December 2009

Adina Roberts was riding her horse Toby near Lincoln Park and the Fauntleroy Ferry dock when we spotted her.Toby is a seven year old Appaloosa Quarter horse cross. Her color is gruello also known as Blue Dun. She has a dorsal stripe along her back and she has beaver stripes on her legs.

"There's only one in ten thousand horses that are this color," said Roberts. Roberts got Toby when she was only ten months old.

Roberts was in the military and she had just gotten out of basic training, "She was in a back yard and there was a little sign that said 'Horses for Sale' and I saw her and I knew her color is just really rare and she was just such a cute little baby that I couldn't pass her up. She was a baby, baby, and I've had her ever since."

She was riding Toby bareback. "I usually ride with just a halter but we were going to the park so I figured I might as well put a bridle on and give her antlers (see photo)." Roberts keeps Toby at 26th S.W. and 100th near Safeway in a large backyard.

The Tukwila Police Department is holding a "Tip a Cop" fundraising event Friday, Dec. 4 at the Tukwila Claim Jumper Restaurant, 5901 S. 180th St., to benefit the families of the four Lakewood police officers gunned down on Sunday. The event is from 4-11 p.m.

One of the murdered officers, Sgt. Mark Renninger, was a former member of the Tukwila Police Department.

After leaving military service in 1996, Renninger joined the Tukwila force. He served as a patrol officer and SWAT team member. He was also a former president of Tukwila's police officers' guild.

In a press release, the Tukwila department said, "Mark was an outstanding police officer and a well-liked member of the department during his time with us."

Unlike his three colleagues slain at the same time, Renninger was not an original member of the recently-formed Lakewood Police Department.

He left Tukwila to join the Lakewood department a few months after it formed.

The skills Renninger brought from Tukwila were very valuable to the new department, according to Brian D. Wurts, president of the Lakewood Police Independent Guild.

A cherry picker style crane was used to lift an inflatable christmas carousel decoration atop Jack Menashe's hedge near his house on Beach Drive.The Menashe family, owners of Menashe Jewelers in the junction have likely the largest display of christmas lights in West Seattle every year. During the process, people slowed and stopped to gawk at the elaborate work underway.

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The Historical Society of Federal Way recently held elections and elected the following people as officers: President, Gerald Knutzen; Vice-President, Maureen Hathaway; Secretary, Dick Caster; Treasurer, Craig Mayers.

The Board of Directors was also elected and are as follows: Lynda Jenkins, Bert Ross, Don Miller, Bob Roper, Ed Opstad, Jim Eichholtz, Lou Olmstead, Paul Gulliford, Pat Diviney, Jim Cron and Gayle LaRue.

The Historical Society of Federal Way is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm. For more information, please call 253.945.7842 during business hours.

The Burien Elks are planning an afternoon dance on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

Enjoy an afternoon of ballroom variety dancing from 1- 3:30 p.m.

Music is by Evan and Charlie Brown. The lodge is located at 14006 1st Ave. South. Elks membership is not required. Donation fee is $4. A partner is not necessary.

For more information, call 206-243-7044.

Des Moines officials are seeking public comment on a couple of city projects.

The Des Moines Planning Agency will review draft Marina District Design Guidelines at a public meeting on Dec. 7 from 7-9 p.m. The meeting will be held in the city hall council chambers, 21630 11th Ave. S, Suite C.

Participants may provide thoughts and ideas on design issues affecting the downtown neighborhood.

For more information contact Denise Lathrop, planning manager at 206-870-6563 or dlathrop@desmoineswa.gov. The agency can also be contacted at planning_agency@desmoineswa.gov.

The city is also in the final stages of developing and adopting the Des Moines Hazard Mitigation Plan.

As part of the plan development process, staffers are asking for public input on a draft plan.

The final draft version of the plan can be viewed and commented on at www.desmoineswa.gov/hmp.

Virginia Pearce, owner of Burien Books since 1959, died last week at the age of 95.

Her long-established Burien business, the charming independent neighborhood bookstore located on Southwest 152nd Street, is one of the oldest stores in Burien.

Following her death, it will be closed or sold.

Pearce's bookstore has a cozy, old world charm which still reflects her personality. Customers can browse to melodic symphonic music playing softly in the background.

"The shop has a little of everything but specializes in children's books and always had a wonderful supply of classics," said former employee Elizabeth Desimone.

According to Desimone, Pearce could tell you about all of her books--she knew them all.

She was a real life example of Meg Ryan's character, Kathleen Kelley, from "You've Got Mail" and the nostalgic "Shop Around the Corner."

"She got to know a lot of people. Customers would keep going back as they wanted to give her the business rather than the book chains," said Desimone.

Pearce did not use a computer to record book sales or inventory but according to Desimone, she was the perfect sales lady.

The kids and I got home right before 5, grabbed some pillows and plopped down in the den to watch Obama’s Dec.1 speech about his plan for Afghanistan.

It felt as if it was an every day occurrence rather than something that has only happened a handful of times.

We are basically a non-TV household, which led me to believe we are therefore a media and political-free household. But I was wrong.

“Why are those people all wearing grey?” my son asked immediately.

“They’re in school training to be in the army,” I replied.

“But I saw a woman. Women can’t be in the army.”

“Yes, they can.”

“You said women never start wars and people in the army fight in wars.”

“Uh… that’s generally true. But women want the right to be in the army as well.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Shhh, let’s listen.”

One minute later he asked, “How did the men use the planes to kill so many people?”

“Remember how I told you about the airplanes being full of gas and then flying into the World Trade Center? That’s how.”

“Is that going to happen again?”

“I hope not. That’s what Obama is saying he is trying to prevent.”

A handful of third and fifth-grade girls from Loyal Heights Elementary are running laps around the playground on a chilly weekday afternoon. They are running to build healthy bodies as well as self-confidence, friendship and a sense of identity. And, also to get the wiggles out.

The girls are part of the Loyal Heights chapter of Girls on the Run Puget Sound, a nonprofit started in 2002 as part of the international Girls on the Run organization.

Girls on the Run's mission is to prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.

"It's been enlightening," said Carmen Hudson, head coach of the Loyal Heights group. "We're starting to address topics that they are going to encounter in middle school."

So far, the group has discussed issues like drugs, bullies and the pressure put on women by the media.

The Girls on the Run curriculum ties these lessons into healthy living by creating physical activities related to the message.

On Dec. 1, the topic was community service. The biweekly meeting opened with the girls standing in a tight circle facing the person in front of them. They then tried to slowly sit down on the lap behind them.

It was a double debut showing in the Thomas Jefferson High School gymnasium Monday.

For the Raiders it was an impressive non-league overall season opener that ended as a 60-47 win, while for the Todd Beamer Titans they were still pleased with the team's effort in the loss.

"I'm not worried, I'm excited," said Beamer head coach Heather Sugg. "It was a good first outing. We did a lot of good things. We played well for missing two starters."

Assistant coach Rick Daley agreed.

"From one year ago to now, we've made vast improvements," he said. "Our attitudes were great."

Starring for the Titans was 5-foot, 5-inch junior Shyla Akins, who swished in a game-high 28 points.

Hannah Kiyohara, a 5-8 senior guard, led the Raiders to the win with 21 points.

"There was some good stuff," said TJ head coach Jerry Krueger. "We had a good solid effort. There was a lot of mistakes, but they were first game things. Hannah Kiyohara was her usual self. She has the ability to do things with the ball."

Backing Kiyohara up with 14 points was 5-9 freshman guard Jada Piper.

"It was nice to see our freshman come out and have a good game," Krueger said.