West Seattle, Washington
06 Friday
That’s the new sign up outside the future home of Prost West Seattle, on California SW just south of The Bohemian and Spiro’s (here’s a map). Not only is the sign up, so is the Prost West Seattle website, with the promise that Prost is “opening really really soon”; this page elaborates that Prost expects to open in December, with hours 3 pm-2 am 7 days a week (same thing proprietor Chris Navarra told us in the interview for this story we published two months ago).
One more West Seattle beverage note: The Harbor Ave drive-thru coffee shack where we got the photo at left almost exactly a year ago (we’re showing Christmas lights again this year, by the way; send us addresses!) has a new look and a new name. We noticed repainting under way last week – from the former red, to a latte-like beige with tan trim – but didn’t think anything of it till we saw one of their coffee cards over the weekend and noticed the name has changed, from Sleepless Coffee to West Bay Espresso.
As posted on Creighton Space (with photo) — a seal pup on Alki (which, Creighton wrote, was being guarded by Seal Sitters), close to a dead seal. (Perhaps the same dead seal that someone posted about in this comment last night on an old post?) Overall, it’s been a fairly slow season for the Seal Sitters, but they had expected the recently arrived chum run to bring along more seals.
We told you Tuesday about the free “Gobble Stomp” exercise classes being offered Thanksgiving morning by the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) at the Junction and Fauntleroy locations. Now, another option for pre-turkey exercise — just out of the WSB inbox:
Hi, I’m hoping to find some sportin’ folks of all ages and both sexes for a little pre-gorging two-hand-touch football on the athletic field at Madison Middle School. Very inclusive, get-everybody-involved, size-doesn’t-matter kind of fun. Approximately 9 am-10:30 (Thanksgiving morning). Gavin Layton, 206-937-5478
You can also e-mail Gavin if you’re interested – gavin@gavinlayton.com
From our West Seattle Weekend Lineup, a one-time-only event happening tonight – a chance to see a work in progress, telling a story that so far has gone untold, as the storyteller seeks help to finish her project. That storyteller is Seattle filmmaker Jen Marlowe, and her work is “Rebuilding Hope,” documenting three of the so-called “Lost Boys” of Sudan as they returned home to the country they had to leave because of civil war. West Seattleites Charlene Robins and Steve Dresang decided to help Marlowe by organizing an event at Kenyon Hall – this is part of the letter that they sent to friends:
Steve and I first saw the film about two months ago, and were deeply touched and moved by it. Steve spent almost a year in Angola witnessing and caring for the suffering that was inflicted on a nation by a long and drawn-out war. I had the unique and inspiring opportunity to medically care for some of the “Lost Boys” when they first arrived in Seattle about 7 years ago. So it was no wonder that this film pulled at our heartstrings and made us hopeful for Change …
The film is about 80 minutes long and Jen will be at Kenyon Hall to answer any questions you have after the film. We will have some drinks, snacks and popcorn as well. We plan to start the film at 7:30. I think the film will be a great learning experience for anyone who is grade-school age or older.
Charlene added in her note to WSB, “The public is welcome. The screening is free, but we encourage donations toward the cost of making this impressive documentary. The making of the film is a non-profit venture and donations are tax-deductible.” Kenyon Hall is at 7904 35th SW (east side of the street; here’s a map). You can find out more about “Rebuilding Hope” at rebuildinghopesudan.org.
(Photo courtesy Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, showing volunteers picking apples)
Thanks to community interest and generosity, Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle is growing even faster than the fruit trees and gardens that local neighbors have “loaned” them, to share the bounty. So founder Aviva wanted to post a note of thanks – with questions for you as well, to see if there’s interested in some of what the group has on the table:
Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle would like to thank all our generous
volunteers and tree owners for making the harvest of 2008 such an overwhelming success. We picked and donated more than 4,200 pounds of delicious local organic fruit and 800 pounds of vegetables. Volunteers harvested more than 65 trees, including a fig tree and some grape vines, planted two vegetable gardens, and started a few young fruit trees. At a time when food banks are experiencing increased need, we are grateful to make use of the abundance in our backyards for sharing with others.As we are planning for 2009, we have a few new projects we are considering. We would like to gauge community interest.
Are you a food-gardener-wanna-be? Do you wish you could walk out your door and pick fresh veggies for your dinner or lunch? Are you looking for a little help to develop your green thumb? CHOSS is contemplating a garden-mentor project, pairing experienced food gardeners with beginners so that more people can experience the joys of turning Lawns into Lettuce. If you are an experienced food gardener with a desire to share your art, or a novice who wants to get started, contact info@gleanit.org and let us know.
Our other potential project involves fruit. Yes, there are still lots of unharvested apple trees dropping fruit, and some would say, “why plant more trees?” But imagine a neighborhood orchard, planted anew with easy-pick disease resistant varieties, perfect for this climate. Imagine a neighborhood getting together for pruning parties, harvesting parties, community canning kitchens, cider making, with plenty left over for donation. Want to make this happen? Get in touch with us at info@gleanit.org.
We are also actively recruiting new board members, with skills, time and energy to share, especially in the areas of fund raising, event planning, and working with youth. Contact us at info@gleanit.org for more specifics.
CHOSS board member Mary Ellen Cunningham spoke about some of this at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council earlier this week, and also mentioned a project next year to turn more of the fruit into preserves if it’s not otherwise usable. The group did a lot of teaching this past year as well as harvesting; here’s just one example.
Four days till Thanksgiving; unique ingredients await you at today’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm. Click ahead to see the list of what’s new today, and what else is fresh:Read More
We use that beautiful photo – Saturday night’s sunset from the Duwamish Head vicinity, shared by David Hutchinson (thank you!) – as an excuse to mention that the latest forecast calls for Thanksgiving Day sunshine, highs in the upper 40s (and Friday sunshine too – great for West Seattle shopping, as well as for downtown parade-going, which is on our agenda).
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