Coach Jim Waters is a little nervous - yes, his girls' tennis team has posted a respectable record of 7-2 through the third week of April. But between April 25 and May 2, they will play Inglemoor, Woodinville and Redmond. The three top teams in the league in just one week. And they're all away matches. But he has great confidence in these girls - a nearly identical team which finished second in Kingco last year - as it has a good deal of depth and seniority. "My top three players are all juniors. They've been playing years and years of tennis in various clubs," says Waters, who himself is a tennis player. "The other players are all very consistent, solid players."
For most working people, retirement-income planning looms in the distance. "Whatever you thought you needed, you'll need more." These were the opening words at a recent national symposium on retirement planning and the rapidly approaching retirement years of the largest-ever American generation, the Baby Boomers. Several factors converge to create the anticipated income shortfalls created by many years of retirement lifestyles. Most are unrealistic Most people, for example, don't have a realistic estimate of what their yearly retirement needs will be. Adjusting for inflation increases the complexity of planning. To make sure your money lasts as long as you do, you must withdraw less than 4-5 percent of your lifetime savings annually. Or you must plan for income streams which release funds at targeted points in your retirement years.
As a business and property owner in Kirkland, I take great pride in having my company located in this wonderful city. Our pride in Kirkland extends to supporting city council and staff in keeping Kirkland one of the best cities in which to work and reside. To this end, we pay property taxes that support the city. Many of our employees live and/or shop in Kirkland, paying sales and property taxes. Our employment also helps Kirkland meet its economic development goal by providing high-paying jobs. However, our ability to do business in Kirkland was tested in 2003 when the city council implemented an increase in the business license fee from $40 to $100, with an additional surcharge based on the number of employees and income. Because our firm employs 60 people in Kirkland, our business license (with the surcharge) increased from $40 to $1,600 - a 4,000 percent increase. We accepted the new tax because the city council made the case that the surcharge was temporary and that they needed to balance the city budget. At that time, the city council promised that the surcharge portion of the increase would be reviewed when the economy improved and that the surcharge could be partially or totally eliminated. The economy has improved and many business owners in Kirkland eagerly awaited the promised review during the budget process this year.
I've got an appointment with a dental chair and some very sharp pointy metal things this morning. I'm not looking forward to this experience because I have a healthy fear of all things painful. This activity ranks very high on my Pain Meter. I mentioned to the dentist that I would like to have nitrous oxide while having my teeth cleaned. He blinked. Then blinked again. "But cleanings aren't painful, just uncomfortable at times," he said. "I'm sorry, but I subscribe to Medical Terminology for Dummies and have the great tome, 'How To Understand Your Doctor's Secret Code.' So I know for a fact that when you say something 'may be uncomfortable,' or 'You may feel a little discomfort,' or my all-time favorite, 'This might pinch a little,' I'm aware of the fact that in the next couple of seconds I'll be trying to leap from my chair to smack you repeatedly about the head and shoulders with your own dental drills." His eyes went wide, and he apparently lost the ability to communicate in a manner in which others could understand him. There were some hemmings and hawings, and his eyebrows were raised up over his eyes. I've been there. I know what goes on. This is why I haven't been there since I lost my last baby tooth. My Pain Avoidance System is in full operational order.
t used to be that if you wanted a rock 'n' roll high school you had to hope the Ramones would take over your school by force. Today, Rock School is a reality at Kirkland's BEST High School, where counselor and Rock School President/CEO Wendy Simmons has championed an innovative program that offers an extraordinary range of music education classes. Rock School, with locations in Kirkland and Seattle, is a non-profit music program for teens and young adults ages 12-21. After-school classes run throughout the school year until the middle of June. For a basic fee, students can take unlimited courses, including Band 101, guitar, bass, drums, songwriting and vocals. Rock School also offers all-day summer classes, including the girls-only Rockergirl Camp. Rock School is the brainchild of BEST high school counselor Wendy Simmons, who turned a gap in the educational system into an opportunity to help kids who love music.
Getting onto Market Street from side streets is difficult now, and it's only going to get worse in the future as the region's population swells, according to Sandeep Singhal, chair of a Market neighborhood taskforce formed to tackle the problem. "It's actually difficult at all times," he said of the traffic hassles. It is hard to get onto Market during rush hours because there are so many vehicles, and it is also a problem when it's not rush hour because that's when the vehicles speed up on the busy arterial, Singhal noted. It has become such an issue that the Market neighborhood taskforce decided to use $15,000 of a $25,000 city grant it received last year to hire a consultant, he said. However, dealing with traffic congestion can't be done in a vacuum, and in this case, anything the Market neighborhood does on Market Street would undoubtedly affect the Norkirk neighborhood to the east, Singhal said. "For that reason, we invited a Norkirk resident to participate (in the taskforce)."
George Mangouras is fed up. The owner of George's Place Greek restaurant on Kirkland Avenue had three windows broken at his business on Easter weekend, and it's not the first time. "After I replace these three, it's been nine," he said of windows cracked and shattered at his place over the years. "Six months ago, I replaced this one," Mangouras added as he pointed to one window near a newly shattered window, which had been covered with a sheet of paneling. The restaurateur estimates it will cost around $600 apiece to replace the cracked and broken windows, and he blames drunken yahoos coming from downtown bars for the damage.
Time and time again, I meet with clients who do not want to restrict views or block natural light with window coverings. Logically, I understand this. Yet, from a creative side, I often struggle with it. Perhaps it has something to do with my upbringing in New England, where we used window coverings not only for aesthetics and privacy purposes but for warmth during the bitter, cold winters. Window coverings can bring together the look and feel of a room. They should not be forgotten when mapping out your interior-décor plans. Deciding which window coverings to choose can be overwhelming. An interior designer has resources to choose from that are not available to retail customers and can guide you to the right choice. Hiring an interior designer may not fit your budget, so here are some ideas to assist you in choosing the right window coverings for your home.
or scores of gardeners, trees are the pride of the garden. Homeowners have the whole year to fuss over the foliage of their tree, the novelty of its bark and the wildlife that it attracts. When chilly Seattle weather recedes and spring returns, many gardeners want one thing: a new, beautiful tree. "I love to see the new growth in the spring and the colors in the fall," said Kyra Butzel, assistant nursery manager at City People's Gardening Store, 2939 E. Madison St. "I like how trees give me a sense of time, a sense of bones in the yard. Trees are definitely the most living, breathing part of the garden." It's no wonder why Butzel is sentimental about trees. In the world of gardening, few plants can impact a landscape so greatly - and for such a long time - as a tree. "They're almost human because of their size and the amount of time they are around," Butzel explained. Trendy trees Keith Geller, a Madison Valley landscape architect, understands the lifelong value of a tree. In his garden alone he has river birch, various pines, vine maples, Japanese maples, Japanese snowbell, magnolia and witch hazels. Like Butzel, Geller loves the new life that trees bring to the yard: "I like trees because they are a place for birds." But while Geller is a longtime bird enthusiast, many others are following his lead with this spring's garden trend.
Teddy, a happy and energetic10-month-old golden retriever, loves his sunny walks around the Madison Park neighborhood with his owner, Paul Richards. Although Teddy may appear to be your average family companion, there is another side to him. Teddy, along with Richards, is part of the Delta Society Pet Partners team. The importance of animals The Delta Society is an international nonprofit organization based in Bellevue. The organization was founded by Michael McCulloch, a medical doctor, and Leo K. Bustad, a veterinarian, in 1977. Bustad was its first president. During the early years of the Delta Society, much of the funding was allocated to researching the importance of animals to the general population and to demonstrate the impact that these animals have on the health and well-being of humans. The mission of the Delta Society is to improve human health through service and therapy animals. It is carried out through Pet Partners teams, in which owners and their pets visit local hospitals, schools, retirement homes, treatment centers, correctional facilities or other organizations requesting this free service.
Moms know what particular treatment they want on Mother's Day: an uninterrupted, morning sleep-in; breakfast in bed; two hours alone with the New York Times newspaper; homemade cards from her kids; a massage or pedicure; a family outing planned by someone other than herself. Regardless of the variety of ways moms want to spend their day, I guarantee there is one request they will all have in common: a day off from cooking. You can pay tribute to her by taking her out to a restaurant or by bringing in pre-made food. But I think most moms favor having Dad and the kids do the cooking and being a guest at her own table. Especially when the food is prepared just for her taste. This is a real honor to a mom.
A Montana boy who decided to come to the Northwest, Joe Canavan first stepped onto the manicured lawns of Madison Park after returning from the service. In the early 1950s, after being discharged in San Francisco, the service offered him a flight to any base in the continental United States. He chose to fly to Sand Point. When he landed, he walked to Ballard because he'd heard about Mike's Chili. From Mike's, he walked and walked until he reached Lake Washington. As he stood in Madison Park, he decided then and there that it would be where he lives. He and his wife Dorothy have been in the neighborhood since 1953. "Madison Park really is a neighborhood where people know each other," Canavan said. "It is beautiful, the landscapes, and there are a few old houses left." Canavan said he loves the stories of the streetcar that used to come through to the beach houses that lined Lake Washington, though they were gone a decade before his time. He also loves the stories of the 40-foot lots and scouting out the remaining cabins.
My father is spinning in his grave. My sister is in shock. I am shattered. According to the Wall Street Journal, crossword puzzles do nothing to keep those brain cells alive. The study stated that we start losing those cells at the ripe, old age of 30 and continue to lose them bit by bit. Of course, we know that's ridiculous. For naught? We have read tomes, learned to play piano at the age of 80, taken tours to exotic places and tried to learn Spanish, just to keep those little brain cells alert and improving. Alas, to no avail. I concede that the research has been thorough; 2,832 people have been studied since 1998. But have they studied the right people? I know I wasn't asked my opinion, and there must be several million others who have not been asked how their memories work. So far, the results of the study indicate that we all begin to lose brain cells shortly after 30, but some more than others. The conclusion is that some people are mentally very active all their lives so that they will be able to remember where they put their glasses or left the keys much longer than the couch potatoes among us.
Three of us lived in one of five houses that had been built on pilings south of where Park Shore stands today. The sound of waves slapping against the pilings below was almost like being at sea. Everything was great at this locale. In fact, it was a little too great. Rent was cheap, the house adequately furnished and it was close to all the taverns. Therein lay the problem, with all the endless parties, guests from out of town, newly divorced friends and the Aussies from Australia - one just made mention of the word "party" and everyone in unison would say, "When?" Sharing the bounty I finally had to jump ship and get away from the madness that living with other guys created. I moved into my own bachelor pad on 41st Avenue, where, for the first time in a long time, I was forced to do some cooking. Up until then, it had been the bachelor's three-course meal of peanuts, cheeseburgers and a pitcher of beer. After a few laps around St. Vincent de Paul's, I acquired enough kitchen gear to look from a distance like some kind of homemaker. To prove I was serious, I rustled up many a good meal - to the point where people actually were calling me for cooking advice. My repertoire was created mostly from a book called Bert Crocker. I had altered a "Betty Crocker" cookbook with a felt-tip pen.
To ensure their schools aren't on the list of those to close in fall 2007, the principals of Martin Luther King Jr. and T.T. Minor elementary schools are working proactively to save both programs. Effective this fall, M.L. King will move as an entire school into Minor, 1700 E. Union St. However, the new, combined school still faces possible closure because of its projected low enrollment, according to Peter Daniels, public-affairs director for Seattle Public Schools. An 'unusual' move Superintendent Raj Manhas announced his approval of the merger during the Seattle School Board's April 5 meeting. Though many details still need to be finalized, such as the school's official name and employee contracts, the plan to combine both schools was approved in its entirety, Daniels said. The combined school will continue to offer M.L. King's year-old Montessori program and preschool.