West Seattle, Washington
07 Saturday
11:15 PM: Expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen just tweeted the news of an aurora visible right here, right now:
This. pic.twitter.com/gkq5ux4XJ7
— Alice's AstroInfo (@AlicesAstroInfo) May 28, 2017
She had been talking earlier about the possibility, and we were about to fold it in with some beautiful sunset photos we’d received, when she called to say it’s happening now. Here are her viewing tips (main one, “always look north”). More to come!
11:23 PM: If you’re interested in expert guidance while trying to get a look at the aurora, Alice is considering heading to Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1222 Harbor SW).
12:35 AM: Alice reports an International Space Station sighting too.
12:50 AM: She’s moving on to Myrtle Reservoir Park.
ADDED 7:11 AM SUNDAY MORNING: More photos – first, from Jason Enevoldsen:
And from Jamie Kinney:
Tonight’s roundup:
MOBILE PRECINCT STILL AT ALKI: We’ve been checking every day/night; this evening’s photo is from 57th/Alki around 8:20 pm, just before sunset. Very busy at the beach. We also saw bicycle officers. No major trouble reported so far but shortly after we checked out the Alki area, this happened to the south:
BEACH DRIVE CRASH: Mark sent the photo from a crash response at Beach Drive/Atlas within the past hour. It cleared fairly quickly – before we even were able to turn around (having just left the area) to go check it out. No injuries reported.
CAR PROWLER ON VIDEO: Brian shared this security video recorded early Friday just north of Lincoln Park:
He was awakened at 4:40 am “to the sound of my car alarm going off. Went through security footage and discovered this brazen individual swooping into our neighborhood and attempting to break into my truck. Luckily the alarm did its job and the guy sped off empty handed. Keep an eye out for a light-colored SUV with a roof rack/basket.”
ANYONE MISSING THIS PURSE? The photo is from Bri’Anna:
She says it was dumped in the 4100 block of Delridge Way SW: “They took everything but the earphones and keys. Keys are pretty important and at times hard to replace, so I thought I’d share.” She turned it in at the Southwest Precinct, so contact police if it’s yours.
Also ditched, likely stolen – these two bicycles:
RED BICYCLE: Andrea sent the photo above: “As I was driving through my family’s neighborhood this afternoon, I spotted this red Nishiki bicycle. Not sure if anyone had reported one stolen in West Seattle around Fairmount Park. Found at SW Brandon St and 40th Ave SW. I have brought it to my yard for now …” Yours? We’ll put you in touch.
And this one:
PURPLE BICYCLE: From Cass: “I noticed this bike on Roxbury near the corner of 30th SW a couple days ago. It’s still there, so I’m assuming the owner doesn’t know and hope you can get the word out.”
The photos are from Eric, who says this truck took a wrong turn down residential 41st SW south of The Junction around 11:15 am, “squashed” an SUV, and got stuck “near the Hudson stairs”:
Eric says he empathized: “Driver was really young. I used to drive big rigs, felt for him. He was planning on trying to reverse all the way to Edmunds. I tried to help for half an hour but had to leave.” We don’t know where the truck was trying to go, but the city does have a map of “major truck streets” – Fauntleroy, two blocks east, is the major one in that area.
Family and friends will honor Lorraine C. Foster with a funeral mass and burial next Friday (June 2nd) and a celebration of life on June 10th. Here’s the remembrance being shared with the community:
Lorraine Cecilia Foster, 86, passed away peacefully at home on May 23, 2017, in White Center (known to her as West Seattle). She was born on June 3, 1930, in Rolla, North Dakota. Lorraine was preceded in death by her son, Michael Dale Foster, and her sisters, Muriel Pearson, Doris Gardner, Aurora Skelton, Juliette Pearson, and Neoma Jones, and brother Joseph Garceau. She is survived by her husband Harold Dale Foster; her son Jeff and daughter Sue; her grandchildren Kara, Amanda, Matthew, and Mark; her brothers, Bill Garceau, Lloyd Garceau, Jim Garceau; and numerous cousins.
Born to Willie and Anna Garceau and raised on a farm in North Dakota, she was one of ten siblings. She had the most wonderful stories of her time growing up there. She moved to Seattle with her sisters Doris and Aurora to be with their sister Mert (Muriel), who moved to Seattle in 1945. Lorraine started work at Sears & Roebuck in mail order as a Biller in 1947 and stayed at Sears until the mail-order plant closed in 1987.
She met Harold Foster through her sister Aurora in 1948. They had a double wedding with her sister Muriel and Keith (Bud) Pearson, in 1950 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle. They had three children – Michael, Jeff, and Suzette. They purchased their home in 1961 and would go on to live there for 56 years, with many family gatherings filling the home to the brim with laughter and wonderful memories.
Harold and Lorraine, parishioners at Holy Family Church, had their children attend Holy Family School, as well as their granddaughter, Kara, and many other cousins.
They went on to purchase camping property at Lake Trask Timber Trails in 1975 with many other Sears & Boeing families. Camping was a joy and an extension of their home. They made many friends over the years and the family would go on to create many more memories there. Her sweets were notorious amongst her grandchildren and their friends; her “hockey pucks,” the most famous of all.
Her funeral mass will be held on Friday, June 2nd, at 10 am at Holy Family Catholic Church in White Center, located at 9622 20th Ave SW; her burial is to follow at noon at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, 350 Monroe Ave NE, Renton. Her celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 10th, from 2-5 pm at the White Center Eagles, 10452 15th Ave SW.
In lieu of gifts, please make a donation to Providence Hospice or the Alzheimer’s Association.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
3:51 PM: If you’ve heard the sirens or seen the smoke (one texter said it was visible from Westwood Village) – Seattle Fire is arriving at a van fire at 27th and Roxbury. The dispatch started fairly sizably because there was concern about “exposure” – possibly to a nearby structure – but per scanner, that didn’t turn out to be the case, and the response is being downsized. We’re still on the way to check it out.
3:59 PM: Fire’s out.
4:05 PM: Talked to firefighters. No one hurt. The possible “exposure” – concern about the fire spreading – turned out to be the tree under which the van was parked, as you can see in the photo we added above.
(First two photos by David Whiting)
More than three dozen volunteers weeded, cleaned, and mulched in the Luna Park area this morning. Toward the right side of the top photo is Roxane Rusch, who organized the work party as part of the preparations for a Neighborhood Park and Street Fund project on its way to the area. SDOT-provided river rock is part of the landscaping preps, too:
At right, above, Luna Park Café owner John Bennett was among the volunteers, and he shared the next two photos, starting with City Councilmember Lisa Herbold pulling weeds:
So when you next ride, walk, or run through the area, you can appreciate the volunteer work – and if you would like to help, watch for word of the next work party.
The original vision for the future city-grant-funded work … with the way paved by volunteer help … is in this WSB story.
Honor those who served this Memorial Day weekend by getting a poppy from American Legion Post 160. Post members will be outside West Seattle Thriftway (4201 SW Morgan; WSB sponsor) until 4 pm today and again 10 am-4 pm tomorrow. We stopped by a short time ago and photographed Ron Wright, who served in the U.S. Army, and Walton Delong, a U.S. Navy veteran and former Post 160 commander. The poppy tradition is almost a century old – read about it here.
Also – as noted in our preview earlier this week – you are invited on Monday to join Post 160 in putting up and/or taking down the Memorial Day flags in The Junction, and to attend the traditional 2 pm holiday ceremony at Forest Lawn (6701 30th SW; WSB sponsor), followed by a community cookout at Post 160 headquarters in The Triangle (3618 SW Alaska).
If you’ve been anywhere near cottonwood trees today – you might have found yourself in something of a “snowstorm.” Jamie Kinney‘s quick clip above, recorded at Westcrest Park, captures it; we experienced (but didn’t record) the same thing at midmorning, while driving eastbound toward Highway 509 from the end of the Roxbury/Olson corridor. Looking for some background, we found this 2010 story by Seattle Times reporter Lynda V. Mapes. As she noted, the peak season continues into the first half of June.
Thanks to Sheree Fantz-Gut for providing West Seattle High School baseball updates and photos this season, including this news:
Anthony Coats, a junior from West Seattle High School, has been named to the 2017 First Team Metro All-Conference Baseball Team. Anthony finished the year with a .450 batting average for the season along with a .550 slugging percentage and a .526 on-base percentage. He also posted a 2.75 ERA pitching with 28 strikeouts, allowing only 8 walks while leading his team in many offensive and pitching categories. Congratulations, Anthony!
(Downy woodpecker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Good morning and welcome to the holiday weekend!
DIG IN AT LUNA PARK: Meet at 9 am at Luna Park Café to help get the area ready for an upcoming beautification project. Tools provided; work party’s on until noon. Here’s our preview. (2918 SW Avalon Way)
GET A POPPY: 10 am-4 pm at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), American Legion Post 160 is distributing Memorial Day poppies, as previewed here. (4201 SW Morgan)
COLMAN POOL OPENING DAY: The outdoor pool on the shore at Lincoln Park starts its first preseason weekend today at noon – schedule info in our preview. (Never been? To get there, walk or bicycle from either end of the park – here’s a map.)
EXPLORE THE SHORE DURING LOW-LOW TIDE: Low-low tide today, down to -3.5 feet at 12:42 pm. Go to Constellation Park or Lincoln Park 10:30 am-2:30 pm to meet up with Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists!
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS BEGIN: 1-4 pm today, weekend tour season starts at the historic Alki Point Lighthouse, as previewed here; last group enters at 3:40 pm. Free, courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. (3201 Alki SW)
DUWAMISH RIVER HISTORY: 1-3 pm at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse: “Geologist Devin O’Reilly shares how glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes & humans have shaped the river” over the past 15,000+ years. Free; more info here. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
STEVE NORRIS & PAT GILL: Live music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
CHAMPAGNE HONEYBEE: Live music at Whisky West, 9 pm. No cover. 21+. (6451 California SW)
MOLASSES, 45TH STREET BASS: 9 pm, live music at Parliament Tavern. $5 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
CHECK OUR CALENDAR … for more of what’s up today/tonight/beyond.
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