8:48 PM: The missing woman’s family says she’s been found. Photo and contact info removed. Earlier:

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Just by their nature, senior-living communities tend to see firefighters/paramedics often. But this encounter wasn’t an emergency, as explained by Quail Park of West Seattle (WSB sponsor):

In a show of appreciation for the tireless efforts of local first responders, Quail Park of West Seattle delivered a special lunch to the dedicated firefighters of Station 32 today. Residents and staff brought a hearty meal of brisket, ribs, and pulled pork from Jack’s BBQ in SoDo to thank the firehouse for their service to the community.

This gesture is a heartfelt thank-you to the team at Station 32, who have served Quail Park and the surrounding neighborhood over the years. The BBQ lunch was a small token of gratitude for the critical work they do to keep the area safe.

Station 32 is just east of The Junction, at 38th/Alaska.

By Eddie Westerman
Special to West Seattle Blog

Whether knocking on doors, writing postcards, donating money, participating in conversations, or simply being barraged by news and election ads, it would have been difficult not to experience some stress in the months leading up to Tuesday’s election.

That’s why folklorist and grief coach Tamara Kubacki led a Post-Election Grief/Relief Walk at Jack Block Park in. West Seattle this afternoon, open to people feeling either of those emotions, though the former seemed to prevail among participants. The rainy walk gave people the chance to be in nature while feeling and talking about grief or relief from the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s election. The peaceful walk also opened the door to other issues people feel they are facing in their own lives and the collective stress in the nation and world.

“We’re not meant to grieve on our own,” Kubacki says. “Being with others makes it feel less lonely.”

Participants shared their experiences through stories, poetry and conversation along the walking path. Kubacki, who runs a company called Listening to Grief, says she hopes participants of today’s walk felt a sense of community. She reminds people that it is healthy to talk about their grief.

One participant, Smith Sinclair, says he took a day off after the election and that he is still in denial.

“My grief is spilling over. I’m not participating in any media,” Sinclair says. “I was so hopeful.” He says he’s worried for immigrants and others and that he was deeply disappointed because he felt Kamala Harris ran a flawless campaign. He felt hopeful in the campaign work he did in Washington State, but despondent about what happened in the nation.

As part of the walk, Kubacki asked participants to ground themselves with breathing exercises, notice the sounds and the nature in the park and take time to genuinely listen to one another’s thoughts.

“I feel like fleeing,” Susan Holmgren says. She came on the walk, she says, to connect with her mother, who was a political activist when she was alive. Holmgren says her mother marched in countless anti-war demonstrations and that she would be so distressed to feel her children might have fewer rights than she had. While she does have dual citizenship because her mother was a United Kingdom citizen, Holmgren feels there are too many obstacles – especially financial ones — preventing her from trying to live in a different country.

Another walker at today’s event said it was heartbreaking to watch his 30-something children’s faces fall as the election results tumbled in. He was sad he couldn’t just “kiss the problem away for them.”

Kubacki says today’s walk, inspired by two Olympia-based organizations — Window Seat Media and Wild Grief – is a way for those in the community to come together when things feel awry. “Stories can be an anchor in uncertain times,” she says. The walk gave people the chance to think about what stories they were holding on to that they wanted to release.

That’s the trailer for “Stories of Us,” a documentary about people at West Seattle’s only tiny-home village, Camp Second Chance, and it’s the first film up for the relaunch of the quarterly West Seattle Meaningful Movies gatherings. The screening is set for this Saturday – here’s what the group wants you to know:

Meaningful Movies West Seattle has our new home and things are back in action.

The first movie since COVID will be an informational movie and discussion about the life for our unhoused community. The name of the movie is: STORIES OF US: CAMP SECOND CHANCE. Date and time: Saturday, October 19 at 6:30 pm. Location: Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 7141 California Ave. SW. There is no cost; however, donations are appreciated to help support the program.

Join us in person for this important film about our local unhoused community. In this powerful award-winning film, director Melinda Raebyne embeds herself one winter at West Seattle’s only tiny-house village, Camp Second Chance, challenging public ignorance and humanizing a population that locals would rather neglect, sharing with you some of their personal stories and her actual experience of what it’s like to be homeless.

The filmmaker will be at the Meaningful Movies screening for Q&A afterward.

Trivia is not trivial to West Seattleites! Every week, our WSB West Seattle Event Calendar features a long list of weekly games at local venues. Trivia host Will Drew organized the West Seattle Trivia Championships again this year and sent this report and photo after last night’s finale:

Last night, West Seattle’s 2024 trivia champion was crowned at The Good Society. The Nard Dogs, representing Beveridge Place, bested teams from Three 9 Lounge, The Good Society, Admiral Pub, and Talarico’s. The Great Space Baboon Uprising, also from Beveridge Place, took second place. Thank you to The Good Society for hosting, and for all the quizmasters and trivia teams that participated.

The flyer was sent by a friend of the missing man – who lives in Ballard but has West Seattle ties, including a longtime Seattle Parks job at Delridge Community Center:

Kevin’s friend Andrew tells us the missing man, a lifelong Seattleite, was last seen September 1. His family has already checked hospitals and jails around the region but no luck. They’re casting the net as wide as they can in the hopes he’ll be found.

(WSB photos)

As hundreds of mourners gathered tonight on Alki Beach to mourn former West Seattleite Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, our state’s two U.S. senators echoed her family in calling for an American investigation into her killing. Israeli soldiers shot and killed her as she participated in a demonstration in the West Bank last Thursday. Friends from the UW, where she graduated just a few months ago, were among those celebrating her life tonight on the beach where she is reported to have recently celebrated her 26th birthday.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell both sent letters to the White House (here’s Cantwell’s letter; here’s Murray’s letter, co-signed by U.S. House Rep. Pramila Jayapal).

Israel is reported to have said its soldiers likely killed Ms. Eygi “unintentionally.” Her family has said in a statement that they are “deeply offended” by that claim. A statement from them was read by a friend at tonight’s memorial, remembering Ms. Eygi as a loving, caring person.

Also speaking tonight on Alki were friends of hers from pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the UW this past spring, describing her as a shining influence on their activism. Some mourners flew white kites:

Ms. Eygi attended West Seattle High School, but not all the way to graduation. Readers have remembered her from Alki Elementary and Madison Middle School as well.

The start of the school year always brings changes and challenges – new teachers, new classmates, new lessons – but for one high-school junior from West Seattle, this school year finds him in a new country, with a new family (temporarily). Boden Hammerstad‘s proud mom Joelle Hammerstad shares the announcement of his adventure:

Boden Hammerstad, a student from Seattle, has been awarded a Future Leaders Exchange Abroad (FLEX Abroad) scholarship for 2024-2025. Boden will live with a host family and study in Tbilisi, Georgia, for the academic year.

Boden is one of only 20 students selected competitively from across the United States who were selected by the U.S. Department of State to participate in the FLEX Abroad program. The merit-based award covers the full cost of an academic year abroad, providing Boden a full academic and cultural immersion experience including living with a host family in Georgia, attending a Georgian high school, and helping him develop the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community. The FLEX Abroad program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Through Boden’s participation in FLEX Abroad, he will be at the forefront of citizen diplomacy, serving as a “youth ambassador” in his host country, enhancing cross-cultural understanding and deepening trust by building lasting relationships with his host family and peers, and engaging in volunteer service and leadership training to help his host community. Through the FLEX Abroad experience, Boden will develop the skills to share American values, find new ways for America to compete effectively in the global marketplace, and contribute to a more peaceful world.

The FLEX program was first authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1992, as an effort to increase dialogue and mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of Eurasia. Initially created as a program for international high school students to live and study in the United States, the FLEX program was expanded in 2021 to include FLEX Abroad for American high school students to study overseas. FLEX Abroad provides opportunities for Americans to study for one academic year in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Romania, or Poland.

FLEX Abroad is administered by American Councils for International Education, an international nonprofit that strives to create access to educational opportunities for individuals and institutions across the globe. A leader in international education, academic exchange, language acquisition and assessment, and research, American Councils prepares individuals and institutions to succeed in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. 

For more information about FLEX Abroad, visit discoverflex.org/flex-abroad – scholarship applications are open now. For more information about hosting a FLEX international exchange student, visit discoverflex.org/host-families-and-schools.

Joelle says Boden left for Georgia on September 1 and will be back in June. Next year, he’ll attend The Downtown School, where he went last year. “He didn’t have any career goals associated with international diplomacy or leadership when he heard about the program, but the whole concept really captured his imagination — so he went for it,” she explains.

1:13 PM: Thanks for the tips. One of today’s biggest international stories is the death of 26-year-old American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, reported to have been shot by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, during what the Associated Press describes as “a weekly demonstration against settlement expansion.” The UK-based Daily Mail was first to note that Ms. Eygi listed herself on social media as having attended West Seattle High School. A texter tells us they remember her from the Class of 2016’s junior year and sent the yearbook photo shown at right. We have an inquiry out to Seattle Public Schools. We’ll add whatever more we find out.

3:06 PM: Multiple readers also have mentioned that Ms. Eygi attended other local schools including Alki Elementary and Madison MS. Her family is not speaking publicly, according to this statement from the organization with which she was volunteering, the International Solidarity Movement. The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) says in a news release that Ms. Eygi graduated this year from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in Middle Eastern languages and cultures.

ADDED: A statement attributed to Ms. Eygi’s family has been posted on social media by a close friend. In it, they ask the U.S. government for an independent investigation into their daughter’s killing.

4:06 PM UPDATE: Missing woman says she’s been found and is safe.

EARLIER: This image and the information in it are from this missing woman’s family:

(image removed)

Though the graphic mentions the non-emergency number, if you find a person reported as missing, please call 911.

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

Somehow, a side character from 1970s-1980s TV has become a 2020s phenomenon … coast to coast, dressing up like Helen Roper from TV’s “Three’s Company” and its spinoff “The Ropers” is hot. West Seattle is not immune, as a big event today proved: We counted more than 100 Helen Roper wannabes in caftans and wigs for today’s West Seattle Mrs. Roper Romp:

Their photo-op gathering this evening at Junction Plaza Park came hours into the event, which was far more than a classic pub crawl – as organizers said, they hoped the Mrs. Ropers would come to The Junction and spend the day shopping and dining too.

There was certainly enough energy and exuberance to illuminate The Junction for hours.

More than two dozen businesses offered incentives for the caftan-clad revelers to come in and spend – and we heard reports early on that some were doing exactly that:

Hours of fun followed the park photos.

Some are still out there at this hour, raising Hel..en.

ADDED: Chris, who reports one group of Mrs. Ropers visited Phoenecia, sent this photo:

When school starts (soon!), some local students will have amazing stories to tell of what they did over the summer. One big achievement was just completed by 17-year-old Julia Barnett – who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail alone! Her proud parents sent this report and photos:

I thought you would like know about a West Seattle teen who just finished solo hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is a 2,650-mile trail from Mexico to Canada, made famous in the 2014 movie Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon.

Julia Barnett, a 17-year-old student who will be starting her senior year in a couple weeks, started hiking on May 25th at the Mexican border in Campo, California and finished at the Canadian border (Tuesday). While she skipped the Sierras and several sections because of wildfires, she averaged 20 miles per day since starting in May.

She experienced severe heat in the desert and freezing cold, rain-soaked nights in Oregon and Washington, and even had a mountain lion encounter while alone on the trail one night. But she’s healthy and injury-free. Tired, bruised, scarred, tanned, and happy.

Proud Mom and Dad,
Donna and Anthony Barnett

(WSB photo, June)

That’s Chloe Bolduc, who we told you about in our coverage of local amateur-radio operators’ – aka hams – Field Day at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge back in June. She was working on a project to communicate with the International Space Station. Tomorrow’s the big day – and you’re invited, though it’s happening off-peninsula, at the Pacific Science Center downtown (200 2nd Ave. N.) The West Seattle Amateur Radio Club will be there setting up equipment in advance of the doors to the event venue opening at 10:15 am (the Science Center opens at 10). Before the contact window, event participants will be giving short presentations on emergency communications and on the ISS; then a video introduction is planned for astronaut Dr. Jeanette J. Epps, who’s been aboard the ISS as a flight engineer since March and is an amateur-operator herself. The contact is scheduled for 11:15-11:25 am, with a Q&A panel to follow. If you can’t make it to the Pacific Science Center (which charges an admission fee), the event also will be livestreamed – here and here – and amateur-radio operators can listen in, during the 10-minute contact window, at 145.800MHz.