West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
11:41 PM SUNDAY: Just in from Washington State Ferries:
Due to a lack of qualified crew, the following sailings are cancelled for Mon. 2/3:
4:05 am Vashon to Fauntleroy, 4:25 am Fauntleroy to Southworth, 5:00 am Southworth to Vashon and Fauntleroy, 5:50 am Fauntleroy to Vashon, and 6:10 am Fauntleroy to Vashon.
Beginning with the 6:15 am Vashon to Southworth sailing, the route will sail on a two-boat schedule. … Please see the two-boat schedule.
MONDAY 8:47 AM UPDATE: WSF says the three-boat schedule will resume as of noon.
11:59 AM UPDATE: Some context from WSDOT in this conversation with Maggie:
@SudsyMaggie Not game related. Staff shortage + Chetzemoka maintenance. We made over 200 calls to fill positions to no avail. cc @GovInslee
— Washington State DOT (@wsdot) February 3, 2014
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
8:16 PM: Fire and police are on the way to a “heavy rescue” incident at California/SW 106th. More as we get it.
8:47 PM: One-car crash; a man drove into a rock wall.
He was not seriously injured but was being given a field-sobriety test while our crews were there, and was handcuffed and taken into custody after that.
11:03 PM: Updating the location to California/107th, rather than 106th as dispatched. Christopher pointed this out but we had failed to note it here until commenter Gordon mentioned it.
43-8 – Seahawks are the champions!
7:16 PM: The Junction is full of folks celebrating – horns honking, jubilant shouts of “WOO-HOO” and “SEA-HAWKS,” 12th-Man flags waving – here’s a bit of Instagram video from California/Edmunds:
And of course, fireworks everywhere right after the game – heading north from Gatewood, we saw some 4th of July-quality. Celebration photos? Share ’em!
7:55 PM: The Seahawks have announced that the victory parade back here at home will be at 11 am Wednesday (February 5th). Route and other details to be announced. Meantime, another scene from The Junction:
More video shortly – while we were there, one group of exhilarated fans was marching back and forth across the Walk-All-Ways intersection.
8:17 PM: Update – the victory-parade route is in this story from our partners at The Seattle Times. And here’s our video from the celebration in The Junction:
More to come – including the video/photos we’re getting via e-mail – thanks!
9:31 PM: The crowd continued to grow – here’s video from Larry Murante showing a “SEA-HAWKS” chant in the intersection:
And a photo from Capt. Daniel Schwartz:
ADDED MONDAY: More intersection-celebration video, from Clove Burt:
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ever wish for advance alert of an upcoming meteor shower/eclipse/etc. – and/or wonder “What’s that bright ‘star’ up there?” – especially on these recent clear nights? Here you go! It’s our periodic feature by West Seattle’s own Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen, famous for her solstice/equinox sunset watches among other things.
(December 2011 lunar eclipse, photographed by David Hutchinson – more on the way!)
By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog
It finally cleared up a bit recently for the first time since December and got me thinking about what’s coming up for the year. So here I present for you an overview of what to watch for in 2014.
Right Now: Nova in M82
There’s another nova in our sky right now, though it is extremely difficult to see from the city, even with an amateur telescope. “Nova” classically means ‘new star,’ though nowadays we know that these so-called ‘new’ stars are just brightening of stars that were there before. This one, SN2014J, has apparently peaked in brightness, and is a telescope-only object. It’s in the galaxy M82, conveniently located off the tip of the bowl of the Big Dipper. If you plan on looking for it, leave the city.
All Year: Sun & Aurora, Saturn & the Moon
Don’t be worried, I’m not asking you to read that NASA graph in detail.
We have just passed the maximum of this 11-year solar cycle, so we can expect less and less activity on the Sun as time passes. Funny thing though, some of the biggest solar flares happen in the few months after solar max. Those amazing flares can, in turn, lead to aurorae on Earth as far south as Seattle, as well as significantly farther: even Colorado & New Mexico.
So many pre-game Seattle-vs.-Denver sideline challenges this week, hard to keep track of them all – but this one has a specific West Seattle component: Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) joined in the “United in Blue” food-drive challenge between the UMC’s in Seattle and the UMC’s in Denver. In something like this, EVERYBODY wins, since it means more help for those in need. Betsy Wharton shares the video put together today for Tibbetts after its part of the drive (featured on the WSB Super Bowl page) brought in 770 nonperishable food items for local food banks! Money too, but that’s still being counted. Fun video – thanks for sharing; go, Hawks! (And go help your local food banks if you haven’t done so lately – online, you can donate to the West Seattle Food Bank here, the White Center Food Bank here.)
(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
In this afternoon’s sunshine, with Super Bowl kickoff soon, the 12th Man flag flies beneath the Stars and Stripes at Alki Lumber. We featured the flag last month – but just in time for the big game, there’s something new beneath it:
(Photo courtesy Alki Lumber)
Alki Lumber owner Jim Sweeney died on Super Bowl Sunday two years ago; as of this week, there’s new landscaping and a memorial plaque beneath the flagpole. Matthew Pedersen, who shared the plaque photo, wrote:
It is only fitting that the memorial was completed just days before the Seahawks play in Super Bowl XLVIII. Jim Sweeney will always be remembered for his kindness, generosity, business savvy and advice.
We miss you, Jim!
One of the region’s most dedicated orca watchers, Alisa Lemire Brooks, recorded that video while watching the pod of transient killer whales sighted in central Puget Sound on Saturday, in the Edmonds area, thought at one point (as mentioned here) to be headed southbound for a while. For orca fans, we have to share this video in case you haven’t seen it already, particularly because of one moment – around 3:10, one of the orcas breaches, fully out of the water, and since they weren’t too far offshore, it’s a much better view than usual. The “transients” are also known as Bigg’s killer whales, and have one big difference from the “resident” orcas – they eat marine mammals such as seals and sea lions; the residents eat fish. Hat tip to the Orca Network, whose Facebook page is where we found the link to Alisa’s video.
Thanks to Bonnie for sending that GO HAWKS! scene from Lincoln Park, starting spot for the annual WSFA25K/50K, which has an estimated 200 people on the run right now. Other notes for today:
WEST SEATTLE ULTIMATE FAMILY FRISBEE: Special 10 am start time – and you’re urged to wear Seahawks gear. Walt Hundley Playfield. (31st/Myrtle)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm as always. (44th/Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE GREEN SPACE COALITION RALLY: WSGSC hopes to stop expected tree-cutting at the ex-City Light substation on Genesee Hill before its future is determined, and invites supporters to tie ribbons to trees and place signs, noon-1 pm, as previewed here Saturday. (50th/Dakota)
(Fog can’t stop the spirit! Saturday night photo by Micah Summers)
THE GAME! THE GAME! THE GAME! The info we’ve collected in recent days is all on this page, including game-watching spots you might not have thought of (for example, Highland Park Improvement Club – all ages). We also have a list of some of the businesses that have announced they’re closing early (or not opening today at all), but it’s NOT a full list – we’re sure there are many more. Basic advice – if you need to buy something, go early! And then, go, Hawks!
P.S. In case you didn’t see it on our Super Bowl page, here’s Barry White‘s video of 12th Man sightings around West Seattle (and a few other spots):
And Guardian One caught 12th Man spirit sightings from the air on Saturday night (before the fog grounded the law-enforcement helicopter for the night):
P.P.S. 24/7 news coverage continues here as always. You’ll find some non-football news here on WSB too as the day/night goes on, if you’re looking for an alternative or taking a break.
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