July 2013

Information from the Seattle Chinese Garden

Ray Pfortner, an educator and professional photographer based on Vashon Island, is offering his third annual photography workshop at the Seattle Chinese Garden. Anyone interested in photographing nature and distinctive architecture will enjoy this setting and enhance their skills with Ray’s coaching.

Places are still available for photographers at any skill level who own any kind of digital camera. The sessions are on two Friday evenings (July 26 and August 9) and two Sundays (July 28 and August 11) in early morning and evening to capture the garden in the best light and under a crescent moon. The workshop is limited to 16 participants. The garden is at the north end of the South Seattle Community College campus.

Pfortner’s work focuses on nature, landscapes, environmental issues, and gardens, especially Asian gardens. He teaches workshops in partnership with colleges, art centers, artist stores, and organizations regionally and nationally. Ray has a special interest in coaching new talent.

Evergreen High School Class of 1973 40th Reunion
Reunion weekend planned for July 26-27. For details contact Gloria Wenger Kores at 253-750-1125 or 206-380-9222.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206-937-7169
Our 40% off any one item of your choice continues through Saturday, so stop by daily and enjoy the bargains.  We still have a good variety of summer clothing and new items are put out every day.  All men's wear is reduced 40% every Sunday and items with blue tags are 75% off through July 27 and then $1.00 July 28 through July 31.  Early bird shoppers get double stamps on their customer appreciation cards every Monday 10 to noon, seniors get 20% off their entire purchase all day Tuesday, high schoolers with student I.D. all day Saturday and everyone on their birthday.  It takes just one 4-hour shift a week to volunteer with us and we'd love to have you.  The American Cancer Society shop is open Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and all other days 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Nature Stories and Games for 4-6 Year Olds
Lincoln Park (waterfront)
8011 Fauntleroy Way S.W.

   Do kids ride bikes anymore? I see scores of school kids walking through Burien coming from Highline High but rarely any on a bike.  Do they have them and only ride after school?

         I got my first bike when I was ten. My 12-year brother did not own one but on my 10th birthday, a Saturday, he pushed me out of our bed and told me to get dressed and that he had a surprise.

   I scrambled up, followed him down to the kitchen where mom gave us each a bowl of oatmeal porridge and a hunk of home made bread with oleo margarine on it.  

      I then followed him out the door where we set out walking, barefooted, up to a shopping center on Killingsworth st. On the corner, we went into a bike shop. Oh how glorious bike shops smell. I don't know why. Maybe the rubber tires.

He talked with a man and pretty soon Russ handed him 10 dollars and we left. I learned our Dad had a ten dollar bill in his wallet and my brother just "borrowed" it for a good cause. To buy me a bike!

Reporting misrepresented Ballard Smoke Shop

In the article, “How does Ballard stack up in residential burglaries?” The Ballard News-Tribune made an egregious error. Reporter Zachariah Bryan wrote, "There's not quite as many sailors picking fights at dive bars (if you excuse the incident at the Ballard Smoke Shop where a visiting tourist got a glass smashed in his face during Syttende Mai).”

However, as one astute reader pointed out, this incident did not occur inside the Ballard Smoke Shop. It started up the street -- the originating bar is not confirmed -- and worked its way down, ending outside the Smoke Shop.

The reader informed The Ballard News-Tribune, “The bartenders at the Smoke Shop do not tolerate rowdiness and fighting. They do not over serve their customers and they keep a watchful eye out for trouble.”

The reporting was irresponsible, based on hearsay and partially the result of a tired brain. We apologize for the error.

Information accidentally omitted in front page story

By Kyra-lin Hom

Hello again, everyone. I apologize for my absence last week. The cough I had been holding off for several days made a final charge to devastating effect. I was rendered rather witless without warning and was thus unable to complete my column. I am feeling much better this week. Despite my latest laser tattoo removal session frying the skin off my wrist, I'm doing quite solid. I'm able to eat again (and keep it down), the world is golden.

A further bright point is that my boyfriend is finally back in town. He was gone for a week working on a film set and then for another two weeks before that volunteering on a youth mission trip in Idaho. He came back bearing some great stories – both good and bad – and a few souvenirs for me. One of these is the devotional handbook (or 'devo') that was used by the organization overseeing the youth mission trip.

On May 7, KOMO published a scare-inducing report as part of their “What a Waste” series about the 14th Ave NW Boulevard Park, citing that locals don’t support it’s nearly $3 million price tag and the lost parking spaces.

The story comes seven years after work on the project started and after community meetings, meetings with the parks department, audits, designs, grant applications and more have already gone through.

The project in question is a proposed two-or-more-block-long, 29-foot-wide park on one side of the street -- where the old trolley line used to be -- between NW 59th and NW 63rd streets. The remaining side of the road will be repaved and opened up to two-way traffic. Thirteen inches of rain garden will run alongside the park and road, acting as a buffer. (You can see the whole design schematic here.)

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

What a ride—from birth to the end of life. In the farm villages of Europe it all happened in one limited area. The old and young mingled together in the concentrated villages surrounded by the expanse of farmland. There were always some elders to look after the younger ones. No need for paid babysitters or TV programs or hand held devices to entertain the young. Older, experienced human beings interacted with the younger generation.

Each age has its way of life. Toddlers once tootled about the house, opening the lower cupboards and playing with pots and pans. The older members of the tribe or extended family looked after the little ones and since they had expertise after raising a large family, they knew how to teach and entertain the young.

In today’s city living there is seldom the experience of lots of brothers and sisters to interact with. Small families focus on the one or two children in the nest, so to speak, and their every need is satisfied.

White Center's July Jubilee Days parade was a display of community pride, ethnic diversity pageantry, and fun on July 21 as they headed down 16th Ave SW. The theme of "The Good Ole Days" was carried out by Classic and antique Cars, Specialty, Novelty entrants, Drill Teams, Marching Bands, and commercial groups.

Awards were given out for those categories and will be posted to this story in an update.

All photos taken by Katherine Gooding, used with permission. Copyright © 2013 KatherineGooding.com

Kimberly Robinson is taking the West Seattle Garden tour and providing a series of photos and reports as she visits each location. NOTE we have added EXCLUSIVE to the West Seattle Herald aerial footage of the tour from Marty Riemer's Twisted Scholar Videography.

E Garden
Kathleen Kemp and Tad Davis
10602 California Ave. SW

Perennials and evergreen plants pack this street corner garden. Vines, Wisteria, clematis and honeysuckle along with Akekia vine and Ivy plus jasmine, minty agastache and trumpet creeper are all part of the floral array. Elsewhere gaurs, brown eyed susans, echinacea and fig grow profusely.

F Garden
Diane Kelleher
10710 Marine View Drive SW

Mature trees and a terrace with conifers mixed with plants and flowers are out front. In back are an entry arch in beautiful mosaic, a decorative Balinese themed goldfish pond, with a Japanese umbrella pine. Along the back of the house are camellia, azaleas, and yellow tree peony. Another bed has petasites, daylilies, daphne, choysia and Japanese Stewartia.

With the usual gang of Seattle Seafair Pirates, Seattle Seafair Clowns, Lake City Vigallantes, and the Keystone Kops, the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 20 also featured the music of the Seattle Schools All-City Marching Band, Kennedy High School Marching Band and the Calgary Stampede Marching Band.

The Parade Grand Marshall was Ann Adkins. Ann is retiring from the West Seattle YMCA's swim program after 40 years of teaching thousand of kids to swim. She also for years as a lifeguard, taught CPR, First Aid and Lifeguarding classes to hundreds of staff members. She encouraged decades of seniors to stay fit in the Arthritis Water X class and coordinated the schedules of dozens of staff every six weeks for swim lessons. In her spare time she raised many thousands of dollars for the Y's scholarship program, which allowed low-income children in West Seattle to learn to swim.

This year's parade was a bit lighter in attendance, possibly due to so many other events happening on Saturday around the area but the crowd was enthusiastic. The Rotary Club Kiddies parade was also very lightly attended for 2013.