A Whole New Neighborhood in Renton

We came across the Landing in Renton's new development of the Boeing properties south of Lake Washington--about a ten minute drive from our house. It has the potential for being a major southend hub connecting the new rapid transit station in Tukwila for downtown Seattle and the proposed commuter rail line for downtown Bellevue and beyond. Hope this is in the plans.

As you can see it was a very gray day, which the artificial Christmas tree behind its own white picket fence did little to cheer up.

Movie theatre, lots of places to lunch, structured parking, awnings--elements are in place for a new neighborhood. Will it have housing? Offices? Time will tell. It's pedestrian-oriented, but it does need a few more pedestrians...and maybe a puffbll or two.

Workout Serenade

These lovely and talented ladies serenaded my workout at the Coal Creek Y last week.

Sequins in the Night

Ever so magickal, our annual outing to the Bellevue Botanical Garden which wears sequins at night and giant spiders and slugs hide in the undergrowth.







We thought we'd wait til after Christmas to see our city's extravagant holiday display: "Garden d'Lights".Turns out we still got stuck in a long line of traffic, but, at least being locals, we knew a shortcut and found a very advantageous parking spot.

House of Art

Under the gray November sky a wonderful Thanksgiving surprise awaited us in CentraliaHouse of Art



Red yoyos
Yellow yoyos
Blue yoyos
Plastic plates
Styrofoam tiki god


plastic flowers



Deranged Barbies




At McMenamin's Oly Club and Hotel in Centralia last month they were serving an all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffet dinner for 23.00. The bar is the most gorgeous saloon I've seen anywhere, befitting a "gentleman's resort". The food is fab; the brew, as in Hammerhead, fabber. You can take the train there and you can even spend the night if you like, but I haven't tried that yet. With 27 rooms named after local bootleggers, train robbers and other citizens of questionable repute I'm sure I won't have trouble booking at the last minute.

My fave feature of this spot is it's wall of spigots in the restaurant's ladies' room. Some of them actually do work; all are vintage and they reach to the ceiling. And I always like a chandelier in the bathroom. Brilliant woodstove and train car booths available for cozy dining. The place is loaded with art in the McMenamin's house style: check out the website for a complete gallery.

And speaking of art, Centralia is so-called because it's the halfway point between Portland and Seattle--why not mark it with a visit to the House of Art? It's free and open 1-3 p.m.

Favorite rest stop on the Slog

If you drive south to Eugene and back to Seattle as often as I do(both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year) you look for any alternative to the bleak rest areas spotted every 45 miles along The Slog (click here for Alaska Airlines' very witty map/ad) If there's a place to walk the dog, so much the better. There isn't one here, but it features a Starbucks, a grocery store and a Sonic drive-in where you actually get served at your car window. I can't vouch for the burgers, because I only needed caffeine--and to pick up some last-minute giftcards at the Albertson's. It was Christmas Eve, after all.

Wilsonville is now synonymous with traffic congestion. A while ago it was just a snoozy suburb of Lake Oswego, itself a sleepy suburb of Portland. Development seems to have leapfrogged over Lake Oswego and landed here. It's just off I-5, so if you're headed south, stop here after slogging through the congested Terwilliger S-Curves or if you're headed north take a breather before it gets too intense.

As an afficionado of supermarket parking lots, I give this one highest marks. Permeated with through-roads, it's village-like, and easily navigated.

Up one road


and down the other

A church appears to have been moved here, or perhaps it was always here. A much-needed historic landmark, in any case.
Public art, which makes me think that this is part of a planned transit station. Click here for Portland regional transit map showing Wilsonville as WES terminus of MAX. Very nice.
Site marker for Wilsonvile School. Not sure where it is now--demolished? But still, nice.

The brick "windows" provide a place to sit, a sense of unity, and boundaries. They give you a feeling of safety, guiding you around and through. This is something very rare in a parking lot.

And if you get lost, follow the puffballs!

Merry Christmas from Newport Hills

Every year, on the Saturday before Christmas, Newport Hills has had a tradition of hosting a firetruck to weave through every street in the neighborhood, siren blazing, followed by a station wagon bearing oranges and candy canes for the kids.


This year, the truck was not in the budget, but we made do with the ever-cheerful Sandi Tampa (with the bullhorn in the backseat), who gamely shouted out the names of residents as she and newly-elected Newport Hills Community Club president Michelle Hillhorst made their way in an open-air Bug. I was very impressed, although I couldn't stop for long as my neighbor and I were on our way to see Black Nativity at the Intiman Theatre. They must have been freezing! There was also a sleigh with Santa and his elves tossing oranges and candy canes following behind. Aah, the simple pleasures!



What really impressed me no end was the follow-up to Santa's tour: the first-ever holiday bazaar held outside the empty Red Apple. Talk about freezing! These brave pioneers are sowing the seeds of community right where we most need it, and when it's most needed: on the first anniversary of the store's closing. Talk about spirit! And hope for the future! And amazing knitted tree ornaments! It was rather short notice for participants, but I can feel my inner Martha tuning up already in anticipation of next year's event. Maybe I can pay off this year's gifts with the proceeds...these photos are from the Newport Hills Community Club blog and I'm pretty sure were taken by our ace blogger, Grace Whiteaker.