July 2012

The West Seattle Tool Library, whose primary location at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center is brick and mortar is going mobile. They purchased and outfitted a special 7 x 14 foot enclosed trailer with the help of sponsorships and the ongoing support of their growing 700-plus member community.

The trailer will be stocked with a variety of the most popular tools. It will allow for members who do not have a vehicle, who need a tool that doesn't fit in their vehicle or simply want the convenience of having it delivered, to do so for a fee of $10 each way. The mobile tool library will also be available to community groups who are working on a project and need a large number of tools on site.

Members will be able to request a pickup or delivery by contacting the library by e-mail at library@wstools.org or by phone at (206) 317-4671.

Photo via Creative Commons, by Ingrid Taylor

Updated with quotes from Steven Thiesfeld, Puget Sound salmon manager of the Washington State Fish & Wildlife Department.

Visitors at the Hiram M. Chittendem Locks will likely receive a nice surprise: sockeye salmon are cramming their way through the fish ladders, causing for a brilliant aquarium-like spectacle of fish.

As of July 8, the number of sockeye salmon that have passed through the Ballard Locks reached the 100,000 mark, according to a count conducted by Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. The pre-season forecast was only 46,000.

The count, which is now just under 120,000, is just starting a slow downward curve. July 7, also called the "50 percent day," is typically the peak of the season, said Steven Thiesfeld, Puget Sound salmon manager at the Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Still, this year is upsetting a trend of almost historically low counts. Last year, a total of only 42,000 sockeye were counted. In 2009, 21,000. And in 2008, 33,000.

Professional photographer Ray Pfortner, is holding a photography workshop at the Seattle Chinese Garden August 3, 4 and 26. Pfortner is also an educator whose work focuses on nature, landscapes, gardens and environmental issues.

In the workshop you will learn to:

• Improve your camera handling and composition skills by sharing the results of your shooting for in-class and online critiques.
• Offer exclusive early morning and moonlit access to capture this unique garden.
• Include a juried show of participants photographs. Learn how to select, frame, price, hang and promote your work for a show.

Workshop
 dates
 and
 times
 are:

Friday, 
August
 3,
 7–11
pm
 (moonlight
 shoot)
Saturday,
August 
4,
 7–10
am
 and 
3–7
pm
Sunday,
 August 
26,
 7–10
am
and 
3–7
pm

All
 sessions
 include
 shooting,
 discussions,
 and 
photo
 reviews.


Schedule 
will
 have
 some 
flexibility.


Enrollment
 linited
 to
16.
 Minimum
 age
 for 
participating
 is
14.


Tuition:
 $220

($200 
for
 Garden
 members)

On Sunday July 22nd at 2:00pm Zippy's Giant Burgers in White Center is staging their first Burger Eating Contest.

This is a classic all you can eat, speed eating contest in which contestants are given approximately 8 minutes to gobble, swallow and keep down as many plain "Little Zip" burgers as they can. It will be staged outdoors in the parking area.

The winner will get a trophy according to Zippy himself, or as he prefers to be called, Lord Zippy Blaine. "If you vomit you are disqualified," said Blaine laughing.

The entry fee is $10 but the total number that can enter is 20, so if you plan to compete, arrive early. Registration begins at 10am on the 22nd.

The menu will also be a bit different that day with "throw back" prices that are what they were when Zippy's first opened and only smaller burgers will be served.

Contestants must be 18 years or older and must have valid id and fill out a waiver form.

Zippy's Giant Burgers is located at 9614 14th Ave SW in White Center. Their number is 206.763.1347.

Under the looming threat of decapitation by a drug cartel with power and influence compared to that of Wal-Mart’s, O (Blake Lively – Gossip Girl, Green Lantern) decides to go to the mall.

This scene sums up neatly what director Oliver Stone’s (Platoon, Born on Fourth of July) new film, Savages, is about. The film seems to be a commentary on the dangers of getting mixed up in drug trafficking, a glorification of living in excess and an unconventional 21st century love story. All of this is diminished slightly by the movie’s central character, O (short for Ophelia, but she goes by O). It is hard to solely blame Lively for this. O is not only the least compelling of all the characters, but also a slap in the face to viewers anticipating a strong, female lead.

The film revolves around Lively and her two lovers, Chon (Taylor Kitsch – Battleship, John Carter) and Ben (Aaron Johnson – Kick-Ass). Kitsch and Johnson run an independent marijuana growing businesses and have achieved international fame for their exceptionally potent weed.

For Brett Phillips, the 36th District is not just a place he is running to represent in the Washington State Legislature. It’s home.

The 36th District race is packed with candidates this year, including legislative aides Evan Clifthorne and Sahar Fathi, Port Commission President Gael Tarleton, longtime political activist Linde Knighton and Majority State Director Noel Frame. They are running to take the seat vacated by State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle.

The Ballard News-Tribune recently grabbed a cup of coffee with Phillips at Uptown Coffee in Magnolia, the neighborhood where Phillips grew up.

He attended the school just down the road, Catherine Blaine Elementary, played little league baseball and became an Eagle Scout with local Troop 80.

He is a fourth generation resident of the district, he said, starting with his great grandfather Joseph Robinson. Phillips is the only candidate to have grown up in the area.

“I have a deep resonation with this community,” Phillips said.

First Tee, an organization whose focus is to "establish a lifelong interest in golf by engaging children in a structured golf curriculum taught during physical education classes, while positively impacting their lives and helping to ensure the vitality of the game," staged their Walmart Gary Adrian Memorial Golf Tournament July 9 to honor their "late coach, teacher, and friend."

The tournament, whose celebrity emcee was local humorist and TV personality Pat Cashman, saw dozens of golfers competing. There was a $100 per player entry fee to help support the organization.

Gary Adrian, the namesake of the event was, according to First Tee, "a man who dedicated his life to others. For 32 years Gary taught and coached in the Bellevue, Mercer Island, and Lake Washington School Districts and left an indelible mark on all of his students and athletes. He was an extremely positive man and his lasting message to all who knew him would be to care about all people and live every day to its fullest."

I am still smarting after reading that a Renton boy has been named president of Boeing and feel ashamed that I did not try harder when I might have made the grade during my eight years working there.

While I don't know all the facts of his promotion, I can't help but wonder if I had tried harder I might have won that honor.

I was not perfect, for sure, but I had a perfect attendance record and never played hooky and was a whiz at soldering wires together and spelling words like rhubarb.

I never dropped a bucking bar on anybody and never napped in the pilot's chair. I did hold the third shift record for racing down the tunnel of the plane on hands and knees from the navigator's chair to the tail gunner’s turret over the bomb bay to the back exit. Since they don't make that plane any longer, I think my record is safe.

I also did not excel at math or even attend MIT.

I was a beautiful reamer and only got stuck in the blacktop on the airport blacktop two times when I tried to take a shortcut while I was driving a fork lift truck during those hot days in July.

I made a few mistakes.

The Des Moines Farmers Market Foundation invites you to enjoy our first Annual Pancake Feed Fundraiser.

Join us on July 14th from 9 to 11am at the Des Moines Marina. For just $4 you can indulge in cakes, condiments and a drink while watching the boating activities in the Boardwalk Bistro.

All the proceeds will benefit the Farmers Market Foundation.

The Foundation is a non-profit whose sole purpose is a funding mechanism for the sustainability of the Farmers Market.

Get out of bed early, bring the whole family and come on down and enjoy the delicious food, watch the boating activity and support your favorite farmers market.

July is The Arts in The Garden at Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden! Join us for three wonderful events that celebrate the beauty and inspiration of the garden in July.

July: THE ARTS IN THE GARDEN
BUTOH performance: WANDERING & WONDERING, Saturday, July 14th 1-3pm FREE!
WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP: Painting Roses w/Susie Short, Saturday & Sunday July 14 & 15, 10am - 4pm
BOOK-IT REPERTORY play: THE FUTURE REMEMBERED, Sunday, July 22th, 1-2pm FREE!

Our free Butoh performance, Wandering & Wondering, is scheduled for Saturday, July 14th, from 1-3pm in the Seike Japanese Garden at HSBG. Join Joan Laage and her troupe as they weave the spell of Geisha being captivated by the sights and sounds of our beautiful Japanese landscape. Butoh is a post-WWII Japanese performance style that combines dance and mime to create a contemplative performance experience.