Happening today/tonight: Lowest May tide; two councils
LOWEST TIDE: Beach Drive Blog notes it’ll be another great afternoon for low-tide lovers. According to the May tables, it’s the lowest tide of the month.
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: Two guests are scheduled tonight at this monthly meeting of representatives from neighborhood groups and key organizations: West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, and Fauntleroy resident Ron Richardson, best known for the sign outside his house but currently advocating for public campaign financing (he stopped to talk with us about it at the Sustainable West Seattle Festival last weekend). The meeting’s at 7 pm in the President’s Board Room @ South Seattle Community College, all welcome.
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Its monthly meeting is at 6:30 tonight at the Delridge Library, and one of the items on the agenda is West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day — the NDNC is one of two local neighborhood groups having fundraising sales on Saturday; its sale at 2512 SW Genesee will raise money for tot-size equipment at Cottage Grove Park, while elsewhere in east West Seattle, the Pigeon Point Neighborhood is having a sale at 19th/Genesee to raise money for Cooper Elementary. Back to NDNC and its meeting tonight – lots more to be discussed, too.
West Seattle weekend scenes: 1st 70+ day since October
Ah, it’s sunset-photo season again! This is from Cove Park next to the Fauntleroy ferry terminal just as the Issaquah was about to head westward at sunset tonight. Now, from the middle of the bright height of the early-afternoon sun:
That’s some of the fun from Healthy Kids Day at the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) today (second photo courtesy Josh Sutton from the Y). The activities were today only, but the Y has waived joining fees for the whole weekend, so that part continues tomorrow. So does the event that brought out this line on Harbor Ave just north of The Bridge this morning:
For the second straight adoptathon, Kitty Harbor (next to ActivSpace) had a line of would-be cat adopters waiting to get in as soon as the doors opened. The adoptathon continues tomorrow, 11 am-7 pm. Last but not least, a bonus photo that’s actually from last night’s lovely sunset:
WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham shot that from Don Armeni. (Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, MattDurhamPhotography.com.)
Three Alki notes (and questions) from the first REAL day of spring
RAMP BACKUP: Heading westbound on The Bridge past the Harbor/Avalon exit around 6 pm, we noticed traffic was backed up all the way to the bridge deck itself, and it looked like gridlock along Harbor, even worse than summertime. Guessing the road narrowing at the pump-station project along Alki is a major factor.
FIRE PITS? Received e-mail from someone noting the fire pits are absent at Alki. We can’t find any indication online that they would be permanently gone, and can’t quite recall if there’s usually a seasonal removal. Any enlightenment?
REMINDER FOR PET OWNERS: Dani sends an important reminder, which she titled “Hot Cars = Hot Dogs,” after a close call in the Alki area. Read on:Read More
Pre-Easter seal
Yes, yes, we know, sea LION, really. WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham got these companion shots with marine mammal and canines eyeing each other from sea and shore at Lincoln Park. (Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, MattDurhamPhotography.com.)
West Seattle scenes: Tuesday night edition
Two from WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham: Above, a seal pup just south of Luna/Anchor Park (remember to keep your distance so that the mom will be more inclined to come back for baby); below, a cuddling couple at sunset at Lincoln Park. (Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, MattDurhamPhotography.com.)
Alki pump station update: Major work set to start next week
You’ve probably seen the NO PARKING signs now up along Alki Ave (thanks to Angela for sending the photo) for the major project that’s about to start to expand the 53rd SW (underground) Pump Station. So how soon will the major work start in earnest? We just got another update this afternoon (after the first version of this post was published) from Erika Peterson from the county Wastewater Treatment Division; she says excavation work is likely to start next week, and work crews are in and out for “limited activity” between now and then, including some work in the street today. This project is going to last more than a year and a half, so it will be a fixture on Alki for not just this summer, but summer ’09 as well, with traffic effects along the way; you can find lots of details online, including this “what to expect during construction” page with a 24-hour hotline to call. (By the way, the pump-station project at Lowman Beach north of Lincoln Park is scheduled to start work next year.)
Walking on logs, for real
WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham shares that image of a boy walking on driftwood logs at Lincoln Park at sunset, with the ferries Evergreen State and Tillikum passing in the background. (Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, MattDurhamPhotography.com.)
Friday night photos – plus, prominent photoblogger moving here
First: Deb sent the link to this West Seattle post on Vintage Seattle, through which we learned that VS blogger Jess Cliffe is moving to WS this weekend; welcome! Now, some current-day pix (from before the rain swept in):
That’s from Marybeth, as is this surf-level bird’s-eye view:
Next – two photos courtesy of Chas Redmond, who was on the Lincoln Park shore at a moment today when the water was sapphire blue:
Chas reports the afternoon winds gave that kayaker quite a bit of trouble.
South of Alki Point this morning: High tide meets high wind
UPDATED 9:50 AM: Better photo from Bob Bollen (thank you!), followed by 40 seconds of video we went back to get right around the peak tide (about quarter past nine).
ORIGINAL POST:
This photo’s from just after 8 o’clock, and the high tide won’t even peak till just after 9 o’clock. But if you go out to gawk, wear something waterproof – the spray will get you all the way across the street from the water!
Alki Polar Bear Swim: Cool way to start the year
Pix of this morning’s swim, courtesy of Dan E (thanks!):
Water temperature, by the way, was 48 degrees (warmer than the air, though!).
Also happening on Alki this morning – Harleys gathering for their annual New Year’s ride, south through Burien and on to Federal Way. Video of that in our next post; meantime, a few more Alki Polar Bear pix from Dan E:Read More
West Seattle scene: The birdman of Alki
From WSB contributing photographer Matt Durham: Tuesday morning, “Dan” walks and feeds the pigeons on Alki Beach. Dan can often be seen walking Alki Beach with two or three pigeons perched on his shoulders or tucked under his arms.
(Prints of Matt’s WSB photos and his other work are available through his site, MattDurhamPhotography.com.)
OMG
That’s really all we could say when we saw what was going on at Alki during a brief stop before our below-documented search for breakfast. Just west of The Statue, crews are setting up what appeared to be stage, scaffolding, bleachers, etc., for tonight’s Mars Hill mass baptism. Two photos are below (wide shot, then closer in); up on the street, several parking spaces are blocked off, likely for the promised shuttle buses. To steal a ’60s term, this is gonna be “a scene.”
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