This is a traffic alert. Really.

Twice in the past two days, we’ve had to stop for these feathered pedestrians just east of Seacrest, and they’re hard to see from a distance.

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Sign of impending summer

May 21, 2007 10:47 am
|    Comments Off on Sign of impending summer
 |   Seen around town

The Junction‘s hanging flower baskets are going up this morning — after arriving in a big yellow truck that staged just outside Village Woodworks. (Auspiciously, the sun came out shortly after the basket-unloading began.)

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Three Four previews of note

10 AM TODAY: Ticketmaster sells tix to tomorrow night’s Robin Williams show @ the Showbox, with his proceeds going to the West Seattle Food Bank.

6 PM TONIGHT: (added 11 am, thanks for the reminder) First meeting of Sustainable West Seattle, 6 pm, High Point Library.

7 PM TOMORROW: community meeting @ Chief Sealth HS on the general topic of sex offenders in the community. (Here’s the site that shows if any live near you.)

6 PM WEDNESDAY: Fauntleroy-area residents are invited to the Fauntleroy Community Association’s annual Membership Drive/Food Fest event. Free eats!

The joy of commuting by water

No new info in today’s P-I article on the Water Taxi — the year-round possibility hit the headlines 3 weeks ago — but it’s nice to see it get more time in the spotlight. Gives us an excuse to put up a photo left over from our weekend peek under the Seacrest pier – here’s how steep the walkway from the WT dock gets during a -3′ tide!

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Staredown at sea

Seen from Don Armeni through the late-afternoon rain: Orient Overseas Container Line’s Shanghai, dock-bound, and NCL’s Norwegian Pearl, Alaska-bound:

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Chinchillanapped

Stolen from Petco in The Junction, according to this.

New WSB feature

We’ve received some requests to add an “e-mail this” type link; after some weekend experimenting, we’ve settled on a feature called “Share This.” You’ll see the link at the bottom of every post. When you click on it, you’ll get a page giving you the opportunity not only to e-mail the post to someone, but also to save/share it via various “social web”/bookmarking sites, including del.icio.us, Digg, and Technorati. Let us know what you think. Thanks!

We think it looks better this way

Some general exterior and interior sprucing-up is going on at Morgan Junction’s big beige public-housing building, Cal-Mor Circle, and this weekend it looks rather Christo-like:

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Malicious road-work mischief

As the Cali paving work enters a new phase (the blacktop’s all done up to just north of Charlestown; now the focus is on the stretch up to Admiral), we’ve received a reader’s troubling tale of late-night hijinks that could threaten safety. We’re passing along because at the very least, if you live in that area, you can help watch for this; if you drive in that area, be very careful. Full e-mail after the click:Read More

Peer beneath the pier

Along the walkway to the Water Taxi dock, at/below the waterline of the pilings beneath the Seacrest Boathouse pier, here’s the kaleidoscope from almost-mega-low-tide time this afternoon (tomorrow will be still good but not as low):

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WS Gas Price Watch: No, our eyes weren’t deceiving us

May 19, 2007 2:49 pm
|    Comments Off on WS Gas Price Watch: No, our eyes weren’t deceiving us
 |   Gas prices | Transportation

admiralcalichev51907.jpgYes, price-drop fever seems to be breaking out almost all over. As a comment on last night’s post pointed out, Admiral/Cali Chevron (left) has dropped too (so the highest gas price in WS, Admiral/Cali’s price for premium, is now down to $3.79); and while driving along Delridge, we noticed the Arco near Home Depot has reclaimed the title of lowest posted gas price in WS — now $3.31/regular.

Looks like he’s at it again

Courtesy of Cathy Woo, who tells us she took this picture just before 9 this morning at 59th & Alki. (Sure looks like the work of NTG.) 10:35 PM UPDATE: Went down to check it out. This is visible from the beach side of the walkway just east of the bathhouse. We also saw another one — unfortunately peeling badly — a bit further east along the beach walkway, and yet another one on the retaining wall along the bottom of California Way where it meets Harbor Ave near Seacrest.)

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A funeral and a brunch

May 19, 2007 7:52 am
|    Comments Off on A funeral and a brunch
 |   West Seattle people | West Seattle restaurants

Reminder that Skylark is closed for brunch today, opening at 3 pm, after services for  gone-too-soon waiter John Hartley. An e-mail newsletter from Skylark invites patrons to one last “disco brunch,” in John’s honor, tomorrow.

Guess where! No, really, guess!

Love the townhouse boom or hate it, you have to agree a lot of these projects seem cookie-cutter. townhousegeneric.jpgHere’s one example that made us laugh: A Craigslist ad for “luxurious townhomes in West Seattle” with no address, just a rendering (left) that could be any one of at least half a dozen we’ve seen. Which reminds us that a reader pointed out a reassuring note in a recent city memo, about a “Townhouse Design Workshop” in the works. Whew. What a relief.

WS Gas Price Watch: We are shocked, simply shocked

For the first time since we started keeping a close eye on WS prices almost 4 weeks ago, THERE’S A PRICE CUT! After holding at $3.49/regular for 2 weeks, the 35th/Holden Chevron is down tonight to $3.45. (Sorry, no photo, too dark; tomorrow!)

Comedy superstar raising $ for WSFB

Elsewhere online, blurbs just popped up announcing a Robin Williams show at the Showbox next Tuesday, saying the proceeds will benefit the West Seattle Food Bank. Nothing about it on the WSFB site (and the mention on the Showbox site doesn’t mention the benefit aspect); but we did find a mention in the WSFB newsletter archives of a big “surprise donation” from Williams and his wife three years ago, after Showbox performances. Any insiders who can clue us to the Williams/WSFB connection, we’d love to hear the story. Meantime, you can buy tickets for this show online starting @ 10 am Monday morning (here’s the direct link).

From your keyboard to their ears

As we discuss and debate development here amid the pixels of WSB, it’s been mentioned that the city has Neighborhood Plans that were drawn up years ago, paving the way for what’s happening now. Here’s a rare chance to tell the city what you think about how those plans are working, or not working. Click here to take the survey (deadline May 28). If you want to review your Neighborhood Plan first, find it on the dropdown list here.

Semi-aerial view of Alki low tide

May 18, 2007 12:29 pm
|    Comments Off on Semi-aerial view of Alki low tide
 |   Environment | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle online

Just saw this on tv and couldn’t resist sharing the link – provided you see this in the early afternoon (and provided the cam stays pointed toward Alki): This afternoon’s mega-low tide, from a webcam across the bay.

What’s up the weekend before Memorial Day weekend

From backyard chicken-raising, to salmon-cooking, a plant sale to raise $ for pets, and way beyond, we bring you dozens of choices for the last weekend before Summer Fun officially kicks in — call it Spring Fun, The Finale (plus a few noteworthy non-entertainment events), all a click away:Read More

Today’s best anniversary

True, Mt. St. Helens (live webcam) blew up on this date in history. But Beach Drive Blog brings us a different hunka-hunka-burnin’ something: a Kingly memory of May 18.

Yes, one person can make a difference

May 18, 2007 1:03 am
|    Comments Off on Yes, one person can make a difference
 |   West Seattle people

Thanks to the reader who e-mailed us this article we missed — featuring a WS guy who’ll spend his Saturday doing something tremendous. Quiet heroism, happening all around us.

It’s a steal

May 18, 2007 12:55 am
|    Comments Off on It’s a steal
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

That phrase apparently applies to the Westwood Village vicinity for a non-shopping reason.