UFO report The windshield of a City Light truck driving in the 2700 block of 15th Ave. W. was damaged at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 29 by an unknown flying object that was small, round and dark colored. The report notes that the Interbay Gold Course is west of the same area, but a passenger in the truck said the object appeared to come from the east, adding that he didn't think it was a golf ball.
Sense of wonder all but leached from '10,000 BC' Sad, but true: We've almost entirely lost our sense of wonder when it comes to movies. Few who currently write about the liveliest art are old enough to recall what magical worlds small-town theaters once promised, for the price of your allowance or the heady risk of sneaking in via an unguarded exit door. Sans CGI, Flash Gordon serials and fasten-yourseatbelt excursions into lands that time forgot goosed our imaginations, not only in the dark of the theater but later, in our fertile dreams. Movies were truly dream machines, transporting us into times and places and personalities otherwise beyond our ken. You felt in your very flesh and bones the delicious danger of upping anchor and sailing off into terra incognita.
What's most impressive about Vasily Reshchuk's ability as an artist is how he can take cheerful, almost blissful colors and use them to transform otherwise bleak and hopeless environments pocked with muddy tire ruts, cracked stucco facades, overgrown fields and hapless flats that abound in his native Russia. Three years ago, for instance, the now 70-year-old artist painted "Winter Morning," a bright and hopeful landscape of the painter's hometown of Vladivostok, which in lesser hands might have resulted in a view into industrial hopelessness. Yet the painting is vibrant with color and the foreground's snowy road welcomes visitors into the sun-warmed village ahead. It's very soothing and it has already sold - even though the artist's fourth show at The Fountainhead Gallery in Queen Anne hadn't even begun yet. In fact, several of the paintings on display there have already sold. What: The artwork of Vasily Reshchuk Where: Fountainhead Gallery, 625 W. McGraw St. When: Through March 30 www.fountainheadgallery.com • 206-285-4467
King County Councilmember Larry Phillips showed up at Catharine Blaine School on Friday, March 7, with a big check - literally and figuratively - for ongoing improvement projects at the Magnolia school.The $25,000 from the county will be used to replace missing or vandalized parts of the older playground equipment at the K-8 school, said Nancy Gilbert, an organizer of an improvement project that has already seen landscape improvements made at the front of the building. "We're also hoping to stretch the money to make our fence higher," she said.
New software to be used to track items at Blaine auction To help facilitate this weekend's fund-raiser auction for Catharine Blaine Elementary, the school's Parent Teacher Association has invested in Auction Pro auction software. "We've always done it the old-fashioned way, keeping track of everything with a pen and paper," said auction chair Jane O'Neal. "There will be a lot less scrambling around in making sure bidders get information for their tax records."
Bailey-Boushay House volunteer Thomas Wong maneuvers a huge heart made of red balloons on Feb. 14, Valentine's Day. The HIV/AIDS care facility has been celebrating Valentine's Day in this way for the last 10 years. This year, the display contained roughly 750 balloons.
In 1847, a physician named Ignaz Semmelweis, who was the head of the Vienna General Hospital's Obstetrics Clinic, discovered that the simple (yet little practiced) act of hand washing drastically reduced the mortality rate in his obstetrics clinic. Despite his discovery, the practice of hand washing took 40 years to catch on. It wasn't until Louis Pasteur confirmed the germ theory, that the practice gained widespread acceptance. Like many new theories, it took time to accept, because people could not believe that something so simple could have such a profound effect. Today, a new theory of breathing called Butekyo breathing (whose principles are almost as simple as hand washing) is revolutionizing the way people think about breathing and the role it plays in many chronic conditions. The idea is this: the less you breathe, the better you can feel.
Believers in the power of color have a long pedigree. The 19th century French poet Rimbaud tried to create a system of vowels linked to color: A equaled black, E stood for white, for example. It was the young poet's attempt to make sense of, and master, his universe. The ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Indians believed in chromotherapy: the art of healing with colors.
It's a Seattle-old-timer's lament, familiar to those who can't bear arriviste Nordstrom occupying the Frederick & Nelson building:"I don't go downtown anymore."A nifty little book has just come out that might change some minds. In a time when the construction cranes dominate the skyline, the Seattle Architectural Foundation has just published, "Seattle Architecture: A Walking Guide to Downtown."Coincidence? Maybe not.
Cookeries are shedding their plastic laminate countertops in favor of more sustainable materials and evolving into glorified entertainment hubs, say local remodeling specialists. "We're just spending so much time in the kitchen these days, as a family," said Denny Connor, owner of Connor Remodeling & Design on Stone Way in Wallingford. "It's the heart of the house and has become the desired gathering place for families."
The three women sparkled like jewels. Attired in colorful abayas and numerous bracelets, these lovely natives of Eritrea welcomed me with warm smiles. The Rainier Valley home of the hostess, Halima, would be the setting for an Eritrean Muslim cooking extravaganza. Everything was ready: ingredients, utensils and a beautiful bouquet adorned the table. Each woman prepared a different dish while I observed, questioned and scribbled furiously. This would truly conjure tastes from their green and hilly homeland.
It has been a long, drawn out winter and we have endured more than our regular share of gray, rainy days and bone-chilling weather. The good news is March is here, which means longer days and warmer temperatures. One way to get out of the winter mindset is to start grilling. Many people grill year- round. If you are not one of them, now is a good time to start, and I have a recipe that will give you the incentive.
■ Benjamin H. Grumbles (left), assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, presented the Water Efficiency Leader Award to Seattle Public Utilities' Al Dietemann during a WaterSense-labeled high-efficiency toilet demonstration (shown above) at the Novelle Condominiums, 901 N.E. 43rd St., last December. Dietemann, who has promoted water conservation for more than 20 years, was surprised with the honor during the preplanned demonstration. photo provided by Seattle Public Utilities
The following is the menu for Seattle Public Schools' elementary students. All breakfasts include toast, fruit, juice and milk. Lunches include vegetables, fruit and milk. The menu is subject to change. MONDAY, MARCH 17Breakfast: Hot or cold cereal.Lunch: Deep-dish pepperoni pizza, Italian Hot Pocket or Yogurt and muffin Munchable.TUESDAY, MARCH 18Breakfast: Egg-and-cheese biscuit.Lunch: Hamburger on multigrain bun, Bean-and-cheese burrito with or without salsa or Yogurt and bagel Munchable.WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19Breakfast: Belgian waffle sticks. Lunch: Sweet-and-sour chicken nuggets, Baja fish sticks or Yogurt and muffin Munchable.THURSDAY, MARCH 20Breakfast: Small cinnamon roll and cheddar cheese square.Lunch: Chef's choice or Mozzarella cheese breadsticks.FRIDAY, MARCH 21 (no school)
Located in the heart of Fremont, 35th Street Bistro is excited to have recently added well-known Seattle chef Tom Black to its tight-knit family. Originally from Gary, Ind., Black has called Seattle home for the last 12 years. He is most recognized for his past executive-chef positions at such top establishments as the Fuller's in Seattle, Barking Frog in Woodinville and the Alderbrook Lodge in Union. He joins 35th Street Bistro, 709 N. 35th St., after a three-year hiatus from the restaurant industry.