 260 feet east of the Southwest 26th Avenue intersection will take place Aug. 10 through 21.

On Aug. 27, shortly after 10 p.m., employeess of a business in the 600 Block of North 34th Street were preparing to close for the night when a man entered the store, according to the Seattle Police Blotter.

The suspect appoached the employee and demaned money. The employee did not believe the suspect was serious and told him “No.”

The suspect then produced a silver handgun from his waistband. The suspect then robbed the store and fled in an unknown direction.

The employees called 911 after the suspect left. Officers from the North Precinct responded as well as K9 officers, but the suspect was not located.

The suspect is described as a black male, 20’s, approximately 6 feet tall, wearing a black hoodie, red shirt, black “beanie” cap, with his face partially covered.

Seattle Police robbery detectives will handle the follow up investigation.

This morning, Aug. 28, shortly after 3 a.m., witnesses observed a vehicle westbound on the West Seattle bridge at a high rate of speed.

The vehicle swerved and struck the north side jersey barrier and then deflected across to the south side barrier. After striking the south side barrier the vehicle tumbled and came to a rest on its tires facing westbound.

The driver and sole occupant was unresponsive and was not wearing a seatbelt. The Seattle Fire Department responded and worked on the driver before transporting him to Harborview Medical Center where the driver died from his injuries.

The driver was a male and 27 years old.

Just the thought of boats has drummed up countless daydreams since the dawn of time.

The explorers in their tall ships bound to discover new lands. Lewis and Clark battling the mighty Columbia before it had dams. Sailors setting out to circumnavigate the globe. Fisherman fighting Mother Nature’s most vicious elements for the deadliest catch. And that idyllic still moment, watching the sun set as the silhouette of a sailboat disappears into the horizon.

We are fascinated by water craft and their fearless captains. And Ballard knows this more than any ‘hood in town. Here, it’s just as fun to get up close and personal with boats as it is to watch and daydream about them from a distance.

And what better way to get a glimpse of real boat life, than to visit the Ballard Locks—as boats go in and out, up and down. This marvel of engineering is a mesmerizing activity for all ages.

The 80-year-old Ballard Building on the corner of 22nd Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street is getting a colorful and, according to some, much needed facelift.

Crews will be painting the six-story building, which is home to the Ballard Athletic Club, Lombardi's Italian Restaurant and many other businesses, over the next few weeks and should be done by the end of September, said building owner Lowen Clausen.

Clausen said the building badly needed a point job, and most other projects in the neighborhood are currently on hiatus.

"It's a good time to do things to brighten up the area," he said.

"Brighten" is an apt word for the design of the Ballard Building's repainting.

Linda Cohen, principal at lsc design studio and a Ballard Building tenant, helped design the new color scheme, basing it on a street of variously colored buildings in Copenhagen.

Brian Heidsiek, principal at SandBox Industrial Design and another tenant of the Ballard Building, helped with the design as well.

He said he would have gone for a more sedate aesthetic for the building, but Clausen wanted something brighter, which turned out looking very cool.

A penguin died Aug. 25 at the Woodland Park Zoo. This is the second bird from the zoo's new penguin exhibit that has died in the past two weeks.

According to a zoo press release, the penguin appears to have died from complications related to a suspected case of avian malaria, a parasitic blood disease transmitted by mosquitoes.

The 21-year-old bird had been undergoing intensive medical treatment, including a blood transfusion, for avian malaria since it began presenting symptoms last week, according to the press release.

The first penguin's death was attributed to ingestion of a sealant material from a pipe in the exhibit.

Subsequent tests of tissue samples revealed the presence of avian malaria in the first bird, which may have contributed as a secondary factor to his death, according to the press release.

As standard procedure, Woodland Park Zoo animal health staff will perform a postmortem examination and order diagnostic testing to determine the exact cause of death of the second bird; it can take up to two weeks to receive complete test results, according to the zoo.