When the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation tweaks its strategy next year to add the $37 billion that Warren Buffet asked them to spend for him, I have a suggestion.Stop for a moment and take a look at the opportunity you have in the county you live in. Martin Luther King Jr. County has almost every racial group in the world. It is a small microcosm of the world we live in.It is named after Dr, Martin Luther King Jr., the foremost civil and human rights leader of the last 100 years. Use the name and the legacy of King as a springboard for the things you want to do nationally and internationally.Education is a major focus of the foundation. So, let us solve the educational problems of Martin Luther King County first and use what we learn here to transform schools around the nation.Let's use the name and legacy of King and the resources of the foundation to invite the best minds in education to MLK County so they can get busy.
Usually July is a great stretch of 31 days here in the Pacific Northwest. The sun scatters the region's notorious cloud cover, and Rain City residents forget what it's like to live under the dark, drizzly skies of winter. This year, July began beautifully with a not-too-hot streak of days leading up to a long Fourth of July weekend. The clouds even parted for the Lake Union and Elliot Bay fireworks displays.Unfortunately the month's perfect start quickly disintegrated into a bloody, hot mess for the Greater Seattle area.The mayhem kicked off 50 miles northeast of Seattle on July 11 along a gorgeous stretch of trail near Mount Pilchuck where a woman and her daughter, ages 56 and 27, were gunned down during a hike. To add a bit of international pain to these rare wilderness homicides and make the news even tougher to follow, the Israeli army and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah fighters started a vicious little war in the Middle East. Mainly civilians have been killed, and the vast majority have been Lebanese. The most recent atrocity happened on July 30 when 57 unarmed Lebanese civilians, including 37 children, were killed when an Israeli warplane targeted their high rise in the village of Qana where they were taking refuge.
Catherine PerkinsSidewalk Talk reporter Catherine Perkins also delivers the Beacon Hill News and South District Journal once a week to some of the paper's young carriers and to locations around the South End's neighborhoods. She has two sons, Jeffry at the University of Washington, and Victor at Garfield High School. One of her favorite guidelines is "a good person is one who does not depend upon persons of eminence or despise those of humble station... who, not relying upon the opinions of others - upholds that which is just."Anita HallYes, I do. Well, I have a lot of dreams. Right now I have a home child care business, for 12 years. Last year I opened another business I called the Chicken Shack, on Rainier. I opened on May 15, 2005. My problem is, how do I tear myself in half? My purpose in life is to cook. What I've done to satisfy that is I do catering. I want to give up my childcare business. I started out with six, moved to eight - now I'm at 12. I can't find someone to step in and take it. The children are like my own, and not everybody likes working with children.
Seafair is upon us with numerous community events happening all across our region, and there are a number of new occurrences this year leading up to the weekend of Aug. 5-6 that are going have impacts on the South End's neighborhoods.In addition to the Blue Angels' flyovers Friday and the hydroplane time trials and races, there will be a concert in Genesee Park on Saturday, Aug. 5. Following the concert, at 9 p.m., there will be a night-time pyrotechnic air show and a fireworks show over Lake Washington.For those who live in the area, it means an increase in foot and vehicular traffic on the arterials and side streets, even those designated for local access only. There will be ample police presence and patrol throughout the area during the Seafair events. However, the concert, air show and fireworks show are new events, and the police department has no way to gauge their impact or the influx of people into the neighborhoods. With this increased activity in mind, the traditional flyovers of the Blue Angels will cause the Washington State Department of Transportation to close the I-90 bridge several times from Thursday, Aug. 3, to Sunday, Aug.
In February of 2003, the first keg from a small brewery in Georgetown was sold and the dream of two beer-loving partners, Manny Chao and Roger Bialous, was on its way. Chao and Bialous had quit their jobs to take on the giant risk of owning a craft brewery. The friends had discussed opening their own brewery for quite a while, but without a plan it was just a dream. So Chao put together a business plan to see if their dream was even possible. In that plan they saw their idea was not only possible, but also something they had to take a chance on. So as their website, www.Georgetownbeer.com explains "We decided to chuck our jobs... all for beer."The first step was to make a quality beer recipe that they enjoyed and believed would sell. They knew how to brew beer at home and decided that would be the best place to start. So they made a batch of beer, and then another, and then another. Finally, after batch number nine, they had found the recipe that would eventually become their flagship beer, Manny's Pale Ale. The next step was finding a place to create their concoction and some equipment with which to brew.The two friends were determined to make this happen on their own. They didn't want investors because, as Chao says, "Investors are a pain." The place they needed had to be inexpensive and local. Having been in the Northwest their entire lives, it was important to them to remain in Seattle. They were close to finding a spot in Ballard, but the building owners backed out at the last minute. This ended up being a blessing in disguise, because they were able to tap into Seattle's brewing history. Their real estate agent had discovered a gem of a location right in old Georgetown at 5840 Airport Way South. What's old is new againAccording to their website, they are in "the original 'Malt House' of the old Seattle Brewing and Malting Company, the original brewers of Rainier Beer."
There is nothing more refreshing than a swim on a nice, warm summer day. Even if you don't know how to swim, performing water exercises requires no swimming skills and usually incorporates some of the same body movement. Non-swimmers may initially be a little afraid of water, but their success and enjoyment of water exercise soon overcome the fear, and many of them add swimming lessons to their exercise regimen.
The city Department of Neighborhoods recently awarded $100,000 grants from its Large Project Fund Awards program to the Leschi Community Council's Powell Barnett Legacy project and the Friends of Madison Park's Madison Park Community Playfield physical-improvement project. Leschi residents John Barber (second from left) and Maisha Barnett (center) stand with their $100,000 award certificate and acting Department of Neighborhoods director Bernie Matsuno, Mayor Greg Nickels and Citizen Review Team member Doug Lorentzen during the July 15 ceremony at Madison Park. The grant will be used for the public-art project at Powell Barnett Park, whose namesake is Maisha Barnett's grandfather.
En cinque outWhen Frog Hollow left a vacancy in the charming cottage at 4111 Madison St., Amy Truex Lewis opened En Cinque, a mini-bazaar of sorts that offered this and that from around the world. Sadly, En Cinque has closed its doors and left residents to wonder if a book store, grab-and-go gourmet or an upscale pet shop might be a good fit for the neighborhood. For those who missed the treasures at sidewalk sale, a Web site is available at www.encinque.com.Fund-raisingThe brow-raising, often-mouthy and always-beloved Colleen Prae-torius of the Attic Alehouse has been fighting a serious illness of late. Her friends and colleagues are hosting a fund-raiser to help her with medical costs, and any donations are welcome. Join the gang at 4226 E. Madison St. on Aug. 10 at 7 p.m., and raise your mugs (and funds) for Colleen.Howl at the moonIt's not your imagination if you think you hear a coyote or two howling while you're driving in the Washington Park Arboretum.
Call it a "garage sale," "yard sale" or "estate sale," summer is the time to clear out the attic and stick tiny, florescent stickers on that old pair of hockey skates, your mother-in-law's mismatched tea set and that sci-fi book collection that is getting moldier by the year.Garage sales can be a fun way of cleaning the clutter, but there are a few things to keep in mind before you set up your Saturday storefront.OptionsFirst, decide if having a sale is worth your time. While there are some good reasons for spending the weekend hosting a sale (such as meeting new neighbors and getting your kids involved in getting rid of their stuff), also consider the time involved in preparing a successful garage sale. You may want to hire someone else to manage your sale. A small, hourly fee and a percent of the proceeds are standard compensation. Or donation is always a good option; check www.ci.seattle.wa.us/html/citizen/volunteer.htm for a list of area agencies. Some will even pick up small household items from your curb.
Longtime Madison Park resident Gretchen Mathers is celebrating the 10- year anniversary of the first box lunch ever delivered by Gretchen's Shoebox Express, of which she is operating partner. Mathers was in the catering business for 17 years prior to buying the box-lunch business from Nordstrom and was looking for a change. "It was physically demanding work [catering]; I had to get two hips replaced!" she said. She had always sold custom box lunches at her previous cafés; she owned four cafeteria-style restaurants in the Seattle area called Gretchen's of Course.With the business model already in place from Nordstrom, and Mathers familiar with what works in the food and business world, she helped grow the company 1,200 percent over the last 10 years to become the biggest box-lunch delivery company in Seattle, employing 135 people.
July Fourth parade Bridle Trails was well represented again this year in this annual Kirkland event which seems to attract more participants and more viewers each year. Both the Lake Washington Saddle Club and Bridle Trails Park Foundation participated, and we had a wonderful time.The crowds were great - where do they all come from? - and where do they park? Because we were the first "horsey group" it was fun hearing the kids enthusiastically expressing their approval of our eight-horse drill team and nine other horses.The drill team, called the High Valley Riders, practice in Bridle Trails Park and support Lake Washington Saddle Club. A special crowd pleaser was Steve Peterman's very large white draft horse, Daytona, along with young Jenny Hambleton aboard her Fjord, Thorvald. New this year were Patty Allen and her kids aboard their horses and Cassidy Kaufman aboard his horse Toy.
By the time you read this we should be back to normal temperatures and the extreme heat we all experienced during the third week of July will be a distant memory. As I write this the temperature is already close to 90 degrees. Just so happens that on July 22 we hosted a wedding in our garden for our son and his wife. We all survived the heat thanks to a new 32-inch fan and a misting apparatus to spray cool air during the event. I would like to thank all of our neighbors for tolerating any inconvenience from the cars and for their kind support.NRH neighborhood association newsOn July 15, the North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association sponsored the 12th Annual Neighborhood Picnic in Woodlands Park. There was plenty of food and drinks, two fun bouncers, face painting and the annual pie baking contest. A good time was had by all. If you have never attended one of the picnics in the past I highly recommend it; it's a great way to get to know your neighbors andto meet city council members (who were all in attendance as eager judges for the pie bake-off). The winner this year was Karen Tennyson. Special thanks to Dave Boyer who organized the event and the many volunteers who helped to make it a success. Also, I would like to recognize Pete and Johna Weller for donating and operating their sound system. Hope to see you at next year's picnic which is always scheduled for the third Saturday in July from 12-4 p.m. at Woodlands Park in North Rose Hill.
Strumming by the bayI met Ray Moreau on the dock in Marina Bay. I had heard he was a great mandolin player and wanted to meet him. Andy Zimmerman, himself a guitar player, joined us shortly thereafter. Andy claims Ray can play anything with a string. Ray was on the Marina Park dock on a blistering, hot afternoon. He also was studying for a test he was taking the next day.As we talked he picked up the mandolin to play and set it back down several times. It was fun, a conversation with a musical soundtrack."I'm a tremolos player," Ray said. "So I play Italian stuff. Tremolos is the technique of the pick. The technique playing a mandolin."When he wasn't playing the mandolin he was studying for the Microsoft Certified Engineer test. He'd past the hardware part and was working on the software section. He came to Kirkland as a computer consultant. The job ended after four years. He has been out of work for nearly four years, living off the "equity in his house and peoples' smiles. Soon I'll have to move, get a job or find a rich wife. I'm the poorest, most eligible bachelor in Kirkland."And of course, there's his musical ability."I started playing harmonicas when I was 12. I got a guitar about the same time, then started in mandolins in the late '70. When I came here, I joined up with the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra to improve my music reading skills. I've been playing in the park for nearly seven years. But not when it rains."As he plays a selection, a downtowner walks by and says, "a very nice sound."
With all the redevelopment in and around Juanita these days, it is good to remind ourselves of our neighborhood "institutions" and highlight them from time to time. Of course behind such places are the people that make them places that neighbors and in fact folks from all over the area come and enjoy over and over again. One such place in our neighborhood is our very own Spud Fish and Chips and owners Dan and Staci Cole. Seattle landmarkOf course anyone who has lived in Seattle long enough knows that Spud is itself a Seattle landmark. Beginning with a little "seafood shack" on Alki Beach in 1935, Frank and Jack Alger began the business, expanding it to a second location at Greenlake. According to the jovial Dan, there is a rumor that the Juanita location was won in a card game and it is the only Spud to remain in its original location. It went from being a place known as "Lacy's Lunch to a bona fide biker bar in the 1960s to a drive in with gals on roller skates delivering the burgers," he said.
In July, Madison House Retirement joined hands with 32 artists - all between the spry ages of 70 and 95 - from the Eastside and Seattle areas to stage an art show that featured watercolors, acrylics, Sumi-e and etchings.The art was on display from July 1-23 at Madison House Retirement in Kirkland.Professionals and amateurs alike - all who have a passion for artistic expression - entered their artwork for this display. In the short biographies alongside each artist's paintings were World War II heroes, hula dancers, retired kindergarten teachers, nurses, engineers and musicians.