May 2009

How many times have you heard someone say, “Oh, I never keep up with people I went to high school with.” or “Yeah, I went to my high school reunion, but I didn’t feel as if I had anything in common with them anymore.”

Is Seattle unique…or is it Ballard?

OK, so I’d kept in touch with a few people, and then found myself as a member of the Ballard High School 40th reunion planning committee. That was a defining moment!

Prior to that (about five years ago), a few others began getting together. It all started when one of “us” became ill and felt the desire to see former classmates. Starting with three people and slowly growing to 10, then 15 and now 33…this group of Ballard “girls” now meets seasonally, four times a year, at one of our homes with at least 20 attending.

And we all have a chance to update each other on life cycle events, our parents (those of whom are still with us), children, grand children, travel, etc., etc. And we do go back…wayyyy back…in addition to Ballard High, groups of us attended the same elementary and junior high schools.

The fence that currently surrounds the soon-to-be-open Ballard Corners Park is scheduled to come down tomorrow, Saturday, May 2, according to cho-chair of the Friends of Ballard Corners Park group, David Folweiler.

Tomorrow will be an informal opening of the new public park, Folweiler said in an email to park supporters.

Also this weekend, park organizers are holding a weeding and trash pick-up party Sunday, May 3, starting at 10 a.m.  Participants are asked to bring gloves, weeding tools, and buckets/containers for collecting weeds and trash.   

Park supporters were asked to vote on several options for the "corner store" element of the park last month (Information can be found here).

Folweiler said, "a majority of voters liked the scaled down version of the corner store and several people expressed a strong interest in the inclusion of historical photos and information."

I’ve made well over 1,300 miniature gardens since I started this business six years ago, and I have found that there are a number of ways to begin the journey of creating your own wee world.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Choose your site for your mini garden.

Right plant, right place! Where is it going to live? In ground or in a container? Indoor or out? Then what kind of light does that spot have? Full shade? Morning sun? Then choose the plants that will do well in that environment. (Note that indoor plants are tropical plants that like to stay 60 degrees all year ‘round.)

2. Choose your favorite tree.

If you have the luxury of planting anywhere, checkout the miniature and dwarf trees and shrubs that are ideal for miniature gardening, and pick one that sings to you. Choose your “mini bedding plants” (a.k.a. ground covers) by matching the same light and water requirements as the tree. If you haven’t been bitten by the miniature conifer bug yet, be warned: they are both numerous and gorgeous.

3. Choose your favorite theme.

The Ballard High School girls golf team won its second match in a row April 30, beating Roosevelt 288-329.

Diana Shyue lead the Beavers with a score of 48.

"That's a really good round for a high school girl," coach Casey McMullin said. "And she's a freshman, too."

Ballard has a 2-4 record with two matches remaining.

The team faces Bellevue at 3 p.m., May 5 at Bellevue Municipal Golf Course.

With two matches remaining, the Ballard High School girls tennis team is winless on the season.

Ballard was shutout 9-0 by Mercer Island April 30. It was the Beavers’ second shutout in a row and the sixth in nine matches this season.

No Ballard player won a set in singles or doubles against Mercer Island.

The team takes the court against against Juanita at 3:45 p.m., May 5 at Juanita.

Supporters of the Salmon Bay Natural Area are invited to attend an open house to view proposals for a landmark art piece to mark the site from the trail and Northwest 54th Street, enhance the entry to the gathering place and reinforce the interpretive elements on the site, particularly the Native American heritage of the area, said steward of the natural area Dave Boyd.

The open house will be this Monday, May 4, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Canal, adjacent to the site in the former Hiram's (on the south side of Northwest 54th, just west of the Locks).

Five Native American artists or teams were invited to submit proposals. Funding for the artwork is from a Groundswell NW Neighborhood Matching Fund grant and Seattle Public Utilities Percent for Arts fund. The artwork will become part of the City of Seattle's permanent collection, and the process is being administer by the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Medin’s Ravioli Station
4620 Leary Way N.W.
(206) 789-6680
Tuesday through Sunday 5 -10 pm, closed Monday

In a former transmission shop also known as the first home of the Redhook Brewery, owner and chef Bill Medin creates an iconoclastic portrait resembling an Edward Hopper painting.

He focuses on ravioli, while also dotting the menu with a few pasta dishes and a steak. But the ravioli are king here, and have been well executed on our several visits, spanning almost a decade including a recent April outing.

With a nod to the building’s automotive past, stools at the compact bar look like giant pistons. Oriented away from the street, the bar is set up to showcase a linear row of quite thirsty fellows, all with heads cranked up and to the left to watch game shows on a somewhat snowy TV.

Music also fills the air, creating a fittingly clashing soundscape. Diners sit at tables facing the backs of the bar patrons, often including Mr. Medin, who can frequently be spotted on Piston 1, taking a break from the kitchen between orders.

The Southwest District Council will meet next on May 6 in the President’s Board Room at South Seattle Community College.

MaryCatherine Snyder of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is scheduled to give a presentation on SDOT's Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) Program. The council will be forming a committee to review and rate applications submitted from the Southwest District for funding consideration under the Neighborhood Matching Fund Large Projects Program.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Please see agenda from more information.

The Alaska Junction’s Key Bank branch was robbed on the morning of Thursday, April 30.

According to Seattle Police Public Information Officer Mark Jamieson, police received a call at 11:14 a.m. reporting a robbery Key Bank, located on the corner of California Avenue Southwest and Southwest Alaska Street.

Officers in the area responded and set up a containment.

"We had a lot of units in the area," said Jamieson.

The suspect has been described as a white male, 35-45 years of age, between 5'8" and 5'11." He has a thin build, a beard and mustache. At the time of the robbery, he was reportedly wearing a purple sweatshirt and a brown knit cap.

Roberta Burroughs, from the Seattle FBI, says the suspect entered the bank through the east doors, approached the teller and presented a demand note. He did not display a weapon or imply that he had one. He was given money and he left the bank through the west doors.

“(He) was last seen running northbound up the alley past Wells Fargo Bank,” reported Burroughs.

She added that no one was injured during the crime.

The seventh annual Spring Fashion Show presented by Northwest Hope and Healing was staged at Showbox SODO on Thursday, April 30 and saw more than 500 people in attendance. "The event raised between $65,000 and $70,000, we're so happy," Sherri Sewell, Executive Director said.

The fundraiser generated thousands of dollars that will go to help cancer patients with child care, counseling, transportation, meals, and emergency rent. Since 2000, the organization has allocated more than $600,000.

Sherri Sewell said, "Every month we help 12 to 15 new patients,"

During the event, cancer survivor Elisa Del Rosario spoke of her own experience with cancer, breaking into tears during her speech.

The organization also presented a video for the event that featured comments from survivors and provided a brief history of how Christine Smith, a survivor herself, founded the organization after getting a gift basket following her initial diagnosis. That event led her to begin to create "Healing Baskets" for cancer patients and eventually to form Northwest Hope and Healing.