Settling into my late 20s with a home in the suburbs, acceptable mode of transportation and loving husband, I realized that something was missing. Like many of my career-oriented friends, I wasn't ready for children. However, the house felt a bit spacious with just the two of us. I pondered this notion for several hours and came to the conclusion that I wanted to adopt. My husband wasn't too keen on the idea, but agreed to explore the options of bringing home a new cat. We decided to visit the Animal Control Center in Kent. As we were about to leave, my husband spotted a beautiful, long-haired tabby with bright orange, brown and gold coloring. Although she was a bit older than the kitten we'd imagined, we agreed that this affectionate 9-month-old was the one. But wait...there soon would be more!
When Queen Anne residents Alexa Driscoll, 11, andher sister Samantha, 9, would come to visit their mother Laura Driscoll during her cancer treatments at University of Washington Medical Center, the girls frequently played in the Family Room area on the eighth floor. But theyfound many of the games were incomplete or missing pieces, or the videos out of date, well used by other fami- lies over the years. The girls' birthdays were in late May and early June, and they got the idea that in lieu of receiving birthday gifts, they would accept donations of games, videos and other toys for the family room. Their friends, many of whom attend St. Anne's School with the Driscoll girls, responded generously with dozens of toys and books.
Among the gazillion events and attractions awaiting Labor Day Weekend crowds at this year's Bumbershoot is "Raw and Refined," a group show of eight artists based on the conviction "that natural and synethesized materials can be worked together to create entirely unique and different outcomes." Here artist Jere Smith hangs one of his creations in the Lopez Room at Seattle Center.
It is one smart fountain dome that can blast water in unpredictable patterns from the holes in its surface. It is a trickster fountain, teasing Seattle Center-going children who love to be in it all summer long. These kids were in it on Aug. 14. Photo by Caroline Albert.
Artist Mary Klein works on a sand sculpture at the annual Uptown Stroll on lower Queen Anne on Saturday, Aug. 27. Photo by Bradley Enghaus
The latest and greatest things for Janey or Johnny's back-to-school backpack range from hi-tech recorders and add-on devices for iPods to stretchable book covers in all kinds of colors and designs. Even backpacks are evolving, to handle the ever-increasing load of books and assignments children must carry to school and back. There are also messenger bags - they're like a backpack, but they're expandable. They have a slot for cellphones and can expand to hold the larger number of books students are carrying these days.However, there does seem to be an actual academic application for iPods. Some students are adding voice recorders to the bigger models - the ones that can hold more than 20 gigabytes.
The King County Democratic Central Committee last week joined a growing list of organizations that oppose Southwest Airlines' proposal to move its operations from Sea-Tac International Airport to Boeing Field. It was a nearly unanimous vote, with only two committee members from Shoreline voting against a resolution approximately 70 other members from 17 legislative districts approved, said committee spokesman Dan Becraft.The vote pits the party faithful against fellow Democrat and King County Executive Ron Sims, who is widely perceived to favor the controversial plan.
Sweetening the deal for its controversial proposed move to Boeing Field, Southwest Airlines pledged Aug. 18 to use only the quietest of Boeing jets, to not schedule red-eye flights and to use GPS technology to route southbound flights over Elliott Bay if its proposed move to Boeing Field is successful.Not everyone was impressed with the promises, but the low-cost carrier maintains that moving from Sea-Tac International Airport to the King County facility would be good for the flying public, Boeing Field itself and the Puget Sound region.The move is necessary for the Texas-based company's bottom line, according to Ron Ricks, a senior vice president who oversees the law, airports and public-affairs divisions of Southwest Airlines.
The following listings are compiled from meeting and event notices provided to the Magnolia News. Send notices for this page via e-mail to mageditor@nwlink.com,M or mail to Bulletin Board, Magnolia News, 4000 Aurora Ave. N, Suite 100., Seattle, WA 98103-7853. You must include a phone number. Deadline: 5 p.m. Thursday.
September will soon be here: Labor Day. The United States Department of Labor calls it a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. True, but for the past 35 years the three-day weekend also has treated Seattlites to one of the finest arts festivals in the world: Bumbershoot.It's the perfect time to get a good, healthy dose of culture, but it's also the perfect time to suffer a nasty bout of traffic malaise. The festival is held on the campus of the Seattle Center, a 74-acre park in the lower Queen Anne neighborhood.A host of public and private parking lots and spaces surround the center, but with tens of thousands of people swarming the area, a little traffic planning is warranted before stepping out the door and heading for the Space Needle.Yes, parking spaces can sometimes be difficult to find, especially in the afternoon. Here are a few tips to help you get in and out of the festival easier
he telephone rang. "Hello grandpa, whatcha doin?" It was Nicole, our 18-year-old granddaughter in Lynnwood. She'd recently graduated from Meadowdale High School."My sister and I were hoping to come over and see you guys and show you the used car I bought," Nicole said. It was her first car, and it was a big deal.I understood why she was so excited. For decades Americans have been drilled with advertisements pushing the message that automobiles are "extensions of our personality." And car sales are booming this summer. Nicole had joined the club. She was a car owner
There's a question no one in Washington state can answer: What is the total of taxpayer dollars allocated for education being used for athletic programs in public schools?There are people in high-dollar public positions who will say they have the answer, but they don't. The amount of tax dollars spent on football, basketball, baseball, track, soccer, cheerleading and other sports programs at public schools is so high, so out of proportion to the educational needs of students, that no one wants the figure to be made public.It is, simply put, an embarrassingly high number.
Folks can shop to their heart's content while helping out a great cause at the 2005 Fall Frenzy Fashion and Trunk Show, set for Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the HUB Ballroom on the University of Washington campus.The event, a scholarship fundraiser put on by the University of Washington Alumnae Board, runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Products onhand will include gifts and original treasures from popular artisans and local vendors. In addition, there will be a special fashion show featuring Alumnae Board scholarship recipients modeling Husky active wear.A luncheon is included in the price of admission. The cost of the Fall Frenzy Fashion and Trunk Show is $25 for UW Alumni Association members, $30 general admission and $225 for a table of eight.
This spring, when members of the Magnolia community were donating clothing to rummage sales at Catharine Blaine School and the Coop Preschool, they didn't know they would also be helping the impoverished people high in the Andes of Peru. After the rummage sales were over, Robert, Linda and Laura Kanter of Magnolia asked the rummage coordinators if they could collect clothing for the children in Peru. The entire Kanter family flew to Peru in late June and delivered the suitcases full of clothes to two agencies, the South American Explorers and the Andean Travel Web.
Seattleites will have the rare chance, Sept. 10-Oct. 2, to tour the century-old Moore Mansion on 14th Avenue, south of Volunteer Park.he interiors of the rooms have been redesigned and decorated over the past few months by members of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Washington State Chapter. The Showhouse Event is a fund-raiser for that Chapter, as well as the state's premier dance company, Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB).The Moore Mansion is located at 811 14th Ave. E. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $16 general or $12 for students and seniors.