April 2009

Dear Editor.

The March 11 article about the Junction Plaza Park and the fact that public money is expected to fund it really burns me up.

Look into back issues of the Herald at the time the adjacent senior living apartment building was being promoted. It is my recollection that you would find that the building was approved to go forward by our local ”City Fathers” on condition the builder would put small shops on that lot, or construct a park for the public.

There was considerable concern expressed in the Herald, both in articles and letters, that the lot would just sit there. Those who brokered that deal did nothing to hold the builder to his promise (or were they maybe in on the deal?).

Sure enough, the lot has sat there ever since, as an eyesore collecting trash and “improving” our Junction. If the Statute of Limitations on this sort of thing hasn’t run out by now, someone should take the contractor to court to pay for the park.

Doug DeVol
West Seattle

Hundreds of volunteers will survey unsheltered homeless people in Seattle tonight, April 13, to better understand the needs of people who are homeless and the barriers they face to finding permanent housing.

The Homeless Needs Assessment is a joint effort coordinated by the city of Seattle, United Way of King County and the Committee to End Homelessness in King County.

“In our efforts to end homelessness, it’s important that we give a voice to people who are on our streets, to reach out and understand what challenges they face and what services they need,” said Mayor Greg Nickels in a statement.

About 500 volunteers have been recruited and trained to participate in the assessment. Between the hours of 9 p.m. and midnight, teams of three volunteers will talk with every person they see on the street.

Volunteers will not make any assumptions about people they meet and will ask everyone if they are sleeping indoors that evening. Those who are not staying in a home or shelter will be asked if they are willing to participate in a confidential, voluntary survey.

A not-so-wise man once told me, “You can’t fly like an eagle if you walk with turkeys.” He was right about that one. And it’s a metaphor that we can apply to gardening in this current economic climate, too.

It was the eagle camera through the Hancock Wildlife Federation up in B.C. that prompted this metaphor. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s absolutely addicting. This group has set up eagle cameras in several nests, and lately the “Sidney Cam 2” has had some action in the last couple of days. (Sidney is north of Victoria on Vancouver Island.)

The babies just hatched yesterday, and now, as I type this, Mama Eagle just changed shifts with Papa Eagle, and is now feeding the two wee Baby Eagles.

What. A. Treat.

It’s amazing to see such a magnificent bird be so loving and gentle with her babies – they are about the size of her beak! Check it out, but first, on to my new metaphor.

Everyone is on a budget these days. It seems that if you don’t have to be on a budget, peer pressure is dictating that you at least feign to be on one, lest you insult someone. Less is more, extravagance is out… is it the 1990's again?

When people get a massage they can communicate where they need it most. But Jennifer Streit works with clients who can't talk.

She massages animals. She is also a Reiki master working purely with "life force" energy. She came to her current career as a natural progression. She first became a licensed psychotherapist and practiced for 13 years, then chose to learn how to massage people and finally took the training to massage small animals.

Her business is called Hands to Paws Massage and she is well versed in how to bring the health benefits of massage to many different creatures.

"It stimulates the immune system, makes their coat look shiny, it's good for gastrointestinal health, flexibility, and helps relieve pain and other muscle related ailments," she said.

She has four dogs of her own and all of them are the beneficiaries of regular massage. One of them, her beloved daschund Buddy, suffered from paralysis due to a herniated disk. After surgery Jennifer did regular massage work with Buddy and now he is fully recovered. It was this experience that led to her present career.

Timing is everything. In real estate, in publishing, in espresso, in friendship.

I met Erica Bauermeister when she had just mailed her book manuscript to a potential agent in New York. We met because I’d taken two pies in handled baskets by bus to a teacher appreciation lunch.

The pies prompted a reference to a book we’d both read and the beginning of a friendship. After clean-up she offered to drive me and my pie baskets back to Ballard. By the time we parted I’d learned she had co-authored my favorite anthology “Let’s Hear It For The Girls” and that she would be out of the real estate business in 25 days.

Through the Secret Garden Bookshop Erica will be reading from that now published manuscript, “The School of Essential Ingredients,” on Monday, April 20, 6:30 p.m. at the Ballard Library. Timing is everything.

When I met Erica she had an opening in her life; characters who had been living with her had gone to New York without her in search of an agent. With her daughter in college and her son a senior in high school Erica was ready “to take a leap of faith.”

Dear Editor,

Domestic partnerships are a start – a good start – toward true equality under the law for all families.

Now, let’s take the next step together. Following in the footsteps of Iowa, Vermont, California and D.C., let Washington join the vanguard, and give all couples - straight or gay - full marriage equality.

In these uncertain times, when people are losing jobs or taking lesser ones, when medical benefits are scarce, when children are frightened and parents are worried, let us wrap all families in the security, the protection, the responsibilities, and the rights that come from true marriage equality.

Please don’t listen to the lies and the fear. Please listen to the commitment, the respect, and the love my gay and lesbian friends have for each other and their children. Please support full, true, legal equality for gays and lesbians who wish to marry.

Kathy Byrd
Ballard

Dear Editor,

I was dismayed to see in your April 8 issue that the (Seattle City) Council's Transportation Committee and Grace Crunican (director of the Seattle transportation department) are so out of touch with reality.

The idea of asking for bids when there is no project money in hand is asking to end up with egg on one's face. Why? It costs a company effort, time and money to put a bid together. Why would a company bet on such a long shot in this economy? Who would bid?
 
Secondly, no one is even considering the on-going superior court case (08-2-42608-4) (owner of 1000 Mercer St., West Marine location, vs. the City of Seattle). My gut says that, based on his prior court cases, he is not about to give up easily. If he were to lose, I could see him appealing. It's going to be difficult to do the Mercer Project without that land.
 
Martha Tofferi
Magnolia

The once-every-four-weeks trip to the salon for trims and foil touch-ups have become a thing of the past. Relaxation and pampering at the spa with girlfriends is a distant memory. We are budget conscious and careful about how we spend our money.

That’s why two beloved Ballard businesses want you to know that you don’t have to completely neglect yourself and your grooming habits, even during a time of economic crisis.

Two years ago Victoria Gentry opened a second location of her popular Belltown salon, Vain.

“I liked the comfortable, relaxed environment of Ballard and I wanted a location closer to all my north-end clients,” said Gentry.

“I really wanted it to be reflective of the neighborhood, not a duplicate of downtown," she continued. "Ballard is interesting, so open and friendly, and has a great mix of people. The Ballard location offers some of the strongest talent of the downtown location, and the few Ballard-exclusive stylists have a really strong connection to the community.”

Directed by Ron Howard
Rated R
(Three and one half stars)

“Frost/Nixon” is a generation-sensitive film. Just as being 12 years old gives you an edge in picking up the subtleties of “Hannah Montana,” having lived through the 1960's provides the post-traumatic twitches required to truly appreciate coming face-to-face with an incarnation of Richard Nixon.

And, Incarnation may be the best word to describe Frank Langella’s masterful portrayal of Nixon. Langella bypasses any attempt at impersonation of the 37th president. It’s a smart move.

In life, Nixon was a walking cartoon and it would be easy for an actor to get ensnared in his myriad of ticks and mannerisms. Instead, Langella digs beneath the eyebrows and jowls to where the good stuff is: the tortured psyche that animated Nixon.

The film is centered around a series of interviews Nixon gave to David Frost (Michael Sheen) in 1977, three years after Nixon left office. By then both Nixon and Frost were men trying to resurrect damaged careers.

Now here is a genuine West Seattle playboy. We met him at the Delridge Neighborhood business expo when he walked by the Herald booth.

When I asked, "Are you the real SANTA CLAUS?" he doffed his hat and flashed his big big grin.

He assured me he is the genuine guy, is centuries old, though he only looks 79, and often appears at the  West Seattle Senior Center. 

He  will appear  at your home for most any visit but hesitated  when I asked what he charges. 

He will appear and entertain for anything you feel like paying. He just  loves to make people happy. Been doing it for the last five or six years.
A former army corps of engineers  spec writer he came from Pittsburgh and studied at Carnegie Tech.

Has traveled in 49 states and never gets mad. His card  says he is "Tired, Retired, and Recharging."

His phone number is 932-7538 and asks you to leave a name and number and year you called and he might get back to you. He spends a lot time building models and artwork, gives it  all away, is unmarried now but does love to just play.