‘You are welcome here’: Messages for salmon as they approach Fauntleroy Creek
The Southern Resident Killer Whales have come home because the salmon are returning. And if Fauntleroy Creek advocates and neighbors are lucky, they’ll see some of those fish any day now. That’s the reason for the annual drum circle to call the salmon home, organized by Judy Pickens steps from the creek on Sunday afternoon:
Judy told the all-ages attendees that the annual volunteer salmon watch was on, and there’d been a good sign – a female salmon spotted near the mouth of the creek, though she didn’t make it up the creek and her fate is unknown. Jamie Schilling led a bit of singing and drumming, as she does every year, but then – something new:
Visitors were invited to take a stone from a plate of river rocks longtime volunteer Dennis Hinton had brought back from a trip to Yakima, and to write a word or two with a wish for the salmon:
Before taking their rock-borne messages over to the creek banks, everyone was invited to share what they wrote – Messages of welcome, like “you are welcome here”; messages of encouragement, like “Go for it” and “Keep swimming”; and messages of hope, like “glory,” “love,” “peace,” “healing.”
If spawners show up in the creek, watch for word of an “open creek” chance to visit on an upcoming weekend.
19 showed up last year – we’ll know soon how this year turns out. As Jamie observed, despite the pandemic, “life goes on.”
READER REPORT: Coyotes on Pigeon Point
Steve emailed to report, “A few coyotes near 23rd and Andover (Pigeon Point) I heard 2, maybe 3, I think. Please give a warning for people to keep their pets indoors.” (We used to get coyote reports often, but haven’t for quite some time – not sure if that means they’re more scarce, or if people are just used to them.)
CORONAVIRUS: Sunday 10/18 roundup
Wrapping up our weekend, here are tonight’s pandemic notes:
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*25,097 people have tested positive, up 105 from yesterday’s total
*785 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total
*2,480 people have been hospitalized, up 2 from yesterday’s total
*485,294 people have been tested, down 16,417 from yesterday’s total (attributed to “data corrections”)
One week ago, the King County totals were 24,053/776/2,434/480,195.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 39.8 million cases and 1,112,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
PANDEMIC-STYLE HALLOWEEN: We’re getting more announcements of pandemic-style distanced events, like this one: Drive-up trick-or-treating at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse on Halloween afternoon.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT? OR? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
FLU SHOTS: More drive-through clinics set at 2 local schools
(Reader photo: Teacher Michael Franzen getting his flu shot during September CSIHS clinic)
More drive-through flu-shot clinics are coming up starting this week at two local schools, with the Seattle Visiting Nurse Association and Seattle Public Schools nurses teaming up to offer the service. The dates/times:
MADISON MIDDLE SCHOOL (45th and Spokane)
Wednesday, October 21 – 9 am-5 pm
Wednesday, October 28 – 10 am-5:30 pm
CHIEF SEALTH INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL (2600 SW Thistle)
Thursday, October 22 – 10 am-5:30 pm
Monday, October 26 – 10 am-5:30 pm
Wednesday, October 28 – 9 am-5 pm
Make an appointment in advance for everybody in your household (ages 4 and up) who’ll be coming along for a vaccination – go here to pick the date, time, and location. Bring your insurance card; if you’re uninsured, shots are available at no cost.
ADDED: It’s since been clarified, ALL are welcome – not just students/staff/families – at all of these clinics, and for anyone who doesn’t have insurance, the cost will be covered.
MAILBOX ALERT: Westwood Village
3:43 PM: Thanks to Gunner for the tip, which we just verified with an in-person look: The Westwood Village USPS drive-up/ride-up mailbox is full. No Sunday pickup time listed, so if you have something to mail, try another box or wait until tomorrow.
4:50 PM: Thanks to everyone in comments who said the box has since been emptied.
FOLLOWUP: Both Lincoln Park parking lots have reopened
Thanks again to tipster Mike – first, he reported the south Lincoln Park parking lot’s reopening back on Thursday; today, he sent the photo above with news that the north Lincoln Park lot is open again as well. (We had checked just yesterday afternoon, and at that time it was still closed.) As we noted on Thursday, while tomorrow is the official reopening date for lots like these (as we first reported two weeks ago), Parks crews have actually been reopening them over the past week, since the work that’s involved – like removing those big blocks from the south LP lot – couldn’t all be done in one day. The lots and others at “destination parks” citywide were closed seven months ago as “an effort to encourage social distancing and reduce the number of congregating crowds”; then in May, the south lot opened some accessible spaces for disabled park visitors.
ORCAS: Whales off West Seattle again!
11:40 AM: Just got a call from Kersti Muul of Salish Wildlife Watch – orcas are heading for West Seattle waters again, currently southbound in the Bainbridge Island ferry lanes. Let us know if you see them!
12:05 PM: Jeff Hogan from Killer Whale Tales says they’re visible off Alki Point.
12:17 PM: Saw them! From north Emma Schmitz Overlook, with binoculars.
1:51 PN: Just seen off The Arroyos, per commenter Desertdweller, still southbound.
READER REPORT: Anyone missing a walker?
Angelina sent the photo, explaining: “I found a walker with a wonky wheel on 31st Ave SW. I put it in my yard, but it seems like a weird thing to lose. So if someone’s walker was stolen, I might have it.” If it might be yours, let us know and we’ll connect you.
SIDE NOTE: For items that are more likely to be simply lost/found and not stolen, we have a West Seattle Lost/Found (Non-Pets) section here.
DEVELOPMENT: Southwest Design Review Board tells 9218 18th SW team to try again
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
For the second time this month, the Southwest Design Review Board met to consider a South Delridge mixed-use project.
This time, though, they told the project team to go back and try again.
The project is a 5-story building proposed for 9218 18th SW (map), with ~59 apartments, some retail, and ~25 offstreet-parking spaces. The online meeting Thursday night was for Early Design Guidance, the first phase of the city’s Design Review process,
The meeting was chaired by Matt Hutchins; ongoing chair Crystal Loya and the three other members, John Cheng, Alan Grainger, and Scott Rosenstock, were all there too. The meeting proceeded in the usual four-part format:
ARCHITECTS’ PRESENTATION: Here’s the design packet by Caron Architecture. I 5-story, 1 floor of parking below grade, accessed from the alley, 59 units and 21 parking spots. Many site constraints have to be dealt with, including a close-by power line, and a property line set back 26′ from Delridge Way. Here are the “massing” (size/shape) concepts they offered:
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WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: Drumming to summon the salmon, Ski Swap day 2, more…
(Thursday sunset at Cormorant Cove, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
What’s ahead for your Sunday:
ONLINE CHURCH SERVICES: Updated listings and links for 23 West Seattle churches – find them here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. Scroll down the page at this link to find the vendor list and map for this week. (Enter at California/Alaska; pickups for online orders are at California/Oregon)
(WSB photo from last Sunday, Denis Shapiro of the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle)
TOYS FOR TOTS COLLECTION: 10 am-1:30 pm near the market’s entrance/exit, look for the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, collecting new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. (California/Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE SKI SWAP DAY 2: 10 am-4 pm, shop for skis, snowboards, and gear at the VFW Hall in The Triangle. (3601 SW Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)
DRUMMING TO CALL THE SALMON HOME: 4 pm, gather – masked and distanced – near Fauntleroy Creek for this annual autumn tradition. All ages welcome. Bring any kind of drum you have handy – makeshift is welcome too. (4539 SW Director Place)
FREE TO-GO DINNER: White Center Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm, outside, near the Bartell Drugs parking lot in White Center, SW Roxbury St. & 15th Ave. SW (9600 15th Ave SW)
Anything else happening? Let us know – text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
His explanation comes with the news in 
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