First someone texted us this sighting from along West Seattle’s northern shore …
Looked like an interesting study in social distancing, but we had no info otherwise. Then – another photo arrived, in explanation:
That one’s from Lynn Hall, who explained, “Happy Birthday Serenade with social distancing for a friend standing at her front door on Alki Avenue.” Mystery solved!
We thought people might find this interesting. Our neighborhood has an established collection of Little Free Libraries and some changes have emerged in this era of Covid-19. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer. It’s kind to donate a roll for those in dire need but it might be best to seal it in a bag before leaving it.
If you are a longtime WSB reader, you know that most days, we feature West Seattle bird photos with the daily calendar highlights. But the no-event orders mean no highlights. However, thanks to your neighbors, we have bird photos to share anyway!
That’s a Red-Breasted Sapsucker, photographed by Mark Wangerin. Below, the even-more-colorful Golden Pheasant:
That photo’s from Lori on Genesee Hill; Riley spotted it this week too. Sightings have recurred in recent years, including last spring, about the same time this celebrity bird first showed up in West Seattle:
This afternoon, The West Seattle Turkey turned up on Snake Hill, sipping from that pothole near 31st/Findlay; Tyler and Gabbi sent the photo. Yesterday, TWST wandered north to 35th/Edmunds – this photo was texted:
And from Chris Frankovich – a Bald Eagle:
Thanks to everyone who sends photos – birds, breaking news, bears, or … westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302!
10:28 AM: Yes, it’s OK to go out for a walk (or run, or bike ride) during the stay-home order. We’ve featured a few neighborhood displays meant to provide something for neighbors to see on their walks – and this one seems to be gaining traction here as well as across the nation. Sean is the latest to send word of sightings for “teddy-bear hunts” – if you have a bear, put it in your window, so kids walking by will see it. The photos above are from a friend of his who spotted several in Highland Park; Sean has one in his window near 35th/Thistle. What’s in YOUR neighborhood windows? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
10:57 AM: Thanks to the texter who sent that photo from North Admiral (near 45th/Seattle)!
4:28 PM: Thanks to 6-year-old Tino for the photo from 12th/Holden!
ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: Three bear photos via text – 20th/Thistle:
Nathan emailed this morning to ask, “If you are out, can you see if the green stripe has been painted on 41st? Everyone could use some St. Patrick’s cheer.” So we went over to look – and yes, it’s there, on 41st SW in North Admiral. While so many things have suddenly stopped or dramatically changed, not this … so, thanks, Mystery Stripe painter(s)!
(We should add, for newcomers – this has been a St. Patrick’s Day tradition on this block for many years.)
Thanks to Karl at Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) for the photo! That is a truckload of Girl Scout Cookies. Karl helped out as troops – including his granddaughter’s West Seattle troop 45305 – picked up their orders at the Alaska Marine Lines loading dock on Saturday. Cookie sales start in 12 days, according to the Girl Scouts of Western Washington website – February 28 through March 15th. As usual, you can find cookie-sale locations via the online lookup. (Wondering about the cookie varieties? Go here.)
if you missed the evening’s two-part beautiful start, no worries, your neighbors sent photos! Above, the moonrise photographed by David Hutchinson from Don Armeni Boat Ramp; below, a wider view of the moonrise, photographed by Jamie Kinney from Seacrest:
Before the moonrise, a vivid sunset – this photo is by Jim Spraker:
Chris Frankovich caught the sunset’s pink glow on Mount Rainier:
It’s been a must-see Sunday … thanks to everyone who shared their views!
A surprise show at California/Alaska a little more than an hour ago – that’s Filthy FemCorps, the band with the self-description “a hot bag full of fierce women who aren’t afraid to be weird, genuine, raw, sweaty, confident, honest, loving, and real.” They pop up now and then, here and there – same spot 10 months ago, in fact – but you can also catch them at pre-announced events, like the annual street-band celebration HONK! Fest West.
The photo and report are from Doug: “This bike was dumped at 44th and Genesee last week, it was on the median for a couple of days so I brought it to my house hoping it could be re-united with its owner.” If it’s yours, let us know and we’ll connect you.
Commenters have wondered if The West Seattle Turkey would find a safe place to hang out until Thanksgiving was over. This photo just might be the answer. It’s from Chris at Compass Construction, which has West Seattle’s only current tower crane up and running along Fauntleroy just south of Alaska: “It looks like our feathered friend found a new perch on our tower crane!” This is the first turkey sighting we’ve heard of outside the south/east Admiral area since it settled in that area last spring.
As previewed in our Sunday highlight list, a camel – technically, a dromedary – was at Ounces in North Delridge this afternoon as part of the beer garden/taproom’s third-anniversary celebration. Crackle is from a farm on the Eastside. (We would have photographed Ounces’ proprietors too, but Laureland Mike Trujillo had stepped away just before we got there. Happy anniversary!)
In The Junction, flags go up for many national holidays, and this morning, volunteers led by West Seattle’s American Legion Post 160 put these in place.
You can help remove them this afternoon – meet at 4 pm on the northeast corner of Califorrnia/Alaska. Also in The Junction:
We found Nathaniel Cook, Nate Ford, and Michael Gross from West Seattle’s DAV Chapter 23 outside Husky Deli with forget-me-nots – they said you can get yours there, at Chelan Cafe, or at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) today until 2 pm.
Every year while out on Halloween, we notice more and more decorated homes – not just carved pumpkins, but also lights, creatures, silhouettes, all sorts of spookiness. Susanne sent us these photos from Gatewood.
We also featured some Belvidere creativity, courtesy of Rose, with this morning’s highlight list. Thanks to everyone for sharing what you’re seeing!
Thanks to the reader who sent photos tonight of the Genesee Hill house – mentioned in the WSB West Seattle Halloween Etc. Guide – with more than 100 carved pumpkins on display!
Jason told us he displayed more than 50 last year, and doubled it this year.
You can see them through Halloween in the 5200 block of SW Dakota.
Thanks to Kay for the tip! Goats are clearing an overgrown slope by MacDonald-Miller in southeast West Seattle. While we were scoping for the photo op, a staffer told us they bring in the goats every year.
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo of a new Desmond Hansen signal-box portrait – it’s at Delridge/Genesee, a tribute to Mark “Monk” Hubbard of Grindline, designers of the nearby skatepark and many more. The artist tells a detailed story on Instagram about an encounter with the skatepark luminary, a West Seattle resident who died last year. While checking Instagram for more on that box, we noticed Hansen also has just completed one featuring wildlife, so we went by for a photo:
Arriving in Alki a few hours ago to visit the Log House Museum (story to come), we noticed a lineup of classic cars that had us wondering how we missed word of a car show.
Turned out, it wasn’t a show – it was a picnic, with some of the participants’ rides parked nearby.
(Nobody’s come forward to take over the West Seattle Car Show, by the way, so no show this year.)
On a quiet Saturday night, turkey sightings to share:
That photo was sent by Monica Zaborac, who spotted The West Seattle Turkey (aka Admiral Belvidere) atop a car. The Turkey seems to have a taste for dandelions, as noticed by West Seattle visitor Tommy Jamison:
Tommy is visiting from Auxtin, Texas; friend Dan Ciske forwarded the photo. Another round of dandelion snacking was caught on video by Rob Braby:
The turkey’s origins remain a mystery, after 3 1/2 months of sightings.
The photo is from Alki photographer David Hutchinson, who explains: “Heard a siren a bit ago and looked outside expecting to see law enforcement or a medic – instead it was the Moby Duck with what appeared to be some of the sailors from the Seafair Fleet on board.” P.S. Here’s the schedule for the remaining Seafair Fleet Week tours of the sailors’ own ships.
Didn’t get advance notice of this but happened onto it on our way to the Alki Art Fair: Marchers demonstrating in support of freedom for Lolita (Tokitae), the last Puget Sound-captured orca in captivity. They rallied at Luna (Anchor) Park and then marched along Alki Avenue. This was one of 16 awareness-raising events around the world today. Tokitae remains at the Miami Seaquarium, where she’s been for almost a half-century.
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