West Seattle, Washington
03 Monday
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
With marine life facing increasing challenges to survive and thrive, you might wonder, who’s the next generation of people studying to help them?
Answer: People like Lola Taylor, a third-year student at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, with an interest in marine animals. She’s a 5th-generation Seattleite who grew up here in West Seattle and graduated from Chief Sealth International High School. She is currently president of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine Aquatics Club, which specializes in bringing speakers on the topic of veterinary work for marine animals, as well as offering lab work opportunities for students in the field.
(Officers of Aquatics Club at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, from left, Isabelle Hughes, VP; Katelin Buckley, treasurer; Lola Taylor, president; Katie McDonald, secretary. Photo: Ted S. Warren)
Taylor views her work as a crucial element of the dynamic we have with local marine life. “Humans are the reason marine animals end up in rehabilitation centers, and if humans are causing the issue, they have a responsibility to resolve the issue.” she said.
Her passion started here in West Seattle, on the shores of Puget Sound. As a child, she often visited her grandparents in The Arroyos. She was in second grade when she started taking her visits seriously as a way to engage with local aquatic life. “When I went to the beach, my mom said, ‘If you want to be a scientist, they record the things they observe, so you should take a notebook with you’.”
She started noting as much as she could about the local sea-star population (only now recovering from catastrophic losses): “I’d write down colors of starfish, how many there were, if they were dead or alive, and if one was drying out in the sun at low tide, I’d take it back to the water.” All of this, she said, gave her a solid foundation and appreciation for how deeply connected we are to the life on our shores. “My parents instilled in me respect for animals and the environment from a young age, and it’s shaped the course of my volunteering and career path.” she said.
(Photo courtesy Lola Taylor)
She has continued to work locally, helping animals both on and off shore. During high school, she volunteered with the Seattle Aquarium‘s “Youth Ocean Advocates” program for three years, contributing more than 400 hours of her time. Her relationship with the aquarium has continued, as she’s recently had opportunities to shadow the veterinary work there and continue to build connections. She’s also helped with the Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network here in West Seattle. She remembered fondly volunteering at the Alki Art Fair this summer with the group, doing education work while tabling: “I signed up for a 2-hour shift and kept talking the entire time, I hadn’t even realized two hours had passed – one of my fellow volunteers said ‘are you sure you want to go back to school after this?’”
Her dream is to be able to further this work after graduating from veterinary school. She said that while the field of aquatic veterinarians is very competitive, with limited spots, she is dedicated to the cause no matter what path she might follow. “Even if I don’t end up in the dream of working 40 hours a week at an aquarium, I hope to be able to give back volunteering.” she said.
Currently, her club is raising funds for a trip to the University of Washington‘s Friday Harbor Laboratories, in the San Juan Islands. The trip will allow them to tour the laboratories, as well as participate briefly in some of the work there, and see both local Salish Sea marine species and ways they help treat them. They’re fundraising mainly to provide transportation and housing for the trip, as they’re hoping to accommodate the whole of the club – around 30 students.
She’s hoping to share her passion for Pacific Northwest marine life with her fellow students who are from elsewhere. “A lot of students in our club are students from the East Coast or [other land-locked states] who have only really seen Pullman, this is a great opportunity for them to see the Salish Sea.” she said.
If you want to donate to help her club’s cause for further education about local marine wildlife, and help inspire a future generation of doctors and scientists who could help our local marine life, you can find their page here. The campaign runs only until November 12th, and she says time is of the essence so they can make the trip.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In these chaotic times, nonprofits have to rely on direct community support more than ever.
That’s why Impact West Seattle seems made for this moment.
But the “giving group” of West Seattle women is far from new – it launched seven years ago, collecting modest donations from members each quarter to amass a large gift for a collectively chosen organization. Back in May, we reported on Impact West Seattle passing the milestone of half a million dollars given.
The group’s latest quarterly gathering filled the big upstairs room at the Center for Active Living last Thursday night, as members learned about three nominees for this round of funding – this time, under the theme “Hyperlocal West Seattle” – and made their decision.
But first, they heard from a past recipient – another tradition at Impact West Seattle meetings, to hear what’s happening with an organization they’ve supported.
NORTHWEST IMMIGRANT RIGHTS PROJECT: Last quarter, IWS donated more than $21,000 to NWIRP. Development director Aarti Khanna told the group Thursday that NWIRP’s work has intensified further, given that immigrants “are under severe attack.” So, she told IWS members, “You’ve had more of an impact than you could imagine.” What they’re doing now, in addition to helping detainees, includes “know your rights” presentations and working toward “systemic change” – “We’ve already sued the government several times this year.” What do they need most right now? she was asked. They’re looking for pro-bono attorneys (who do not have to be immigration-law specialists).
Next, the three pitches for this quarter’s funding. Distinctive to Impact West Seattle’s format, the pitches are not made by officials or representatives of the organizations, but rather by IWS members.
A CLEANER ALKI: This volunteer coalition, founded by Erik Bell, does its work far beyond Alki, elsewhere around West Seattle and even off-peninsula. IWS member Pam, presenting the pitch, declared Bell a “hyperlocal hero” and showed the REI-made video featured here last winter. She explained that A Cleaner Alki does far more than pick up trash – its work parties also focus on “sprucing,” such as clearing away vegetation blocking line of sight. Last year alone, A Cleaner Alki logged 289 organized cleanups and 4,700+ volunteer hours. And she said the organization needed funding because it lost a state grant that had helped cover the cost of tools, supplies, and upkeep on the donated van used for cleanups. She summarized ACA’s work as “community-building as well as community-cleaning.”
SCHMITZ PARK CREEK RESTORE: This project was pitched by Molly, who said she happened onto it “in my neighborhood one day.” She gave a bit of Schmitz Preserve Park‘s history (which we covered at the restoration group’s launch), and the mission of the group: They’re partnering with community groups, schools, and public agencies; it’s a city park but “resources for parks don’t get fully funded” so this would be supplementary. They’ve been working from the outside in to clear and restore. “Their idea is to keep enhancing the trail systems that are in there” – mostly “social trails” – and “someday make it a salmon run again.” It’s a place to “be Seattle’s classroom around heritage, scholarship, this incredible resource … huge trees, beautiful birds …” She also recounted UW students’ design concepts for restoration (as covered here) “to really vision out what could happen at the park over time” and noted that regular work parties are happening, with a big event planned in November to get 400 native plants in the ground (sign up here to help). The restoration group now has 501(c)(3) status, she added.
WEST SEATTLE HELPLINE: This is the West Seattle Food Bank‘s program providing emergency assistance to struggling families, to prevent homelessness. IWS member Charlynn said the need for this assistance has increased by about 30 percent a year, every year since 2020, and it’s not going to drop any time soon, with landlords in King County filing an average of 27 eviction cases a day. The people who are being evicted are neighbors in need, Charlynn said: “These are our neighbors – their kids are going to school with ours – I kept going back to those [news stories about] eviction notices, and my heart keeps breaking.” She was asked a variety of questions about what clients can use the money for – not discretionary spending, but rather housing costs, Charlynn explained.
VOTING: This was open to members not in attendance, via online voting, as well as those who were there, via QR code. West Seattle Helpline was the winner, so that WSFB program will get more than $21,000 from Impact West Seattle. Group leaders also invited members to support the other nominees if they’re moved to do that.
ANOTHER VOTE: The group also voted on topics for next year’s giving – four themes, one for each quarterly meeting. Here are the dates, topics, and descriptions, from the newsletter sent post-meeting:
January 22nd (Thursday) – Issues Impacting Basic Needs – Ensuring everyone in our community has access to essentials like food, housing, and employment. Includes efforts to address housing instability, homelessness, food insecurity, unemployment, and to support low-income residents.
April 27th (Monday) – Issues Impacting Children, Youth & Families – Helping kids and families thrive through support, education, and opportunity. Includes youth development programs, child advocacy, family support organizations, and initiatives addressing legal or social issues impacting children.
July 21st (Tuesday) – Issues Impacting Social Justice & Inclusion – Building a more equitable and connected community for everyone. Includes organizations addressing racial and social justice, immigrant and refugee issues, peacebuilding, and efforts to bridge divides through civic dialogue and polarization reduction.
October 21st (Wednesday) – Issues Impacting Health & Wellness – Promoting mental, physical, and emotional health for individuals and families. Includes mental health services, addiction prevention and recovery, and whole-health supports for parents and caregivers navigating stress, child-care shortages, and health-care access.
Find out more about Impact West Seattle here.
(IBIE photo: William Leaman, left, and team after 2nd-place continental finish)
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
William Leaman’s suitcase is packed again.
As his wife and business partner Heather Leaman predicted, the chef’s schedule this fall is also packed, but he is energized and full of new ideas, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Bakery Nouveau’s West Seattle founder is headed to an unglamorous Chicago warehouse for the weekend, and every other weekend until January, coaching an American team that aims to bring home the same international baking award he and his team won 20 years ago. It’s a bit of déjà vu and 20-20 hindsight all at once.
“If I‘d known I would have ended up coaching, I would have sat there all three days,” he says, thinking back to the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in Paris in 2005, where he spent a single day baking with his team to win the championship. Leaman was captain of the Bread Baker’s Guild Team representing the United States then, an achievement he says was life-changing. “It really kind of pushed me into having a competition every day,” which led to opening the flagship Bakery Nouveau store on California Avenue SW in 2006, and two more, on Capitol Hill and in Burien.
Though his 2005 Coupe du Monde trophy is displayed proudly on the wall of his West Seattle location, he wasn’t expecting the invitation to return to the competition as a coach all these years later. “Your name came up,” is what Leaman was told, to be one of the working bakers asked to mentor a team. It did give him pause. “How can we get back up to the top of the mountain? I did it before, can I do it again as a coach?” The introspection did not last long. Despite the time commitment of traveling to numerous practices in the Midwest, he was all in. “I’ve never really given up on continuing to learn,” he says. Besides, sharing his expertise with the next generation of bakers moving up in the industry is de rigueur for a baker devoted to constantly improving his craft while encouraging others along the way.
Coach Leaman and Team USA have already made it past the first hurdle during the initial competition at the International Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas last month, coming in 2nd behind Canada for teams in North and South America. Both teams will advance to the January finals, where there will be two teams from each continent, plus a couple of wildcards.
Académie Culinaire de France organizes this competition every 2-3 years to “Defend, Improve, Transmit French Culinary Art in the world.” Teams are composed of three members, each specializing on one aspect of artisan baking. This year’s American team includes bakers from across the country: Ambrose Erkenswick from Chicago, Miami-based Sandy Rodriguez (who was born in Cuba), and Nicolas Nayener, who is originally from France. “This is a true all-American team and I love that international aspect,” says Leaman, who sees them as underdogs because they had a much shorter timeline to practice together for the Las Vegas preliminaries than countries like Japan and South Korea, whose teams formed earlier. “It was really good to have a practice under conditions very similar to what they will have in Paris.”
The conditions in Paris can be both intimidating and grueling, with a jury of 10 watching your every move, along with hundreds in the audience and the occasional camera crew taking up space in the work area. Before last month, Leaman said the members of the US team had never competed in front of people. “It’s a little nerve-wracking, and you’re lucky if you sleep the night before.” Throw in other challenges, like a working space that starts out at 50F in the morning and can easily warm to 80F+ with all the ovens going, and the fact that no one knows exactly what kind of flour they’ll be using. The only ingredient bakers can walk in the door with is the starter they bring for sourdough.
All those variables come into play as the team works to meet strict criteria about finished size and weight of what they bake. Erkenswick will be in charge of baking 25 traditional baguettes that must measure a precise length and weight, within 2 grams. Nayener will take on artistic breads – standards like a sourdough levain, and others, including a random bread literally chosen from a hat. That could be a German pretzel, a European rye, or something else entirely. Rodriguez will produce all of the viennoiserie, which are pastries made from yeasted, laminated dough. That means croissants and their like, totaling 16 pastries at 60 grams each, 4 at 300-500 grams, laminated brioche at 80 grams, and some brioche à tête, which has a little ball of dough topping it off. “The most basic things are hardest to make,” says Leaman.
The standards are also not necessarily so standard. Croissants that might be a gentle crescent shape in previous years are now required to have their ends tucked in (see the photo above, on the left), something that Leaman says used to be a sign that croissant was made with margarine rather than butter. They’re still absorbing all of what they need to accomplish on January 20th, their assigned day to compete. “This is an R&D weekend — we just got the rules last week,” he says. There’s also a category of “snacks” —little sandwiches — to plan for the team to produce. It’s just four varieties, but 120 total to make.
This is part of where Leaman’s expertise will benefit the team. Having run the three Bakery Nouveau locations, he and his staff have baked and assembled hundreds of thousands of sandwiches over the years. He’s been poring over ideas for unique sandwiches that fit his formula for a great bite that isn’t muddled by too many elements—just two flavors and a texture. Right now he’s thinking about a brioche sandwich that would feature black cod marinated in shiso, mirin, and sake. “Flavor is #1 what I want them to focus on, but also maintaining authenticity.”
Aside from the food itself, Leaman says he’s coaching his team about the value of how comfortable team members are with each other and those observing them. “Talk to the judge if they come up. They’re bakers too.” He encourages explaining what they’re doing and why, but also arriving looking their best — clothes pressed, clean shoes, fresh haircuts. “Be a showman,” he says, “but don’t let them see everything.” The flourish of a big reveal at the end is worth a little bit of concealment along the way. Leaman was chosen to be team captain in 2005 because he spoke some French, which is required for the captain’s presentation to the jury. It certainly won’t hurt that this year’s team captain is fluent. “I’m really impressed with the chemistry,” he says. “My team [in 2005] had that same chemistry.” On competition day, Leaman will not be allowed inside the working area, but he can give the team advice, as well as being an extra eye on what’s cooking on the stove, or needs to come out of the oven.
As much as the team will learn from Leaman’s experience, he says the benefit is reciprocal. “It’s great to sort of relive my own experience and help a team, but it’s also so enriching for myself as a business owner. I get to bring new and cool ideas back to the neighborhood.” He says he’s ready to look at revamping some of the menu in the new year, with inspiration stirred up in the process of the competition. “Covid took a lot of the fun stuff out. This is forcing me to relook at things that I’ve gotten comfortable with.” He’s also looking ahead not just to the next 20 years, but well beyond. “I want to keep going for another 50,” he says, and continue to focus on quality over quantity. “I don’t want to be the most. I just want to be the best.”
The Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie competition will be held January 20-21, 2026. Team USA will compete on the same day as France, Senegal, Japan, and Brazil.
One year ago today, WSB co-founder Patrick Sand died, suddenly and entirely unexpectedly.
As Patrick’s widow and WSB co-founder, I want to acknowledge the anniversary with two words:
THANK YOU.
There are so many people to thank, I have to repeat it:
THANK YOU.
Thank you to friends I never realized were friends. Thank you to community members who showed me that Torin and I weren’t the only people who loved Patrick. Thank you to everyone who helped sustain us in so many ways, especially in those agonizing early weeks. Thank you to everyone who reads WSB, everyone who texts and emails story tips, photos, video, calendar listings, lost-pet reports; everyone whose questions lead to stories; all the local businesses and organizations who have continued to sponsor us (or joined the team), so this work can continue. Thank you to everyone who’s worked for and with us this past year – Patrick is irreplaceable, but for WSB to keep going, much of what he did has to be done by someone, and some wonderful, talented people have stepped forward.
THANK YOU.
On to WSB’s 19th year, our second without Patrick. Gone but never forgotten.
-Tracy Record, WSB editor/publisher
Here’s a unique way to celebrate customer loyalty. Last night, the Great American Diner and Bar in The Junction was the scene of a plaque-hanging in honor four local women who have been dining together there regularly for four years.
Since 2021, Tia Rooney and her friends Miesha, Meaghan, and Ashley have been meeting at Great American Diner at least once a month for dinner, dating back to when they were new moms. “All of our kids were born about two weeks apart, and now they’re all about two and four years old. We all went through the same phases of life together.” Tia said. Having a common meeting place and time gave them something to ground themselves through the trials and tribulations of early parenthood. “As working mothers and parents, it’s important to have community.” she said. It was also a way to unwind. “We’re always meeting in the evening when our kids go to bed.” she said with a smile.
But beyond that, they also wanted to support the diner itself. “It was great to find somewhere where we can just sit as long as we want, without much pressure to leave. Excellent service.” Meaghan said. Tia shared the same sentiment. “It’s an incredible and safe space in the community. We have deep respect for the owner.” she said.
The plaque will be permanently displayed at the same booth where “The Four Moms” have met for the past four years.
P.S. We asked about their favorite menu items: Two votes for the eggs benedict, one each for the patty melt and reuben sandwich. For drinks, the chocolate milkshake and French 75 cocktail.
West Seattle Joiners is a new organization evangelizing something that’s been at the heart of WSB for more than a decade and a half – making sure you know about what’s going on in the community, and how to jump in, whether it’s checking out a small club or getting involved with a not-so-small organization. The Joiners are working to bring people together face to face, and their first events – just under a month away – will do just that. Here’s the full announcement we just received:
Community is better in person. Looking to find your people—or your purpose—in West Seattle? Mark your calendar for a weekend of community, conversation, and connection with two back-to-back events designed to inspire civic engagement and local belonging.
Friday, November 7 – Film Screening: “Join or Die”
Kick off the weekend by joining West Seattle Meaningful Movies for a special screening of the documentary Join or Die—a thought-provoking film that explores why joining clubs, civic organizations, and community groups matters more than ever. Stay afterward for an engaging audience discussion about how connection and participation can strengthen our neighborhoods.Location: Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation
7141 California Avenue SW
Time: Doors open at 6:45 PM | Film begins at 7:15 PM | Discussion until ~9:15 PMAdmission is free! Pre-registration is appreciated, but not required.
Saturday, November 8 – West Seattle Joiner Jamboree
Continue the momentum at the West Seattle Joiner Jamboree, a vibrant community fair featuring over 40 local clubs and organizations from West Seattle and White Center. Meet current members and discover new ways to get involved–from social clubs and service organizations to creative and outdoor groups.Location: St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (Fellowship Hall)
3050 California Ave SW
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PMAdmission is free! Pre-registration is appreciated, but not required.
Experience the film, then explore the connections, and leave inspired to join in and make a difference right here in West Seattle.
Thanks to James Kinch for sending this report and photo about a Scouting America Troop 282 Eagle Scout’s project:
Troop 282 recently participated in an Eagle Scout project led by Wyatt Sherwood at the Rainier Valley Food Bank. The project aimed to enhance the food bank’s outdoor space while supporting its mission of providing fresh and healthy food to the community. Wyatt organized and led a team of scouts and volunteers to complete two major improvements for the facility.
The first part of the project was building a large planter box that doubles as a bench. This creative design provides a comfortable seating area while also offering space to grow fresh vegetables or flowers. The second part of the project focused on creating an herb garden. This addition will allow the food bank to supply fresh herbs for cooking, giving clients access to more flavorful and nutritious meals.
Overall, Wyatt’s project not only improved the functionality and aesthetics of the food bank’s outdoor space but also created a sustainable resource that will benefit the community for years to come. His leadership and planning made the project a success and demonstrated the core values of Scouting in action.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What are the odds?
Somehow two West Seattle women are part of a major offroad endurance rally competition that starts in a few days, covering 1,700 miles of Southwestern U.S. desert – though not only are they on different teams, they didn’t even know each other before discovering they’re both on this year’s participant list for the 10th anniversary running of the Rebelle Rally.
We sat down with both of them this week to find out more about the women-only rally and how they got involved with it.
More than 60 teams will participate in Rebelle this year, an 11-day event featuring 8 days of competition starting October 9 from the Mammoth Mountain area – each team consisting of a driver and navigator. Angela Rickerson (above left) drives her 2017 Jeep Wrangler for her team, in her second year competing; Kelli Diann Gordon (above right) navigates for her team (in a 2022 Toyota Tundra), and this will be her first year. And “navigating” is far more than you’d think – they are not allowed to use phones, GPS, other technology – they start each day with coordinates on a paper map. Angela insists the driver is just a team member supporting the navigator. (And the vehicle, which is the “third member of the team.”) Some teams are sponsored by car companies; some – like Angela’s (Team 102, Double A Rally) and Kelli’s (Team 185, Hoot ‘n’ Holler) – are “privateers,” though various kinds of sponsorships and support remain vital, as Rebelle has a five-digit entry fee (which among other things supports traveling “base camps” and meals for the teams during the rally – more on that later).
This is Angela’s second year in Rebelle, Kelli’s first. They stress that it’s a competition but not a race – it’s a competition for staying accurately on course, for getting to certain checkpoints “with the clock ticking” – these aren’t physical checkpoints with someone sitting there keeping track, but rather spots at which a satellite tracker makes note of the vehicle’s presence via its tracker. They are truly out in the middle of nowhere, though – here’s a photo from last year’s course:
(2024 photo by Richard Giordano)
Though the teams can’t use anything fancier than a compass, Rebelle overall makes use of tech for communication as well as tracking. Live streams during the rally follow the teams’ trackers, so family, friends, and fans can follow along. And video is recorded via “tons of drones following all day,” Angela explains – plus human videographers on the course too “although you may not see them.” And it’s not completely a case of “roughing it” – here’s a photo Angela shared of one of the base camps:
So how did they discover Rebelle and decide to pursue participation?
Angela said her feed algorithm served up info about Rebelle, and she “started watching it and just became obsessed with it.” That includes a docuseries about it called “Dead Reckoning,” a reference to the skill that leads you to success in the sport. She also met her teammate online.
After posting a question on Instagram about how to get involved, she received “so many messages” including her now-teammate Adriana, whose previous teammate couldn’t repeat with her. (Adriana lives in L.A.)
As for Kelli, her teammate is a cousin and had immersed herself in offroading culture, in no small part because of the Toyota Tundra she’s driven for many years. But ultimately, she says, the algorithm got her too – her cousin “kept seeing all these ads for Rebelle, then called me in late February, said, ‘I want to do this, would you want to do this with me?’ I said ‘yes, but my wife is pregnant’.”
Eight months pregnant now, in fact, just as Kelli prepares to head out for her first Rebelle. Nonetheless, they decided to go for it, “got a website together, got a team name together.”
So how did Kelli and Angela discover each other, competing on different teams but both living in West Seattle, hardly a hotbed of offroad culture? Angela explains that she reached out online to people in the area, in the spirit of mentoring, passing on knowledge, talking about what it’s like. She says that although the Rebelle rally is a “super-fierce competition,” people “want to share information … that’s very different from other motorsports.”
Kelli says the entire event itself is unique: “The design is very thoughtful, designed by women for women. The design of the scoring is thoughtful and helps teams support each other – (for example) there’s a rule to stop and check if you see someone in distress, or else you can get penalized.”
(Angela driving last year, photo by Nicole Dreon)
The Rebelle Rally’s founder Emily Miller “wanted women to have … a chance to compete on a national stage,” Angela adds. Even aside from the women-only aspect, “this is one of the few big national rallies.” (They note there’s one from Kirkland to Alaska – the Alcan 5000.)
With both women living far apart from their teammates, and in an area that’s not exactly rich in the type of terrain they’ll face in the Rebelle Rally, how do they prepare?
It’s “super-challenging,” acknowledges Angela, but far from impossible. She flies to California a few times a year to work with her teammate, who makes some trips up here too. And “you can practice finding checkpoints,” with the help of a mapping app, wherever you are. Kelli says navigators can practice “several different skills . instead of using GPS, my wife and I will use atlases.” And they practice communication – if you’re telling a driver where to go, how far in advance do they need that direction, for example? With a work history in the hospitality industry, she says, they often work in “kitchen shorthand.”
Speaking of kitchen, the Rebelle Rally doesn’t just provide subsistence-level meals for teams. It has a Michelin-starred Chef, Drew Deckman. The base camps also bring in support mechanics, fuel, water, and power – “huge semi-trucks with solar panels.” Angela observes, “It’s cool to see how the organizers have thought through everything.” That even includes a “crash course” on how to help endangered desert tortoises if they’re seen along the route. And the number of Rebelle staffers, they add, is roughly a “one staff member per participant” ratio.
All that costs money, a major reason for the entry fee, but the West Seattle competitors have found ways to cover it. Kelli and her teammate cousin even have been running fundraising “sweepstakes” online (the cousin has been donating items from her spice shop as well as Airbnb’s, while Kelli’s donations have included a classic West Seattle item, an Easy Street Records gift certificate). She appreciates the Rebelle organization even more because of her work as an event manager for the City of Issaquah.
Angela’s “day job” is bar manager for Ballard restaurant Copine (which supported her by donating proceeds from a menu item). She’s also mom to a 10-year-old son and says competing in Rebelle is further proof that “motherhood doesn’t end everything – you’re not ‘just’ a caregiver; I drag him to everything with me and he loves it.” That includes his visit to the starting line last year, to cheer on his mom.
Kelli takes inspiration from that, as her motherhood journey will begin shortly after the rally; when she returns, her wife will be 36 1/2 weeks pregnant.
The investment of money and time, both agree, is “worth it.” Angela points out that competitors get to meet “all these amazing women.” And it inspires each to transcend any limitations they thought they have. Kelli says even mistakes can be growth opportunities, that Rebelle “challenges you to face yourself when you’ve made a decision (that didn’t work out), to own what you’ve done, and that’s where your power comes from.”
“Physically, mentally, emotionally, every day is challenging,” agrees Angela. “You’re in it with one other person, there’s no option other than moving forward.”
And their journey starts this week. They’ll find themselves at the starting line, Angela says, as “just normal people from West Seattle who decided to say yes to this crazy thing.” And that’s the biggest lesson she’s learned: “Just say ‘yes’ to things – it might change your life. Challenge yourself! I don’t think you know what you are capable of until you put yourself in extreme situations.”
You can track this year’s Rebelle Rally through streams on this YouTube page.
As previewed here, an informal walk was scheduled in West Seattle again this year on the same day as the big citywide Walk to End Alzheimer’s. It happened this morning; we just got this report, from Connie:
The West Seattle Alzheimer’s Support Group rallied to the cause Saturday for the annual Walk To End Alzheimer’s. Upward of three dozen, men, women, children, and dogs from West Seattle walked a stretch of 35th Ave SW near the water tower, to coincide with the larger event at Seattle Center.
The annual walk is part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the many forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, and to provide support for families living with disease – through resources, advocacy, and research to find a cure. The West Seattle walk was organized by support group facilitator Martha Smith.
If you’re interested in the group, here’s more info.
West Seattle has a multitude of options for people who love to play trivia, as evidenced in our Event Calendar and daily highlight lists. One of the peninsula’s dedicated, talented hosts, Will, sent this report and the accompanying photos:
West Seattle has a new trivia champion! 2023 champion team “Good Enough Society” took back the trophy at last night’s 2025 West Seattle Trivia Championship. Hosted by Beveridge Place, with hosts from Beveridge Place, The Good Society, and Talarico’s contributing questions-
Good Enough Society bested teams from 5 other bars to take home the trophy!
9:34 AM: We’re at the Pier 1 property in the 2100 block of Harbor Avenue SW, where, as previewed again last night, West Seattle Indivisible is organizing a “human banner” this morning in honor of International Day of Peace. As of our arrival about 10 minutes ago, more than 300 people are here. … and Dave Gershgorn‘s photo for WSB shows they’re already spelling out PEACE (though the speaking program hasn’t begun yet):
10:00 AM: Lots of chanting – “say it loud, say it clear, peace and justice, now and here” – while official speakers are awaited.
10:54 AM: The event has just concluded after about 45 minutes of speeches, including Mayor Bruce Harrell quoting Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and Danny Glover among others. (video added)
Volunteers at the main gate estimate a final count around 450 participants.
12:12 PM: Adding video, starting with Malou Chávez of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, saying that this isn’t a time of “crisis” – because “in a crisis, you can see the end” – but rather, a time of chaos:
Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom of Admiral Church preached a bit, presided over a moment of silence, and gave a closing blessing. Here’s part of what he said:
Toward the conclusion of the event, bagpipers played “Amazing Grace“:
Earlier, for a global perspective, Irene Danysh spoke, identifying herself as the daughter of Ukrainian refugees, a recent Ukraine resident, but talking about Gaza more than Ukraine:
WSI’s leaders, including this event’s organizer Laurie Reinhardt, had stressed in the early going, “We’re sending a message today.”
The International Day of Peace, Mohamed noted, has been an annual observance on September 21st since 1981.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The words PEACE FOR ALL are outlined on the ground at the Harbor Avenue property known as Pier 1, as shown in the drone photo taken by West Seattle Indivisible today, in advance of their International Day of Peace mega-gathering tomorrow morning.
If 1,000 people show up, they’ll line all the letters, three across, as a “human banner” in honor of Peace Day. If fewer show up, organizer Laurie Reinhardt says, no worries, they have contingency plans, all the way down to 100 people filling out a single letter at a time, then moving to the next, and the next.
We visited the site today for a look at where Reinhardt’s idea will take shape, one way or another, whatever size it turns out to be. She stresses that it’s not meant to be a feel-good quick photo-op – it’s meant as a metaphor for the fact that, individually, people can only do so much, but together, “we are greater than the sum of our parts.” She hopes those who show up to be part of it will “really feel that” before leaving to go back to their everyday activities.
Before we get into how the event will unfold, some logistics points. A banner marks the fence by the main entrance to the property, 3 1/2 acres that have been long up for lease (after housing a crane yard for a while), being borrowed for this event with the owner’s permission.
Reinhardt and 70+ volunteers will get there first thing in the morning, but the gates won’t open for participants until 8:30, so don’t show up before then. Parking is on the street (though a small part of the west/north end of the property is set aside for volunteers to park, maximizing the number of street spaces available for participants).
After checking in, participants will move further into the site, which has an unbroken waterfront view – we asked Reinhardt to pose in the middle of one of the letters in PEACE:
They’ll have some amenities for the crowd – food trucks and portable toilets. Each letter will have a captain to show you where to stand and to hand out the flags made at the event we mentioned last weekend. The photo won’t be taken at one specific moment – there’ll be at least four drones photographing multiple times while the crowd listens to music and speeches, emceed by Port Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed, addressing global, national, regional, and local issues and possibilities. There will be a moment of silence, led by Admiral Church’s pastor Rev. Andrew Conley-Holcom. The speeches and photography aren’t expected to happen until some point after 9:30 am – when they are pretty sure everyone who’s showing up has arrived.
Side note: While we chatted at the site this afternoon, Reinhardt said the original idea was to “think big” and see if this could be done on the West Seattle Bridge. She even got so far as to fill out a “25-page application,” before, she said, city officials including Mayor Harrell himself (who is also scheduled as a speaker on Sunday) realized it wasn’t that great an idea, especially on a day with a home Seahawks game.
So instead, “human banner” participants – all ages ages 14+ welcome – will gather on a West Seattle waterfront site frequented by “real” Seahawks (Ospreys are among the birds Reinhardt said they’d seen while at the site earlier, and we heard Bald Eagles’ distinctive call while talking). They’d appreciate it if you pre-registered, but you’re also welcome to just show up in the 2100 block of Harbor Avenue SW.
One day after a federal-court hearing attended by an overflow crowd of supporters, Chittakone “Alan” Phetsadakone is out of ICE detention and home in West Seattle, a family friend reported in an update on this crowdfunding page. As we reported on Wednesday, he is a native of Laos who was detained by ICE at what was supposed to be a routine immigration hearing. He filed for a restraining order to stop their plans to deport him and to get him released from federal custody; his wife of more than 20 years works at Sanislo Elementary and that school’s community organized a show of “silent support” to fill (and, we’re told, overflow) the courtroom downtown on Friday. The online court docket shows that Phetsadakone’s motion was granted, so after weeks in detention in a federal facility in Tacoma, he is home this morning with his wife and their three children. This is not the final word on the case, though. Federal Judge Jamal Whitehead‘s order calls for a status report in the case by next Tuesday to determine what happens next. Phetsadakone is reported to have been in the U.S. since he was brought here as a two-year-old refugee, more than 40 years ago. The federal government is reported to be seeking deportation because of what the family friend describes as “a non-violent offense [when he was a teenager] for which he has taken full responsibility and long since served his time.” He had been in ICE detention since July.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Sanislo Elementary community is rallying support for a school employee’s husband who is in ICE detention.
Chittakone “Alan” Phetsadakone, originally from Laos, is at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, the online roster confirms. A flyer is circulating to request community presence at his hearing this Friday morning in Seattle:
The flyer was shared with us by a family friend, who also shared a social-media post made by the Sanislo PTA, reading in part:
This is not the post I imagined for our first day of school, but a Sanislo family member needs your help. One of our own has been caught in the deportations that are sweeping our community and you have a chance to help keep a faily together. Cheryl Eugenio is the backbone of Sanislo. She keeps our school running every day from the front office and knows each of your kids. Her husband was detained during his regularly scheduled check-in with ICE and has been held in Tacoma. He is at ris of deportation to a third country. Cheryl has asked that everyone share the information of his next hearing so we can fill the courtroom with quiet supporters. … If you have ever asked what you can do to protect our community, this is your chance to show up. The courtroom holds 70 and we want it packed with support.
Sanislo community members plan to carpool to the federal-court building.
According to an online docket, the hearing is related to Phetsadakone seeking a temporary restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, and seeking release. We haven’t been able to obtain the court docments yet but w will be asking seeking ICE comment tomorrow about the case.
ADDED THURSDAY: Since we published this story, another family friend has started a crowdfunding page, which has more information on the situation.
Deb Achak is a West Seattle-based fine-art photographer. After living in various neighborhoods around the peninsula for almost two decades, in 2013 she and her husband bought and renovated the former Villa Heidelberg B&B along Erskine Way, where they now reside with their two sons, and where she works from her home photography studio. Last year Deb had her first solo fine-art photography exhibition in New York City, and also oversaw the publication of a new monograph: “All The Colors That I Am Inside.” West Seattle Blog senior contributor Christopher Boffoli recently sat down with Deb – who was fresh from travels in the Himalayas, where she was shooting her next project – to talk about how she came to photography, her connection to West Seattle, and the power of intuition.
(All images courtesy Deb Achak Photography)
By Christopher Boffoli
West Seattle Blog senior contributor
Deb Achak didn’t nurture childhood dreams of becoming a visual artist. She didn’t employ Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000-hour rule” in pursuit of a life with a camera in her hands. In fact, you wouldn’t know from looking at the stunning, painterly fine-art images that she produces, that she came to photography fairly late in life, in what she has characterized as a “sudden and demanding compulsion.”
As someone who actually did start young, who has spent decades working at photography, and who still frequently fails at it, it’s hard to not be a bit envious. After all, we photographers can be a competitive lot. Observing Deb’s work often feels like eavesdropping on a conversation of someone particularly eloquent and perceptive. While photography may not have been in her early plans, some of the experiences of her childhood would inform the creative work that would come.
As a girl growing up in Amherst, New Hampshire, a creative career was the furthest thing from her mind. Neither of her parents were exceptionally creative. Both worked long hours supporting the family. There simply wasn’t anyone in her world who provided a blueprint for a career in the arts. Sometimes, though, life has a subtle way of illuminating things that we will circle back on later, even if we’re not initially conscious of it: like acorns that rain down around us, never knowing which ones will find purchase, seek out rays of sun, and later send up green shoots.
“My mother was a crafter. She was a quilter, “ says Deb. “She sewed clothes for us, did needlepoint, made stained glass. But we didn’t think of her as an artist. She worked as an HR director and she did these things at home.” Deb saw these endeavors as hobbies, apart from work life. “I figured you’d always have creative hobbies and then you’d have a real job.”
Deb’s childhood summers were a time of light. New Hampshire isn’t really known for its coastline, all 15 miles of it (18 miles by the most generous estimates). The state’s limited seashore is underwhelming as beaches go. But in the eyes of a child, it might as well have been the French Riviera. Like a lot of blue-collar families in the area, Deb’s spent time during their summers at Hampton Beach.
It’s perhaps not much different now than it was in the ’80s. One might not hear the same “woca-woca-woca” sound of Pac-Man spilling out of the arcades, but across the narrow ribbon of beach, and beyond the gray asphalt perpetually jammed with cars, you’re likely to find the same clam shacks and fried dough stands, T-shirt and souvenir shops, salt-water taffy vendors and people playing Skee-Ball. “We didn’t go to fancy beaches. That’s how we grew up. We didn’t have money.” Deb says that she mostly remembered it as “crowds of people relaxed and at ease, enjoying the ocean.” For what it lacked in luxury, it more than made up in sensory stimulation.
Later she would major in English at the University of New Hampshire, with an minor in studio art. But she claims the latter was more of a casual interest and never something that she imagined as a vocation. “I didn’t have any example of working artists. It wasn’t even on my radar.”
Like many who finished college at the end of the (first) Bush administration, a deep recession made for a challenging job market. Despite working multiple jobs, Deb just found she wasn’t surviving. “So I saved every penny and moved to the West Coast because a friend had moved here.”
Seeking adventure – and hopefully employment – Deb moved to Seattle in 1992. That version of the city would look largely unfamiliar to those moving here now. At the time, though, it seemed to suddenly be on the cultural radar of the world, in the midst of the white-hot success of the grunge music genre. Around this time, Starbucks had its IPO with around 165 total locations. AIDS deaths were still on the rise and Amazon was just a river in South America. Microsoft Windows was on its third version. “Sleepless in Seattle” was filming in town and Cameron Crowe‘s film “Singles” was screening in theaters. The Kingdome was still the city’s main sports and entertainment venue.
Deb couch-surfed with a friend for a while as she scrambled to work multiple jobs including waiting tables, staffing a catering company, and taking on cleaning jobs. At the same time she was diligent about sending out resumes and watching for openings. At length she found more promising prospects in a listing at Harborview, counseling victims at what was then called the sexual-assault center. She soondiscovered that she had a facility for the work, and found it fulfilling. This led her to similar work as a patient-care coordinator at a clinic at the University of Washington, where she liaised with physicians and nurses, helping with coordination between the medical side and law enforcement in pursuing sexual-assault cases. For a while she considered careers in law, or medicine, or mental health. But ultimately she chose social work, pursuing a master’s degree at UW.
Around the same time that she started working on her master’s, she met Ramin, the man who would become her husband. By the end of the ’90s, they decided it was time to buy a house, which led them to West Seattle. Over the next fifteen years they lived in several neighborhoods on the peninsula, during which time they became parents. Looking for something more spacious, they fell in love with the former Villa Heidelberg, which they bought (in 2013) and then spent years meticulously renovating. The exquisite result of that project has been featured in design magazines.
Deb’s transition from a challenging, if fulfilling, career in social work, into motherhood, and then into a multi-year house renovation project, progressively led her to picking up a camera. At first, she says, it was – like it is for a lot of parents – about documenting the childhood of her small children. But as much as she found cameraphones to be convenient, she quickly found herself chafing against the limits of the technology. “I just wanted something better to shoot with,” she says. After her husband gave her a compact Canon DSLR as a gift, her interest was supercharged. “I went everywhere with that camera. I really fell down the rabbit hole. I read the manual and taught myself everything that I possibly could.” Deb says that she set up an account on Flickr, which was very popular around that time, taught herself editing software, and joined every photo club she could find.
Soon after discovering this passion, Deb had an instinct to do something with a package of delicate optics and electronics that maybe wouldn’t be so intuitive to most: she wanted to submerge it in seawater. That risky decision fortunately would not end in disaster. In fact, it became the genesis of her first official series of elevated fine-art images.
(WSB photo by Dave Gershgorn: Award recipient Stu Hennessey at the mic, with WSB’s Tracy Record and ANA’s Joanie Jacobs at left)
You might know Stu Hennessey as founder of Alki Bike and Board in the Admiral District. But he’s done so much more to help make this a better place to work, live, study, and play, and so the Admiral Neighborhood Association presented him at Saturday’s Admiral Block Party with the first annual Patrick Sand Community Advocate Award. Named in memory of WSB’s co-founder, the award is meant by ANA to “celebrate an individual whose in-front-of as well as behind-the-scenes service and commitment have made a lasting impact on the Admiral District of West Seattle.” Stu was chosen from nominations sent by community members. His community work includes advocating for a Walkable Admiral, helping lead Sustainable West Seattle in its heyday, inspiring park- and garden-lovers everywhere by growing Puget Ridge Edible Park from idea to reality, leading bike rides exploring local street features like greenways, and more. As we said during the presentation, Patrick would be happy to hear he’d inspired a new honor for unsung heroes! Thanks to ANA’s Dan Jacobs and Joanie Jacobs for creating that honor, and watch for nominations to open next spring.
7:27 PM: WSP confirms what a commenter below reported, that the man subject to a Silver Alert, last seen in West Seattle, has been found.
EARLIER: Circulated by SPD: Read More
(Unfurling photos by Dave Gershgorn for WSB)
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
“The first pride,” Dominique Stephens made sure to point out, “was a protest,” as she helped guide volunteers across the street on the corner of Alki and 57th this morning for Alki Beach Pride’s annual pride flag ceremony. The goal of the ceremony is to get the community excited for their 11th official Alki Beach Pride celebration, which happens next Saturday, August 16th.
Stephens has known Alki Beach Pride founders Jolie and Stacy Bass-Walden (photo below) for years, helping with permits, organizing and music. More importantly though, she’s their friend. “This is actually the first year she’s not doing anything,” said Jolie, as the group gathered at Blue Moon Burgers this morning.
Today’s celebration was made even more special with the support of Seattle’s chapter of Dykes on Bikes, a nonprofit motorcycle club that volunteers at parades and LGBTQ events. Just before noon, as a quickly-growing crowd of volunteers and organizers gathered along Alki Avenue, the group’s signature motorcycles roared up the street in a first-time collaboration for the two organizations.
The main event started immediately after, as two massive flags – a transgender pride flag, and a rainbow pride flag – were rolled out on Alki Beach by the crowd, continuing to draw in volunteers along the way.
Today’s celebration was made all the more meaningful in the wake of recent legislation, which has had a disproportionate effect on queer people, including the closure of the Trevor Project’s 988 suicide & crisis lifeline, which focused specifically on queer youth. The American Civil Liberties Union says it’s tracking more than 600 anti-LGBTQ state-legislation bills across the country.
(WSB photo: Dominique Stephens speaks at today’s pride flag ceremony)
“This Pride is pretty big for me,” said Stephens. “It’s about being seen for so more than just June, It’s about asking ourselves if we’re being proud all the time. It’s about asking if we can do that in a well-rounded way. We need to be proud together. We need to stand together, fight together, and be seen together.”
Next Saturday’s celebration is a way for people to gather in an inclusive, urban, family-friendly celebration of Seattle’s LGBTQ community, and have a great day at the beach. For more information about Alki Beach Pride – which includes live entertainment, a street party, vendors, and more – check out their website here.
A West Seattle 10-year-old and her friends are thanking the community for helping them raise $500 for Seattle Children’s Hospital with a holiday treat sale. They’ve delivered the donations and are now sharing their story:
(Popsicle sellers presenting donation to Children’s Hospital’s Dondi Cupp)
During the Kids Parade on the Fourth of July, my classmates Aimee H, Olivia W, Melissa A (not pictured), and I sold popsicles to the participants of the parade. We decided to sell popsicles because we wanted to donate all the proceeds to Seattle Children’s Hospital. There were two reasons behind this. The first reason, a former classmate of mine continues to receive care at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. And this past school year, one of our teacher’s daughters started treatment at the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
We want to thank the West Seattle community for helping us for nearly doubling our donation from two years ago!!
Sophia Chang (10 years old)
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
At noon this past Wednesday, in a sunny backyard behind a house at the end of Victoria Avenue SW, 60 years of history culminated in a tense competition between five childhood rivals. The sleek, bat-winged profile of the Myr Sheet Metal rocketed ahead of the blunt-nosed Grey Ghost and the bright red Exide in an all-or-nothing bid for the finish line. The Sheet Metal’s driver, Brian Partridge, cheered uproariously as he took home the trophy in the final race of the American Turf Power Boat Association.
The five men traded light-hearted barbs as they retrieved their boats. Each one is a scaled-down replica of a hydroplane, painted meticulously to resemble a specific real-life counterpart. These models are a testament to one of Seattle’s longest-running traditions, the Seafair hydroplane races. Since 1950, crowds have been drawn to the banks of Lake Washington to watch drivers reach speeds upward of 200 MPH as they race neck-and-neck for the Seafair Cup.
James Jay Wilson says he can still remember the roaring of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines over Lake Washington during Seattle’s first-ever Hydroplane race. James -or as his friends call him, “Wahoo” – was obsessed. This obsession would quickly spiral outward, as other kids on Victoria Avenue began to follow along. James calls it “hydro fever,” and it’s had its grip on him and his friends for the last 60 years.
Randy Short, a friend of Wilson’s, said he remembers hearing Wilson towing a small wooden recreation of that year’s hydroplane behind his bike, a gift from his father. This quickly turned into a sport as Short and Wilson formed an alliance, racing their boats around Victoria Avenue. Later that decade, what started as a bike race evolved into a lawn game, the Turf Thunderboat Game, and what started as a group of friends eventually became the ATPBA, the American Turf Power Boat Association.
(Group photo from a previous race, this photo and sixth photo courtesy James Wilson)
The rules of the game are simple. A “track” is set up using cones, each marking a spot in the race. Every contestant places their boat at the starting line, and each player takes turns rolling a die and moving their boat a corresponding number of spaces. Whoever crosses the finish line five times first wins. “It seems like it’s all luck, but it’s about how you roll the dice,” said Wilson, who attributes his success in the game to a series of successful high-risk gambles in Reno, Nevada, several years before.
Wilson and Short invented the system using a board game that the latter had received as a gift. It was in this form that their obsession would persist for the next several decades, with Wilson only missing races when he was deployed to Vietnam, where he earned his second nickname, “The Mad Bomber.”
Wednesday’s race was all the more bittersweet then, as the five friends begin to close the book on the sport. “Hydroplane racing has slowed down,” said Wilson. The nostalgic, guttural roar of the Rolls-Royce engines, which were sourced from planes used during World War 2, have since been replaced by turbines. As the years pass, Wilson said, he can see the “hydro fever” fading.
Still, all five contestants stepped out onto the track in Wilson’s backyard, endearingly named “Lake Wahooshington” that day, eager to settle scores six decades in the making. First was Fred Kofoed, who started racing miniature hydroplanes in Ballard, with Miss Madison. Then, Brian Partridge, with Myr Sheet Metal. Randy and his brother Greg Short brought out the Grey Ghost and Miss Bardahl, respectively, and finally Wilson, setting up with his Exide.
The race starts hot, as Sheet Metal moves first, before Grey Ghost and Miss Madison quickly overtake it, before all three are overtaken by Exide. The five continue to race shoulder-to-shoulder, poking fun at each other when the dice rolls low, and making playful accusations of cheating every time someone (often Partridge or Wilson) rolls a six.
Eventually, the race is down to a three-way battle between Grey Ghost, Sheet Metal, and Exide. Short’s Grey Ghost takes the lead first, before a series of poor rolls causes him to stall. Wilson’s luck similarly turns on him, as Exide stalls in the final moment. Taking advantage of the opening, Partridge’s Sheet Metal bolts for the finish line to conclude the race. “It was a super fun day, coming from the winner at least,” said Partridge, as the group gathered after the races.
In past years, the event has had upward of 20 contestants, including a particularly memorable race in 2017, which was attended by Seattle native and hydroplane racing legend Billy Schumacher. As the five close the book on this chapter of the ATPBA, Short said, each of them carries countless memories.
(Randy Short [left], James Wilson [right], Billy Schumacher [center], at an ATPBA race in 2017. Once nicknamed “Billy the Kid,” Schumacher was one of the most well-known hydroplane racers)
From their first races in 1950 to the present day, the Seattle skyline that James Wilson’s house on Victoria Avenue overlooks has changed drastically. The Smith Tower, once the tallest skyscraper on the West Coast, is now the 26th tallest in Seattle. Harbor Island businesses have continued to expand, the West Seattle Bridge has replaced the old drawbridge, Seattle has seen 16 mayors, the rise of the tech industry, the Civil Rights movement and more.
For each groundbreaking shift, each controversial election, and each new skyscraper on the skyline, though, Wilson has been right here. Even if this was their last race, and even if the city has changed in more ways than he can count, he says he’ll always remember the signature roar of piston engines over Lake Washington.
(Thanks to the neighbor whose tip enabled us to be there for the ATPBA’s finale.)
(Photos courtesy Quail Park West Seattle)
That’s Tommy Criswell with the DubSea Fish Sticks‘ mascot Fin Crispy Jr. at Steve Cox Memorial Park‘s Mel Olson Stadium this past Sunday. He got to make a baseball dream come true,explains Betsy Henry from Quail Park West Seattle (WSB sponsor):
A dream 70+ years in the making came true for 78-year-old Tommy Criswell, a longtime Seattle resident and lifelong baseball fan as he threw the ceremonial “first fish” at the DubSea Fish Sticks game against the Redmond Dudes on July 27th.
Criswell, who lives at Quail Park West Seattle, checked off a major item on his bucket list when he took the mound at Mel Olson Stadium in King County’s Steve Cox Memorial Park at the start of Sunday’s game.
Born in Texas but a proud Seattleite for most of his life, Criswell discovered his love for baseball at age six when his father signed him up for Little League. That early passion followed him through decades, even as he built a 30+ year career as a physicist with Boeing.
Criswell is also a devoted Mariners fan—his favorite player of all time? Ken Griffey Jr. “I loved how he’d leap into the air to catch the ball—like Spider-Man!” he says, referencing the iconic outfield catch that earned Griffey the superhero nickname in his mind.
Now, more than 20 years after attending his last Mariners game in person (a victory over the Dodgers), Criswell re-lived the magic of the ballpark in a way he never expected—on the pitcher’s mound. Criswell said it was a thrill to throw the first “fish.” When asked what he thought about the experience, he said with his characteristic sense of humor, “that was a slippery fish!”
(Khalil Taw and Ari Taw)
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
While most high-school students in West Seattle were busy counting down the days until summer break, fraternal twins Ari and Khalil Taw were just as eagerly counting the days until the new school year starts for them, at campuses almost halfway around the world. They are heading to Eastern Europe and Western Asia, respectively, having both earned a coveted spot in a program focused on what may best be described as world peace. It involves leaving their parents, friends, and each other for two years, in exchange for an extraordinary opportunity.
“My head’s in the clouds right now,” says Khalil, who will live in the Northern Armenia town of Dilijan. He and Ari, who will study in Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were selected as Davis Scholars with the United World Colleges (UWC). While college is in the name, UWC is a high-school program with 18 schools on 4 continents, and only one in the US — in Montezuma, NM. While UWC is functionally a boarding-school program, it intentionally brings together teens from disparate backgrounds to learn from each other for the betterment of the planet.
UWC was founded in the 1960s in the UK, with a goal of cultivating peace and understanding through education. By being in a classroom together, students from dozens of countries would see not just their differences, but the many things they have in common, and start to understand each other’s perspectives, leading to empathy, collaboration, and ideally, a future with less conflict. Over the years, UWC has grown to global prominence and widened its impact, counting now-King Charles, Nelson Mandela, and Queen Noor of Jordan among its presidents, the latter having served since 1995.
“It’s the best-kept secret in the US,” says Carl-Martin Nelson, UWC’s Director of Communications, who says that’s in part because UWC spends available funds on scholarships rather than marketing. “Our admissions model is different from any other school. We recruit for idealism in a way, unabashedly,” he says, explaining that they might have one full scholarship and one half-scholarship available for a country like Egypt or Venezuela. Each of those countries has a national committee that is then charged with finding students who they think would be a good match for the school. A three-stage application process follows, one that both Ari and Khalil found intense and sometimes intimidating, particularly knowing that only a very small percentage of applicants are accepted. “I became scared through the stages. I was unsure if I was going to fit in because a lot of people are very much one type,” says Ari. “I really do care about my academics, but I’m creative-focused. I think I have this little impostor syndrome. Do I really belong here?”
After the twins completed the third stage, a visit to the American UWC campus in New Mexico earlier this year, the answer was yes for both of them. Then the question was where in the world would they be going to school. UWC allows incoming students to list their top 3 choices and the majority of them put Italy first. Ari asked for Mostar, and got it. “I’m really interested in post-conflict societies,” she says. “That’s what drew me to Mostar — that there are three ethnicities. I wanted to see how they’ve reconciled [after the war in the early 1990s]. I really care about immigration and how people view immigrants. I don’t have clear-cut goals, just helping people.”
Khalil’s interests are more varied, but are centered around equity and access, particular when it comes to natural resources and recreational open space, which he has noticed is often utilized along lines of class and race. “You’re mostly seeing people of higher income, and white. A lot of people can’t appreciate national parks [because of a lack of] transportation, gear, money. There’s so much blocking everyone off from the outdoors.” Khalil thinks his time in Armenia will shape his ideas about how he can bring about positive change. “I want to go into politics, environmental equity, policies, cutting off corrupt international trade. Right now I have so many political tangents. At UWC I‘m going to find out what I’m really going to make a change in.”
Though American policies around travel and immigration are in flux, neither of the Taws is particularly worried about being out of the country for the rest of their high school education. But they both mentioned the big change of leaving their family home at 16 and the impact it will have on their parents. “They’re losing both of their kids. I’ll never live with them again,” predicted Ari. Their dad, Harold Taw, said with a smile, “My wife and I were a lot more supportive of their departure from home 2 years early when we thought it wasn’t a realistic possibility.”
Soon the last days of their sophomore-year classes at Seattle-area schools (Holy Names for Ari and Downtown School for Khalil) will be just a distant memory, and the twins will be on planes with different destinations. Orientation starts at the end of August and Ari’s will include a canoe trip with other students, an activity that will require everyone to pitch in together, something both twins know is exactly what they signed up for. “The beauty of UWC is the friendships you make across cultures— a person from each continent,” Khalil says, “The idea that world peace starts with kids, education… is the most important thing. People hate each other until they talk face to face. [That’s when] you see that someone feels just like you. It’s going to be messy, but also, it’s kind of beautiful.”
(Reader photo)
We reported briefly on that collision at 35th/Avalon this past Tuesday night. It sent motorcyclist TerRon Dawson to the hospital with a broken pelvis, we learned via comments. Readers asked about a chance to contribute to his recovery, so his former wife Emily Dawson, shown below wth TerRon and their children, set up this crowdfunding page.
Emily said in email to WSB – as noted on the page – that TerRon, who works as a contractor, also is expressing gratitude:
TerRon wanted to especially mention that he was thankful for the show of community during his accident. He said there was an off-duty firefighter who helped hold his head steady and gave words of comfort, and there were many others who helped gather his things that had scattered in the accident like his backpack and boots. He really appreciated everyone’s help.
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