West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Every night in April, in honor of Disaster Preparedness Month, we’re spotlighting something you can do to be ready in case of the unthinkable – simple steps, in many cases. And this one really is simple: Since it’s Easter and Passover, you may well have been seeing, or at least talking to, more of your out-of-the-area family and friends than usual. 
And they are the key to this hint: In case of a localized disaster – like an earthquake – you may be able to reach someone outside the area more easily than someone close by, so it’s important to pick a distant relative/friend who will agree to be your check-in point, then make sure everyone in your family has their phone number handy – so you can at least coordinate messages through that person, if you can get a call through to another area but not someplace locally. Put this person in your cell speed-dial, and in case land lines work but mobiles don’t, have their number in your wallet or something else you carry with you. Meantime, an option for checking in locally is to arrange to rendezvous at your nearest Emergency Communication Hub – there are now nine in West Seattle, chosen as part of a volunteer coordination/planning effort that’s been in the works more than two years, and it’s vital to know which one to go to if ALL lines of communication are down and you need to get information and/or help. They’re all on this map, which is part of the thorough West Seattle Be Prepared website, which was the subject of our Disaster Preparedness Month Night 1 report, while “getting important documents together and putting them in a safe place” was the topic for DPM Night 2.
Every Saturday morning, volunteers descend on some of West Seattle’s green treasures — for cleanup, for restoration, for a helping hand to make sure natural spaces survive in our city. One of them got some TLC today, and Mike Arizona shared the photo above, with this report:
On any given Saturday along West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek you will find volunteers working to restore the creek and the greens spaces that surround it to a more natural habitat. This Saturday was no exception!
Thanks to a energetic group of volunteers from Seattle Works, 500 square feet of the Delridge Natural Area was freed from invasive blackberry and the entire area was mulched and cleared of trash. Today’s volunteers prepared the site for planting of native plants and trees this fall.
Check out Longfellow Creek at www.longfellowcreek.org and learn how you can help preserve and enjoy a West Seattle treasure.
Most Fridays, our weekend preview features work-party listings around West Seattle for the following day; you can also check ahead for opportunities here and around the city via the Green Seattle Partnership website.
With highlights on the WSB Easter page including three outdoor sunrise services – including the annual nondenominational one at Forest Lawn and the three UCC churches’ gathering on Alki Beach – you might be checking out the forecast tonight. Right now, it looks promising – a chance of morning showers, making way for a partly sunny afternoon, says the National Weather Service.
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society sent word today that a 95-year-old Craftsman in the Admiral District known as the “Bloss House” has been nominated for city landmark status, and a hearing is 2 1/2 weeks away. Above, the house (4055 SW Holgate) as photographed by the King County Assessor’s Office in 1938, and below, 2010 (in a photo by Historic Seattle, which made the nomination):
Log House Museum director Andrea Mercado explains, “The Bloss House is unusual in that it is an early West Seattle craftsman with almost all original era styling inside and out.” According to the nomination document, its living room is “unaltered,” with features including leaded glass and unpainted mahogany, among the home’s many other distinctive features inside and outside, and its owner is only the third since it was built in 1915 – artist Ruth Ward has lived in the house since buying it in 1971. In addition to reading the nomination document, you can also look at its supporting photos and graphics in this document. The hearing is set for 3:30 pm April 21st, before the city Landmark Preservation Board, which meets at the Municipal Tower downtown; if you are interested in commenting on the nomination and can’t go to the hearing, you can e-mail your thoughts to beth.chave@seattle.gov. (The list of city landmarks in West Seattle gained two additions last year – the Seaview Building at The Kenney [WSB coverage here] and The Sanctuary at Admiral, formerly Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist [WSB coverage here].)
From the West Seattle High School Grad Night team:
YOUR MOTHER WILL LOVE COOKIE LEE JEWELRY FOR MOTHER’S DAY!!!
Go to the website for Cookie Lee, (www.cookielee.com), then place your order with Mary Toal, WSHS parent, by April 12th at : mary.toal@becu.org or at 938-2276.
All profits from Cookie Lee sales placed by April 12th will go to Grad Night 2010, to help keep our seniors safe on Graduation Night.
PLUS – all profits will be MATCHED BY BOEING EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION (BECU) – Please help us take advantage of this amazing and generous offer, and you will also enjoy high quality jewelry!!! Thanks Mary and thanks BECU!!!!
At the Southwest Community Center play area (video above), the preschoolers dashed – while the action at West Seattle Thriftway was more like “streaming in”:
Those are two of the egg hunts we checked out this morning. Like most, Southwest CC separated the hunters by age group – this photo is from the youngest group as they toddled around the back lawn, with parents close by:
Back inside Thriftway, eggs lined the aisles (the eggs are filled, by the way, by folks at Highlands Community Church in Renton) as the littlest searchers (who get a head start) went through:
Many egg hunts featured additional activities – at SWCC, kids could color while waiting for the big event:
And then there was the Eastridge Christian Assembly egg hunt at Lincoln Park:
They even had a bouncy slide:
And Eastridge was collecting diapers for WestSide Baby:
In all, those were among at least eight egg hunts in West Seattle this morning, including all five city-run community centers – Marco shared this photo from High Point CC:
Some local churches will offer egg hunts after services tomorrow, and St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church is even having one a week from tomorrow (April 11) at 11:30 am. ADDED: Thanks to Annette for sharing a photo collage from one of what we are sure were many egg hunts at private homes – this one in Gatewood:
This new restaurant’s opening (yesterday was the official Day 1) has been of so much interest, the arrival of its website is worth noting. Sue pointed it out in the comment section following our Wednesday night preview. It’s at heartlandcafeseattle.com – no menu posted yet, though. They’re on Twitter, too, at @cafeheartland. And if you’ve tried it and want to talk about it, there’s a thread going in the WSB Forums.
The 64-car Chetzemoka is the first new vessel built for Washington State Ferries in more than a decade – since the Jumbo Mark II class trio – and this morning it made its Elliott Bay debut, leaving Todd Pacific Shipyards on Harbor Island under tow, headed for some finishing work in Everett. We watched it from a spot just east of Anchor Park – one week after standing at almost the exact same spot, watching that visiting gray whale. According to the project page on the WSF website, Todd has a contract to build two more ferries like the Chetzemoka, which is destined for the Port Townsend-Keystone route, where the state’s been using a leased ferry since the Steel Electric-class vessels were taken out of service (the 2nd will go to that route as well, while the third is scheduled to run between Tacoma’s Point Defiance terminal and Tahlequah at the south end of Vashon). If you’re wondering about the name Chetzemoka, it’s explained here. ADDED 11:15 AM: A closer view from further along the journey (from a photographer who asked not to be credited):
EGG HUNTS: The storm lifted just in time. The list’s on the WSB Easter page, but in short – West Seattle Thriftway (indoors) at 9 am, all West Seattle community centers at 10 am, the Eastridge-sponsored hunt at Lincoln Park at 11 am. (*And a few minutes after we published this, C&P Coffee sent word it’s having an indoor hunt at 10 am.)
PANCAKE BREAKFASTS: Alki and Hiawatha Community Centers are also having pancake breakfasts ($4/person) starting at 8:30 am.
LOCAL STUDENTS PLAY BASEBALL AT THE SAFE: West Seattle High School plays Auburn Mountainview at Safeco Field at 12:30 pm. Admission is free; gates open at 11:30 am.
And two sales to mention …
MS-FIGHTING GARAGE SALE: One week before this year’s MS Walk in Seattle, Lisa‘s team (shown in a photo from last year) is having a garage sale today in West Seattle for one last fundraising boost. 9 am-3 pm, alley behind 3040 46th Avenue SW (map).
HOMEMADE BRIGADE: The bazaar-style gathering of local craftsfolk is back at Freshy’s Coffee in Admiral, starting at 10 am.
ALKI BIKE AND BOARD: Its annual spring sale continues today; full details online,, including snow gear up to 70% off (even as the mountain snow continues).
WHITE CENTER CAMBODIAN FESTIVAL: A big event just south of West Seattle – 10:30 am-5 pm, on 98th SW east of 16th SW (map), it’s the annual Cambodian New Year Festival; more here.
Lists courtesy of Square One Books
Great weather for cozying up with a book! A day later than usual this week (other news got in the way), courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her store’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:
Hardcover:
1. Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar
2. The Long Way Home by David Laskin
3. Solar by Ian McEwan
4. Shell Games by Craig Welch
5. Bite Me by Christopher MoorePaperback:
1. The Stieg Larsson Mysteries
2. A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
3. The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall
4. All About Lulu by Jonathan Evison
5. Shadow and Light by Jonathan RobbChildren/Young Adult:
1. Poppleton in Spring by Cynthia Rylant
2. Savvy by Ingrid Law
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan
4. Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett
5. The Warriors Series by Erin HunterTeen:
1. North of Beautiful by Justine Headley
2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
3. The House of Night Series by P.C. Cast
4. Fang by James Patterson
5. Twilight:The Graphic Novel by Stephanie Meyer and Young Kim
Square One is in Jefferson Square.
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