Meet West Seattle’s “Psychic Barber”: He KNOWS you need a cut
Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Rick Cook, owner of Rick’s Barber Shop at 5251 California SW, has inherited both a sign and a claim to fame: “Psychic Barber.”
You’ve probably laughed, driving along California SW, when out of the corner of your eye you caught a glimpse of two white neon signs next to each other: “Psychic” “Barber.” That reaction was partly by design; after a psychic moved in next door to Rick’s Barber Shop, Rick had a matching white neon “Barber” sign made by the same person who created the “Psychic” sign.
Now, Rick owns the “Psychic” portion of the signage as well, and his front window proudly announces “Psychic Barber.”
The Psychic Barber attention came after Rick had already been in his current space for 15 years.
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WestSide Baby donations update: You’re answering the call
Two notes following up on the article published here last night saying WestSide Baby – which helps thousands of families, not just in West Seattle and White Center, but beyond – needs car seats and diapers: First, Nancy Woodland from WestSide Baby says the donations (including car seats like the ones shown above) have been flowing in all day. Second, please note a change to the dropoff site list in the story – Square 1 Books (WSB sponsor) is *not* a dropoff location – they are collecting board books that you can buy and donate on the spot, but otherwise, much as they’d like to take other donations, there’s no room. The updated list is in the story.
White Center/West Seattle fave Full Tilt Ice Cream expands again
It’s been hinted at for a while but today, the formal announcement – Full Tilt Ice Cream is adding a third location, this time in the University District. The news release from proprietor Justin Cline is headed, “Full Tilt Set to Take Over the World. ” They opened in White Center in summer 2008, then in Columbia City earlier this year. Their new location will be at 4759 Brooklyn Avenue NE (map), with January 5th set as opening day. They also are announcing a new partnership with Cafe Vita for not just coffee, but also a special ice-cream flavor for all stores, and they’re adding “more vegan treats” – four vegan flavors and “a variety of vegan baked goods.”
West Seattle totem theft: Suspect arrested again, home searched
(1 of 2 police cars that were still in the neighborhood when we arrived)
Here’s why police converged on Palm Avenue in North Admiral earlier this morning: They had a search warrant for the home of the suspect in the Nov. 30 theft of 
West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park‘s 18-foot totem pole (inset Rotary photo). The search was wrapping up when we arrived, and we didn’t see anything being brought out while we were there, but Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen tells us officers have arrested the 69-year-old man again – this time in connection with the theft of the totem pole found on a trailer in Oregon along with the West Seattle totem (as we reported last week, that second pole turned out to have been stolen from outside the Renton Fred Meyer store). As with the first arrest, he was not at his home when police arrived, but was taken into custody elsewhere in West Seattle, and has been booked into King County Jail. We are not identifying the suspect until he is officially charged; we are checking frequently with King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe, who just told us the case has yet to be referred (with ongoing investigations, that’s not unusual). We’ll update the latest developments if/when more information is available. Meantime, if you’re catching up on the backstory, here are links to some of our previous coverage:
Original story on then-suspected theft (published Dec. 3)
Theft suspect arrested (Dec. 9)
Stolen pole found in Oregon with (then-) mystery pole (Dec. 10)
Stolen poles brought back from Oregon (Dec. 14)
Second pole identified as having been stolen from Renton (Dec. 15)
Stolen West Seattle pole won’t be re-installed immediately (Dec. 17)
1:17 PM UPDATE: Lt. Paulsen says additional search warrants have been served in connection with the case – two in Black Diamond. No word yet if anything was found.
Update: West Seattle Nursery “shop cat” Seth is back
From the “happy ending” department — this is just out of the inbox from Galen at West Seattle Nursery, following up on yesterday’s report:
Our cat Seth came back. I just posted on the blog but I wanted to e-mail as well. He was stuck next door in our boss’s basement all day and all night. Mark heard meowing and let him out. We had him chipped this morning. … So happy and glad.
Side reminder: Hope it’s is a service you don’t ever have to use, but anyone who loses or finds a pet is welcome to e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com so we can help get word out via the Pets page … it’s been of assistance in dozens of happy reunions over the past year-plus. (For other types of lost/found reports, you are welcome to post directly to the WSB Forums.)
West Seattle Crime Watch: Grinches on the rampage?
This morning, e-mail came in from Lee:
If someone wakes up and is missing lit-up Xmas animals from the front of their house, I just walked by a seal and another thing (didn’t look too closely as I was rushing to catch a ferry) at the bottom of the Thistle stairs on the side of the street.
Just went down to check – what Lee reported is still there, along Thistle at 46th (map):
Whether related or not, that sighting comes hours after a report of stolen decorations in North Admiral – witnessed by “octoberjem,” who posted the report in the WSB Forums, including a description of and partial plate from the pickup truck seen making a getaway. Read that report here.
Today/tonight: Orca watch, 787, concert, last-minute giving
ORCA WATCH: Howard Garrett from the Orca Network – which tracks whale sightings all over Northwest waters (and often beyond) – sent this word last night, suggesting whales might pass us today:
There are a lot of orcas in the south sound tonight, and they may be there tomorrow as well. The last report, from Steve Rees, was in the final glimmer of winter solstice light, at 4:25 pm from Richmond Beach (Gig Harbor), describing 30+ orcas heading north up Colvos Passage. 30+! If anyone sees them, please call Orca Network at 866-ORCANET (672-2638) and call the West Seattle Blog so everyone will know where to look.
(We’re at 206-293-6302 round the clock.) Colvos Passage, by the way, is the channel that runs west of Vashon.
787: One week after the much-cheered first flight of Boeing‘s new Dreamliner, the second one goes up this morning – again planned to leave from Snohomish County’s Paine Field and to arrive just east of West Seattle, at Boeing Field.
BENEFIT CONCERT: 7 pm tonight at Mars Hill/West Seattle, violinist Angela Fuller performs to raise money for the medical expenses of bicyclist Angela Sweet (story here).
LAST-MINUTE HOLIDAY GIVING: As reported here last night, WestSide Baby needs car seats and diapers by tomorrow to meet its holiday goals – details here. And Jill at CAPERS in The Junction shares a photo of their Giving Tree, which is there through Christmas Eve:
Jill explained:
CAPERS is accepting gifts for the Hickman House, transitional housing for women and children surviving domestic violence, until December 24th. Pick up a gift card while you are out shopping and drop it off if you are too busy to pick up a star.
Other donation drives are listed on the West Seattle Holidays page – along with other Christmas-week info and an ever-growing list of New Year’s Eve/Day events – plus look for a couple more lists later today to join the updated holiday restaurant list.
West Seattle scenes: Christmas party on the run; solstice sunshine
WSB contributing reporter Keri DeTore tells the story behind that photo:
I was driving home along Fauntleroy at about 9:15 (last night) and saw, going north, two groups of runners–one group per side of Fauntleroy, tricked out with Christmas hats and blinking blue lights. I managed to catch up with one group and ask them about it.
Cathleen Knutson (center, with Macbeth Watson at left and Lori McConnell at right) came up with the idea of an “Alternative Christmas Party.” The group of nine friends ran from Knutson’s home on Avalon, to see the Christmas lights on Charlestown, then to Celtic Swell for “beverages,” and then back to Knutson’s home. A total of eight miles!!
They are calling it the “1st Annual Holidazzle Run.”
Keri caught up with that group on the longest night of the year – which began shortly after this photo shared by Diane:
She took it a short time before sunset, from the 37th/Hinds vicinity, other side of the peninsula from where Alice Enevoldsen and fellow sky-watchers gathered at Solstice Park (photo here).
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