September 2010

An attempted robbery didn’t work out last Tuesday when two suspects approached a man headed for his parked car behind his house. One of the robbers ran up to the victim with his hand in his waistband and said, “I have a gun, let me see your phone, what kind of phone is it?” The victim gave up his phone. Just then, the victim’s friends emerged from the house and startled the robbers, who turned and fled. The robber who threatened with the gun dropped the phone and lost his Seattle Mariners baseball cap in the process, ending up with less that he started out with. Officers searched for the suspects but did not locate them. The Mariners cap was placed in evidence.

The Seattle Department of Transportation plan to close the eastbound, curb lane of the Admiral Way Bridge on Thursday September 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The crews will repair a drain on the bridge.

Those of you who have been reading my column for awhile know that every year I return to the summer cottage on Martha’s Vineyard that has been in the family since 1962. I try to write a few columns ahead of time while still breathing Ballard air, but after a few weeks the 97 percent humidity wipes my brain clean and I regress to my Massachusetts roots.

In the midst of the everyday drama that’s inescapable with nine people in a flimsy cottage packed between another 350 cottages in similar circumstances, my family always asks, “Are you going to write about this?”

Sometime they are asking to be helpful, other times it is out of fear. (The view from the upstairs bathroom looks out directly over the outdoor shower).

There are moments (many) that add new definitions to “living out loud.” We answer our phone when it is the neighbor’s phone that is ringing and sometimes give ourselves away by laughing at things we weren’t meant to hear.

Call for Vendors for Arts & Crafts Fair
Burien’s J.F. Kennedy Catholic High School’s Arts & Crafts Fair is set for December 4, 9-4 p.m. The Fair features hand crafted items and unique gifts. Vendors contact Julie Chaplin 206-431-6662.

Irish Dance Lessons
West Seattle VFW Hall
3601 S.W. Alaska St.
Mondays & Tuesdays in the late afternoon & early evenings. Join the Comerford School of Irish Dance and be ready to show off a few jig steps for the holidays. Open to children and adults. Information at 206-935-3225.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
All items with pink tags are $1, Friday, Sept 24 through Thursday, September 30. The Discovery Shop is open on Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All other days the Shop is open for customers and donors, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Discovery Shop always needs new volunteers, especially for Sunday afternoons. Please call 937 7169.

Admiral UCC Dinner Auction
South Seattle Community College
Jerry M. Brockney Center-Ballroom
6000 16th Ave. S.W.

“We’re the Eastside Mariners, the only Mariners to win” Says Mariner manager Rick Park.

The Sierra Division leading Mariners took another step towards the PSSBL Championship with a 7-4 victory over division rival Ravens to go 2-0 in the playoffs. The Mariners compiled a 20-3-1 regular season record on tough pitching and timely hitting.

That trend continued today when trailing the Ravens 3-0 the Mariners exploded for five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Mariners manager Rick Pack believes it’s because “We have a team that never gives up. We never panic when we’re behind because our pitchers know that our team is going to come back”. Pack also believes part of the Mariners success has come from good draft choices.

The Mariners were PSSBL Champions two years ago, and have their eyes set on winning the title again- despite having the oldest team in the Sierra Division- 35 years and older- with an average age of 46.

Mariner pitcher Brian Pattillo got off to a good start throwing two scoreless innings. But in the third inning the Ravens put together two runs and added a third run in the fifth. Pattillo battled through this and kept the Mariners in the game.

Finally settled into their new home, the administrators and teachers (and volunteers) at Westside School held an Open House Sunday, Sept. 19 to introduce their new digs to the community.

They moved in over the Summer and had a lot of work to do to get the E.C. Hughes building ready for the school year. See our previous coverage here.

Paul West and Linda Williamson brought their pre-schooler Dawson by to give the school a look. "We like this room," they said referring to the kindergarten class room. They are typical of some parents in their search for educational choice. "We're considering some other choices in the same area that we want to check out before we make a decision."

"The dynamics of the school have changed dramatically (in the new building) because we have two outdoor play areas plus the huge playground, plus the gymnasium, plus a real library. It just goes on and on and on," said Kindergarten teacher Marsha Lovely.

During a men’s baseball game in White Center, at Mel Olsen Field, Sunday September 19, a player was injured in a collision with a base runner.

The Highline Fire Department was called and responded in a few minutes and began to immobilize the injury. An aid unit arrived shortly after and completed the immobilization. The initial diagnosis by paramedics was a broken left Humerus, the upper arm bone between the shoulder and the elbow. He was lifted onto a stretcher and taken to Highline Hospital’s emergency room for examination and treatment.

The injured player is identified as Jeff Ekler. No word on his condition has been reported at this time.

Every where you go, you hear “don’t eat fat, don’t eat sugar, don’t eat salt!” But, the problem is sugar, fat and salt add flavor to foods.

So, if you give up these three flavoring agents, does that mean a lifetime of meals that are flavorless and bland? No it doesn’t, and the answer lies in a secret ingredient many of us have forgotten about: fresh herbs.

Buy them fresh, keep them fresh

Buying fresh herbs at the grocery store is easy. The trouble comes in keeping them fresh.

Once you get your herbs home, cut half an inch off the bottom stems and place them in a jar of fresh water. Make a tent with a plastic bag and place it over the top of the herbs. Store them in your refrigerator for as long as two weeks. (Basil should be prepared in this same way but stored on your counter, not in the refrigerator.)

Change the water every few days, and occasionally cut the stems again.

Use more fresh herbs and dry leftover herbs

The Ballard High School girls swimming team opened the 2010 season with a close loss to Roosevelt High School 97-88 Sept. 17.

The Ballard foursome of Annemarie Thayer, Gailyn Portelance, Janine Walker and Kylie Brown took the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:58.17.

Thayer also took first in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-meter backstroke with a state-qualifying times of 2:13.26 and 1:00.79 respectively.

Portelance placed first in the 100-yard fly in 1:03.18 and the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:12.20.

Ballard's Miller won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:35.18.

The 200-yard freestyle relay was won by Ballard's team of Thayer, Brown, Portelance and Miller.

Next up for the Beavers is Newport High School at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Ballard Pool.

Issaquah High School blew away the Ballard High School football team in the Sept. 17 KingCo opener, putting up 53 unanswered points.

The Beavers were down 13-0 by the end of the first quarter and 27-0 at halftime. It was the worst loss suffered by Ballard since 45-0 loss to Newport on Sept. 17 of last season.

Ballard (1-2) gave up six rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns to Issaquah (3-0). Issaquah's Taylor Wyman led the scoring assault with three rushing scores.

The Beavers look to rebound as they continue KingCo play against Inglemoor High School (1-2) at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Pop Keeney Field. Inglemoor beat Ballard 35-0 in their meeting last season.