Got room in your home, heart and life to help raise puppies to become guide dogs? This Monday night, there’s a chance for you to find out what’s involved and whether you can help. West Seattle See Dogs, a puppy-raising club for Guide Dogs for the Blind, “needs volunteers to spend a year or so teaching puppies good house manners and introducing them to the world,” according to organizer Ruth Oldham. As the Guide Dogs for the Blind website puts it, “As a puppy raiser, not only will you discover the delight of a four-footed, wet-nosed companion, you will join a community of like-minded people all working toward improving the quality of life for people who are blind.” The meeting’s at 7 pm Monday, Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) at 2326 California SW (map), and you’ll get to meet some of the “puppies in training.” If you can’t make the meeting but would like to find out about getting involved anyway, e-mail seedogs@comcast.net or call Ruth at 206-953-0268.
I just wanted to let you know that coyotes have been very active in our neighborhood the last two nights. This morning at 4 am there was one in front our house yelping and running up and down the street (4000 block of Fauntleroy Way SW) along the West Seattle Bridge between the pedestrian overpass and the light at 35th. It was having a fit because there was another coyote on the road (West Seattle bridge) running back and forth between the east and west bond lanes trying to figure out how to get over the chain link fence to join it companion. We watched them for over 10 minutes before they both headed towards the pedestrian overpass. There wasn’t much traffic at that time of the morning on a Saturday, but it could be deadly other days of the week.
Thanks to Trina for mentioning this on our Facebook wall: The USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is coming to Bremerton tomorrow – just a quick stop to pick up friends/family for a “Tiger Cruise” down to its homeport in San Diego, after a half-year-plus deployment, but this December, it’ll be back for maintenance at Naval Base Kitsap. We haven’t yet nailed down the best time range you’re likely to see the carrier off West Seattle shores, but so far it looks like early-to-mid-morning. (U.S. Navy photo, from Nimitz’s recent visit to Thailand)
(Photo by Ronn Dunnett, provided by Matt Chamberlain) Matt Chamberlain may be the most famous West Seattle musician you haven’t heard of – or haven’t heard much about. But there’s a strong likelihood you’ve heard his work, given everyone with whom he’s played/recorded. And now he’s e-mailed WSB with news that DRUM! Magazine has included him in its list “15 Greatest Groove Drummers of All Time.” Here’s an excerpt he shared from the writeup by Sam Pryor:
By creating a singular groove, Chamberlain became the first-call L.A. session drummer (sorry, Josh Freese). The diverse artists he has recorded with mirror his enormous ability to fit into any situation. Majorly pliable, Chamberlain’s skills (both physically delivered and occasionally programmed) have appeared on more than 200 albums, including those by Fiona Apple, The Wallflowers, Stevie Nicks, Dave Navarro, Master Musicians Of Jajouka, Garbage, David Bowie, Keith Urban, William Shatner, Shakira, Sean Lennon, Sarah McLaughlin, and Dido.
If you noted the L.A. reference – he spends a lot of time there working, but lives here. He explained in his note to us, “My wife and I have been residents of West Seattle for over 15 years … I live here and travel quite a bit but this is always home to me.” The “Top 15” list is in the April issue of DRUM! – which isn’t online yet (though Chamberlain has posted the full text on his website), where we also found word (scroll below the DRUM! mention in the text box on the home page) that he’s playing with Pigeonhed in a benefit at Seattle club Neumos tomorrow.
Low tides this time of year aren’t mega-low (here’s the chart) – but low enough to happen onto sights like that one, photographed by Eve at Lincoln Park on Friday. In the note accompanying the photo, she wondered why there’s such a wide color variation among the common sea stars, as demonstrated in these two. We did find at least one scientific paper that suggested an explanation – but perhaps someone with a little more user-friendly marine-biology knowhow has a simpler answer!
When we checked in with the proprietors of Eness Restaurant – which moved into the ex-Beato/Ovio/O2 space at 3247 California – they had hoped to open this week, and indeed, they achieved their goal. We got a tip they’d opened quietly on Thursday night; no signs on the door or phone-answering on Friday, but co-owner Khadidja Romari Belambri confirmed by e-mail early today that they’re indeed open for business. Their website’s not up just yet – soon, Khadidja says – but they’re open Tuesdays through Sundays, 5:30-10:30 pm, and hoping to add Saturday/Sunday brunch in about a month. (For more on Eness, here’s our original January report.)
(44th SW, looking north from SW Spokane [map], photographed late Friday morning)
Spring officially arrives at 10:32 am. Some of what you can do today in honor of the new season’s arrival:
STREET SCRAMBLE: This “urban scavenger hunt” comes to Alki to open the 2010 season. If you’re not registered yet, too late to do it online, but you can do it in person at the site before the scheduled 9:30 am start – it’s suggested you download forms to get a head-start – read more about how it works here.
PLAYGROUND CLEANUP: 10 am, be at Delridge Community Center Playground to help neighbors, friends and community leaders shine it up – and tidy surrounding areas – for spring.
WANT TO TALK SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS? Your School Board rep Steve Sundquist hosts one of his community chats, all welcome, 11 am at High Point Library.
BUY NATIVE PLANTS: Help the West Seattle Backyard Wildlife Habitat program by buying native plants at the gonatives.com sale, 3225 47th SW (map), 11 am-5 pm.
That’s a tow truck finishing the two-step process of pulling a flipped car back to the upright position, about an hour after that car overturned on Delridge at Willow (map) around 1:10 am. The second car you see in the video was parked when the black car hit it, police told us at the scene. They say someone from the flipped car was taken to the hospital, though we don’t know how badly they’re hurt. The crash happened in the northbound lanes at a wide spot in the road, so Delridge wasn’t closed to traffic for long – cars were directed around the wreckage, using the center and southbound lanes.
Borscht and Bagels
Delridge Produce Cooperative’s second annual gathering
This time last year, a bunch of neighbors assembled to meet each other and celebrate the idea of working cooperatively to bring fruits and vegetables to our neighborhood. This year, it’s time to put the pieces together and make it happen! We’ll discuss the various options available, and together design the stepping-stones to get where we need to go! Join us for a light lunch of soup, bagels and coffee. Children welcome!
Got room in your home, heart and life to help raise puppies to become guide dogs? This Monday night, there’s a chance for you to find out what’s involved and whether you can help. 
Thanks to Trina for mentioning this on 
When we checked in with the proprietors of Eness Restaurant – which moved into the 
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