West Seattle, Washington
26 Tuesday
E-mailed to WSB by Ruthie Winter, who explains:
We called our event: Sixty@Salty’s!
In the attached picture are 57 women classmates from the West Seattle High School graduating class of 1966, born in 1948 and celebrating their 60th birthday together. It was a girls-only event … sorry guys!
Most of these classmates had not seen each other in over 40 years, so it was a joyous celebration of old friendships. Classmates came from far away as Texas, Montana, Alaska, Arizona, California, Oregon etc etc. A joyous time was had by all.
That’s just one tiny cross-section of the HUGE volunteer cleanup/beautification work at Pathfinder K-8 on Genesee Hill (map) today … the amphitheater on the lower field, cleared from under a serious case of overgrowth. Even more impressive, a huge painting project splashing brighter colors onto the portables up on the main grounds … our video of that, unfortunately, did not survive a serious case of user error, but the Pathfinder folks promised us before/after photos for a followup. They had more than 100 volunteers on hand (including dozens from Seattle Works and West Seattle school-board rep Steve Sundquist) and also were grateful for donations from local businesses (a Pathfinder parent gave them a shoutout in this thread in the WSB Forums). Pathfinder, you may recall, needs a better building but almost got moved to an arguably worse one in the recent round of school closures/consolidations; since no new building is likely any time soon, this was a case of the school community working to improve the livability of what they have.
It takes more than a sign like that one to “calm” traffic along Fauntleroy — this “open letter” sent to us asks drivers to just keep the pedal off the metal:
Residents of West Seattle, Vashon, and Fauntleroy Ferry users,
I write this letter as a respectful request. Please treat the neighborhoods that you pass through on your commute with the same respect that you would ask of someone traveling through your own neighborhood.
For example, Fauntleroy Way SW between SW Morgan St. and SW Alaska St. has a speed limit of 35 miles per hour. Thirty-five, not 45, not 65, and certainly not 75. Please share the road with your fellow drivers, bikers, and pedestrians. There are many of us who live along Fauntleroy and have to try and cross the street without the aid of marked crosswalks, dodge traffic to get to our buses, and walk and ride our bicycles along our neighborhood street. We choose to live here and acknowledge that this street is a major corridor, however dangerous, rude, and disrespectful driving is not an inherent right of anyone – even if it is a heavily traveled thoroughfare. This also applies if you are late for your ferry, dinner date or whatever reason you might have.
We have witnessed many examples of poor driving behavior ranging from reading in the car while driving, blatant disregard of other vehicles around them, excessive tailgating and late night racing, to honking horns at children and physically challenged people trying to cross the street at an intersection (this IS legal – look it up).
All we ask is that you treat our neighborhood as if it were your own. Someday the Seattle Police Department will start to live up to their responsibilities and do something about excessive speed and reckless driving. Until then I only hope that people remember, do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.
Sincerely,
A concerned West Seattle resident
Thanks to Shell Marr for that photo and word that The Wash House laundromat on 35th (between Morgan and Graham) has abruptly closed. Shell adds, “It’s really too bad they did not make it, Vicki & Jim were just the nicest people and really made doing laundry somewhat enjoyable if that is possible. Thank you, Vicki & Jim …” Meantime, another sign just sighted, this one on Delridge:
We first told you two months ago that Olympia Pizza and Pasta was taking over the short-lived Pacino’s Coffee spot; it’s had a temporary banner up for a while, but the official sign just appeared this week. We don’t have any info yet on a targeted opening date.
Did you shop? Did you sell? Did you have fun? Since we filed so many separate updates, we thought we’d put up this “open thread” post specifically for comments wtih WSCGSD reports, if you care to share ’em. We’ll have an official survey within a few days seeking feedback for next year, but if you have something to suggest now, that’s welcome here too. (P.S., don’t forget the contests.) Thanks to EVERYONE who was part of the 4th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day in some form or another; our first time organizing it has been intense but fun! (Now it’s off to round up the sandwich boards …)
“Christmas at Skylark” (3803 Delridge), as dubbed by Patrick the Sales Guy, who has been making most of the photography rounds today. However, in the past hour, your editor here and Junior Member of the Team broke away from WSB HQ to see what’s up. Dropped by a couple sales incognito, west of California, north of The Junction; bought strawberry lemonade from the kids at 47th/Dakota, wandered into an alley sale a few blocks east and got the unsolicited proclamation from the saleholder that “All the good stuff’s gone; it’s been a busy morning.” Well, not ALL the good stuff; Junior Member was furious we wouldn’t let him spend $5 on a big hulking scanner. Meantime, back at the sales – here’s the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle sale at 5637 42nd SW:
Along Fauntleroy (5962), two pix from the PB&J Textiles sale:
We drove through The Junction and noted group sale sites in the vicinity were still jumping, as were Junction businesses (megaline outside Bakery Nouveau, even at 1:30 pm). There’s still an hour to shop; get a map here if you need it.
BULLETIN! Sunshine just broke out at the halfway mark. Now, more of the bigger sites:
That’s the bake sale at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council sale, 2512 SW Genesee, raising money for tot-size play equipment at Cottage Grove Park. Heading northwest from there:
Booming business when we stopped by the Log House Museum sale (3003 61st SW). Next – in the Admiral District, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor; 2210 California SW) is participating:
South of The Junction, there’s a group sale (like Hotwire & Freshy’s, both shown earlier) at C and P Coffee (5612 California SW):
Alki UCC church (6115 SW Hinds) is having a plant sale as part of WSCGSD:
And here’s another one of the fundraising sales – a multifamily sale at 4136 Beach Drive, raising money for the American Cancer Society:
Sales continue till 3 pm; get your map here.
That’s Amber Bennett, proprietor of Freshy’s Coffee at 2735 California SW, holding their entry for the “Best Sign” contest – one of two contests we’re having as part of West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day today — “Best Sign” is for sellers; photograph your creative sign(s) and e-mail the photo after the sale to garagesale@westseattleblog.com; “Most Unusual Item” is for shoppers OR sellers – e-mail a photo and tell us which participating sale you bought/sold it at – same address, garagesale@westseattleblog.com. Prize for “Most Unusual Item” is a Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor and sale location today) card; prize for “Best Sign” is an Illusions (WSB sponsor) gift certificate; whichever contest gets the most entries will also have a second prize awarded, a gift certificate from the new Body Bar massage/skin care dayspa; winners will be announced Monday night. Back to Freshy’s for a sec – they’re doing the “Handmade Brigade” arts/crafts sale as well as yard-sale stuff – here’s a look down their sidewalk across from Hiawatha:
More group-sale updates coming up next. The sales continue till 3 pm; get your map here.
That’s Gina (left) and JanS from the WSB Forum Community, at their sale @ 2655 45th SW (near Lafayette). Part of the sale is raising $ for Jan, a longtime WSB’er who’ll be out of work a while after hip-replacement surgery this week – some items are offered at whatever you’re willing to pay as a free-will donation; read more about this sale in this thread on the forum. (More updates to come; sales continue till 3 pm; get your map here.)
ADDED 10:29 AM: Those are photos from 7138 32nd SW, a sale raising money for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which fights childhood cancer. The family hosting the sale has a child fighting cancer, and is telling their story online here. (Click the address in that sentence to see where it’s at on the Google version of the WSCGSD map; get the printable map here.) ORIGINAL UPDATE: Another round of photos is headed this way – first some anecdotal observations, as the WSB team member who’s not on photo patrol took a quick side trip down the hill to the store – saw lots of folks browsing the sales in the Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy area – and the sky’s getting lighter all the time! P.S. If you just can’t find a preprinted map (we know our official locations still have some, we checked this morning), we’ve also put a few out in a box by our sandwich board sign near WSB HQ – look for it @ California/Thistle.
That’s the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee, one of today’s group-sale spots (proprietor Lora offered space in exchange for a nominal donation to Furry Faces, a West Seattle-based animal-rescue group). Next — after stopping at the Community School of West Seattle megasale (see previous post), we hopped a couple blocks over to 9211 21st SW, where the sale’s in the back yard:
(Map/list of all sales available here.)
Brief shower at 8 am. We can see breaks in the clouds behind it, so don’t panic. Meantime, our roving field crew just stopped at the Community School of West Seattle; they started at 8 am – by 8:05 they’d already made $100! 9450 22nd SW. (Photo above) (Map/list of all sales available here.)
From the National Weather Service, updated at 4 am, still looks like the rain (aside from a spatter or two) SHOULD hold off till AFTER West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day‘s official shopping time ends @ 3 pm:
TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF RAIN THIS AFTERNOON. HIGHS NEAR 60. SOUTH WIND TO 10 MPH.
TONIGHT…RAIN LIKELY IN THE EVENING…THEN CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE LOWER TO MID 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.
Need a WSCGSD map/list? Get it here.
FOOD DRIVE AT YOUR HOUSE/APT/CONDO/ETC.: Please put out a bag of nonperishable food by your mailbox or mail slot this morning – it’s the big day for the annual Stamp Out Hunger letter carriers’ food drive.
SPRUCEUP #1: All volunteers welcome as Pathfinder K-8 families and staff, with help from Seattle Works, brighten up their campus, with painting and landscaping projects and more, 10 am-2 pm, drop by and join in.
SPRUCEUP #2: Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s quarterly Adopt-a-Street cleanup is today; you can join in by meeting the group outside Metropolitan Market for free coffee/snacks at 9 am. (Plenty of time to shop the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day sales after this wraps up @ noon!)
(Updated 8:44 am to add the Gatewood report)
First, from Karla:
It’s 12:48 a.m. and my husband, son and I just got through cleaning up the two dozen eggs that were thrown at our house at approximately 12:30 p.m. We live just across from the Admiral Lookout — when I heard the first few eggs hit, I saw a boy approximately 17 years old in a black sweatshirt and black pants run north on 36th Avenue SW and then around the corner on Olga. I ran downstairs to tell my son who ran out our garage and saw some teenagers drive off in a black car. My husband saw the black car from our upstairs bedroom window as well. Just wanted to give everyone in our neighborhood a heads up.
Hours later, from Chris:
Just thought I’d write in about some vandalism that happened last night on Rose Street in Gatewood between 39th and 41st Avenues. It looks like someone drove up the street with a baseball bat, breaking all the drivers’ side mirrors on cars parked along the north side of the street. A neighbor of mine said he heard it happen around 2:30 Saturday morning. I don’t know if other streets were hit as well.
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