May 2012

Highline Medical Center Foundation press releasee:

Saturday, May 19

Emerald Downs - Auburn, WA – Noon – 5pm

Making a positive difference in the health our community can be exciting! Saturday May 19th will mark the 4th anniversary of Highline Medical Center’s Hats On for Highline event hosted by Highline Medical Center Foundation.

As Highline’s most unique annual event, Hats On for Highline is the perfect mixture of fun, excitement and philanthropic spirit. Attendees to this Emerald Downs event enjoy a private indoor viewing facility, gourmet buffet, exclusive bidding booths and the opportunity to participate in a fabulous silent auction, raffle, and hat contest. Proceeds from this event will go to support important initiatives throughout the communities served by Highline Medical Center.

Poor dog … poor house
On April 30th a woman returned to her 35th Ave S.W. home after work to disastrous circumstances. The main floor was flooded with water and it was quickly drowning out the basement. On the main floor she noticed her computer tower lying on its side, partially submerged, with all of the cords unplugged. Investigating further, she found her Chocolate Labrador Retriever shaking in the bathtub – the only spot of respite from a soggy floor. The toilet was torn from the tile and water was gushing from the water line. The victim believes her dog, described as a “big baby,” probably startled the burglar as he was trying to steal the computer. Equally startled, she figures her canine companion fled to the bathroom and crashed into the toilet, breaking it away and causing the flood. The victim had homeowner’s insurance and flood recovery services were on site by the time police arrived.

Couple argues; bullet flies

Chef Don Curtiss and Managing Partner Michelle Quisenberry, the duo behind Ballard Avenue's Volterra restaurant are opening a second location in Kirkland, Wash.

The new 2,500 square feet eastside location is scheduled to open this fall.

Volterra - Kirkland will be located in the ground floor of a 101 luxury apartment building at 121 Kirkland Avenue, and will be big enough to accommodate 85 guests.

“We have many loyal customers who live on the Eastside, and with the opening of our Kirkland location, our guests will be able to receive the same Volterra experience without the hassle of dealing with traffic and bridges,” said Chef Curtiss in a press release.

Founded by Curtiss and Quisenberry, Volterra recently celebrated their seventh anniversary in Ballard. The restaurant is internationally-accliamed for their Tuscan-inspired menu made with local ingredients.

West Seattle High School “Westside Taste of the Arts”
St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church Hall
3050 California Ave. S.W.
Saturday, May 12: Arts display and culinary tasting - 6-7:30 p.m; Bye Bye Birdie - 8 p.m. Celebrate the talents of our West Seattle High students and support our arts programs. Student art will be on display, including photography, ceramics, painting and wood shop. Culinary arts students will prepare sumptuous appetizers. Music and performing arts students will showcase their talents in Bye Bye Birdie, a frolicking musical production. Tickets: $30/person at door includes 2 beverages, appetizers and 1 theater ticket. Evening proceeds will go directly to fund our culinary, visual, music and theater arts programs.

Special Mother’s Day Tea Dance with Dance for Joy
Camp Long, Main Lodge Room
5200 35th Ave. S.W.
206-648-7434
Sunday, May 13, 1-5 p.m. 1:10-1:45 p.m. - Mom’s Day Social; 1:45-2:45 p.m. - Lesson in Cha Cha Basics, all levels; 2:45-4:45 p.m. -Variety Dance with Waltz, Swing, Cha Cha, Foxtrot and more; 4:45-5 p.m. - Cleanup. Lesson and dance $15. Tea and special celebratory cakes and treats included.

In 1966 Dr. Roy Velling spearheaded a drive to have a special space travel themed Astro Park built in White Center. The successful venture was a thrill for area kids and was dedicated in November of that year by astronaut Richard F. Gordon taking a ride down the big rocket ship slide. The Space Race was going strong in the mid-60's. Timing was terrific for kids to imagine they were climbing the steps to blast off to the stars before sliding down the stainless steel ramp. King County owned and managed the park as it does today. 

     The park was in disrepair by the late 80's and was removed to King County's bone yard while a new updated play park was created. So what happened to all that Space memorabilia? We've written about the Navy fighter jet now on display at the Museum of Flight at Boeing on Marginal Way S.  We've never told you what happened to the 33- ft rocket ship slide because we didn't know.

Here is the rest of the story. 

By Kyra-lin Hom

Before I begin, I want to add an addendum to my previous column on the USDA Food Pyramid in response to a couple comments I received. First off, yes, the famous stacking pyramid is no longer the official USDA recommended nutrition graphic. It was first revamped into a vertically split triangle in 2005 and then again just last year, leaving us with the USDA Food Plate. This whole plate idea is designed to be a sort of eat by numbers system. It literally shows a plate and a cup divided into what the USDA designated the perfect portions for American Health in its 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

People shopping at Fred Meyer or passing by Shilshole Avenue N.W. on Sunday evening got a rare glimpse of a Ballard Terminal Rail Road locomotive. The train whistled as it went by and people quickly whipped out there camera phones to snap the train in action.

The three-mile track along Shilshole and the Locks is still active as the Ballard Terminal Rail Road continues to serve companies like Western Pioneer Shipping and Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel.

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

There is nothing like the Seattle Center with children scurrying as close to the International Fountain as they can get and then scooting out to avoid being drenched. I remember when the fountain was more rustic with large stones surrounding the huge streams of water which we all thought were magically programmed to spout to the music. It seems that at first there was a human in the power booth making it all happen. Evidently the rough stones provided some danger so they were removed to be replaced by smooth concrete.
If you had never seen an ikebana demonstration, a tea ceremony or origami, the Japanese Festival was the place to be. Ikebana is a true art form of arranging branches and vines with a flower focus in an interesting vase—and all according to rules established as early as the 15th century. As my friend and I were walking through the display rooms, a table of origami paper folding caught our eyes. Beautifully costumed figures had been constructed entirely from paper.

The baseball postseason is in full swing with playoff games making or breaking teams' dreams to go to the State championships.

The Ballard baseball team played their first playoff game against Issaquah on Saturday afternoon, which ended in a 1 to 6 loss for the Beavers.

Issaquah came out swinging, scoring three runs in the very first at-bat.

They increased their lead 4 to 0 in the third inning but Ballard managed to get on the scoreboard with one run in the second half of the inning.

In the fifth inning, Issaquah solidified their lead with two more runs. Chris Kahn came in to relief Caleb Jaeger, which put a stop to the scoring. Nkeiruka came in to relief Kahn in the top of the 7th.

Issaquah did not score again but neither did Ballard.

Ballard lost with a final score of 1 to 6.

Ballard will play a loser-out game against Skyline tonight at 7 p.m. at Inglemoor. Skyline lost on Saturday 4 to 5 against Bothell.

Swedish Medical Center in Ballard has 470 employees, 162 of whom are registered nurses. They are some of the first people we see when we visit the hospital and the ones we spend the most time with. From changing bed pans to helping mothers birth their children, nurses play a vital role in our nation’s health care. In fact, with almost three million registered nurses nationwide, they make up the largest group of health care professionals. 

During National Nurses Week we have the opportunity to put them in the spotlight and recognize them for their contributions to the health care system as well as our community. 

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6th through May 12th, which was the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of the modern nursing profession. 

"National Nurses Week is an important week for our profession. It's an opportunity to honor their roles not only as expert clinicians but also as leaders as we transform healthcare in the US," said Jennifer Graves, Nurse Executive at Swedish/Ballard.