West Seattle, Washington
08 Wednesday
If you went to last Sunday’s Morgan Junction Community Festival and visited the Southwest Seattle Historical Society booth, you would have seen Clay Eals helping kids paint stones and answering questions. He was there as a volunteer, helping out the organization he served as its first executive director. The focus of the group’s booth at the festival was the Save The Stone Cottage preservation effort. Eals has been involved with many other campaigns to protect icons of local history, like the Hamm and Campbell Buildings in the heart of The Junction. That work is one reason why Historic Seattle is honoring him as a Preservation Champion. Eals is also an author and journalist, with a long body of work, including, most recently, “Now and Then” columns for The Seattle Times. Historic Seattle’s Erika Carleton tells WSB that Eals’ written work educates and inspires people: “In years past (the award recipients) have often been architects or structural designers … but sometimes it makes sense to think about somebody like Clay, who as a writer, journalist, advocate, plays a really important role … he tells the stories!”
Eals has been “telling the stories” for half a century, in a storied career dating back to his first newspaper job in Oregon in 1973. Here on the Duwamish Peninsula, his five years as editor of the West Seattle Herald/White Center News in the ’80s included producing the most comprehensive book of local history to date, West Side Story. More recently, he wrote the award-winning biography of musician Steve Goodman, “Facing the Music,” first published in 2007, and edited “Seattle Now and Then: The Historic Hundred,” published in 2018, co-authored by Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard.
“He gets the stories out there. That’s super valuable for us,” Carleton adds, noting that historical preservation is not always the sexiest topic.
Eals is appreciative of not only the honor but the mission, and those who also walk its path. “I’m deeply honored, and I trust that the ceremony on September 28 will bolster the preservation cause citywide, just as it has in previous years. It’s all about identifying and saving the gems that make us unique so that they can keep functioning and inspiring us all down the road. None of us does preservation work alone. I truly believe in the well-worn phrase ‘It Takes a Village,’ and I’m grateful to know first-hand that many in West Seattle and in the city as a whole are key parts of that village.”
The September ceremony he mentioned is Historic Seattle’s Preservation Celebration, at Washington Hall in the Central District. Attendees will celebrate honorees also including this year’s other Preservation Champion, Dorothy Cordova. Eals shared this photo from a coincidental meeting with her at her Central District-based Filipino American National Historical Society Museum office, weeks before Historic Seattle announced the awards.
You can see who, and what, else Historic Seattle is honoring this year by going here.
Both of these reports are from Ty in North Delridge, whose truck was stolen:
My truck was stolen sometime on 6/16/23. It is a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 4×4, license plate C78292T. There are cracks on the rear fender on the passenger side. Police report # 23-168808
Shortly after that report, Ty sent this:
I ran across this truck down from my block. It’s a F350 FX4. There aren’t any plates and it’s been vandalized. It’s just south of Juneau and 26th Ave SW across from the Seattle City Light substation.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Ty says the Silverado’s been found, in Lakewood.
Thanks for the video (above, from Dustin) and photo (below, from McKenzie) – they and others wondered about military helicopters flying over West Seattle around 10:15 this morning.
Absent something like a sports-game flyby, it’s not easy to find out why a military helicopter’s passing by, but we’ve finally heard back from a source at Joint Base Lewis-McChord who says those were Apaches and a Chinook, “visiting the (Museum of Flight, at Boeing Field) for their organizational-day activity.”
No matter what the weather’s doing, summer is about to arrive, and the biggest events of summer are on the way. Today marks exactly two weeks until the 4th of July, which traditionally starts with a people-powered parade – here’s an update from organizers:
We’re two weeks away from the West Seattle 4th of July Kids’ Parade! Parade yard signs are popping up around the neighborhood! This year’s event is being sponsored by 13 local West Seattle businesses and groups, including several new sponsors!
Mode Music Studios – New sponsor
Admiral Neighborhood Association
Outer Space Seattle
South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools
Holy Rosary School
Neighborhood Naturopathic
Fit4Mom West Seattle
Sensa Play
West Seattle Food Bank
Potter Construction
South Seattle Crossfit – New sponsor
West Seattle Blog – New sponsor
Westside School – New sponsorThree food trucks and one coffee cart will await hungry parade-goers at Hamilton Viewpoint Park! Welcome back two past-parade food trucks, Mini the Dough-nut and Lil J’s Super Dawgs. This year Homebites is joining the line-up. West Seattle Grounds will have a cold-brew coffee cart. The park will also feature several kids’ activity tables and potato-sack races for kids of all ages – including adults!
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The parade is made up of you, the community! Parade-goers decorate bikes, strollers, scooters, and themselves and walk through the Admiral neighborhood starting at 10 am from Sunset Ave. and 44th Ave. SW [map]. SFD Engine 29 and the Seattle Police Department will be on hand to kick off the parade and ensure a safe event for all! Join the fun and walk with the parade, or put out a lawn chair and cheer the parade on! There’s a fun option for all!
Parade organizer Megan Erb says starting next year; the parade will be rolled in the Admiral Neighborhood Association programming to ensure the parade continues to stay a staple of the community. The parade is a volunteer-based event with local businesses’ support to help cover the costs and keep the event free and open to all! If you want to get involved this year or next, contact Megan at meganerb@hotmail.com.
The parade is a long-running West Seattle tradition, dating back to the mid-’90s.
Several readers have mentioned it’s slow going on the westbound West Seattle Bridge, east of 99 – and this is why: One of those periodic backups of port-bound trucks. So if you’re headed this way from off-peninsula, you might consider an alternate route.
Justin Cline, Ann Magyar, and kids Moss (12) and Ruby (6) have 15 reasons to celebrate today – that’s how many years since their family-owned Full Tilt Ice Cream opened its flagship shop at 9629 16th SW in White Center on June 20, 2008. To celebrate, they’re donating today’s profits to the White Center Food Bank. Community support has always been a hallmark for Full Tilt – this month, for example, in honor of Pride, they’ve been selling rainbow treats:
Though there’s been some upgrades over the years, FT’s White Center shop (they have one in Columbia City, too) still looks as quirky and retro as it did 15 years ago, with classic pinball and gum machines among the (functional) decor. Justin says that when they started (here’s the original announcement), he really couldn’t have imagined they’d still be going after 15 years. So when did you know you were succeeding? we asked. He said that by the second summer – after an understandably lean first winter – he thought things just might work out. Lots of favorite moments along the way since then, including hosting Mudhoney for an in-store concert in 2013:
Full Tilt’s open 2-8 pm today, so you can go wish them a happy 15th and support WCFB while enjoying locally made (their kitchen is in South Park) frozen treats.
(Monday photo by Chris May – low tide at Lincoln Park)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS: Weekly meetup for long-distance political advocacy and local networking, 10:30 am at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) – drop in to join in.
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open daily, 11 am-8 pm, rain or shine. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon): “Are you looking for a new activity to keep your brain sharp and clear? The Senior Center Chess Club welcomes both novice and experienced players. Join us at 1:30 p.m. for lessons, short tutorials, and chess for all levels of expertise.” (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)
FULL TILT’S ANNIVERSARY: Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center is celebrating its 15th anniversary today and donating all of the day’s profits to the White Center Food Bank. FT opens at 2 pm.
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
WILDLIFE ADVOCACY: “Howling for Change” lemonade-and-learn event at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW), 6 pm, presenting information about “The War on Carnivores” – details in our calendar listing.
STORYTIME IN THE GARDEN: 6 pm stories and activities for kids at the Delridge P-Patch, weekly throughout the summer starting tonight. (5078 25th SW)
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
HONE YOUR PUBLIC-SPEAKING SKILLS: 6:30 pm, you’re welcome at Toastmasters 832‘s online meeting.
OPEN MIC: 7 pm at Otter on the Rocks, hosted by Michael Pearsall. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MORE TRIVIA: Three places where you can play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW); also, 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).
BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!
You can look into the future any time via our event calendar – if you have something to include on it, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
10:14 AM: Melissa says this happened early today in Highland Park:
My car was stolen from our driveway on 6/20/2023 @ 12:54 am. It is a 2016 red Hyundai Elantra with license plate number AWH5605. Police report # 23-171492.
Melissa says video shows 3 people getting into the car by breaking the back passenger-side window (we’ll add the clip if/when available).
2:15 PM: Here are two images from the video – one showing the other car associated with the thieves, one with the thieves:
WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Melissa says her car was found just blocks away – where commenter Jkm reported it.
Another big achievement for young West Seattle athletes and their coaches – a statewide flag-football championship! Here’s the report we received about the victory:
This past Saturday and Sunday at Liberty HS in Renton, the 2023 3rd/4th grade flag-football team from West Seattle won the Gridiron Football State Championship! They defeated team PrimeTime from Coeur d’Alene in the finals. A great game was played between both undefeated teams but in the end West Seattle came away victorious with five total interceptions to seal the victory 38-19.
What a great season! Congratulations to the whole team, coaches, kids, and parents! Go Cougars!
COACHES
Joe Jeannot
Michael Brown
Craig Nishizaki
Scott RosenstockPLAYERS
Miles Angell
Sam Angell
Griffin Brown-Kinsch
Charlie Carew
Chase Cummings
Connor Duty
George Faull
Beckett Hudson
Keoni Ignacio
Noah Jeannot
Kalea Nishizaki
Isaac Rosenstock
Phoebe Saltzman
Owen Vlotho
9:59 AM: Crash reported toward the west end of the westbound bridge. SFD and SPD are responding.
Earlier:
6:00 AM: Good morning. Welcome to Tuesday, June 20th, the last day of spring.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Today’s forecast: Showers expected, high near 60. Last full day of spring, with summer arriving Wednesday morning. Today’s sunrise was at 5:11 am; sunset will be at 9:11 pm.
WHO’S STILL IN SCHOOL?
Seattle Public Schools resume classes today after the Juneteenth holiday (last day of school is June 30th).
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule, with trip cancellations and temporary route suspensions possible.
Water Taxi – The West Seattle WT is back to its regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule; sailing cancellations remain possible on short notice, so check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.

High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):

Low Bridge – east-end vicinity:

1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:

Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
The map is from the presentation that members of the City Council’s Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee will see tomorrow morning, their first look at the proposal to designate six streets – three in West Seattle, three elsewhere – as “restricted racing zones.” As we reported last week, this would be necessary before speed-enforcement cameras could be set up. The presentation explains that what’s being proposed now is a potential prelude to cameras, but does not authorize or fund them:
Here’s what that new state authorization means:
The council staff memo also prepared for Tuesday’s briefing has no price tag or other specifics about the potential speed cameras, noting, “This legislation anticipates that the [mayor] will propose implementation measures as part of a future budget proposal, including progress on the required equity analysis. … The financial and other implications of implementing additional camera enforcement will be dependent on the specific implementation measures proposed.” Tomorrow’s meeting starts at 9:30 am and will not include a vote on this – it’s just a briefing. But the meeting will start with a public comment period for this item and anything else on the agenda, which explains how to comment either online/by phone or in person at City Hall downtown.
(Photos courtesy Westside Pickleball League unless otherwise credited)
The lines are painted and the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex courts now can accommodate pickleball as well as tennis outside school hours. We first reported in April that the Westside Pickleball League had secured Seattle Public Schools permission to add stripes to the courts; now it’s been completed, and the first big tournament is in the books, the league reports:
In January, Westside Pickleball League raised enough money to clean the SWAC courts and paint “ice blue” pickleball lines for 6 permanent courts, and paint line markers for 6 additional courts so temporary lines (orange tape in photos) can be taped. In March, we received permission to move forward with the project. In mid-May the courts were cleaned, and lines were painted.
(Photo by Brendan DeVoue of DeVouetedMedia.com)
It’s been a week since our inaugural “ASTRIA Rally on the Rock” tournament on June 10th. This was the Westside Pickleball League’s way of presenting the 12 new pickleball courts to the community. Rain cancelled other tournaments in the area that day. We could not tape lines on 6 of our 12 courts unless they were dry. But we were determined to make it happen! We made some strategic adjustments. Our army of volunteers stood at the ready in the morning rain. And together we summoned some pickleball magic and forged ahead after a 3-hour rain delay!
(Photo by Brendan DeVoue of DeVouetedMedia.com)
The Seattle Metro Pickleball League wrote here about our tournament.
Here are some numbers:
(Winners of Men’s Advanced Doubles division @ tournament)
-144 players participated
-Over 51 volunteers helped
-Tournament started 3 hours late due to rain at 12:00 noon and ended at 8:45 p as we were losing sunlight. Perfect timing!
-ASTRIA Pickleball donated over $3200 in prizes for our tournament winners
-101 pounds of food were donated to the White Center Food Bank through the tournament; our fundraiser for that cause continues
-We will donate a portion of our tournament proceeds to Sealth Athletics at Chief Sealth International High SchoolThe best parts of the Westside Pickleball League are the friendships that have been made among the players, and the other communities we are able to help through donations.
(Westside Pickleball League admins Amy, Rosina, Nancy)
Our league will take a break over the summer and will start up again in Sept/Oct. Interested players should check our website WestsidePBLeague.com for registration dates opening in September.
We first featured the pickleball group in this February story. The NCSWAC courts are just west of Southwest Pool/Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle).
If this downpour ends any time soon, might be evening whale-watching again tonight – Kersti Muul reports there’s one, maybe two humpbacks in Elliott Bay right now.
One of the Pride events yet to come in West Seattle is happening Friday in North Delridge – a self-defense seminar. If you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s the announcement:
We are organizing an LGBTQ+ Pride Self-Defense Seminar, scheduled to take place on 6/23/2023 at 7 pm.
The seminar aims to provide a safe and inclusive space for members of the LGBTQ+ community to learn valuable self-defense techniques from instructors who are also part of the community. We believe that self-defense skills are essential for empowerment, and this event aims to equip attendees with the knowledge and confidence to feel safer in their daily lives.
In addition to empowering our community, we have chosen to make this event donation-based to support a worthy cause. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Lambert House in Capitol Hill, a local organization that provides housing for transitioning youth. By attending and making a donation, participants will not only enhance their personal safety but also contribute to the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth in need.
The seminar will be held at Combat Arts Academy, located at 5050 Delridge Way SW. We have selected this venue for its commitment to creating an inclusive environment and providing a suitable space for our event.
After the seminar, we have organized a special gathering for participants at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW). As a gesture of support, Ounces has graciously offered our group a $1 off deal on drinks and reserved space for us to socialize and celebrate the strength and unity of the community.
To register, sign up here, and then go donate to Lambert House here; forward your receipt to CAA at events@caaseattle.com.
First, we received this photo via text:
The caption texted with the photo: “Cloudy with a chance of brown water in North Delridge.” A short time later, Manuel emailed this photo:
He wrote, “It had been a while but getting brown water in North Delridge.” If it’s happening to you, even with the likely explanation (brown water is generally caused by unusual activity – hydrant testing, a line break, etc. – stirring up sediment/rust), please report to Seattle Public Utilities so they can keep tracking – 206-386-1800.
More retail coming to Admiral! Thanks for the tip about a new business moving into the former Spira Power Yoga spot at 2332 California SW. After a few visits looking to catch up with the future proprietor, we caught up with Lana Bear, who has been intensively remodeling the space and plans to open Hoste on Saturday, July 8th. Hoste will offer “vintage and modern goods for all” – apparel and home goods – but “vintage” is more like the past few decades, than further back, Lana told us. (She’s been an online retailer previously – now venturing into brick-and-mortar.) See for yourself when Hoste opens – hours will be 11 am-7 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and 11 am-5 pm Sundays, closed Tuesdays.
A marathon weekend and a big finish has given a team of local softball players and coaches something to celebrate after their team’s first season took them to the USSSA C state tournament. Thanks to Claire for sending the photo and report:
The Washington Fastpitch Academy‘s inaugural 10U season ended with the team winning second place after 10 hard-fought games over two days.
Saturday morning started with a great win; however, a close loss landed them in the losers’ bracket. The girls didn’t give up, playing two more games Saturday to get them an 8 AM win-or-get-eliminated game Sunday morning.
Sunday, game after game, those girls played through hail, hard rain, drying the ball inbetween every pitch, to end up beating the undefeated number one team of the tournament to play in the final game
WFA 10U is comprised of girls from both West Seattle Little League and Southwest Little League, playing some hard Fastpitch ball led by coaches Tony Colagrossi and Will Wharton.
These girls never gave up, never got down, and really entertained. You can see many of these girls in the West Seattle Little League 10U All-Stars this summer.
The games were played Saturday and Sunday in Olympia.
(Lined chiton, photographed at low tide by Rosalie Miller)
Here’s what’s on the list for today, the 2023 observance of Juneteenth:
CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY: Banks, government offices, Post Offices, libraries, many Seattle Parks facilities
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open 11 am-8 pm, whatever the weather. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: One more appreciably low tide before early July – out to -2.2 feet at 12:18 pm. Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists will be out 11 am-1:30 pm at Constellation (63rd/Beach Drive) and Lincoln (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) Parks.
(added) JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION: Mid-afternoon until beach closing time. From Mary: “Celebrate Juneteenth with music on the beach at Alki/53rd. Happening now til park closes at 10 pm. Bring something to share if you like; firewood, Beverages, Snacks, Food, attitude of love, peace, and inclusion.”
CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
OPEN MIC: Weekly BedHead Open Mic continues at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (4201 SW Juneau), 6:30 pm – info in our calendar listing.
D&D: Open D&D starts at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), all welcome, first-time players too. $5.
COMEDY AT OTTER ON THE ROCKS: 7 pm, monthly Routine Killers show – some tickets remain as of this morning. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
ALKI MEDITATION: Meditation, discussion, and community, as explained in our calendar listing, 7 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds).
FAUNTLEROY MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
PLAY TRIVIA! Three options on Monday nights for playing trivia – 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MONDAY MUSIC: Live music with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar ? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
8:11 AM: Thanks for the tip. For the second time in four days, part of the West Seattle Junction area has lost power – this time, 261 customers between 40th and 41st, Alaska to Edmunds. Like last Friday’s outage, this one is blamed on “bird/animal contact.”
11:43 AM: Per SCL’s map, the outage is over.
6:00 AM: Good morning. Welcome to Monday, June 19th, the 2023 observance of Juneteenth.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Today’s forecast: Mostly cloudy, high around 60, chance of showers, mostly after 4 pm. Today’s sunrise was at 5:11 am; sunset will be at 9:10 pm.
NO SCHOOL
Seattle Public Schools have no classes today because of the holiday
TRANSIT
Metro – Though it’s a holiday, Metro’s running on a regular schedule, with trip cancellations and temporary route suspensions possible as usual
Water Taxi – The West Seattle WT will be on a Sunday schedule for Juneteenth; no service on the Vashon WT.
Washington State Ferries – No holiday changes. Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule; sailing cancellations remain possible on short notice, so check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations.
Sound Transit – No holiday changes.
Parking holiday – In Seattle neighborhoods where fees are charged for on-street parking, there’s no charge today.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.

High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):

Low Bridge – east-end vicinity:

1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:

Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
Thanks to Jamie Kinney for sharing photos from orcas’ visit to the area before sunset. He says these were taken from Alki, looking toward Manchester.
These were transient killer whales, according to Orca Network reports. (Reminder – you can hear about the southern residents at The Whale Trail‘s summer gathering Thursday.)
Thanks to everyone who sent photos of the rainbow that emerged between waves of rain late today!
The possibility of more rain remains in the forecast off and on until Wednesday – which is when summer arrives, with the solstice moment at 7:57 am. Then by Thursday, we should be back in the mid-70s – tonight, though, it’ll be cold, dropping into the 40s!
(Friday morning photo sent by Jay)
We reported Friday morning on the crash-and-grab burglary at Tulip’s Nail Salon in Jefferson Square. While the business is open, like most businesses hit by criminals, this one is left with costly damage. Customer Gay worked with Tulip’s owner Lisa Nguyen to set up a crowdfunding campaign via AngeLink. Gay told us via email, “She loves this community and we all need to show her the love back.” If you’re inclined to donate, here’s the link.
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