The rain was dumping in buckets as I walked north along Beach Drive. I must have looked quite a sight in my soaked raincoat, for as I neared a couple sitting in a parked car at Mee Kwa Mooks, the woman took one look at me and locked the doors. It was an action that saddened me. Did I look that menacing?

The rain lightened, along with my mood, as I walked on. The sight and smell of the Sound is always invigorating. And to get a closer look at it I popped down to the Andover Place pocket beach; the tiniest bit of public shoreline in West Seattle. From there I continued north to Cormorant Park and, as I passed by, I thought of the little grocery store that once stood there, where I spent several hundred dollars in quarters on Donkey Kong in the early 80s. I did manage to get that big monkey off my back, but it took a few years. Constellation Park came next. It is a great spot, but that silly railing that blocks access at all but a couple of places needs to come down. Whose idea was that?

After rounding Alki point I paused to admire the grounds of the blue bottle house, one of the few Alki beach houses left with any character. I then passed the newly cast Lady Liberty as I made my way to the foot of Bonair Drive. After saying hello to different sort of lady, the steel mermaid of Bonair, I started the steep climb. Halfway up the hill I took the gravel path that winds around the bluff and took one of the narrow side trails that lead back to the road. There I looked, in vain, for the tire tree. It was a landmark here for many years, one of its branches appearing to have grown with a bicycle tire round its base.

I was glad to see no trash on the roadside. It's not uncommon to come across an old couch, or bags of rubbish, dumped in this secluded area. On a pre-dawn walk, some 20 years ago, I came across a load of garbage someone had left here. To my delight, a greasy Domino's pizza box with an address on it pinpointed the culprit. Since the perp's house (yeah, I've been watching too much Law and Order) was only a few blocks away, I returned the greasy box (and some of the other garbage) to its rightful owner, dumping it on their front porch. That was great fun.

Thoughts of that long ago walk cheered me up, that and the fact the rain had stopped, as I headed over to California Avenue, where I passed by Admiralty House Antiques. Its windows are always chock-full of wonderful stuff. Oh how I wish they'd sell me that little lighthouse lamp in the corner window, but it's been 'Not for Sale' for over a decade.

I saw the 55 approaching from the north. My legs were tired, so it was time to end the walk and take the easy way home. As the bus neared the cross-street where the old derelict Schuck's stands, I was reminded of a story I need to tell you. So join me next time as I try to solve the Charleston mystery.

Marc Calhoun may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com

Marc Calhoun

A Short, Wet, Walk Round Alki

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