May 2010

Spring is here, and with it comes fresh fruits and vegetables. Now you can make delicious, low-salt fruit or vegetable salads any time. Keeping salt low is a big step toward keeping your blood pressure under control and your kidneys healthy.

A good cook once told me the secret to a heavenly salad is to add fruits, nuts and cheese. After trying the combinations below, I think you’ll agree.

Try this basic recipe and then have fun exchanging different fruits and vegetables for flavor year round!

Heavenly Salad

• 1 cup fruit (one or two kinds)
• 1 cup vegetables (one or two kinds)
• 1-2 cups lettuce, spinach or greens
• 1/2 cup nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazel nuts or pine nuts)
• 1/2 cup cheese, diced (goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, cheddar, jalapeño or jack)
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley or mint)

Try the following combinations for great-tasting salads:

Cantaloupe cucumber salad: cantaloupe, cucumber, lettuce, fresh tarragon, almonds, Manchego or other sharp white cheese.

Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, made an appearance May 8 at the Nordic Heritage Museum for Arctic Summer, a Nordic fashion show that was part of Sweden Week.

The fashion show was a chance for the Nordic Heritage Museum to shine a spotlight on the recent work of designers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

“Design is such an important component of Scandinavian life and culture, and we want to take the opportunity to share that,” Stina Cowan, manager of the event for the museum, said in a press release.

The first-ever Seattle Sweden Week, the brainchild of Swedish Consul to Washington Lars Jonsson, occured from May 2 to May 9. The celebration was organized as a tribute to the long shared history between Seattle and Sweden and to strengthen the current relationships between the two.

Elliott Bay was abuzz with tug boats and other water craft Saturday, May 8, for the Seattle Maritime Festival, featuring the 26th Annual Seattle Tug Boat Race championship races at Pier 66/Bell Harbor Marina on the Downtown Seattle waterfront. Alki and the trees above served as the perfect backdrop in the sunny afternoon.

Activities were held from May 6-8. The Festival was sponsored by the Seattle Propeller Club, in cooperation with the Port of Seattle.

The 2010 Honorary Chair is Bill Bryant, Commission President, Port of Seattle.This
Year over 40 tugs and workboats participated in the Championships, sponsored by U.S. Oil and Refining.

The West Seattle Herald was updated by Kevin Cooper, Captain, CFAV GLENDALE, that his Canadian Naval tug GLENDALE is pictured.
He explained that for the past five years only one tug, its sister tug, the Glendyne, has participated in the festival. This year his Admiral sent both tugs to show case their “Tugboat Ballet” and bring attention to the Canadian Navy’s Centennial Celebrations.

Art, science, and anthropods intermingled Saturday, May, 8, at the Artspace Hiawatha Lofts, 843 Hiawatha Place South, just east of the sports stadiums. Guests at the art opening, many attending from West Seattle, had close-up look at anthropods, or invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton.

These included cases of mounted large, colorful butterflies, moths, beetles, both tiny and giant, and crabs. Insect photographs, kitchen magnets, jewelry, and other artwork were for sale.

A highlight of the show, about a half dozen living “walking-stick” insects. Called phasmida from Malaysia, some were green like grass hoppers, others dark brown, over 8-inches long and clutched to a plant out in the open in the gallery. Brave passers-by clutched the insects and placed them on their shoulders.

The man behind the insects is expert Don Ehlen, who was there to answer questions. A few of Ehlen’s pals entered the gallery wearing pith helmets. His business card says, “Insect Safari Entomological Explorations.”

Artspace Hiawatha Lofts
843 Hiawatha Place South
Seattle, WA 98144-2836
(206) 709-7611

'Spring into bed' got a lot of people out to build gardens on May 8 in a city wide event whose local effort was seen adjacent to the Croft Place Townhomes at 6701 21st Ave. S.W. in the Puget Ridge neighborhood. The work in West Seattle was led by Ariana Taylor-Stanley from the Delridge Neighorhood Development Association.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE A SLIDESHOW OF THE EVENT

Taylor-Stanley said, " Delridge is a 'food desert' and there's nowhere to buy our fresh fruits and vegetables, so we're going to grow our own here at Croft Place. The residents here and I have planned this and we're ready to grow some vegetables…It's not stopping today…This garden will continue to grow throughout the season and we'll have more work parties to keep it maintained."

Original photos, drawings, pottery, paintings and more by Ballard High School students are on display at the Ballard Library now until May 28 as part of the Ballard High School Student Art Show.

On May 8 in conjunction with the Ballard Art Walk, there will be an artists reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the library that will include video productions and music from Ballard students.

The Ballard Library is located at 5614 22nd Ave. N.W.

Click the image above for more photos of the Ballard High School Student Art Show.

Even on her 100th birthday, longtime Phinney resident Johnnie Greer was ready with a joke.

"It's terrible," Greer said, responding to a question about how it feels to turn 100. "Terribly good."

Greer came to Seattle in the 1930s. She lived in Ballard in the 40s and 50s before moving to Magnolia. Greer has been a resident at the Norse Home on Phinney Avenue North since 1984.

She said she credits her longevity to the two wonderful sons she raised.

Family came from as far away from Oregon to celebrate Greer's birthday May 8 with a party at the Norse Home, which Greer said was wonderful.

Ballard Big Picture is a column of scenes from around the neighborhood. If you would like to submit a photo for use on this site and in the Ballard News-Tribune, please send it to Michael Harthorne at michaelh@robinsonnews.com. Be sure to include your name and information about your photo.

Sustainable West Seattle's Patrick Dunn, Gary Lichtenstein and other volunteers were busy Saturday, May 8, collecting tools both donated and purchased at four area drop-off centers for the West Seattle Tool Library. The library's grand opening is June 12th grand at South Seattle Community College's Garden Center. Workshops will be offered.

"We will have monthly workshops there at the Garden Center, and if someone needs an air compressor once in a year they don't have to buy a new one," said Lichtenstein.

"Our goal is to collect 1000 tools over the year," said Dunn. He said that a couple of weeks ago they collected over 100 tools at the West Seattle Nursery, and believe they collected another 100 during the collection effort May 8.

They ask that people donate more tools for the library Saturday, June 5, during the combination Sustainable West Seattle Festival, Delridge Days, and Healthy Food and Fitness Festival at the at the Delridge Playfield, Delridge Community Center, and the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – all three adjacent to each other and located on Delridge Way SW between SW Oregon and SW Genesee Streets.

The Second Annual Beaver Football Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Fundraiser is less than two weeks away. It is one of the key fundraisers for the upcoming Ballard High School football season.

The fundraiser takes place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on May 22 at the Sunset Hill Community Center.

Featured auction items include a free stay at a condo in Costa Rica, tickets to see the Seahawks play the 49ers in San Francisco, a tailgate party and tickets to Huskies vs. Nebraska football game, free pizza for a year, an authentic Greek dinner, and the chance to design a play for a Ballard High School game.

Click here to see the full list of auction items.

The cost of the fundraiser is $20 per person (includes two wine tastings and hors d'oeuvres), $35 per couple and $2 per additional wine tasting.

To download the fundraiser invite and registration postcard click here.

Mail your registration and fee to: Marilee Pearson, 101 N.W. 73rd St., Seattle, WA 98117.

Lake Washington jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the Ballard High School softball team by the end of the third inning and never looked back, cruising to an 8-3 victory May 7 with the help of six Beaver errors.

Ballard nearly equaled Lake Washington's offense with eight hits to its opponents 11, but the six to zero error differential was too much to overcome.

Freshman Lexie Gray went two-for-three with an RBI for the Beavers, and junior Jamie Thelan added a home run on one-for-three hitting.

The loss was Ballard's fifth in a row and dropped the team to 3-9 in KingCo and 7-9 overall.

The Beavers' next game is against Woodinville at 6:30 p.m. on May 10 at Woodinville High School.