July 2010

Art

Evergreen Fine Art Gallery-Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 17700 1st Ave. S., Normandy Park.

Loren Gallery-1,200 sq.-ft. unique art gallery. Next to Marina Inn Hotel. 22300 7th Ave S., Suite B, Des Moines. Local artist will have hangings and varied art pieces. Art walk reception will be held every 3rd Saturday of month. LorenGallery.com. 253-223-7015.

Vino Bello Wine Bar-636-F S.W. 152nd St. Burien. For information, 206-244-VINO.

Call for artists

Burien Arts-First Annual Juried Exhibition, Nov. 12, 2010- Jan. 14, 2011. Two dimensional art, size and medium open. All entries must be sent electronically by Oct. 15 to artrevue1133@gmail.com. $35 entry fee. $300 top prize. For more information visit artrevue1133@gmail.com

Poverty Bay Arts Festival-Sept. 25. Des Moines. Anyone interested in participating should visit the festival website at www.povertybayartsfestival.com for more details and download the Call for Entries application. The deadline for entries is Friday, July 23. For further information, contact Cora Morrison at: desmoinesflorist@gmail.com or Vickie Bergquist at Vickie@vickieinsurance.com

The Basics of Breathing

Q: How long can a human being survive without oxygen?

A: About 3 minutes, unless one stops breathing in very cold water. Sometimes a human can be brought back after an hour under those conditions.

Q: What vital organ consumes the most oxygen in the human body?

A: The BRAIN!

How on earth can you maintain a nice sunny disposition if you aren't getting enough 02 to the main computer of your body, never mind working out, positive thoughts or razor sharp decision making?

Imagine how much better you would think and feel just by properly breathing!

Breathing is a critical yet often overlooked part of our wellness. Because it's such an automatic bodily function, most of us have no clue how poor breathing techniques adversely affects us.

Sitting, even with great posture, isn't a very good position to breathe from. Yet in modern society, that's how most of us spend our days.

Our collective posture is absolutely horrible. No wonder we're crabby, sleepy, get in accidents and just want to flop in front of the TV (great for breathing, that activity) after work!

Correction: CSR Boatyard is the correct name of the boat yard in the Des Moines Marina. It was incorrectly identified in Earline Byers' column in the July 16 Times/News.
Also Classic Yachats also is open at the marina. It was inadvertently left off a list of businesses operating in the marina.

The Des Moines Marina is one torn-up mess with fences and construction machines of heavy equipment working everywhere. Recently ICMO Construction tore down about 20 dry storage sheds.

Dock Avenue is closed off to through traffic and the public boat launch is long gone. The only commercial businesses there now are Anthony's Homeport and CRS Boatyard.

Forget those tasty hamburgers - long gone too.

At first sight, the marina is a war zone of action we could live without and a price more than money. Imagine hearing piercing back-up machines beep, beep, beep, with regular doses of crash, bang, thud of digging, scrapping and loading. It's enough to try the soul of saints.

The city is following their marina master plan created over years of planning with citizens, city officials and experts.

We have known Norma Somers for over fifty years and last week I found that she once lived in downtown White Center.

At the time, the town was only about two blocks long but it was a busy crossroad. She was a young mother with two kids; she and her husband both worked at Boeing and rented a house from Art Mullen on 15th SW.

Mullen was somewhat of a pioneer, having arrived there around 1915, accumulated some acreage and opened a business.

When I arrived he was chairman of the Southwest suburban sewer district and instrumental in building the first sewage treatment plant for the Highline district at the mouth of Salmon Creek.

Norma went to Cleveland High and at age 18 she worked for Boeing as an Aero Mechanic, working on the B-17 airplane at Plant Two in a shop under the approach to the bridge crossing the Duwamish River. She was assigned to work rust proofing landing-gear assemblies.

That bridge is now closed but will hopefully reopen when King County and Seattle find the money.

After many years of working with The City of Federal Way at the Knutzen Family Theatre, Holly Rose has created her own musical theatre group at a new venue. With the support and aid of many community members and groups, Rosebud Children’s Theatre Conservatory will start its season July 5th.

With a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre under her belt, Rose has also undergone advanced training at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York. She has performed onstage as well as directed numerous plays and musicals. For the past 20 years, she has directed many children’s workshops and children’s theatre programs in Minnesota, Chicago, NYC and right here in Federal Way. Six years ago, Rose started the Summer Youth Musical Theatre program through Centerstage. This past year, after management was outsourced to a private theatre company, Rose decided to create her own program with the help of the parents of those she has worked with before.

The FUSION Summer Art Event is the highlight of the season in Federal Way. Don’t miss this year’s evening of Italian-inspired entertainment, fabulous Tuscan food from Metropolitan Market, exciting silent and live auctions, and fabulous creations for sale by well-known Northwest artists.

Your participation by purchasing tickets, shopping the creative artworks, and support of the auctions helps provide case management and other needed services and funds unit maintenance and HOA dues for our 15 FUSION housing units.

Under the Tuscan Sun
FUSION 2010 Summer Art Event
Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 3 to 9 p.m.
The Dumas Bay Centre, 3220 Dash Point Road, Federal Way, WA 98023
Tickets: $60 in advance or $70 at the door
Call Shirley at 253-941-0820 for tickets or additional information

Hiawatha Community Center
2700 California Ave. S.W.
206-684-7441

Hiawatha Kids Fun Fest
Friday July 16. Hours of fun featuring carnival games, refreshments, dunk tank, children’s entertainment, face painting & more. Entertainment starts at 11:15 a.m. and carnival games start at noon. Enjoy the Zambini Brothers, Hi-Yu Junior Court, The Balloon Buffoon Dude and Alley-Oop! There will be hot dogs, pop, juice, water, chips, and Sno-Kones available for purchase. Get an all day carnival bracelet for only $5.

Mediterranean Fantasy Fest
Saturday & Sunday, July 17 & 18, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. Enjoy this locally-sponsored festival that focuses on the dances of the Mediterranean area. The festival features non-stop music and entertainment, with over 275 dancers. Vendors will be selling a wide variety of ethnic crafts and goods. Traditional Greek food, will be sold.

Urban Forest Restoration at Longfellow Creek Work Party

When Congressman Jim McDermott appeared at the Duwamish Longhouse Museum and Cultural Center over a year ago he proudly announced his sponsorship of H.R.2678, the Duwamish Tribal Recognition Act he had just introduced to the House. As we reported in the West Seattle Herald, he told attendees at a dinner fundraiser there, including Tribal Chair Cecile Hansen, that recognition was within reach.

"I think there's a real chance we'll get this through," said McDermott June 14, 2009. "The other day we got six Virginia tribes recognized and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. I said to the chairman (of the Bureau of Indian Affairs), 'We're on a roll here.' What is important is the spirit of the Duwamish that has kept pushing. One could give up, and say the government of the United States is never going to follow the treaties it signed, or you can keep at it. That's what you've done, and my hats off to you."

Federal recognition seems no closer for the Duwamish Tribe now, a year later. So what happened to H.R.2678?

Duwamish Peninsula artists will accomplish a weekend “art take-over” of the historic Log House Museum in West Seattle July 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The airy museum porch and surrounding patio and gardens will host several artists from all mediums – watercolor, block print, oil, photography, sculpture, glass – some of them able to work onsite.

There is no charge for this event.

A 30 minute Alki history tour will be available on Sunday at 2pm and 4pm.
The art festival is located at the Log House Museum 3003 61st Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116 one block off of Alki Beach.

This 106 year old log building shares the history of the Duwamish Peninsula from 1851 to yesterday. The museum is served by bus, water taxi and free street parking is available. The museum is ADA accessible.

For more information about the this and upcoming events, please visit www.loghousemuseum.info

This column is about something too beautiful not to share. It’s about the convergence of community, weather, lifetimes and Sunset Hill Park. It just happens to be the story of my recent wedding.

Wooed over from the Maple Leaf neighborhood, Martin and his tribe married into my extended community of 22 years in Ballard and friends dating back five decades. He brought his Northwest past and present to merge with my hodgepodge of old neighborhood and new writing community, friends from my daughter’s passages through daycare, pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, soccer teams, pottery classes and mother-daughter book club.

But since starting this column, my ever-growing clan includes readers who offer estate jewelry when they learn of a need, roses from their gardens, lawn furniture and “whatever is needed.”

I’ve heard some couples mistake the wedding for the marriage, but who could resist planning a party to attract friends and family from across the globe? If it took marriage, so be it.