Some people live in Seattle because family does. Others, because family does not.I'm afraid I fall into the sec-ond cate-gory. Like most East Coast transplants, I live among friends, and over time what happens is friends become more like family than family.I chose Seattle because it seemed the best the world had to offer: clean air, picturesqueness, liberal minds and, unlike most coastal cities, a home I could afford (mind you, this was 20 years ago). The first time I saw Elliott Bay, the evening sun coloring its sky, I thought, "Another life is behind me now and I'm finally home!"That's why it's difficult to put a name to what I feel of late, something blurred in the center of me. It's not intentional, but it's not really unconscious either. Other thoughts flow around it.
Will the lessons of Katrina reso-nate with the voters when they vote on Initiative 912, which repeals the funding for the Alaskan Way Via-duct fix and other transportation safety improvements?This year, Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature united to pass a historic plan to save lives, move people and deliver goods. It's the Transportation Partnership Act of 2005 - a 16-year investment package that will make our roads safer, improve our mobility and economy and protect our transportation structures before they crumble or fall. Now the Initiative 912 Gridlock Gang wants to blow that plan apart with deception and anti-Puget Sound demagoguery. Will they succeed? Will the viaduct tumble down because there is no money to fix it? Will the 520 Bridge, or more than 130 other at-risk bridges in Washington, be fixed before lives are lost in a catastrophe? Will you spend more and more time eating fumes in nasty traffic jams and arriving late to meetings, childcare and work?The answer to these questions depends on you - and on all of us who understand what is at stake.
Once, long ago, in the faraway land of Cincinnati, site of the biggest Oktoberfest anywhere in the world outside of Munich, I lived a very different life, populated by very different people than the friends I have here in Seattle.People were less fluid there. Less able to take the ball on the short hop.Everything seemed more serious there, too. When the city finally got an alternative newspaper, even it was serious. Not that that's such a bad thing once you get The Stranger's only joke, that everything serious except gay marriage and urban density isn't serious at all.I understand the pose; I was 14 until I was 30. But it wears thin. Still, I'd much rather live here, in the bosom of what an L.A. friend who's been on the ground almost 30 years calls Dripping Lotus Land, than back in the square box of other folks' expectations in Ohio.The great thing about Seattle is that you can leave for three or four years, then come back and pick up almost the exact same life, with even some of the same people, and it's as if you were never gone. "You were in Idaho? Hawaii? Bremerton? I thought I hadn't seen you at the Two Bells for awhile."Hey, they have been talking about building a monorail here since Grant was president. Leave and come back and you'll be just in time for another vote on the damn thing.
fter attending Saturday's antiwar rally in downtown Seattle, I heard KIRO Channel 7 news announce that the Seattle police estimate of protestors was 4,000. When I attend antiwar rallies, I always make my own estimate. When the march began, I was near the front. After a half-mile, I moved to the sidewalk at the middle of a block and stopped. I focused on a few people just starting my block and watched till they reached the end of the block. Then I picked another group of people starting my block and watched till they reached the end of the block and so on. I counted 20 blocks. I estimate 1,500 people per block, or 30,000 people minimum.
The Highlands Neighborhood Association receives support and funding from Kirkland. This funding is used for projects and activities in the neighborhood. To qualify for this money, we must meet certain requirements. Among other things, we must hold regular meetings, and we must elect officers annually. Highlands elections take place every November at our general meeting. This year several positions will be vacant. Most positions require a commitment of only about two hours a month for one year.
JoANN MARSHALL"I honestly believe that Katrina was beyond the scope of what any president would be prepared for, so I don't know. It remains to be seen what will happen in the next two years."LARRY FAUCHER"I don't think that Bush will be let off the hook. I think that this will prove to a lot of people that he is only interested in ideologies and not the real welfare of individuals."
Don't block my view! Soccer is king!These two messages were heard loud and clear by Parks Dept. workers at the third of three public meetings addressing slated improvements to Magnolia Elementary Playfield on 28th Avenue West between West McGraw and West Smith streets.The Sept. 22 meeting at the Magnolia Community Center, presided over by Cathy Tuttle from Parks and Site Workshop designer Mark Brands, was characterized by a low rumble of discord and discontent as the 40 or so citizens in attendance peppered presenters with a litany of questions and itemized complaints.In fact, Tuttle at one point protested that Parks was not being driven by "greedy self-interest" after a Magnolia resident who lives near the park asked if a proposed pavilion was being positioned simply in order to "maximize revenues" for the city.So it went, in a meeting where the project itself often got swamped by discussions of process and motive.
Hello and welcome to the October issue for and about events in around and North Rose Hill. I am pleased to report that the Woodlands Park development - with the new boardwalk connecting to the newly developed play area and gazebo - is nearly complete. Built from funds collected after the 2002 park bond, the new features in the park include almost seven acres of additional land bordering 124th Avenue N.E., south of the fire station, to 95th Avenue N.E. Neighbors met early in the process to provide direction and guidance to park planners for the design of the park.
Fall is such a wonderful season. I, for one, look forward to the first mornings of our Northwest fog, the air feeling crisp around the edges. Eventually the gray mists burst forth around noon into the brilliant sunshine that is the hallmark of our brand of autumn. It makes me want to get started on the work of the day, and indeed there is much going on in our corner of the world this month.
The third annual Garden Party was once again a delightful evening. The cold morning melted away as the sun warmed the courtyard between Ravenna Gardens and Key Bank in Parkplace. Everyone enjoyed the delicious hors d'oeuvres from Purple Café. Ciscoe Morris of TV gardening fame was the special guest again this year. I called Ciscoe and asked if we could meet so I could ask a few questions. He is as agreeable in real life as he appears to be on TV
Beginning Nov. 15, Medicare is offering prescription drug coverage to anyone enrolled in or eligible for Medicare. This is an important and beneficial development for millions of American seniors. For the many Washingtonians who live with or care for their parents, this Medicare plan presents an opportunity to save money on necessary prescriptions. In a time when skyrocketing healthcare and drug costs have left seniors and their families with large bills and few options, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan is something worth considering.
A physically active lifestyle helps people stay healthy as they age. That's the message promoted by the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), the world's largest trade association for the senior fitness and wellness industry.During Active Aging Week, already in progress, older adults will have the opportunity to try various forms of physical activity at a host of locations. On Oct. 1 these activities will coincide with the International Day of Older Persons, a World Health Organization initiative to promote the importance of healthy and productive aging.
We've all seen athletes who try to stretch their careers for one more year, one more fight, one more championship - only to find out that their bodies have abandoned them. We pity them for their inability to accept the fact that they are past their prime.I'm sitting here with a greater understanding of what they experience.
What does it mean to be 'green'?For the new Ben Franklin Elementary it means a school that is environmentally responsible and sustainable. We attended a recent tour and presentation for the media to learn all about this brand new school. The new buildings have large, tall windows and lots of natural light to offset electrical costs, floors made of a renewable rubber material vs. vinyl, and a natural ventilation system which monitors the temperature and carbon dioxide levels and opens louvers to let in outside air as needed. There are photo cells in the lighting so that if half of the room is lighter than the other half, the lights in the lighter half are automatically turned off. There is even a "rain garden" and fountain created by water that runs off the roof when it rains.
Developers Diversified Realty, the new owner of the Totem Lake Mall, has big plans for the foundering shopping center, and it wants Kirkland to kick in $15 million to help the effort along. DDR plans include substantially increasing the retail space to 513,000 square feet, building a six-story office tower, adding two condominium complexes and putting together a 13-screen multiplex movie house. DDR did not return a call for comment, but plans for a multiplex come as a bit of a surprise, according to Jeff Cole, director of corporate real estate for the Kirkland Parkplace shopping center, which has its own six-screen movie theater.