July 2013

Denmark, specifically Copenhagen, was a stopover for me and my new bride Elsbeth on our trip around Europe in the winter of 1968. I had lost my first wife to cancer. It was tough but getting remarried made sense, since I still had two young boys at home and they needed more than I could provide as a single parent.

I was lucky. I had known Elsbeth from her days as a waitress at the old Epicure Restaurant in White Center. It was a short courtship and marriage with a small coterie of friends in attendance.

Then, off to Yurp, as I like to say.

"Beth" was from Germany, near Düsseldorf. Ironically I was working at Boeing during WWII, building the very planes that bombed that city into dust. Beth dodged all the bombs and married a G.I. there, after the war. The marriage did not work out, leaving her in White Center with three young ones of her own to manage.

As I said, I was lucky. We combined our families and celebrated 43 years together before I lost her two years ago.

Firefighters and paramedics responded to the Port of Seattle's terminals (near Terminal 7A) at 4:40 p.m. on July 2 to aid a crane operator who reportedly suffered a cardiac event while in the crane's cab.

Upon evaluating the patient, it was determined he had not suffered a cardiac event (as originally reported by SFD) but was rather suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion.

News helicopters were hovering over the scene as the rescue operation proceeded. The patient was lowered 140 ft. to the ground by Seattle Fire's tech rescue team.

This story will be updated.

By Shara Wallace
HIGHLINE TIMES

Fire rips through Des Moines Marina
Emergency workers responded to a fire that damaged boats and spilled some gas into Puget Sound June 23 at the Des Moines Marina. The state Department of Ecology, U.S. Coast Guard and the Des Moines Fire Department were called to the marina at 11:09 p.m. with report of a fire.
Firefighters put the fire out and put an oil containment boom in place. The Seattle Times reported 12 boats were damaged in the fire and two people were burned slightly. Officials are removing damaged boats from the water, and a small sheen of gasoline was visible in the water near one of the boats.
All oil spills have potential to damage the environment, and they would continue to monitor the situations, officials said. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Bad smell forces jet to land at Sea-Tac
More than 300 airline passengers made an unexpected stop at Sea-Tac Airport late June 27 when their flight from San Francisco to Germany was diverted overnight.
The plane made an emergency landing when an irritating smell started making some passengers sick.

A carjacking that took place on July 2, led to the arrest of two suspects but that's the simple part. Police now say that the man who pulled a gun during a Tuesday evening robbery might have been trying to get back some stolen auto parts.

The Seattle Police Blotter said, "At about 4:15 pm, police received a report of a six-person brawl in the parking lot of a Subway near 38th Ave. and Delridge Way SW. As officers headed to the scene, they received information that a man involved in the melee had brandished a handgun just before two people involved in the fight had stolen a white 1982 Toyota Corolla and fled the scene.

As police were trying to sort out the incident, one suspected carjacker actually called 911 and said he wanted to meet up with officers.

***Remember All fireworks are illegal in Burien ***

From www.3treepoint.org :
The Three Tree Point Fireworks celebration is supported entirely by donations from the communities of Three Tree Point, Seahurst, Normandy Park, Seola Beach, Arroyo Beach, Arbor Heights and others.

Our barge based, high-altitude fireworks show has gotten better every year thanks to countless people who have donated time and money.

Our goal is to keep the fireworks and community celebrations at the same great level that they have been at. This will be the fourth year we are seeking corporate sponsors for our event.

We raise funds in May to ensure we have time to get all the permits, insurance and the best vendors.

Originally started by the Miller family as a gift to The Three Tree Point Community, the fireworks tradition was continued by neighbors when the Millers moved away.

In addition to the fireworks, the neighborhood traditions of pancake breakfast, kids games, flag raising with awards, bike parade and more have been ushering in summer at our great community. What a great place to live!

9am-11am

Jonah Spangenthal-Lee with the Seattle Police Department shares their yearly how-to on safely enjoying the holiday:

Once again, it’s that time of the year when we remind you that the possession, manufacture, storage, sale and use of fireworks (meaning everything but pop-it caps) is prohibited in Seattle, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Instead risking life, limb, a hefty fine and jail time, why not go see the great show the good folks at Seafair have planned for you at Lake Union? There will be three pie-eating contests at the event. Three.

If you do attend Seafair’s Fourth of July event, here’s a list of things they’d like you to leave at home:

Prohibited Items
The following items are not allowed on the premises: Personal barbecues, marijuana, alcohol, fireworks, pets, weapons, tent stakes, glass bottles, and knives with blades over 3″ in length.

The Blackbird men's clothing store, located on 2208 NW Market St, will be closing up shop after nine years in business so owner Nicole Miller can focus on wholesale sales of her more popular products, including Blackbird Incense Pyres, Beard Oil and Black Square Soap.

Blackbird will be having a "beers and tears" event at the store on Sunday, July 7, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

In addition, Miller said she will be having clearance sales to try and clear the store by the end of the month.

According to a statement she sent out, the decision was not easy to come by. She reflected on her time owning the business:

By Elizabeth Wang

Whether it’s capturing the last sun rays reflecting off the Sunmøre Mountains or the flickering city lights of Godøy, Norway’s Ørnulf Opdahl, contemporary landscape artist, embodies the essence of his hometown in his collection of oil paintings.

From June 28 to Sept. 1, Opdahl’s “Mood Paintings of the North” artworks are on display at the Nordic Heritage Museum –- Opdahl’s first solo exhibition in the U.S.

Using only a few darkly defined lines, Opdahl depicts the simplicity of light of his surroundings. Light in nature is what inspires Opdahl's work.

“It’s just like that. A strong light against a mountain and it moves you,” Opdahl said. “What I try to express is a special light from a distance and the light is produced by the climate and the nature coming together. I like to play along the edge of abstract.”

After living in Oslo for 10 years to study and teach art, Opdahl knew he wanted to return to his hometown on the Western coast of Norway to capture the mood of the glaciers, fjords and dramatic cliff faces he grew so fond of.

Not a nice homecoming after weekend away

June 23, 8:24 p.m., 100 Block of NW 74 St -- Coming back from a trip out of town, residents discovered that a burglar had broken into their house by prying open a side window. They said all their doors and windows had been secure before their departure.

The victims stated that the missing following were stolen:

• One Apple Silver Macbook AIR-Laptop ($3000) Serial
• Unknown amount of USC coins
• Seven Pairs of Misc Womens Earrings ($300)
• U.S. Passport

While officers did not carry out an on-scene investigation for latent fingerprints, victims consented to having several items taken as evidence for fingerprint analysis, including a couple of plastic child safety locks, a glass jewelry box and an empty glass tray. All appeared to be handled by the burglar.

Thirsty burglar leaves prints on juice bottle

June 24, 10:03 p.m., 5700 Block of Greenwood Ave N -- Residents left their home for just two hours, but that's all it took for burglars to move in.

By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

The Northwest is blessed with the right amount of sun and rain to grow the world’s most wonderful berries! I walked around my garden today and found strawberries peeking out from under big three-part leaves. Raspberries are hanging on the vines, but I am going to leave them one more day to turn a deep red before I pluck them, and the blueberries are green, but getting big.

Extraordinary berries make great, simple desserts. The naturally sweet flavor of fresh, ripe, local berries is hard to beat. You don’t need much to dress them up. With the assortment of local berries available at farmers’ markets and roadside stands, you need only a few good recipes. Berries are good sources of vitamin C, natural sugars and fibers, and they offer plenty of flavor and color. You can always serve plain berries for dessert. A European treat, I like to add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of brown sugar so the berries melt in your mouth.