West Seattle, Washington
25 Monday
The photo and report are from Timothy Pollin, the new Senior Gardener for Seattle Parks‘ Southwest District:
I have seen a very interesting brown crow at Alki Beach a few times now. I thought it would be fun for the bird enthusiasts out there.
In his email to us, he also described it as a “caramel crow.” The scientific term is “leucistic.” We’ve featured leucistic crows here before, most notably one we had seen for years near our HQ in Upper Fauntleroy, until its death in the July 2009 heat wave. P.S. The difference between leucism and albinism in birds is explained here.
(Photo courtesy Delridge Grocery Co-op
The Delridge Grocery Co-op is now taking orders for this year’s gift basket – a gift idea that’s not only tasty for the recipient, it also does good for the DGC. Here’s the announcement:
The Delridge Grocery Co-op is celebrating small businesses this holiday season with its third annual Holiday Gift Basket, now available for ordering for pickup at the store or delivering to West Seattle addresses. Get early bird pricing through November 25 (Black Friday) — $65 for pickup or delivery!
Focusing on small producers from the Pacific Northwest and around the US, the Holiday Gift Basket is packed with delicious discoveries that are a little bit sweet, a little bit savory, and a little bit fiery.
From the PNW, the basket features one of a variety of hot sauces from Haxan Ferments, preserved lemons from Villa Jerada, a citrus-infused olive oil gift set from Oregon’s Durant Olive Mill, and a tin of Jacobsen Salt Co. flaked salt harvested from Netarts Bay on the Oregon Coast.
The basket also includes a salted caramel chocolate bar from GoodSam, Big Heart rooibos tea sourced directly from a small family farm in South Africa, bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup from Tree Juice, and a unique popcorn-on-the-cob grown from heirloom seeds by Utah’s Petersen Family Farm.
Enjoy special early bird Holiday Gift Basket pricing through Black Friday (November 25) — $65 for pickup or delivery. Order here.
After November 26, the Holiday Gift Basket will be $70 for both pickup and delivery. For convenience, you can choose which weekend to receive your basket (through the weekend of Dec. 16-19). The all-volunteer Delridge Grocery Co-op is open on Fridays from 3–7, Saturdays from 9–3, Sundays from 11–3, and Mondays from 3–7.
Last year’s Holiday Gift Basket sold out, and we were able to add a larger refrigerator to our store. Proceeds from this year’s DGC Holiday Gift Basket will go to help upgrade our equipment and advance our efforts to increase market hours and inventory in 2023.
To help us increase the hours and days we’re open, you can further support the DGC by volunteering for retail shifts, packing our weekly Essentials produce boxes, and driving deliveries on Saturdays. We also need help behind the scenes to coordinate volunteers, research and write grant proposals, and help get the word out via social media. Learn about our volunteer opportunities on our website.
Basket contents:
• Haxan Hot Sauce, Various Flavors (Haxan Ferments, Seattle)
• Preserved Lemons (Villa Jerada, Seattle)
• Citrus Infused Olive Oil Gift Set (Durant Olive Mill, Oregon)
• Flake Salt Tin (Jacobsen Salt Co., Oregon)
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Bar (GoodSam)
• Popcorn on the Cob (Petersen Family Farm)
• Happy Rooibos Tea (Big Heart Tea)
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup (Tree Juice)
The DGC’s storefront is at 5444 Delridge Way SW – but again, you can order your gift basket(s) online.
(WSB file photo)
One week from tonight, the Argosy Cruises Christmas Ship sets sail for the first time this season, and it’ll be headed directly for West Seattle. If you haven’t seen it before, the Christmas Ship carries carolers (and paying passengers) to stops around the region, making multiple stops most nights for 20-minute performances of holiday songs, including singalong favorites. Everyone’s welcome to watch from shore. Its West Seattle schedule this year is the same as last year – three stops on its first two nights of the season:
Friday, November 25
Choir: The Dickens Carolers
Performance: Don Armeni Boat Ramp @ 5:35 pm
Saturday, November 26
Choir: The Dickens Carolers
Performances:
Salty’s on Alki @ 5:35 pm
Alki Beach Park @ 8:35 pm
Weather permitting, the Alki Beach Park stop will include a bonfire set up by Seattle Parks. You can see this year’s full regional Christmas Ship schedule (November 25-December 23) here.
The Christmas Ship stops are among many events featured in this year’s WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, and we’re adding more nightly – if you have something to add, send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
New estimate for shore-power use to start at Terminal 5 in West Seattle: Early next year. We’ve been reporting on the problems getting the modernized terminal’s new feature activated, so that many of the cargo ships using T-5 won’t have to burn fuel running their generators while in port. First, it was a subject of labor negotiations. Then once those were worked out, the Northwest Seaport Alliance – which oversees cargo terminals in Seattle and Tacoma – said a technical problem surfaced. They were still figuring out how to solve that problem at the time of our most recent report earlier this month. We followed up again this week; NWSA spokesperson Melanie Stambaugh told WSB that they’ve made progress: “The project team, alongside the terminal operator and ocean carrier, has identified a solution for the shore power plug-in configuration and will be installing and testing the shore power capability in December.” But, she says, that’s not expected to lead to operational use before January: “It is anticipated that the use of the shore power system is expected to begin in Q1 2023.” By that time T-1 will have been open a year.
The latest confirmed-gunfire incident in West Seattle happened last night just before 10:30 pm on Puget Ridge. The police-report summary says 911 callers reported hearing shots in the 6000 block of Croft Place SW [map]. Police found “evidence of a shooting” but no victims or property damage. A nearby resident told them she heard five shots and a vehicle speeding away, but according to the police summary, she had no description of the vehicle or who was in it. If you have any information about this incident, refer to case # 2022-309409.
(2020 WSB photo, Puget Ridge Edible Park)
Puget Ridge Edible Park (18th/Brandon) is an ongoing neighborhood collaboration and demonstration of what could be achieved in many more neighborhoods – a step toward true community sustainability by growing food. The project is already supported by many volunteer hours. Now it’s time to seek monetary donations too – with a specific goal: Catching more rainwater to use during the dry season. Longtime sustainability advocate Stu Hennessey explains:
This year, the Puget Ridge Edible Park produced a large quantity of produce to feed over 40 families that come regularly for harvesting and many more that harvest from our free farmstand. This year we would like to expand our demonstration for rain harvesting to use less municipal water. This example of resilience is a big part of our mission.
All over our nation, water supplies are becoming scarce. Without water, crops will fail. There is plenty of water available during the year, just not during our growing and harvest season. Last summer in Seattle, from June 21st to September 21st, we received 0.5 inches of rain. October was also the driest and warmest on record, with a fall season record-high temperature of 88 degrees on October 16th. Rain harvesting is the only way to offset the effects of our changing climate. We hope our efforts will be an example of resilience for the future.
To collect water during our rainy season, we need to build an overhead structure to fill our 2 current cisterns at the cost of $2,000. We would also like to expand our water collection by installing a 3,000-gallon Norwesco cistern, which costs $2500 plus $500 for delivery. Rainwater harvesting is very important, and gardens thrive on the natural water free of chlorines and fluorides which are meant to kill essential soil bacteria and microbes. Rain harvesting is the future of farming.
If you can donate, here’s where to go.
(Another late look at autumn leaves – Lincoln Park photo by Gary Pro)
Here’s what’s happening for the rest of today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and Holiday Guide:
ENJOY A BEVERAGE, HELP STUDENTS: All day at Hotwire Coffee (4410 California SW) – open until 5 pm – a percentage of proceeds will go to the Genesee Hill Elementary PTA. (Mention that’s why you’re there!)
DROP-IN OPEN PLAY: Now through 11:30 am, weekly drop-in open play for little ones at Arbor Heights Community Church (4113 SW 102nd).
HOLIDAY BAZAAR: The White Center Library Guild‘s annual Holiday Bazaar & Book Sale starts today at the library (1409 SW 107th), 11 am-4 pm.
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Tasting room, wine bar, and retail store are open again on Fridays and Saturdays, 1-6 pm on north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus, as previewed here.
ADOPTABLE CATS/KITTENS: Go to Pet Elements (6511 California SW) and see who’s looking for a forever home this week.
BUY DONUTS, HELP A SCHOOL: 3:30 pm-4:30 pm, the Madison Middle School PTSA is selling Krispy Kreme donuts, $15/dozen, outside the school as a fundraiser. (3429 45th SW)
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Moroccan Dog, The Brudi Brothers, Justin Harden play tonight, doors at 7, music at 8. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
‘THE CURIOUS MRS. SAVAGE’: Last chance to see the West Seattle High School production, 7:30 pm in the school theater (3000 California SW). Our calendar listing has the synopsis and ticket link (note that this production offers a streaming option too).
THEATER: Blue Hour‘s ‘boom’ continues at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm.
Have something to add to our calendar? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, November 18th.
WEATHER
More sunshine today, and breezy, with a high in the 40s.
WEEKEND PREVIEW
-Saturday morning might bring some traffic congestion in the early going of the two turkey-giveaway events that will be happening – 9 am start for the Eastridge Church event (39th/Oregon), 10 am start for the drive-up event at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor).
TODAY’S TRANSIT STATUS
–Metro buses are on regular schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations/reroute alerts.
-The West Seattle Water Taxi is running its fall/winter schedule (still daily, all dayparts, but no late Friday/Saturday runs).
-Still a 2-boat schedule for WSF’s Triangle Route (check here for alerts/updates).
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
High Bridge – here’s the camera at the top.
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (if SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way).
Low Bridge: Or nearby, depending on where SDOT points the camera.
1st Ave. S. Bridge: The south route.
Highway 99: Here’s the northbound side at Lander.
All functional city traffic cams can be seen here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
If you see trouble on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
| 4 COMMENTS