West Seattle, Washington
28 Tuesday
(Photos courtesy publisher of Here Comes Noodle)
A message of gratitude today from The Christmas People – who, as previewed here, served a free Christmas dinner in West Seattle as well as distributing hundreds of meals to people in need elsewhere in the city, made possible by many donations:
More than 100 families from the West Seattle Community made merry the hearts of hundreds of homeless people during the Christmas holiday by donating a total of 7600 cookies, making financial donations, and giving 360 hours of combined labor in the kitchen, serving, sitting with those who were alone, sorting cookies, delivering meals to shut-ins, and delivering meals to the shelters in Seattle we serve at Christmas. In addition to the cookies, we served 150 meals in the Alki Masonic Center Dining Room, and we also delivered 1600 cookies on Tuesday to three shelters: Mary’s Place, Compass Center and Union Gospel Mission.
The Christmas People, in conjunction with Alki Masonic Center, are planning next year’s event in 2018 beginning Saturday, December 22, to Tuesday, December 25, with a complimentary meal for homeless, seniors, and others who need a meal on Tuesday, December 25 from noon to four.
A special thank you to members of the West Seattle Community for their outpouring of support and to the West Seattle Blog for outstanding support.
Fred Hutchinson and Ruth Bishop, Co-Founders
Though the snow stopped more than 48 hours ago, some effects linger. The latest: The snow aftermath has the West Seattle Golf Course closed today, along with the city’s three other golf courses. We went over to verify and found a sign on the clubhouse door, plus the still-snowy scene you see above.
(Photo by Don Brubeck – looking over the Duwamish River early today)
Highlights for the rest of your Wednesday, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and Holiday Guide:
SOUTHWEST POOL: Multiple public sessions between noon and 8:30 pm – see the schedule here. (2801 SW Thistle)
HOLIDAY LIGHT SHOW: Most local music/lights displays continue through New Year’s (see the list in the Holiday Guide), but tonight is the last special custom characters-in-lights show at the Uehara-Bingen home on Alki, 6:30 pm, “kid-friendly,” all welcome. (1736 Alki SW)
WEST SEATTLE GET FIT – INFORMATION NIGHT: 7 pm at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), get a jump on your New Year’s resolution to get fit – find out about this free program to get you from “couch to half-marathon.” (2743 California SW)
THE BILLY JOE SHOW HOLIDAY COCKTAIL PARTY: Enjoy music from Billy Joe Huels of the Dusty 45s at West 5 tonight starting at 7 pm. Tasty drinks/food available, but no cover. (4539 California SW)
ALAN SOBEL AND TIM CASHMAN: Special musical performance at Great American Diner and Bar in The Junction, 7:30 pm. (4752 California SW)
MAURICE & HIS THING: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern, blues and rhythm with Maurice Caldwell. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
New Year’s events? Or something else coming up? Send info to editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!
If you can give blood this Friday at a mobile donation drive in West Seattle, it’ll help a local college student as well as potentially saving lives. University of Washington-Bothell health-studies student Dennise Lopez, a Chief Sealth International High School graduate, is hosting a Bloodworks Northwest drive to earn scholarship money, noon-6 pm Friday (December 29th) at Roxbury Safeway (9620 28th SW). From her announcement:
During the holiday season, your donation is more important than ever … the Blood Center sees a 15 percent decrease in donations, yet they need to collect even more blood (1000 units a day) to maintain supplies through the holidays. The Bloodworks Northwest (formerly Puget Sound Blood Center) bloodmobile will be at the parking lot of Safeway on Roxbury on Friday, December 29th, from 12:00 pm to 2 pm, and 3:00 until 6:00 pm. Walk-ins are always welcome, but reservations are preferred. … To help ensure success of the blood drive, please make a reservation by calling or texting Dennise Lopez at 206-851-9976, or e-mail lopez.dennise2015@gmail.com.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning! It’s a few degrees above freezing, might see some light snow but the National Weather Service says there’s not much moisture in the area. No traffic incidents so far in/from West Seattle. And remember that Metro remains on a “reduced weekday” schedule.
1:10 AM: Next year, we might need a special board just for connecting people and misdelivered packages. In the meantime – it’s not Crime Watch, and it’s not Lost/Found, so here’s Kate’s note:
Can you post a note to see if anyone received a package from Pasadena CA for 60xx California Ave SW #304 …. or something close it it? My brother sent me a Christmas gift and USPS says it was delivered on Saturday 12/23 but I have not received it. I live in a secure building with 8 units and we have never had issues with stolen mail so I am hopeful this is a case of misdelivery.
If you did get Kate’s package, let us know … she’d happily come pick it up.
4:48 PM: Resolved – see Kate’s comment.
If you take 1st Avenue South to get into downtown – take note of a long-term detour that could start as soon as the day after New Year’s. As announced by SDOT, they’re about to start utility work to get ready for Center City Connector streetcar consstruction. This means northbound 1st Ave. S. will be closed between S. Jackson St. and Yesler Way, January through May, for installation of a new water main. The work also will close westbound Jackson between 1st and 2nd. More details are on the streetcar project website, including a note that staging will start later this week.
8:53 PM: Seattle Fire is sending an “assault with weapons” medical response to the 4000 block of California SW [map], north of The Junction. Police are on the way too. No other details yet. More to come.
9:01 PM: Our crew is still on the way to find out more, but in the meantime, the SFD log shows all but one unit (Engine 32) has been canceled.
9:11 PM: Here’s what police tell us happened: A woman showed up at the California/Andover mini-mart/gas station with a cut to her head. She told them she was injured in Burien. A private ambulance crew is checking her out; a King County Sheriff’s unit (they handle Burien) has arrived to pick up the investigation. They’re not commenting.
(‘Conceptual’ rendering by Lemons Architecture, from April 2017 Design Review presentation)
Just one West Seattle project on the city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin published today – but it’s a four-parter. The project [map] has four addresses:
–3257 Harbor SW (7 units, 7 parking spaces)
–3303 Harbor SW (9 units, 9 parking spaces)
–3315 Harbor SW (8 units, 8 parking spaces)
–3252 30th SW (8 units, 8 parking spaces)
The project passed the first phase of Design Review back in April (WSB coverage here), which meant the developer was cleared to go ahead and apply for land-use permits. They have now just done so, which is the reason for the notices published today, opening a new public-comment period until January 8th (each address above is linked to the notice that in turn includes a “how to comment” link).
NEXT STEP: The second round of Design Review – no meeting date yet.
BACKSTORY: In 2014, a different proposal for the site – 80+ apartments – passed the first round of Design Review, but went idle, and in November 2016, we found this then-newly filed townhouse plan.
Again this year, Seattle Public Utilities is giving you more than a month to get your Christmas tree turned into compost – either via curbside pickup, or Transfer Station dropoff. Today’s announcement:
From Dec. 26, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018, Seattle residents can compost holiday greens, including wreaths and trees, for free curbside or at a Seattle Public Utilities transfer station.
At the Curb
Place your holiday greens on the curb next to your food and yard waste cart on your collection day. Please keep in mind the following:
Remove all decorations and lights, tinsel, metal clips, ornaments and bows.
Trees must be cut into lengths to 4-feet or shorter.
Bundle each section with sisal string or twine (not plastic).
Flocked and plastic trees or wreaths will be charged as extra garbage.At apartments, one tree may be placed next to each food and yard waste cart at no extra charge each collection day.
At the Transfer Station
Bring Christmas trees and other holiday greens to a city transfer station. Starting Feb. 1, 2018 regular fees will apply.
Trees should not exceed 8-feet in length and must be free of decoration.
Trunks should not exceed 4-inches in diameter.
The stations will accept up to 3 trees per vehicle.
The South Transfer Station is just east of West Seattle, 130 S. Kenyon (here’s how to get there).
P.S. And remember that for the next two weeks, curbside pickup day for everything is one day later than your usual day, because of the Monday holidays.
Still slushy out there, so Seattle Parks has officially closed its athletic fields today. Otherwise, the only West Seattle facility on the Seattle Parks closure list today is Southwest Teen Life Center.
We start West Seattle Crime Watch with suitcases you might see, if they were dumped after being taken. From Justin:
We arrived home from the airport at 2 am Tuesday morning. After unloading the family and all our gear from the Uber, we mistakenly left two suitcases on the curb in front of our house (4700 block of 37th SW). We realized the mistake this morning and went out to get them…but they were gone! If you see a red Ricardo rollerboard or blue Kirkland rollerboard suitcase in the neighborhood, please let us know! Both were the size to fit into an overhead bin and had Southwest bag tags from Denver to Seattle. They look like the ones in this photo, but are red and blue.
The initial (tracking) number for the police report is T17015412.
Also today: Mail theft/tampering. These photos, and accompanying report, came in via text:
We’re in Arbor Heights at 31st Ave SW and 104th – a whole bunch of our neighborhood’s mail has been stolen and dumped behind our house.
Mail from 31st Ave SW (or neighbor 2 doors down), as well as 4th and 5th Ave. Looks like on 30th and 102nd there were a bunch of mailboxes left opened. A neighbor has since closed them.
The texter says a neighbor has an alarm that went off at 2:30 am today so that might be when it happened.
Also: Just before Christmas, Andrea reported finding dumped, stolen mail in Upper Fauntleroy, in her planting strip in the 3600 block of SW Cloverdale. She says it was addressed to others in the 98136 zip code. Along with reporting mail theft to police, you should also report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
And just as we were getting ready to publish the reports above – one more:
That’s the person who took packages off Jessica‘s porch in the Morgan Junction/Gatewood area on Christmas Day: “Looks to be a woman dressed in green winter gear, perhaps wearing a boot from foot injury and carrying a dog” – small dog in a bag under her right arm.
Thanks for sharing Crime Watch reports so your neighbors all over the peninsula can be on alert – once you’ve reported it to police, editor@westseattleblog.com – and if something is happening NOW, call 911!
(Photo sent by Mario)
The WSB West Seattle Event Calendar is a bit bare on this post-holiday Tuesday; we’ve gone through to remove the recurring events that are canceled because of the between-holidays week, and the Holiday Guide‘s final round of events isn’t until New Year’s Eve/Day. But here are a few things, interspersed with the final few snowman photos shared by WSB readers (thank you!):
(“Gerald” the snowman – photo by Mel)
POST-CHRISTMAS GARAGE SALE: That’s what Junction True Value (WSB sponsor) calls its After-Christmas Sale, and it’s on! Get lights and decorations for next year at deeply discounted prices. Open until 7 tonight. (4747 44th SW)
(Lara’s snowman, at Delridge park)
JUSTIN KAUSAL-HAYES: Enjoy the evening at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), with live music by Justin Kausal-Hayes 5-8 pm. No cover. (1936 Harbor SW)
(And just in – “snow bear” and friends sighted at 40th/Hinds)
THE SUFFERING F-HEADS: “Punk organ-drum duo” at Parliament Tavern, 8-11 pm. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
BABY KETTEN KARAOKE: Go sing! 9 pm-midnight at The Skylark. No cover. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Got New Year’s events to add to the Holiday Guide? Still time to send ’em in – editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!
(UPDATED JANUARY 8TH with Celebration of Life information)
A graveside service is scheduled Thursday, and Celebration of Life next month, for William (Bill) Carpenter. Here’s the remembrance his family is sharing with the community:
Bill passed away December 20, 2017 at the age of 87.
Bill was born in Emmetsburg, Iowa, to Mary and Gordan Carpenter and was one of 10 children. Bill attended Emmetsburg High School and Junior College and then proudly joined the US Navy and served in Pearl Harbor during the Korean Conflict from 1951 – 1955.
In 1952 Bill met and later married his soulmate for life, Alice Joy (Iden) Carpenter, and together they raised their family in Seattle.
Bill is survived by his three daughters, Kathleen, Colleen, and Maureen, and his two sons-in-law, Dan and Dave, as well as his two brothers Joe and Bob, and many nieces and nephews, who all loved him so much. Bill had 7 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. Bill was preceded in death by his loving wife Alice.
There will be a graveside service at Holyrood Catholic Cemetery on December 28, 2017 at 11:00 and a celebration of life later in January.
(ADDED) The celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, January 27, 12-4 p.m. at the VFW hall (3601 SW Alaska St.).
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:54 AM: Good morning. No traffic incidents in/from West Seattle so far today, but one transit alert: The 6:44 am Route 37 from West Seattle did not run. Remember, meantime, that Metro is on “reduced weekday” service this week, and did go back to regular routing last night, after a day of snow routing.
Speaking of snow, the forecast still calls for a chance of some tonight. Until then, today is expected to be partly sunny, high in the 30s.
Just in from Metro: Buses are back to their regular routing after a day on snow routes. Separate from the weather, remember that it’s “reduced weekday” service this week.
If you’re missing some Christmas-lights-viewing time because of the snow and its aftermath – don’t worry, our area’s major displays go through New Year’s! The photos above and below are from Ken and Cora at West Seattle Yuletide, the music-synched lights on 38th SW between Dakota and Genesee; their snowman is Olaf, and that’s who this young visitor waved at:
Find the West Seattle Yuletide schedule here. Meantime … another reader photo, a star over west Admiral, shining from the 5000 block of SW Grayson:
Before the snow, we were thinking of featuring several star displays last night, for Christmas Eve. Maybe next year! But this star comes with its own story – the anonymous reader who sent the photo explains that “(an) arborist installed a hand-built, homemade, lit star on wood frame, high in a birch tree.” Other stars to see around West Seattle include the ones at Providence Mount St. Vincent (35th/Edmunds) and Nucor (Avalon/Andover). Thanks again for all the Christmas-lights tips this season – the ones we’ve showcased are archived, newest to oldest, here.
Thanks to WSB reader photos, we’ve been able to show you many views of this first West Seattle “white Christmas” in nine years – but none like these! Trileigh Tucker photographed these jewel-like closeup views of snowflakes last night.
That snowflake was caught on a strand of spider web.
Beautiful – but when not glimmering on the shrubbery, it’s potentially treacherous, since night is falling, with a forecast low below freezing, so what’s left on the roads and sidewalks is likely to turn to ice. Hope you can stay home, cozy, safe, and warm.
(Fauntleroy Park, photographed by Jamie Kinney)
11:57 AM: Thanks for the photos and video! The snow just stopped, again, with more than 2″ officially on the ground, 20 hours after the first flakes, and it’s time to take a good long look before the great meltdown (already four degrees above freezing where we are). Here’s an aerial view:
(Admiral area, photographed by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)
A view from the water, passing Alki on a ferry to Bremerton:
@westseattleblog 40 seconds of a snowy West Seattle from the 8:30 ferry to Bremerton pic.twitter.com/v8pzb7swMC
— Ravenna Blog (@RavennaBlog) December 25, 2017
(Video tweeted by Rebecca @ravennablog)
Back on land, first chance in a while for some serious snowman-building:
(Photo by Ann Limbaugh)
And contemplation of peaceful scenes, like this one in Morgan Junction:
(Photo by Maggie)
And in North Delridge:
(Photo via text)
Along Admiral Way:
(Photo tweeted by @karizma23)
In Highland Park:
(Photo by Deborah Kasperson)
And in Seaview:
That photo was texted by Kevin, as was this:
Maybe if Al‘s cat Star knew there were “snow rats,” it wouldn’t have been such a difficult decision about going outside:
By the way, if you find (or lose) a pet today – or any other day of the year – remember that our West Seattle Lost/Found Pets page is here, and you can e-mail us info (with a photo if you have one) at editor@westseattleblog.com. Same address for snow photos, road info, whatever, or text 206-293-6302 … thank you!
ADDED 4:13 PM: Two more photos – the snow as it fell last night:
(Jefferson Square on Christmas Eve – photo by Ben Hutchinson)
And another snow creation:
That one arrived only with the caption: “52nd Avenue snow.” (Added 5:21 pm) We’ve since learned that’s the skull’s sculptor, Sean Devenney, in the photo.
No holiday for a car thief: Lucy‘s midnight blue Hyundai Veracruz was stolen around 7 am today: “329YTL … with Seahawk emblem stickers and license plate holder. Around Hinds and 42nd Ave SW.” Call 911 if you see it.
(Tiny snowmen built last night by Beveridge Place Pub entrance – photos by Terri Griffith)
Merry snowy Christmas! Some info you might find helpful on this holiday:
(Newest SDOT webcam view of West Seattle Bridge – more WS cameras on this updated WSB page)
TRANSIT: As of this morning, Metro remains on snow routes and a Sunday schedule. Route 22 is not running at all. … Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route is on a regular weekday schedule … No Water Taxi.
RESTAURANTS THAT TOLD US THEY’LL BE OPEN TODAY/TONIGHT: Go here for the list (note this was compiled long before the snowfall, so that might lead to some schedule changes – please let us know if you find any).
GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: The three local Safeways are open 8 am-5 pm. Other West Seattle supermarkets are closed today.
WHERE TO GET COFFEE TODAY: At least eight West Seattle coffee shops are open today, also noted in ourWest Seattle Holiday Guide. (You might find others – if you let us know, we can add.)
ALSO OPEN TODAY: Origins Cannabis (4800 40th SW; WSB sponsor), 8 am-6 pm.
CHRISTMAS DAY CHURCH SERVICES: The list, from churches who shared their schedules, is in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide.
FREE CHRISTMAS DINNER: The Christmas People invite anyone who needs somewhere to go for a free Christmas dinner tojoin them noon-4 pm today at Alki Masonic Center. Details here. And if you can donate homemade cookies – drop them off 9 am-1 pm. (4736 40th SW)
WHERE TO SEE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TONIGHT: See the Holiday Guide.
WANT TO GO TO THE MOVIES? Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) has showings of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Coco,” “Jumanji,” and “Greatest Showman” after 3 pm.
TRASH/RECYCLING PICKUP CHANGES: No pickup today or next Monday, so everyone’s schedule slides a day the next two weeks.
Breaking-news tips? Lost/found pets? Traffic alert/road conditions? Snow photos? WSB is 24/7/365 – best way to reach us today is 206-293-6302, text or voice. Have a wonderful and safe day!
(Photo by Cynthia Reid – Charlestown Hill sledding)
Before we move on to Christmas Day coverage – you might be wondering how much snow fell, and whether we’ll see more. The National Weather Service says the official Christmas Eve total measured at Sea-Tac was 1.6 inches.
(Photo by Danny McMillin – near 47th/Genesee)
That would place this at #3 on the NWS’s list of recorded Christmas Eve snowfalls:
1. 2.6″ 2008
2. 2.5″ 1926
3. 1.6″ 2017
4. 1.5″ 1911
5. 0.8″ 1965
6. 0.4″ 1902
7. 0.3″ 1971
The NWS says we could see up to one more inch of snow this morning – the Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until 10 am. After that? Here’s the forecast: Rain and snow showers possible this afternoon; then a cold, cloudy night; and Tuesday has another chance of snow showers before (relatively) warmer rain returns later in the week.
ADDED MONDAY NIGHT: Historic!
For the first time in over 120 years of records Seattle had at least 1" of snow on both Christmas Eve and Christmas. Official snowfall amounts for Seattle-Tacoma airport 1.6" on the 24th and 1.0" on the 25th. #wawa #wasnow #whitechristmas2017
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) December 26, 2017
And we could see a little more Tuesday night.
Hannah hopes someone does, so she can thank him for helping them Christmas Eve in Westwood:
We were involved in a car accident and this kind man gave us hand warmers and a warm blanket for our baby. We would love to send this man dinner to thank him for what he did for our family.
We were coming down SW Barton St and about 23rd and there were two cars in the middle of the road. In order to avoid hitting them, and we were sliding down the street we hit a pole. Baby was in the car and we are all okay. But I am hoping to thank the kind neighbor who gave us hand warmers and gave our baby a big red blanket to keep him warm. Everything was so crazy so we didn’t get a chance to thank him and I would love to bring him dinner or something. I know I probably won’t find him but it’s worth a shot.
He was wearing a light-up Seahawks Santa hat, a Seahawks jersey and had a beard. I’m assuming he lives near Barton and 23rd. if anyone hears about someone helping a family in a crash, please let me know!
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