WSB photos by Dave Gershgorn

While many were out watching orcas this afternoon, another animal-viewing opportunity drew a crowd – The Reptile Lady‘s appearance at Ounces Beer Garden & Taproom in North Delridge.

April Jackson is The Reptile Lady, a calling in which she followed her dad, Scott Peterson aka The Reptile Man.

She brought a mini-zoo of reptiles to Ounces this afternoon, and her audience was enthralled:

From scales to shells, it was a chance to get up close and personal with the visitors, including Spongebob Scalepants, a Sulcata Tortoise:

Rocky the Cuban Rock Iguana was a crowd fave:

So was Mr. Pickles the Burmese Python:

This wasn’t the first exotic-animal visit to Ounces … they hosted a camel five years ago!

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UPDATE: Two more West Seattle Bridge crashes

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

5:48 PM: The bright lights in the upper left of that cropped screenshot from SDOT’s West Seattle Bridge camera mark yet another crash on the westbound side of bridge today. No SFD dispatch so apparently no injuries. But one tipster says they saw, when passing going the other way, “two police vehicles, bashed-up pickup at peak of bridge,” plus the traffic backup.

5:57 PM: We haven’t heard yet whether the scene has cleared, but the live camera shows that the backup has.

7:39 PM: There’s yet another crash that police are handling right now, closer to the curve than the aforementioned one, according to radio traffic. We’re mostly just making note so we can follow up with SDOT yet again on Monday.

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About the police, Coast Guard boats off south Beach Drive

February 22, 2025 5:34 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

5:34 PM: If you’re noticing the emergency-response boats off Beach Drive north of Lowman Beach, here’s what it’s about: SPD and Coast Guard crews are helping a sailboat that needs assistance. No injuries reported, so there’s no shoreside response at this point (aside from SPD, which has since cleared).

7:08 PM: Thanks to James Bratsanos for the photo added above.

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BIZNOTE: Microgreens pop-up Sunday in Delridge ex-market space

February 22, 2025 4:00 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Photos courtesy Jill Moore)

That’s a photo from Mom’s Micro Garden, a microgreens farm co-owned by Jill Moore of Cascadia Produce, who plans a “flash sale” of microgreens tomorrow at the Cascadia Fresh Market space she’s just finishing clearing out of. Jill explains:

I bought into Mom’s Micro Garden with another woman farmer. Microgreens are simply plants harvested at an early stage, just after they sprout their first true leaves. At that developmental stage, the plant has tons of rapidly dividing cells, an army of antioxidant guards, and is bursting with all the vitamins and minerals the full-size plant will ever have. We grow them vertically in a greenhouse on a food safety-certified farm in Sumner, WA. Our Mom’s Micros customers include Canlis, Climate Pledge Arena, and even the Seattle Public School District. Now, I’m working to make them more accessible to the public by partnering with other businesses for pre-order and pickup locations. This quick pilot at my market this weekend is a test of that model.

Micros can be spicy, savory, or sweet, adding fresh crunch and flavor to any food. My favorite is the cantaloupe green —an almost Willy Wonka-like experience where a single leaf releases a wash of cantaloupe juice. Kids love them, and they pack a whole salad’s worth of vitamins and minerals. Pea vines are also sweet and tasty, providing vitamins, protein, and calcium in just a few tender, pleasant-to-eat tendrils.

Microgreens have about a two-week shelf life, which is why they aren’t well-marketed in grocery stores — large businesses can’t turn them fast enough within the fresh window. It takes small, local agriculture to bring people access to this essential nutrition that can be eaten with anything. Micros literally meet you where you are, you can eat them by themselves or on anything. I put some on my McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish yesterday to make it a better-rounded lunch!

The flash sale is set for noon-2 pm Sunday (February 23) at 5444 Delridge Way SW.

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UPDATE: Orcas in Elliott Bay (photos, video added)

February 22, 2025 2:27 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Whales

(Added: Photo by Manuel Valdes)

2:27 PM: It’s perfect whale-watching weather if you’re looking out over Elliott Bay – the black fins are easy to spot in the silvery water. And you just might see some – Kersti Muul reports that orcas have been in the middle of the bay this past hour. Let us know if you see them!

5:25 PM: Still in the bay, commenter Bill reports – right off Anchor Park.

6:52 PM: Added above, a photo sent by Manuel Valdes, who says the calf is “T124D4 as ID’d by Brittany Noelle from Kersti’s WhatsApp group.”

7:24 PM: Two more photos, sent by Robin Sinner:

Those sightings were from Jack Block Park.

ADDED: Video from Kelly Howard:

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New audience for Mode Music Studios’ founder, as her light-rail move looms: Elected officials

February 22, 2025 12:27 pm

| 26 COMMENTS

| Delridge | Sound Transit | West Seattle news

(Sound Transit rendering of Delridge station site)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Erin Rubin, who owns Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) and its nonprofit sibling Mode Music & Performing Arts, is used to making music.

This month, she’s also spent a fair amount of time giving testimony.

As we’ve reported previously, Rubin’s business and nonprofit are in a building that’s in the path of Sound Transit‘s Delridge station. But she’s had two challenges getting in the way of moving Mode somewhere out of that path, so that she and her staff can continue teaching hundreds of local kids:

For one, the building – where she’s been a tenant for a decade – was left out of Sound Transit’s early-acquisition plans, meaning relocation help couldn’t be offered to the tenants, unlike some buildings nearby. ST is looking at changing that; Rubin spoke to the ST Board’s System Expansion Committee last week as it considered an “early acquisition” resolution to buy the building that holds Mode and The Skylark, as well as the building down the block that holds Ounces. (Read the resolution here.)

But even if that happens, another hurdle is the amount of relocation help that can be offered. The Legislature is considering a bill raising the limit, HB 1733. Rubin testified to a Legislature committee last week and shared her statement with us afterward:

We currently serve over 400 students providing private music lessons. In addition, we work with Seattle Public Schools and partnering organizations to provide pay-what-you-can music arts education enrichment and music lesson scholarships to eliminate financial barriers in our local community.

We are waiting to be displaced by the light rail for the West Seattle Link Extension and have been told up until now that our cap for rebuild and rent increase will be $50,000. With the estimates we’ve received so far, we’re looking at somewhere between 350 and $400,000 to re-create the space that we currently are occupying on Delridge in West Seattle.

It’s extremely important for us that a cap increase to $200,000 be voted through not only for us but for other small businesses in other link extensions and neighborhoods in Washington State that will be facing displacement for public transit. It is our reality that this number won’t meet all of our financial needs but gets us closer to what we require to build a space that can house our services.

The heart of our neighborhood communities lies in small business. It’s where our kids congregate after school. It’s where we buy birthday presents and dine on the weekends. In support of local art and education, we have a responsibility to make sure our businesses are able to financially see this next step through for our buildouts and rent increases so we don’t have to close our doors and that businesses down the line are also compensated for their moves in favor of public transit.

On Monday (February 24) at 10:30 am, HB 1733 will have a public hearing in the State House Transportation Committee. Rubin plans to go to Olympia to testify again in support of the bill. Later in the week, the “early acquisition” proposal goes to the full ST Board for its 1:30 pm Thursday (February 27) meeting; here’s the agenda, which also explains how to comment, either in person or remotely. The proposed purchase requires a two-thirds “supermajority” approval vote to pass. Rubin will be there; she says it’s vital to “keep showing up” – not just for her own business and its neighbors, but also to help ensure a precedent for the others in West Seattle that will need to move.

Meantime, the show must go on; until the timetable and relocation compensation are settled, Rubin can’t seek a new space in earnest, so she and the many local artists she employs as teachers at her two Modes are carrying on in the current studios, not just with lessons, classes, and school programs, but also planning for summer camps.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Crash near southwest end of West Seattle Bridge

February 22, 2025 11:27 am

| 13 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Thanks for the tips. Another crash is reported at the trouble spot near the curve toward the southwest end of the West Seattle Bridge. Via text, Jeff describes it as “a mid-size SUV into the median barrier.” At least one westbound lane is blocked. Apparently no injuries reported, so far, as there’s no SFD dispatch.

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COUNTDOWN: 2 weeks until West Seattle recycle/reuse/shred event

February 22, 2025 10:59 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Environment | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo)

Exactly two weeks until the annual “Beyond the Cart” free recycling/shredding event presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and West Seattle Junction Association with partners. It’s happening 9 am-noon on Saturday, March 8, in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). If you’re driving there, this year rather than have you idling in a long line waiting to unload, they’ll direct you to park and walk your stuff to the dropoff station(s). We verified, after the previous announcement raised questions, that assistance will be available for those who need it. Meantime, here again is the list of what they’re taking and not taking:

ACCEPTED ITEMS:

• Foam blocks
• Household batteries (no damaged batteries)
• Florescent tubes and bulbs (no broken bulbs, limit: 4 ft.)
• Small, empty propane camping canisters
• Small electronics (TVs, computers, etc.)
• Small appliances (non-freon)
• Paper for shredding (limit: 4 boxes of paper)
• Clothing, accessories, bedding, and curtains in good condition
• Home goods and toys

ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED:

• Stained, ripped, or worn-out fabrics
• Mismatched items (single shoes, etc.)
• Furniture
• Hazardous waste
• Automotive waste
• Construction waste
• Car seats
• Mattresses
• Household garbage, yard waste, or recycling

Trucks will leave when full.

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WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: 30 possibilities

February 22, 2025 6:12 am

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: 30 possibilities

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Hellebores, photographed by Lorrie)

Here’s the lineup for your Saturday, mostly from our West Seattle Event Calendar:

SATURDAY GROUP RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) at 8 am for the regular Saturday morning run.

HEAVILY MEDITATED: Free community meditation, 9 am at Inner Alchemy‘s sanctuary/studio (3618 SW Alaska).

INTRODUCTORY WALK: Prelude to the next event – meet at the same spot, 47th/Fauntleroy, 9:30 am, for a flat-terrain 1-mile walk.

WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Then at 10 am, you’re invited to join others for the weekly walk in Lincoln Park (also meet at 47th/Fauntleroy).

COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF WEST SEATTLE OPEN HOUSE: Prospective families are invited to visit CSWS 10 am-noon today. (22nd/Roxbury)

MORNING MUSIC: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Info about Marco’s music is here.

GRIEFSHARE: If you have lost someone close to you, this is for you. Third week of 13-week series today, 10:30 am, Grace Church (10323 28th SW).

FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am – “This is a free, weekly, in-person active writing group grounded in the Amherst Writers and Artists method. It is a safe, critique-free space. Writers of all levels welcome, 16 and up.” Our calendar listing has location and RSVP info.

FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30-11 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), meant for kids 0-5.

WASHINGTON STATE BLACK LEGACY INSTITUTE: Open 11 am-6 pm so you can see the Black History Month art exhibit at the new history institution headquartered at 2656 42nd SW.

‘FISHY FABLES’: 11 am-2 pm event with DNDA at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW):

Looking for a warm, indoor, family-friendly event inspired by our incredible urban waterways? Dive into water-inspired activities for all ages! Our event will begin with stories led by Indigenous storyteller Barbara Lawrence (she/her), a Suquamish Nation elder and artist. Enjoy live music, stunning water-themed visuals, educational art activities, and local food. We’ll have a raffle for local goodies!

Create artwork to display at Youngstown or take it home — this event has something for everyone! In partnership with Seattle Public Utilities’ Shape Our Water, we’ll celebrate local urban waterways and wildlife while exploring how we can shape our future together.

RSVP here.

FREE TAX HELP: 11 am-3 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW).

CHOCOLATE BEER WEEK: That’s what The Beer Junction (4511 California SW) is all about right now!

FAMILY READING TIME: Canceled again today because Paper Boat Booksellers is moving.

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM OPEN: The home of West Seattle history is open for your visit, noon-4 pm – see the newest exhibit, about the West Duwamish Greenbelt! (61st/Stevens)

VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER OPEN: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm, as explained here. (2236 SW Orchard)

VISCON CELLARS TASTING ROOM/WINE BAR: Tasting room open – wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).

BUILD ANIMALS AT CLAY CAULDRON: 1-3 pm with Kirsten; our calendar listing explains how to sign up. (5214 Delridge Way SW)

THE REPTILE LADY: 2-4 pm, The Reptile Lady visits Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW). All-ages venue!

FREE MASSAGE: Walk-in clinic at Nepenthe (9447 35th SW), 3-5 pm.

FOR FAMILIES WITH BABIES: 3-4:30 pm at Viva Arts (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW) – today, Crawlers to Walkers Motor Skills Play Group.

ASTRA LUMINA: The illuminated walk at Seattle Chinese Garden on Puget Ridge continues. 5:45 pm and later entry times; ticket cost varies. (6000 16th SW)

EVENING MUSIC AT C & P COFFEE: West Seattle’s Acoustic Crisis performs 6-8 pm at the coffeehouse (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), no cover, all ages.

LATE NIGHT GAME NIGHT: 6-8:30 pm at Spruce Hill Winery (2960 4th Ave. S.; WSB sponsor) – our calendar listing has info on reserving your table.

LIVE AT EASY STREET RECORDS: 7 pm, Taste Testors take the stage. No cover, all ages. (4559 California SW)

THIRD WEEKEND FOR ‘COVENANT’: See the new play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW) at 7:30 pm; get tickets online here.

‘GUIDED CONCERT’ AT KENYON HALL: One-of-a-kind musical experience at 7:30 pm:

Join Benjamin Jay Thomas and friends for an immersive guided concert blending soul-filled indie/folk melodies, storytelling, poetry, and communal singing. Featuring both traditional singer-songwriter songs and intention-based “mantrasongs,” this unique experience invites you to engage at your comfort level, deepening your connection to the music and the community.

Get tickets here. (7904 35th SW)

DRAG AT THE SKYLARK: West Seattle’s drag extravaganza West End Girls, hosted by Cookie Couture, doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, tickets here or at the door. All ages. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

REVELRY ROOM DJ: Spinning starts at 9 pm – catch Alex Carrabba (Off 99). (4547 California SW)

KARAOKE AT TALARICO’S: Saturday night singing starts at 10 pm at Talarico’s Pizzeria. (4718 California SW)

West Seattle event coming up? If the community’s welcome, your event is welcome to be listed on our calendar! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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