Red Apple Elegy: Year 3

Blog of the Week

2011-12-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

My favorite blog this week is devoted to outdoor telephony. Click here Blog of the Week and scroll down a few entries for stills from a memorable payphone scene from The Godfather.

The Pay Phone Project

Holiday Season Kick-off

2011-12-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

At the Holiday Bazaar in the old drugstore in newport HIlls last Saturday I spent a very cold day opposite
Daniel Santjer who had a booth selling his encaustic paintings and photographs. They looked so much like something Sean (over at Eff-Stop) and/or I might do that I had to go over and introduce myself. A longtime Newport Hills neighbor whom I'd never met before turned out to be an artisan soulmate! I got to meet his lovely wife Margaret and toddling son Joshua, too. This is just the kind of synergy I love with fairs, markets and community events like this!

In this photo, Daniel (on the right) talks to another vendor.

The nicest thing about Dan was his good cheer, reaching out and talking to everyone around him, sharing secrets of his techniques, books about encaustic art and even giving me two of his matted photographs as a good-bye gift. What a guy!

More holiday scenes from the annual Newport Hills Bazaar:

Past president of Newport Hills Community Club and recent candidate for Bellevue City Council Michelle Hilhorst chillin' (literally!) at the NHCC Membership table and sporting new purchases from the lovely ladies at this booth here:

We welcomed Kumon Learning Center recently to our somewhat less empty collection of storefronts and offices in the Newport Hills shopping center. Wishing them well!

More wacky fashion attire here:

and here:

The local girl scout troops featured handmade candles for sale to support their activities and spread their own kind of holiday cheer....

Carla's stamp creations, the quilt lady's wares and lots of hats and scarves (as well as personal heaters) were much in evidence. All in all, a good start to the holiday season here in the 'hood!

Never-Ending Beauty

2011-12-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Over at Eff-Stop, the beauty never ends.
Check out "The Afterlife of a Door" (shown here) and much more at his blog featuring photographs from around the Puget Sound region. Visual poems, all.

Factoria Community Gathering Space

2011-12-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been 10 months since I last posted. The idea was to have a place to write and share thoughts about the grocery store closure--since then the momentum really picked up and life became more about doing rather than writing. Now that the garden is (pretty much) put to bed and Sustainable Bellevue is out to pasture for a while it's time to assess and develop the direction for next year.

The big news this year was the creation of a public gathering space in Factoria. A Lutheran Church there has been taking care of a historic orchard and recently added a p-patch to a growing list of ways to engage their immediate neighborhood. This caught the attention of Pomegranate, and we became one of their special projects this year, which meant that they would offer to facilitate the design and building of a community gathering space. Be sure to check out the video on the Pomegranate Center linked above.

We decided on an outdoor amphitheatre, a path through the orchard linking the public entries and p-patch to the amphitheatre, a formal gateway and a garden shelter. All to be built in one three-day weekend at the end of July! At the end of construction we had a wonderful party with roast pig and entertainment by Pat Wright and the Total Experience Gospel Choir.

Nick and Ingrid during the building of the garden shelter (in the background).

First you dig a hole.

While they were building the garden shelter we worked on drawing things from the orchard that interested us to be carved later into the supports of the garden shelter.

The processional looking back to the church from the amphitheatre. Pathway candles were poured into concrete molds created by Ingrid and her kids' crew.
Update: Now Milenko is interested in taking on Newport Hills!

Puffballosaurus

2011-02-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

Speaking of puffballs, here is the Rose Garden at Woodland Park Zoo, site of many a marriage ceremony and home to several gigantic paleolithic puffballs, or puffballosaurus.

And elsewhere in Seattle, a blog is devoted to the topiary of Beacon Hill (what we call puffballs hear on the eastside)
and they call "bonsai" here at BeHi Bonsai
and featured here in the Seattle Times earlier this year

In the Kingdom of the Puffballs

2011-02-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

On our holiday trip to southern California last month we found ourselves in the Desert Garden at the Huntington near Pasadena. These highly drought-tolerant cousins to our native evergreen puffballs kindly allowed us to photograph their rarely-seen worshipping rites.

Newport Hills Community Faire part 2

2011-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Sean and Mike Bristow (ukelele player extraordinaire) go over stage logistics

Glen Patrick Doggett on stage

Kenny from the Mustard Seed hands out free water bottles

The grinding of the corn

Audrey and Piper in charge at the face-painting booth

Michelle works the crowd

Checking out the home-baked goodies and other hand-crafted wares for sale

That Sinking Feeling

2011-01-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

While researching tents, awnings, space frame structures and pre-fabs, trailers and canopies for a Newport Hills Tea or Coffee shop/bakery I came across these sinks from Italy. Sigh. Would one of these transport me from a humdrum suburban lifestyle to the streets of Rome, the canals of Venice, the alleys of Napoli? Maybe, just maybe...

Newport Hills Community Faire: First Ever!!

2011-01-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

The stage was set.

The Tumblebus was booked.

The flyers were mailed out.

The day arrived: a perfect late September morning, sunny, warm, clear. After days of rain it seemed like a gift from the weather gods.

The kids began arriving, and flocked to Mike Intlekofer's amazing emporium of farm implements.

Jason and Erin Leach visit Sandi Tampa and Dorothy Bracken at the Newport Hills Community Club membership table.

This year's Community Club president Lisa Vierick displaying some of her
ice skating moves.

Nobody works a crowd like Farmer Mike!

Carol Murphy works the table for Sustainable Bellevue.

To be continued...

Viewpoint Park Ivy-Pull

2011-01-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe another year has gone by and the Red Apple is pretty much where it was (of course it hasn't moved--but you know what I mean...it's still empty, and more businesses have joined it) But I want to start out the new year on a positive note because we did so much in the last half of 2010, and really I was just too busy to write about it, so here's to 2011. More blog posts, a lively community and who knows? Maybe this is the year that we see the Red Apple rise once more.

One of the cool things we did last fall was pull invasive ivy from Viewpoint Park in the north Bellevue neighborhood of Bridle Trails. Stephen Johnson, a young man on a mission, had attended a number of Sustainable Bellevue meetings and before long had roped us into this project. With a lot of support from City of Bellevue's Parks Department in the form of tools, doughnuts and a dumpster, we spent an enjoyable morning freeing the trees from their ivy "chains". Preston Glidden, Claire Waltman and I represented Sustainable Bellevue's labor contribution while Stephen enlisted lots of friends, family and neighbors. A great workout, if you stayed away from the doughnuts! Preston has since taken his battle on invasives to ever greater heights, now serving on the board of the Newcastle Weed Warriors in addition to his role as co-founder of Sustainable Bellevue.

Our method, though crude, was effective: each pair of volunteers pick a group of trees, clip, yank, pile, and move on. Very satisfying work indeed. The piles of ivy were then pulled to the dumpster waiting on the street.

Countless loads later, the dumpster began to fill up...

And victory was ours!

Recent Houses for Sale

2010-11-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

The puffball house next door to us is for sale!! Day in, day out, that puffball is the beacon from my bedroom window. The house has been immaculately maintained, with a pool and badminton court in back. I think it's a steal for 479,000.00. If only the rest of the house were as original as the garage doors!

Here's a house that caught my eye. For 399,000.00 it has a half acre with a view of Lake Washington and the mountains but it's also above the infamous "Kennydale S-Curves" on Interstate 405. We're going to go look at it anyway because it's such a lovely example of Northwest Regional/Pacific Rim Mid-Century Modernism and the entire lot is south facing with gorgeous potential for an orchard/produce garden.

Factoria P-Patch's first summer

2010-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Our p-patch at Holy Cross Lutheran Church yielded so much produce this summer that we were able to donate 1,000 pounds to the Hopelink Foodbank.

2010-10-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Just another sunny day last week at Newcastle Beach

Hydrangeas were in especially good form:

I couldn't believe the range of colors on one bush.

Red Apple Harvest Summer 2010

2010-10-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

The reason I started this blog was to give voice to the collective grief our community felt when we lost our local grocery store. Over two years later we still don't have a grocery store, but now we know the reason why.

Red Apple grocery stores thrive in small towns where there is no other grocery store of a similar size to compete. Here in Newport Hills, we have two grocery stores (Safeway and QFC) immediately south of us, and again, two grocery stores (QFC and Safeway) to our immediate north. Easy drives. There's also Costco, Trader Joe's and Puget Consumer's CoOp: though they are a more substantial drive away folks are willing to drive the distance for the additional selections those stores offer.

Our Red Apple couldn't compete with their prices and selection...back in the day we actually had two grocery stores ourselves, Albertson's and Tradewell, later Red Apple. They were the only game in town and thrived for a short while before the competition drove them out.

Now I look for surviving Red Apple stores to try and understand what makes them thrive where they do.

Red Apples from our August road trip through Eastern Washington:

Chelan

Winthrop

Sultan

Manson

Two and a Half Months Later...

2010-10-23T09:49:00.001-07:00

Wow! It feels great to be back in the driver's seat. Blogging, that is. I've missed it...and you!

Especially grateful now that Joan is back in the 'hood and out of the hospital. (See my last post below) She's doing as well as can be expected, thanks to her spunky attitude and the excellent condition she was in pre-accident. She still can't put weight on her feet, so she has a lot of physical therapy in store for her future.

But what a relief that she survived .... and that we can now begin to help further the healing process on her journey back to the hale and hearty Joan she once was.

I've been thinking alot lately about driving and baby-boomers. And aging. We've all become so addicted to our cars, especially in the 'burbs. Joan was waiting for a bus. The guy who hit Joan was 55, relatively young on the baby boomer spectrum. He apparently "blacked out", crossing on to oncoming traffic, over the curb and into the open area where Joan was waiting, looking the other direction for her bus. She was carried by the car 50 feet or so into her own backyard.

We've since learned If you have no previous medical condition preventing you from driving, you cannot be held liable for "blacking out" at the wheel. It's now become the plea "du jour" with such accidents.

Now, we won't all retire to gated communities and pedestrian friendly urban areas well-connected with transit options when we get older. Many of us will stay in the homes and neighborhoods we know best, relying on cars to get around as we always did. Joan was doing the right thing taking the bus to get downtown, in a safe neighborhood in the middle of the day, and she was still at the mercy of a driver who's abilities we trust will prevent such accidents.

Bus shelters need to do exactly that: shelter, especially in this rainy climate.

We need to test reaction times and do a better job of checking driving competencies as people age. When my 89-year old mother-in-law went in to renew her driver's license they checked her peripheral vision, took her 25.00 and a new picture, and that was it. Beth is probably an exception to most over-80s: she's sharp as a tack and is well aware of her limitations so she doesn't venture anywhere she doesn't know and avoids all freeway and nighttime driving. But she needs her car to get around her immediate neighborhood. A ten block walk to the coffeehouse she loves or to get the groceries she needs just isn't an option for her anymore.

Let's hear it for more options, for living, shopping and working, in our own neighborhoods. Think how much easier it would be to live above a grocery store or cafe. Drop off your drycleaning and hit the ATM, take your grandchild out for an ice cream cone and wait for the bus under the eaves outside your own front door. Sit outside and pass the time with your neighbors.

Finally, Bill Pace, local fruit stand mogul, is retired now and still keeps very active with all his volunteer activities. He probably drives more than he did when he worked the farm fulltime. A couple weeks ago a Boeing engineer heroically matched his speed to Bill's as he noticed him swerve across a couple lanes ahead of him on I405 near Valley Medical Hospital. The driver knew that by driving alongside in the shoulder and then pulling up ahead of him he could very gently provide the "cushioned landing" the unconscious Pace would need to survive the inevitable accident. It would also pull him out of the speeding traffic that surrounded him, and thereby avoid other potential injuries and perhaps deaths. (click here for Seattle Times article)

As we all age we're going to need options to the car. Sean and I have got our eyes on matching Vespa Stellas. With a sidecar on mine for the dog.

The Unfathomable

2010-08-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Our friend Joan was hit by a car on Friday, her birthday, as she waited for a bus outside her house about a block from ours--she was headed downtown to meet with friends to celebrate.

BELLEVUE, Wash. – A 70-year-old Bellevue resident standing at a metro bus stop was struck by a car that crossed the center line and went over the curb.
The accident happened Friday afternoon at about 3:45 p.m. in the 4700 block of 119th Avenue SE.
The 53-year-old Everett driver apparently blacked out losing control of the car.
The woman was hit and was carried about 50 feet into a yard. Medics found the woman unconscious and transported her to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
It was not immediately known if speed, drugs or alcohol were a factor in this accident.
The Bellevue Police Department is looking for any witnesses to the collision, and is asking for them to call the Bellevue Police Business line at 425-452-6917.

The "yard" Joan was "carried into" is her own backyard. She was waiting for the bus at a stop directly in front of her house. Knowing Joan, an avid reader, she probably never saw the car as she faced south in the direction of the oncoming bus. The car and driver, coming from the north, obviously didn't see her. At the bottom of the picture is her purse.

She'll be in the hospital for several weeks as she has pins and plates inserted surgically to help repair her broken right knee, tibia and pelvis.

Waiting for a bus on the sidewalk. You feel protected by an invisible "bubble." Doing the right thing, leaving the car at home. It's 3:45 on a sunny afternoon. On your birthday? Outside your house? I'm only beginning to take it in. Poor Joan. Thank goodness her family is here and friends and neighbors are poised to help speed her recovery.

And I'll be trying to figure out what recourse we have to ensure this never happens in our neighborhood again.

Pole Dancer

2010-08-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm still here! Just sort of enjoying the summer and redirecting energy toward Sustainable Bellevue and a Community Faire for Newport Hills.

This is Piper in full hiphop regalia--the "pi" sign on her shirt is her dancer-nym, courtesy of teacher Matt.

Unfortunately, the barber who has had his shop next to the dance studio for as long as I've lived here, has decided to move on. The Red Apple businesses continue to close, with a rumor that our beloved Sahara Pizza is next for the chop.

Streamliner in the Garden

2010-05-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in such a long time...here's a video of the house my father designed for my mom in Eugene, Oregon. It's two weeks from being finished.

House by Richard Smith for Nancy McFadden from Robin Bentley on Vimeo.

A Morning in Wallingford

2010-04-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

The lovely Marie, three years ago.
I had so much fun spending a morning in Wallingford yesterday. The synergy that you get in a comparatively dense neighborhood inspires me more than anything. Got to watch the crew for a Microsoft commercial at work across the street from my friend Marie's house. While I looked on from Marie's porch neighbor Basha strode up and proceeded to give me the most amazing headrub while the media crew looked on enviously. She's a professional masseuse who is fresh from a course on Indian head massage. Later we walked up to a three-year old grocery store (gearing up to celebrate their birthday with a big bash this weekend) which houses a fantastic deli/bakery and had a great lunch of pannini and soup while Marie's three year old ran up and down the aisles. In keeping with the bumble bee outfit he wore he was literally "abuzz" the entire time.

Here are Marie's kids with my Piper last weekend at our place.
Later her friend Anne walked in and greeted us. Now Anne is going to come talk to our newly-formed Sustainable Bellevue group about her passion, community gardens. And it turns out her husband is a McArthur fellow, which I found out because I commented on the cap she was wearing. "Dirt Matters", from a Willamette Valley winery, was emblazoned on the front. Her husband, David Montgomery, a geology prof at the UW, literally wrote the book on "Dirt"!

I hope Anne doesn't mind me posting this photo of her husband on my blog, but he is all over the internet, as I was to discover later.

Can't wait to start reading it!

Beachcombing 2

2010-04-21T13:28:00.001-07:00

From the AP, Seattle Times, April 20
West Seattle, Washington: Garbage in stomach of dead whale includes sweatpants, golf ball, plastic bags, towels.

In a news release, scientists with the Cascadia Research Collective said the examination did not immediately determine why the 37-foot near-adult male died, but it was found to be in better nutritional condition than other gray whales that died recently...the animal had more than 50 gallons of material in its stomach.

Besides the pants and golf ball, the trash included more than 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, plastic pieces and duct tape.

Last week I returned several times to "my beach" in Newport Hills, to pick up debris and photograph it. On my last visit I had to poke in the grass and horsetails inland to find trash--here it was all beer bottles and cans, mostly BudLite and Corona.

So when I read this article in yesterday's paper it felt personal, especially the "plastic pieces" part.

And now for the deep part, the eternal reminder: It's the little things, those of the least apparent consequence, that truly connect us to each other.

Breaking News from our Neighborhood Mall

2010-04-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

click here

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-17T18:40:00.001-07:00

Eastside Audubon was there, among many others:

The VFW parade:

Carol, Preston and Sean at Bellevue's Lewis Creek Earth Day-Arbor Day Celebration today:

Sammamish High's Environmental Warriors meet Bellevue's Mayor Don Davidson:

Nick, Brent and Kyla check out the pervious concrete display

The Mayor confers recognition and awards--spot the Carbon Yeti on the far left:

Happy Earth Day from Red Apple Elegy and Sustainable Bellevue!

At Pike Place Market

2010-04-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

This guy was waiting patiently

As was this guy

And this guy

These two guys were rocking out as "Raw Corn"

And these two guys were discussing health care.

Beachcombing

2010-04-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

At Newcastle Beach yesterday my eye was distracted from the gorgeous views by shiny colorful objects in the sand. I decided to start collecting them. Bottle caps, tiparillo filters, a lot of styrofoam and even a waterlogged boot. I was alone for a while, but then people became intrigued and joined me. A treasure hunt. Shiny bright colors.

It's just a little bit of beach, but now I feel like I own it. I also understand my dog's nature a bit better now--we're both just treasure hunters.

Day 2: St. Paul

2010-04-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

"My generation of radicals and breakers-down never found anything to take the place of the old virtues of work and courage and the old graces of courtesy and politeness." F. Scott Fitzgerald, in a letter to his daughter Frances Scott "Scottie" Fitzgerald (July 1938)

Day 3: Weisman Museum (Gehry) to Guthrie Theatre (Nouvel)

2010-04-10T11:25:00.000-07:00

Two cultural icons preside over opposite banks of the Mississippi: The Weisman Art Museum by Frank Gehry, currently in expansion mode, and the Guthrie Theatre by French Pritzker winner Jean Nouvel, upriver, in the Mill District.

Gehry's work employs the metaphors of the artist: waterfall and fish scales, reflectivity, playfulness and suits the busy multi-level intersection it marks. It teeters above the river, amid the cacophony of speeding cars below and the bustle of the student Union nearby. Bikes whiz by, separated from pedestrians.

Not only is it difficult to view because you're watching the bikes, other pedestrians, the river and its banks, but it is too close to the bridge to be regarded as you make your way across. It has to work to catch your eye, like hooking a shiny lure hooks a fish, and sometimes blinds the onlooker or oncoming driver in the process. It's aged like a bit of cheap jewelry, tarnished in spots, loose in places, and really what are those snowplow-eyelids for above the entrance doors? Does anything here serve a purpose?

In contrast, Nouvel's work sits in quiet repose, changing with great subtlety as you walk toward it, across the Stone Arch bridge. Here there was enough hydroelectric power to grind the nation's flour. A place to stop and contemplate, suited to the atmosphere of ruins, in the process of being preserved, below the waterfalls which brought Minneapolis into being. The birthplace of the Pillsbury Doughboy.

2010-04-09T08:05:00.001-07:00

Minneapolis is an extremely walkable city. We started our first day in the center, at Nicollet Mall. We saw bicyclists and cabs, but very few cars, even in the heart of downtown. And there is a parallel universe co-existing two stories in the air: a vast series of skybridges connects all of downtown above the snowy streets in winter. Like a habitrail for humans.

Sidewalks are wi-i-i-de, and sculpture greets you at nearly every turn. There are an amazing number of plazas, fountains and restaurants have spacious outdoor seating areas.

It's Scary Mary!

First day, Minneapolis

2010-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

In Loring Park, between downtown and our destination, the Walker Art Center.

We arrived at the Walker (see photos last blog entry) 15 minutes before opening time and were kindly directed to a coffeehouse inhabiting a bit of "old Minneapolis" down the road apiece. A neighborhood known as "The Wedge" between Hennepin and Lyndale. We were so taken with this area that we never returned to the Walker (I feel bad about that, but we did wind up spending most of the afternoon in the Minneapolis Insitute of the Arts, a truly amazing place right in the neighborhood)

Walking down streets lined with Victorian houses, spreading in every direction as far as the eye could see, housing who knows how many families, each one a unique composition of window, turret, door and garden.

With mom and pop stores, cafes, and wide alleys. Friendly porches. With a variety of chairs. (To be continued)

Puffballs Behind Bars

2010-04-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

They've been sequestered in some kind of holding tank for wayward topiary--a detention center for illegal arboreta, a lock-up for botanical specimens: but now spring is here and they're ready to break those chains of bondage.

At Pike Place Market

2010-03-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

This guy was waiting patiently

As was this guy

And this guy

These two guys were rocking out as "Raw Corn"

These two guys were discussing health care.

Sustainable Bellevue

2010-03-21T02:05:00.000-07:00

Sustainable Bellevue has been launched! Find it here,

live and pulsating!

This project is a SCALLOPS(Sustainable Communities All Over Puget Sound) whose founder, Vic Opperman, I referred to in my blog last year here

Vic continues to be an inspiration to us, braving traffic to visit us in the wilds of Bellevue a few weeks ago. The result: we now have a brand new website and a sense of purpose: To create community projects that reflect our passion for the environment.

Click here for an overview of SCALLOPS whose mission is "driving sustainable change through community by community organizing". We've got big plans and high hopes. Join us and stay tuned!!

Imagine a Wall

2010-03-21T01:15:00.001-07:00

Imagine your outdoor wall, or a public wall, transformed by vertical gardening.

Check this out from

Vertical gardens
and this from
Rowdy Kittens"Social Change through Simple Living"

and these images from the master, French botanist Patrick Blanc:

The beauty of these is how little of the urban space they take up.
Here's how to make your own
mur vegetal

Ladybower Plughole on Video!

2010-03-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Good old Youtube actually has a video of Ladybower Plughole in Derbyshire doing its thing!

For my original post on Ladybower, click here

Thank you Starbucks

2010-03-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

I checked out this press conference held near the original Starbuck's in Pike Place Market at Victor Steinbrueck Park. Just a handful of folks, including a number of police officers, and a whole lot of reporters/photographers to see the heads of Million Moms March, Washington Ceasefire and Brady Campaign announce their boycott of Starbuck's. And what do you know? I made it into a video on the PI Blog this week! click here to see me moving rather efficiently in the background starting at the 54-second mark.

Unlike Peet's Coffee and California Pizza Kitchen, Starbuck's has said that they will allow customers to openly carry firearms at their cafes. You have to pity the poor barista who doesn't get that coffee order just right. Why would anyone want to openly carry a gun into a restaurant or cafe? It makes no sense to me.

Thank you Starbucks

Renton 7 miles, Issaquah 5

2010-03-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

We were taking a Sunday drive to Issaquah along the back road between Squak and Cougar Mountains when we caught sight of the sprawling home of Hillside Antiques. Let's just say we never made it to Issaquah. Once we made our way through the statuary, tools, bits of machinery, farm implements and neverending racks of horseshoes rusting happily in the pale sunshine we were invited inside to feast on rooms of ephemera, some of it unbelievably ancient, which John and his aged mother share their lives with: African masks, Indian trading beads, arrowheads, stuffed grizzlies, pheasants and so much more. Drawers and chests bursting with treasure.
Be sure to click on each photo for the full junk-overload effect.

My Favorite Video (This Week)

2010-03-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

that sticks and stones should fall

2010-03-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

You must check out"another village unvanishes"here at Pruned.

About twenty years ago, we were driving between puddles along narrow roads through charming villages in the Derbyshire Peaks District, dodging persistent rain and seeking sustenance at any open pub we could find when I asked about the large body of water which appeared and reappeared through the rain-spattered windows. Ladybower Reservoir. Two medieval villages drowned in the 60s for Ladybower Dam. If you look through the water you can see the church spires. Got out, couldn't see anything for the rain, got back in the car and spent the next hour or so in front of a fire nursing a pint and a cold Bakewell tart. I'd have preferred a steaming hot plate of bangers and mash, but we were in Bakewell, and one eats Bakewell tarts in Bakewell.

I've never been able to wrest the image of drowned spires, hoping one day to go back and see them.

Now, it turns out, with global warming, I may have my way. Drowned villages in the Andes are starting to turn up, and a "vanished" medieval village reappeared

above Barcelona during a terrible drought in 2008.

Read about the lost villages of Ladybower Reservoir here

Ladybower Plug Hole. Every reservoir should have one.

2010-03-06T07:58:00.001-08:00

The latest from Megan in Fayetteville: Sometimes
Well, sometimes...the birds sing sweetly. Miss Chapman's had a great week as you can see
here on her studio blog

Her work made me want to go back and look at watercolor studies by Turner and Constable but my 15 minutes of searching turned up only Sunrise with Seamonsters, which isn't what I had in mind but is quite beautiful nonetheless.

For more of Megan, click
here

Note to self: find online museum image archives in spare time.

Waiting at the Espresso Stand in North Bend

2010-02-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

Stand

2010-02-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

We're in the process of launching a Sustainable Bellevue group. One minute you're talking about it and the next you're "live." We talked a lot over at the Mustard Seed about all the the things sustainability could mean. I kept coming back to "walkable distances" as in:

What's walkable for you?
Where did you walk as a child?
What keeps you from walking?
What inspires you to walk?

To start, I plan to time five and ten minute walks from my house. In different directions. This is a major basis upon which the City of Bellevue wants to decide the placement of its proposed downtown lightrail alignment. So I will stand, timer, camera, dogleash and compass in hand, starting with my neighborhood.

Is that why has this song by REM been in my head for days now?

Stand. Think about the place where you live.

Unhappy Hipsters

2010-02-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

"Secretly, she enjoyed the grids imprinted on her skin. In the new DSM, the American Psychiatric Association gave her disorder a name: “Bertoia butt.”

Click here for modernist funniness. I'll never look at Dwell magazine the same way again.

For some reason this put me in mind of a book my parents had on their shelf--it was small and the cover was cute and so had great appeal to my 10 or 11-year old sensibilities. I didn't really get beyond the cover, but this--I loved:

The Dot and the Line by Norton Juster, of Phantom Tollbooth fame: "And she suddenly realized that what she thought was freedom and joy was nothing but anarchy and sloth."

Mossiness

2010-02-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

My friend Megan from art school has some new work on her blog: click here for more on the book she's working on. You can see she was permanently stamped by our mossy environment. Could it be she misses it since it started snowing in Fayetteville?

Kissing in the Library

2010-02-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

A lovely Valentine from Chuck Pefley at Seattle almost one a day I want to pass along to you.

Most romantic urban community idea of the week calls for eking more space out from underneath (think the viaduct as drive-in movie) is pictured here at Pruned.

"Only connect" here
Valentine from the Small Expectations kitty here--don't miss the "Slicer!"
My funny valentine lurks here and shows us that Mr. Rorschach is no slouch in the looks department, either.

Finally, my not-so-secret valentine goes to Joshua Prince-Ramus, truly a prince in my book. When he was in his early 20s and just beginning to design the Seattle Public Library with Rem Koolhaas I was introduced to him at Town Hall during a model-viewing workshop. My then much-younger son was with me and Joshua leaned down to ask him what he'd like to see at the library. Shyly, Nick replied he'd like a "slide" from the fifth floor to the kid's book section on the lowest level off Fourth Avenue.

Deborah Jacobs, then City Librarian and client extraordinaire, gently but firmly shook her head, as if she knew Joshua would always be on the kids' side. "Better nip this in the bud right here and now," she seemed to be thinking. Joshua just led Nick over to the model where they had a private conversation about buildings and stuff.

There wasn't a slide, last time I checked, but the library is still one heck of an exciting place to be. More photos from a recent visit

here

Just for Valentine's Day, in the Seattle Public Library the "Juliet balcony" is hidden behind elevators on the top floor. Not for acrophobes, the view takes in all the lower floors and it's where Joshua proposed to his wife. Truly the most romantic spot in the library. Deborah used to say that the public library was the only place she could get away from her mom's watchful eyes and meet boys. Seems Joshua was listening!
Click here for Joshua's TED talk on the Seattle Library.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

The Birthday Girl Gets Pierced

2010-02-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

When I turned 13 my mom and I were in Berkeley visiting old friends of hers. Kaethe Kliot made jewelry and weavings and sold them in her shop called "Someplace" on Adeline. I remember her living room contained a 1930s gas pump repurposed as a giant cylindrical aquarium filled with water and goldfish. In her kitchen she pierced my mom's ears, and then mine. Mom, at the time, was 32. It was 1969 and we felt swept up in the zeitgeist.

Flash forward to 2010. My daughter Piper turned 13 last Wednesday and we swept her off to Factoria, to Claire's, to have her ears pierced by the competent assistant manager, Jasmine. No incantations, but lots of sterile solution. This followed a ceremony in Piper's bedroom involving scented candles in all the colors of the rainbow, a painted basket from Peru and a beautiful golden scarf. Bells were tinkled, foreheads were annointed with sandalwood oil and a dewy bouquet of sage. Wishes made on lavender wands. Wisdom was passed on. We think.

Purple Cafe

2010-02-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

Mom and I had a lovely lunch on a rare sunny afternoon in downtown Bellevue a few days ago. The venue was Purple and the place was all ours. However, we did encounter a slight problem getting in. In the end, it required the efforts of three people to enter its hallowed walls. The hostess, seeing us struggle with the mighty fortress-like doors, offered an assist. When I "joked" about how heavy the door was she explained, to our consternation, that this was the restaurant's theme, owned by "Heavy" Management Group. "You should see the chairs," she quipped.

As mom would say later, "once you're seated, make sure that's where you want to be because there's no way you're going to skootch closer to or further away from the table." Everything in the place is HEAVY. As in iron, steel beams, Richard Serra-like "Tilting Arc" banquettes
and industrial spiral staircases (I counted four) leading to two-storey walls of wine bottles. Smooth black rocks. Concrete counters.

Though the decor was tres formidable, the food was outstanding. The chicken/avocado/bacon sandwich was the single most exquisite meal I've eaten in recent memory. I had two glasses of wine (for which they're best known) and I never, ever, do that. It was just too dang pleasant. Thanks, mom, for a divine lunch!

The doors in all their splendor: piece of paper on right side says: "Use door on left." Possibly because you'll get a hernia trying to open the (locked)one on the right?
Another reservation I had about this place was the fact that one of the "wine walls" sits in the window facing west--for the few sunny days we do have this could be a serious hindrance to preserving the wine. On the plus side: passive solar gain?

Hollywood in Newport Hills

2010-02-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

The whole neighborhood was abuzz with the doings at the Red Apple yesterday.

For a 12-hour period the former supermarket was transformed into an "extras holding" area for a movie being shot at Perry Ko's restaurant next door. The movie is titled "Late Autumn" and in this scene a Chinese family is attending a wake. Movie stars milling around in dark suits, running to the Chevron for snacks and using the bench outside the Mustard Seed for informal conferencing.

Click here for
eff-stop's unique photo take on all the drama. He gets full credit for the photos you see here. Definitely the most excitement in Newport Hills evuh!!!

Browns Point

2010-02-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

What I love about this place, apart from its spectacular site on a point of land opposite the industrial ground zero of Tacoma's harbor is how ordinary it looks from the road. And then you walk down to the water, look back, and it all makes sense. Everything is meant to be seen from the water, not the road.
.

The house's front porch is oriented to the sound and then you notice all the faces of this group of buildings, the lighthouse, the keeper's house, a small cottage, pumphouse, the boathouse and the oil house are all engaged in the same watchful activity.
It's a portrait of a family whose members are all very comfortable with one another. Another thing I love about this place.

And the smell of the viburnum is intoxicating. I notice the swelling buds of lilac. The water laps against the pebbled beach. A sailboat motors by and in the old apple orchard, I feel myself inhabiting this family portrait as all these sensations work themselves under my skin.

The oil house, a storage shed for kerosene, paint solvents and gasoline. Of course, kerosene was the main source of fueling the lighthouse lantern before electricity, and originally it sat only a few feet away from the lighthouse. In the 1920s it was moved to this location and continued to be used for paints and fuels. Very practical from a fire hazard standpoint.

In 1905 the boat house and ramp were built for the surf boat that was necessary for the light keeper to continue his chores when the surf covered the beach at high tide. Apparently Oscar Brown, the lighthouse keeper for whom Browns Point is named, managed to bring a young calf over from Tacoma in the 16-foot boat.

Browns Point has more fog for longer periods of time than any other place in Puget Sound. The lighthouse bell was cast in Philadelphia in 1855, a very long time ago in these parts, and came around the Horn to its first home on Dungeness Spit. Later it was moved to Point No Point, and in 1906 came here to Brown's Point (when it was still Brown's Point with an apostrophe).

It was then replaced by an air horn in 1933, when the wooden lighthouse was replaced with a utilitarian concrete one. The bell fetched up at University of Puget Sound where it rang at the start of classes. The clapper, interestingly, was a bowling ball. You can see the original bell today, back in the pump house on Browns Point. It had, of course, been replaced (once again), this time by a modernized electronic buzzer system at UPS.

$5,000.00 Prize for Creative Neighborhood Project

2010-01-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

The City of Bellevue recently announced a neighborhood match program for projects involving neighborhood labor on City land:
click here for details on how to win the $5,000.00 prize.

Submission deadline for consideration is March 1st, 2010.

It seems like a great idea for the community to work together on, except...ideas like the ones pictured below all involve private land, businesses owned by landlords who aren't a part of the community. About the only land the City actually owns are the sidewalks. The bus stops, owned by Metro, are off-limits. What we really need is a plan which engages the land-owners.

Community garden/pea patch?

A mural?

Farmer's Market?

Community kiosk?

Healthy Corner Stores

2010-01-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

As reported earlier this week by Ruby de Luna on KUOW:
King County Pushes For Healthy Corner Stores

"Most people go to a grocery store or supermarket for food. But for many residents in South King County, the convenience store is where they shop. Without a car or adequate bus service going to the grocery store is a challenge. So their options are narrowed down to fast food restaurants or convenience stores. King County health officials are trying to change that. A corner store in West Seattle's Delridge neighborhood could be a model for giving residents healthier food choices."

The Super 24 store on Delridge Way looks like most convenience stores. The shelves are stocked with chips, candy and snacks. Near the register the hot case is filled with corn dogs and fried chicken, fresh out of the fryer. Also near the register there's a basket of apples, bananas and oranges.

Singh: "I have 4 to 5 customers every morning they take bananas, they take apple. Those ladies they go office, they buy cigarette sometimes, but they take the fruit."

That's store owner Bhim Singh. When he bought the business in 2006, adding fruit was one of the many changes he made. At first he sold a little. But eventually sales picked up. Today Mr. Singh's produce offering has expanded. There are lemons and limes in the refrigerator. By the doorway a small bin holds russet potatoes, onions and ginger. Super 24 is not a likely place for produce, but more and more neighborhood customers are coming here for things other than snacks.

Singh: "Everybody know, if they go market, Safeway, they go I miss onion, I miss the tomato, they say let's go Super 24 and they find (it) here."

Mr. Singh is part of a pilot project by the Delridge Neighborhood and Development Association. The neighborhood group is working with Seattle–King County Public Health to help convenience store operators to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables. Maria Reyes is a Delridge resident and member of the neighborhood group. She says they're not telling storekeepers to stop carrying chips and soda. The idea is to give customers a variety of choices, healthy choices.

Reyes: "We're not saying we're going to come in and change your store; you're just going to have specific healthy foods. No. We're saying we're going to limit certain things and have healthier options also."

The neighborhood group also designed special labels that are posted on shelves to help customers identify low–fat or healthier food items. For many Delridge residents the ability to get healthier options is not easy. The closest supermarket is in White Center, a neighborhood just two miles south. But getting there requires a car, or a long bus ride. There are no walkable paths to the grocery, either. At the same time there are at least a couple dozen convenience stores in a neighborhood of 30,000 residents. That means their choices are limited to processed, high–fat, calorie–dense foods. As a result, Delridge and other low–income neighborhoods have higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes.

Kreiger: "Place matters and where you live has an important influence on your health."

Dr. Jim Kreiger heads the chronic disease and injury prevention unit at Seattle–King County Public Health.

Kreiger: "We know for example that low income neighborhoods have less access to parks, less green space, there are higher density of fast food restaurants, there tend to be less access or fewer supermarkets per person in those areas. That then contributes to the higher rates that we see in those neighborhoods of obesity, diabetes and so on."

For years residents have lobbied for a full–service grocery store to serve Delridge and nearby communities. They even looked at starting a farmers market. But there are major logistical and financial hurdles to overcome. So public health officials and neighborhood organizers are working with existing corner stores like Super 24. The county provides technical assistance like how to handle perishable items and make sure foods stay fresh, or link store operators with potential partners. Organizers also want to help corner stores put systems in place in order to accept food assistance cards. Erin MacDougall is program manager of the county's Healthy Eating/Active Living (HEAL) program.

MacDougall: "These benefits require some new technology in stores — EBT card readers and eligibility from the store operator to be able to accept the benefits. So this element is one that we're very committed to because we know that many of the people with these benefits have very limited access to healthy foods and these stores are sometimes the only option they have."

The convenience store program is one of many health initiatives the county hopes to expand to other low–income communities. Recently it applied for federal grants through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) One request is for $14 million for tobacco prevention programs, and another $20 million to address the county's obesity epidemic. Health officials will learn by late February whether the programs will be funded.

Singh: "Maybe that corner there, the microwave."

Back at the Super 24 store, Bimh Singh and Maria Reyes talk about adding greens. Question is where to put them.

Singh: "So maybe I can make big stand there."

Reyes: "We're in the process now of getting him a refrigerator. So we're going to get him a new refrigerator and put it there so he can put his healthier foods there."

Singh: "Like spinach, cilantro, those kind you know."

There seems to be enough demand to make it work. Singh says when he first started carrying fresh fruit and vegetables he sold about 10 pounds a month. These days he figures he sells 50 pounds. And it's not just the residents who rely on his store for fresh food. Singh says even the folks at a nearby pizzeria have come in when they miss their produce delivery.

© Copyright 2010, KUOW

Further Adventures of Neil and Yvette

2010-01-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

Neil and Yvette, fresh from Syria, and now in Bolivia (after three months in Asia and three months in the Middle East they are now ensconced there for three final months--at least I think that's the plan).

I wish I knew what the writing said in the mural above. Perhaps Yvette or Neil, with all their language study, will translate it one day for me. It doesn't take a linguist, though, to see the joy here, at arriving in a different land, and I think I'm even beginning to get the whole high-heel thing, even though my feet would curl their toes up at the thought of walking around in them.

Neil has always been one of the most focussed, productive people I know. This might give you an idea of how busy he can get:

"The only thing to complain about has been that my bed (our room has two singles) is rather cup shaped and morning finds my back urging me to move towards vertical – which is good in that it has moved me to explore the city early in the morning and be up around 5:30 a.m… This morning I had studied my Spanish, drawn a picture, read a novella, and explored the Mercado campesino before Yvette managed to rouse herself."

Makes me feel such a layabout! And this--

"I think this world contains many worlds – and we are blessed to be here – talking politics, feeding pigeons, pondering llama fetuses, visiting lunar landscapes, buying flowers, eating chocolate, negotiating for humintas, renting a house, watching babies be swaddled with packing straps into a papoose…"

The school formerly known as Eastside Catholic

2010-01-14T23:24:00.000-08:00

For a beautiful photo by eff-stop local of the current demolition work at a neighborhood schoolclick here

Art in the Neighborhood

2010-01-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

Some very professional graffiti has suddenly appeared at Stod's, opposite the Red Apple and home to a longtime local batting-cage business. This is the cruddiest blank wall in the neighborhood and with its lovely southern exposure I've long thought it would be the perfect place for a mural or community garden. I don't mind the graffiti, although I know its days are numbered. And local residents will think we're in the midst of a major crime wave. They might even try to blame the skateboarders.

Somehow the fact that someone cared enough to paint something on the old grocery store wall (a wall which is in the center of the neighborhood and we all pass by on a daily basis) proves there's still signs of life about. Stod's wall has been looking ever more uncared-for since the Red Apple closed and to me the graffiti is something of an improvement. Just look at those happy bare feet! Not sure whose tag it is...my neighbor Steve knows all the gangs hereabouts so I'll check with him.

Lunch with Joyce

2010-01-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

Aaah, Bellevue. Does anything so epitomize a downtown as much as a shoe made of artisanal chocolate? I think it's the perfect symbol for our city. I'm not being snarky--I say this with profound respect for the artistic genius of the resident chocolatier Lisa Degoix.The women who come in to this patisserie wear gorgeous boots and waist length leather jackets in every hue. All eyes turn to whoever comes through the door, checking first the footwear, then the outfit, finally the haircut. The lone man here keeps his eyes on his computer, looking slightly out of place. I definitely feel out of place. But I'm here with my friend Joyce, who makes me feel comfortable wherever we are. And the croissants are divine.

In addition to shoes, there are Eiffel Towers in chocolate. And figs enrobed in chocolate.
Pear caramel mousses and tiramisu
Napoleons and pistachio mousse

Belle Pastry, where the chocolate shoe reigns supreme on Main Street in olde Bellevue. How had I never known about this quintessential bit of Bellevue before?

Barnsley, 2006

2010-01-13T03:29:00.000-08:00

Paul's Katrina

2010-01-11T12:21:00.001-08:00

A lot of what I know about Hurricane Katrina I learned from my friend Paul over at Citizen K. He's been to New Orleans eight times and writes eloquently about his love for the Crescent City.

I hadn't seen this post before. The photos of the houses moved me so much. I've never seen anything like them. Because they're nothing like the images of destruction which accompanied the news reports they speak to me in a quieter, deeper way.

"A week ago today, we joined ten other people and toured the Katrina-damaged areas of New Orleans. This amounts to 80 per cent of the entire city, an expanse of 144 square miles, or the size of seven Manhattans. Katrina-related damage extended to four parishes: Orleans, Jefferson, Placquemines, and St. Bernard's. As we discovered on the tour, little of it need have happened: Although touched off by natural forces, Katrina was largely a man-made disaster."
click here for more from Citizen K's blog entry.

The hole in the roof indicates the family inside had to force their way through the attic to await rescue by boat.

An emergency crew from Georgia found no bodies here.

Although it looks intact, this house was scheduled to be torn down by the City.

Amalfi

2010-01-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Belvedere, nr Citta di Castello, Umbria

2010-01-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

Anzio 2007

2010-01-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

Three new synthetic soccer fields for Newcastle

2010-01-04T01:44:00.000-08:00

Click here for the latest on Newcastle's 33.5 acre sports park proposal. When I saw how large the proposal was, I thought about our soccer players having to make do with our little 2+ acre field and wondered how they feel about having three synthetic soccer fields so close by. Couldn't we just use those ones and pocket our $1.8 million earmarked for turf and spend it on, I don't know, an abandoned supermarket or something?

I'm serious! Stella and I plan to visit visit the off-leash dog area regularly.

The plan is broken into three phases which will cost a total of (sharp intake of breath) 14.7 million dollars:

"The first phase is scheduled to include the installation of a natural turf softball/Little League field and two play areas.

The second phase is scheduled to include the installation of a synthetic turf baseball field, two synthetic turf softball/Little League fields and two synthetic soccer fields.

The third phase is scheduled to include the installation of another synthetic turf soccer field, a synthetic turf lacrosse field, at least three informal practice football fields and the fenced, off-leash dog area.

'It’s a great design for Newcastle,'(Parks Program Manager Michael) Holly said. “It has all the elements that we look for in making an athletic park.'”

Oh and that reminds me:
If you haven't already, check out "Parks and Recreation" the 2 year-old sitcom featuring Amy Poehler. I'm sure there are many City Planners out there watching it basking in the glow of "finally! some recognition!" tinged with the knowledge that this recognition is won through painful exercises in humiliation and office politics. As it's produced by "The Office" folks, it isn't surprising that the characters are obnoxious and loveable all at once.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T01:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

One of my resolutions was to walk more often. With the dog. For Stella, a walk is not a walk without lots of off-leash time. Here's a great description of today's walk from effstop in our neighborhood of Lake Heights, where there are marked trails through a ravine. It's where Coal Creek has managed to find it's way from Cougar Mountain, under Coal Creek Parkway, and then is shunted via fish ladders and weirs under I-405 to arrive at the shores of Lake Washington.

And here"s an account of my friend T's walk on the other side of town, near Microsoft HQ: at Premium T

Happy walking everyone!

A Whole New Neighborhood in Renton

2009-12-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-30T08:17:00.000-08:00

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

Sequins in the Night

2009-12-29T08:16:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-28T14:02:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

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.

It's 49 degrees inside!

2009-12-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to the sounds of earth-moving equipment outside my window. An excavator was digging a huge hole in the parking strip next to our driveway to make way for the "Hole Hog" which would soon be tunneling ten feet underground, making its way from the street to the gas meter recently installed near our front door. The guys from Potelco have the street blocked off and more white trucks arrive hourly. If only Nick were still six years old--he would be in heaven!

The oil ran out sooner than we expected during the cold snap two weeks ago, and though we made arrangements to have a gas furnace installed to replace the ancient oil one, it turns out that Christmas week is not a good time to run out of anything. We've been without central heating for the better part of a week
and it will feel good to feel my toes and fingers again, and as much as I love wood fires, the campfire ambience is not wearing well. Smokiness has permeated everything.

Piper had been missing all the snow from last year, and even more, she missed the campout festiveness of being without electricity that attends wintry weather from time to time in these parts. Careful what you wish for! Though we have had electricity, being without central heating brought the family closer together in many ways: three in a bed heaped with blankets, the cats are much more affectionate, we take care of household chores with alacrity because movement=warmth, and the fact that it's warmer outdoors makes it much more fun to walk the dog. Here's to hot soup and warm sherry and lots of baking.

Artificial Turf warrants further study, according to the EPA

2009-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

From the Seattle Times, Friday December 11, 2009, page 2

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Thursday there was no cause for immediate concern from lead and other toxins in artificial-turf fields and playground surfaces made from recycled tires. The EPA cautioned, however, that the 123-page study was too small to rule out potential health threats."

From the EPA's website:

Particulate matter, metals and volatile organic compound concentrations were measured in the air samples and compared with areas away from the turf fields (background levels). The levels found in air samples from the artificial turf were similar to background levels.

No tire-related fibers were observed in the air samples.
All air concentrations of particulate matter and lead were well below levels of concern.

More than 90 percent of the lead in the tire crumb material was tightly bound and unavailable for absorption by users of the turf fields

(I have to mention here that there is no known safe level for lead)

Zinc, which is a known additive in tires, was found in tire crumb samples. However, air and surface wipe monitoring levels of zinc were found to be below levels of concern.

EPA is aware that studies by other agencies were undertaken or completed while this survey was under way. EPA is planning a 2010 meeting with federal and state agencies to review all new study data and determine next steps.

Meanwhile, construction work continues on the artificial turf installation over at Wilburton. Lots of earth movers, and a surprising amount of preparation below the surface, presumably concerned with drainage. I had to include the kiosk, which I would quite like to see in Newport Hills. There is a rather disconcerting sign attached to the post pictured above which cautions that the field is for scheduled use only--does this mean our park will have to be scheduled beforehand if we want to play on it?

Which brings up the question posed at last night's community meeting: will the annual 4th of July picnic be allowed at the park next year? The head of the project, Scott Van der Hyden, maintains the baseball outfield will be available, but probably not the soccer field. Wait a minute--the kids can play on the heavy equipment, and ride their dirt bikes on tracks of their own making! Haha! Of course, the reality is that if construction is under way by next summer, as predicted by the City, the whole park will be fenced off to keep any of this sort of mischief to a minimum.

Holiday Puffball Alert

2009-12-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

Eff-Stop Local has a great puffball photo here
Thanks, Sean for the mention. Just located a new outbreak on Somerset. Will post photos as soon as I can!

Also looking for Christmas puffballs. You know what I'm talking about. They're all lit up and ready to party.

Further Adventures of Neil and Yvette

2009-12-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

Yay! My friends see earlier post here who are on a "mid-life crises/pre-children" trip around the world now have a blog!Click here to follow the adventures of Neil and Yvette

This is by no means your typical tourist tale. Currently in the Middle East, they've arrived via Singapore, Cambodia and Viet Nam, on a "silk road" journey of sorts. We know them because Neil was my daughter's teacher for two years--something we're still trying to overcome! But seriously, we're so lucky to still know Neil and Yvette after all these years. And even when they're not close by we can still keep them close in our hearts. Love you guys!

Jukebox Redux

2009-12-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

Finally working out again after an extended bout of tendinitis in both feet. Here's what got me going today: REM and You Can't Get There From Here such a sweet little vintage video you can watch over on Red Apple Jukebox

Shrooming, Slugs and a Frog

2009-12-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

Another installment in the continuing quest for a symbol for Newport Hills:

Giant leopard slugs on Cougar Mountain

The beautiful little Pacific Chorus Frog, also resident at Cougar Mountain

I've been discovering all sorts of fungal growths in my garden lately. How I wish I could identify them properly. I really wanted some wild mushrooms for my Thanksgiving table, but didn't want to deal with the possibility of poisoning my mother, my brother, my mother-in-law, both kids and my husband, not to mention myself, so when I discovered these dainty little beauties I turned to the ever-reliable wikipedia for some quick ID--and discovered my mother had psilocybin growing with abandon in her backyard.

Newport Hills Symbols

2009-12-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I attended a meeting hosted by Mary Pat Byrne, Arts Specialist for the City of Bellevue Arts Commission, to introduce Newport Hills neighbors to the artist Bruce Myers. His body of work is impressive and he's worked with many communities around the region, including Eastsound on Orcas Island and the gorgeous Edmonds waterfront. He will be designing some features along our "main street" and they asked for some help in identifying symbols that would be meaningful to the neighborhood.

One of the central issues that arose during our meeting was the dilemma of a "native" symbol vs. an imported one. Pyramidalis and puffballs are out (see earlier posts). What about maple leaves?

The beautiful Japanese fine-leaf shrubs grace many a Newport Hills frontyard, and though they're an import, I think we'd all agree they're dear to our hearts. But as for the big-leaf variety, we're in the middle of raking/blowing/drain-clearing season. Pesky things! Oh, and let's not mention synthetic turf (see even more earlier posts).

Then I thought of our ubiquitous Douglas fir trees. Pseudotsuga menziesii. Their lowly cones that we are forever raking out of our gardens and lawns. Sprouting new trees that grow overnight. Neighbors nearby have never had to purchase a Christmas tree because they just cut one down from their backyard each year.

Look closely at the cone pictured here and
recall the story of the mouse who got caught, which changed forever how I look at them

As for the equally ubiquitous alder tree, even more lore, both Irish and Norse, abounds:

Click here for cool background on magickal properties of the alder I love the way the tiny pleated leaves are the greenest thing around in early spring.
Catkins and cones in miniature.

And then there's the mushroom, pictured above. They're all over my backyard, woodpile, flower pots--turning up in the most unexpected places. Their structure is fascinating to me, and the resemblance to an umbrella seems an appropriate symbol for our rainy climate.

Speaking of rain--should that be included somehow? A feature that comes to life when it rains? I've been told there are underground creeks snaking through Newport Hills, finding their way to Lake Washington below and that some houses sit on swamps, and others are dry as a bone. It would be interesting to see if maps exist that show their location.

On a related note, I seem to recall a house being swallowed up in a cave hole that suddenly opened up, left from the mining operations that thrived briefly in Newcastle in the early 20th century. But maybe I should leave that story to Newcastle.

And then there are all the possibilities of the fiddlehead fern, edible as well as beautiful:

Another side of Umbria

2009-12-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

T is one of my dearest friends and when she visited us in wintry Umbria we tried to show her everything we loved about the place--here are a few photos for those who have been following her at Premium T I love reading her take on things!

A night in Anghiari.

The lovely Giuseppa.

Plastic ladies

2009-11-19T06:38:00.001-08:00

Weekly feature on the art of plastic flora:

This is the work of Jemima Brown

A Key to the City

2009-11-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

Now I can say I have a key to the city--we all received one at the celebration Saturday morning, and a very brisk morning it was (!) next to one of our new entrance signs. Apparently the project took a long time because, as the mayor pointed out, we have a lot of entrances! I never realized it before, but I guess we do--six, anyway.

A Few More Updates since last summer

2009-11-14T08:03:00.001-08:00

New Lake Heights/Newport Hills entrance signs are up and running--ceremony this morning at 10:30 on 119th and 48th...and at Tuesday's NHCC meeting we'll celebrate with cake.

Mojo Espresso cart is now gone. Current whereabouts unknown.

Blue Bug and the Trailer of Mystery (along with the ladder) are also gone.

The Red Apple sign is down to it's last "e"

Some construction activity going on at Eastside Catholic--updated pictures to follow

Stod's Update

2009-11-14T07:40:00.000-08:00

Last August I wrote about the Stod's Batting Cages redevelopment proposal put forward by Pallis Properties. This was before astroturf took over my life! Aah, those carefree days!

click here to read the August post

People have been asking about whatever happened to the plan to build a Fitness Center there, state-of-the-art, with a coffee shop and room for a large daycare facility...sadly, as we were informed by Dorothy Bracken at the Candidate's Forum meeting last month, the deal has been withdrawn. There was an audible gasp from the audience--it had seemed like a definite go. Neighbors were starting to feel ownership of the community's center again, and just like that it slipped through our fingers.

Kudos to Dorothy, Dan and Alex who shepherded this project on behalf of our community and let's hope we can continue to find projects with as much promise.

Inhabitat: Real Grass Art

2009-11-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

An installation of real grass at Wimbledon: three tennis players (well, two tennis players and a long-time groundsman) photographed in a process that takes place during a week spent in a darkened room.

In discovering more about this process, I came across a wonderful blog:
Check out inhabitat.com here

The artistic team of Ackroyd and Harvey projected black and white images for 12 hours at a time onto grass panels, which absorbed light and responded by producing chlorophyll to different degrees. A bit like when I leave the hose out on the lawn for a couple days.

Things to do with Real Grass Part 3

2009-11-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

My once-a-week (or so) response to the well-meaning chap who asked in all innocence, "what do you do with real grass?"

Plastic flowers

2009-11-10T09:28:00.001-08:00

I've noticed that plastic turf isn't thought of in the same category as plastic flowers. If, as some have said, the artificial turf which will replace our natural grass park is a "done deal", lets work with that. Let's honor it for what it is--plastic, artificial, synthetic: and celebrate those qualities.

These images are from the work of
Ann E Resnick:

And these are installations composed of plastic knives, forks and spoons by Finnish environmental artist Lea Turto see more here

PhinneyWood blog

2009-11-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

One good thing has come out of the Phinney Ridge arsons in Seattle: I have a new blog I'm following,

http://www.phinneywood.com/

I am extremely envious of the fact that they can receive 35 comments on a post. But then, this post on condiment vandalism at Red Mill Burgers is hilarious!
Follow it here

Happy Halloween II

2009-10-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Sweet Decadence

2009-10-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's not always about red apples here at the Elegy. Sometimes you can spot a green apple:

This is Sandra, who runs Sweet Decadence in Newcastle. I love her for her generosity with free samples and her beautiful workspace. And creative learning opportunities--We will be taking her truffle-making class next week.

In less than a year she's become the heart and soul of Newcastle. Brava, Sandra!

At Lake Boren

2009-10-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

At Lake Boren Park

The Wearing of the Salmon

2009-10-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

The latest in flower arranging straight from Pike Place Market:

Tiny open cabbages in a bouquet of dahlias. Love the salmon-colored dahlias with the veggie-green. Produce as bouquet element. Hopefully the flower sellers won't ever team up with the fish guys there and start using salmon in their artful arrangements!

The Sounds of Autumn

2009-10-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday from dawn to dusk the sounds of autumn were deafening. Along with the mulchy smells of mushrooms and damp leaves, the beautiful sight of golden branches and bright red foliage, a third sense is activated: the whine-y buzz of leaf blowers at work. On a clear day, when the rains have finally let up, people burst out of their houses intent on a single purpose: ridding every square inch of debris.

As a park concept, the idea of a mow-free, blow-free zone has a lot of appeal to me:

Perhaps a park could remind us that some of us just like to hang out and watch the grass grow...

A lot of people think that the synthetic turf requires no maintenance, or that the costs involved in upkeep are not as high as maintaining a natural grass fields. However, "A task force put together by the National Sports Turf Managers Association addressed maintenance issues in their lengthy November 2008 report. Based on their findings, a typical cost to maintain an average synthetic field was approximately $6,000 per year in material costs (not including equipment) and requires 375 man hours per year to maintain.

The primary cultural practice for a synthetic surface is grooming. To maintain a uniform surface with an infill system the field will need to be swept and dragged on a regular basis. Depending on use, this may be required once a week to once a month. It is important to follow manufacturer’s recommendation on grooming because it can cause excessive wear and inappropriate grooming may void your warranty. Equipment needed include something to groom the surface, usually a nylon-bristle bush, and a drag to stand fiber up and to distribute the crumb rubber.

Infill material (required with new synthetic turfs) will also need to be added on an annual basis. A field will need 1 to 7 tons of rubber added yearly. Note it takes about 20 tons of crumb rubber to get ¼ inch. Topdressing equipment will be necessary in the reapplication of crumb rubber. Vacuums and leaf blowers can be helpful to remove some debris (e.g., sunflower seeds and peanut shells), but in many cases, debris may need to be removed by hand since these implements may also remove/move infill."

Read "To Turf or Not to Turf" here

Read more about STMA here

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T07:31:00.001-07:00

more cool stuff here

The End of Nature II: Westfield Park

2009-10-28T10:20:00.001-07:00

Westfield Park belongs to the newer subdivision to the west of Newport Hills Park. It came in at the behest of the City, who required parks to be a part of all new development in Belleue. In our case these houses were built on grassy farmland and small ranches with llamas and horses. Though it may have been the City's intention that these parks be public, these parks are definitely not open to anyone but the homeowners.

As the sign says, with rather ragged punctuation:
This park and it's play facility, is for use ONLY by the Homeowners' of Westfield
(Click to enlarge)

A lonely park, one which doesn't allow children under 10 unless supervised by an adult.

A sad little park, where "no organized sport event, including, practices, are not allowed in the park" What about disorganized sport events?

Street Furniture

2009-10-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

...Or can't we all just get "a-lawn"?

You can make your own grass furniture by putting together the cardboard frame you see here, stuffing it with dirt and then planting with grass seeds...voila!
Send away for your kit here

A Timely Article

2009-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Check out the article in yesterday's
Seattle Times regarding synthetic turf fields. This couldn't have been more timely, published one hour before our parks meeting yesterday morning. Bellevue Parks Department is rolling out synthetic turf on our one neighborhood park in the next month or so.

I found the following comments by readers particularly interesting:

How does this artificial turf pass the state environmental reviews such as SEPA?

Woodinville approved the November installation of two artificial turf soccer fields that drain directly into the Sammamish River and Lake Washington with a short DNS (Determination of Non-Significance) SEPA study. Outraged citizens presented findings from Dr. Brown from EHHI that detail the toxic elements found in crushed rubber tires, but no one listened. Woodinville is proceeding to lay the equivalent of 70,000 tires in the soil adjacent to one of the states premiere salmon passageways and no one is willing to listen.

The California Atty. General recently sued 6 artificial turf companies for exceeding California limits for Lead, Zinc, Arsenic, and PAH's and has put a moratorium on the installation of such fields until they can be proven to be free of heavy metals and carcinogens.

Tires are treated as hazardous waste in all states; thus, they require special disposal fees and handling at the end of use. We all pay this fee when we replace our tires. How is it that these same tires deemed by the state as hazardous, can now be crushed and put on play fields for our children to roll around and inhale the dust?

Nobody is using common sense. Artificial turf manufacturers are focusing their marketing teams toward local agencies like city parks and schools to supplement their declining market share in professional sports. For example, European soccer teams refuse to compete on artificial turf fields so North American clubs must roll out natural turf on top of the artificial turf whenever they come to town.

Breaking stories such as this one in the Seattle Times are becoming more common. Does anyone remember how stories began about smoking, asbestos and PCB's in water supplies? I think that this will be the next and government is dragging their feet because its agencies are in the middle of it by encouraging reuse recycling of tires.

* NEW YORK STATE LAWMAKERS have called for a state wide ban of tire waste turf
* CALIFORNIA state legislators have called for a moratorium
* NEW JERSEY state legislators have called for a moratorium
* MINNESOTA state legislators have called for a moratorium
* ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH, INC. has called for a moratorium
* The SWEDISH Chemical Agency recommended in April that the material not be used in artificial turf because the tire waste releases hazardous materials
* The ITALIAN Minister of Health found that synthetic turf fields are potentially carcinogenic
* The SOUTH KOREAn Education Ministry began investigating the safety of recycled rubber granules over the summer following student complaints of nose and eye irritation
* A recent DUTCH investigation concluded that "the leaching of zinc is a major concern"
* NORWAY has banned synthetic turf

Source: Woodinville's Parents for Safe Sports Fields website

Posted on October 24, 2009 at 9:22 PM.

More things to do with grass

2009-10-23T13:31:00.001-07:00

Take the feel of natural grass underfoot "a-lawn" whereever you go...perhaps at the first soccer game on synthetic turf we could have these ready to wear.

Old vs New

2009-10-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Newport Hills

"We don't take ourselves too seriously"
Couldn't we have just one sign that says that?

How about
Welcome to Lake Heights

"Home of the Puffball Festival"?

AAAh, the mystery of history...these photos are courtesy of Newport Hills Community Club's blog. Check it out here

We have new entrance signs, which were subject to inexplicably lengthy installation delays over the summer. I wanted to do an exclusive expose on it for Red Apple Elegy, but I don't really do exclusive exposes very well.

The Lake Heights signs are an updating of the old ones--same font, metal instead of stone...Can I just say here I don't like them as well. Too corporate. IMHO. And if you look at the new Lake Heights sign--it's very hard to read--maybe they're not finished with it yet.

At this point I'll insert my usual disclaimer:
I have no right to complain because I was not at the meetings and didn't serve on the committee.

The story behind the old Newport Hills sign(s) is (are) one of the most charming surviving from the early days of Newport Hills back in the late 50s. A lovely lady who lived here then, and lives here to this day, has described the way locals took it upon themselves to carve the signs themselves, coming up with the distinctive logo. Probably around the wetbar after a few martinis...my mind conjures up the early pioneer spirit, that yaya sisterhood, the carefree days when a community was just getting started and everyone flew in and out of each other's houses and laughed at "I Love Lucy" on the tv.

This lovely lady asked for and got the sign when it was pulled down and it has retired to a place of honor in her backyard. At the meeting planning staffers seemed a little incredulous that anyone would want such a dated piece of junk. Lovely lady, gracious lady, tenacious lady, that she is kept us updated on the story throughout the summer via Newport Hills Community Club meetings.

We're so grateful that the new signs are finally up and they look so shiny but, scrapper that I am, I have to say it: they're not as distinctive as the older signs. Not as familiar. They're like every other neighborhood's signs. They're not home-made, I know and they'll probably raise our property values but when I see them (a million times a day) it makes me want to join the coyotes in the ravine! Yip-yip-yip!!

The End of Nature

2009-10-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Recently I had a conversation with a neighbor who asked me, "Why wouldn't you want synthetic turf--what do you do with grass?"

What do you do with grass?
Is this the end of nature, as people have been predicting?
I was so shocked by the question all I could do was stare back stupidly.
"Fly kites," someone helpfully suggested.
"Walk your dog?" I blurted, while I stalled for time. Who was this guy?

"Have a picnic," I said, regaining my stride. "Throw a frisbee."

The point is you can do anything on grass, right?

Another neighbor reminded me that even if you aren't on the grass, you appreciate it as you drive by. It marks the pause between work and home. It tells you "relax, you're nearly home," or "I'll still be here when you get back."

So that even if you don't see anyone else out there, its presence is soothing.

What if we fostered that presence in our neighborhood by putting the soccer field elsewhere and nurtured a Japanese garden here? Is there room in the neighborhood for both soccer and contemplation? For a water feature and a skate park?

Lots of meetin's

2009-10-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy coupla weeks here in Newport Hills.
City officials showed an interest in our concerns regarding the park.
The wheels are turning.

In the course of researching synthetic turf I came across this great local blog:
Bainbridge Notebook

Reluctantly, writer Althea Paulson was drawn in to the discussion prevailing over installation of artificial turf at Bainbridge High School. The issue of lead and numerous other heavy metals leaching from the turf into the water table is of paramount concern because Bainbridge families depend on wells for their drinking water.

Read more here and here (scroll down for comments)

Currently, there is a CDC Health Advisory regarding lead in artificial turf. It all started in a New Jersey junkyard where they were sent to measure lead levels. They found extremely high levels, but not from the junkyard--they were coming from a nearby synthetic turf field.

Now I'm well aware that the City wouldn't install something as old-fashioned as nylon turf, and of course it will be brand-new, not aging, like the New Jersey fields, but still...lead is known to leach from crumb rubber as well. I'm just sayin' shouldn't we be a little more cautious with a neighborhood park where, according to the Bellevue Open Space Plan, kids are the primary users?

This is an official
CDC HEALTH ADVISORY

Distributed via Health Alert Network
Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 16:10 EDT (4:10 PM EDT)
CDCHAN-00275-2008-06-18-ADV-N

Potential Exposure to Lead in Artificial Turf:

Public Health Issues, Actions, and Recommendations

Public Health Issues

In the course of conducting a routine health investigation at a metal facility in Newark, NJ, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) tested a nearby community athletic field for lead contamination. Samples taken from the field showed high levels of lead in the field dust, but the lead did not come from the scrap metal facility.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with its sister-agency, ATSDR, to monitor this situation because of CDC’s expertise in lead poisoning prevention.

After determining that the lead source was the artificial turf, NJDHSS began to test other artificial turf fields looking for similar high lead levels in artificial turf fibers. These findings raised concerns about potentially high lead levels in artificial turf used in other locations including fields and playgrounds. NJDHSS tested a limited sample of athletic fields in New Jersey. Any questions regarding the specific fields tested should be directed to NJDHSS.

As determined by NJDHSS, limited sampling of additional athletic fields in New Jersey and commercial products indicates that artificial turf made of nylon or nylon/polyethylene blend fibers contains levels of lead that pose a potential public health concern. Tests of artificial turf fields made with only polyethylene fibers showed that these fields contained very low levels of lead.

Information provided by NJDHSS to CDC and ATSDR indicates that some of the fields with elevated lead in either dust and/or turf fiber samples were weathered and visibly dusty. Fields that are old, that are used frequently, and that are exposed to the weather break down into dust as the turf fibers are worn or demonstrate progressive signs of weathering, including fibers that are abraded, faded or broken. These factors should be considered when evaluating the potential for harmful lead exposures from a given field.

The risk for harmful lead exposure is low from new fields with elevated lead levels in their turf fibers because the turf fibers are still intact and the lead is unlikely to be available for harmful exposures to occur. As the turf ages and weathers, lead is released in dust that could then be ingested or inhaled, and the risk for harmful exposure increases. If exposures do occur, CDC currently does not know how much lead the body will absorb; however, if enough lead is absorbed, it can cause neurological development symptoms (e.g. deficits in IQ). Additional tests are being performed by NJDHSS to help us better understand the absorption of lead from these products.

In general, children less than 6 years old are more likely to be affected by lead than adults because of increased contact with lead sources in the environment, including lead contaminated house dust and soil. Children also absorb lead more easily. Children's developing nervous systems are also more susceptible to the adverse health effects of lead including developmental delay and behavioral problems.

It should be emphasized that although turf testing has been limited to the state of New Jersey, no cases of elevated blood lead levels in children have been linked to artificial turf on athletic fields in New Jersey and elsewhere. Concerned parents should talk to their child’s pediatrician about potential and known sources of lead in their children's environment and whether their children should have a blood lead test. This is a simple blood test that is paid for by most private insurers and by Medicaid.

NJDHSS has asked the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate this potential problem and CDC and ATSDR are currently waiting for information from CPSC to help guide future public health recommendations and actions.

Interim Public Health Actions Related to Testing Artificial Turf Products and Reducing Potential Exposures to Lead

NJDHHS’s testing of artificial turf fields was limited and only sampled turf containing nylon. Since NJDHHS, CDC and ATSDR did not test fields composed of substances other than nylon and nylon/polyethelene blend, we do not know if lead is also a component in other types of artificial turf. Additionally, not necessarily all turf made of nylon contains elevated amounts of lead.

CDC has long recommended the elimination of all nonessential uses of lead. Because it is unclear whether all artificial turf contains lead at this time, CDC and ATSDR only recommend testing artificial turf fields that appear worn or weathered.

As a precaution, until further guidance is available from CPSC and until we have more information about the absorption of lead from artificial turf products and its capability of harm, CDC and ATSDR recommend:

· Testing turf that has fibers that are abraded, faded or broken, contains visible dust, and that is made from nylon or nylon-blend fibers. Information about testing is provided later in this alert.

· If the dust contains more than 400 ppm lead, do not allow turf access for children under the age of 6 years.

· If access is restricted, care should be taken to ensure that alternative sites contain lead levels less than 400 ppm.

· Not testing turf made from polyethylene-only fibers. This recommendation is based on currently available data.

· Not testing turf made from nylon or nylon blends that is not worn and does not contain visible dust. These fields should be routinely monitored for wear and dust generation.

· Replacing fields as soon as practicable if worn and dusty, as a precautionary measure.

CDC recommends testing children’s blood lead levels in accordance with state guidelines. Concerned parents/caregivers should consult their medical providers for further information.

General Recommendations on the Use of Fields with Artificial Turf

At this time, CDC does not yet understand the potential risks associated with exposure to dust from worn artificial turf. The following precautions can be taken to minimize any potential risk.

· Field managers should consider implementing dust-suppression measures. Suggestions for dust-suppression methods can be found at NJDHSS’s website, which is provided in the additional information section.

· Children ages 6 and younger are most susceptible to lead’s harmful health effects. To protect the public, in particular young children, consider posting signs indicating that:

1. After playing on the field, individuals are encouraged to perform aggressive hand and body washing for at least 20 seconds using soap and warm water.

2. Clothes worn on the field should be taken off and turned inside out as soon as possible after using the field to avoid tracking contaminated dust to other places. In vehicles, people can sit on a large towel or blanket if it is not feasible to remove their clothes. These clothes, towels, and blankets should be washed separately and shoes worn on the field should be kept outside of the home.

3. Eating while on the field or turf product is discouraged.

4. Avoid contaminating drinking containers with dust and fibers from the field. When not drinking, close them and keep them in a bag, cooler, or other covered container on the side of the field.

General Lead Poisoning Prevention Recommendations

Especially in houses where children are present, parents, day care providers and other child care providers should follow lead safety practices regardless of the type of playing surface. These practices can help prevent children from being exposed to the many sources of lead in the environment.

1. Wash children’s hands frequently and always before they eat.

2. Do not eat food or use pacifiers that have been dropped on the floor or outside.

3. Remove shoes when entering the house or use door mats.

4. Have your house inspected for lead if it was built before 1978.

5. Use lead-safe work practices when doing work that disturbs lead-painted surfaces.

Lead Testing of Artificial Turf Fields

Facility managers who choose to have the turf at a field tested for lead should contact their local or state department of health and/or environment about appropriate sample collection and analytic methods. CDC and ATSDR recommend using appropriate U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or American Society for Testing and Materials methods.

Additional Information

For additional information about testing, dust suppression measures, and other topics related to NJDHSS’s work to address lead in artificial turf visit NJDHSS’s artificial turf website at http://www.state.nj.us/health/artificialturf/index.shtml.

For a list of state health departments, visit the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO) site at http://www.astho.org/index.php?template=regional_links.php.

ASTHO also provides a list of state environmental health directors at: http://www.astho.org/index.php?template=enhancing_environmental_health_s.html.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates consumer products, including artificial turf. Additional information about CPSC and artificial turf can be found at http://www.cpsc.gov.

##This Message was distributed to State and Local Health Officers, Public Information Officers, Epidemiologists, State Laboratory Directors, PHEP/BT Coordinators and HAN Coordinators, as well as Public Health Associations and Clinician organizations##

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You have received this message based upon the information contained within our emergency notification database. If you have a different or additional e-mail or fax address that you would like us to use, please contact the Health Alert Network program at your State or local health department.

This page last reviewed: November 10, 2003

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Lunchtime in Seattle

2009-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

A 75 degree September day of sun and clear skies above Seattle downtown--heaven. Lunch at hole-in-the-wall next to De Laurenti's, offering more beans and rice than I could manage for 2.00, soda for 85 cents.

Sat on a ledge by the Hammering Man watching this demonstration of alternative technology. Went into the lobby of Seattle Art Museum and viewed these moving self-portraits by kids who are 15 and enrolled in the teen program there.

All this entertainment made the 14.00 parking charge seem like a reasonable price for admission.

September Song: Before and After

2009-09-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Our other house in Newport Hills is a vacation rental. We've tried this for a year and have learned so much in the process. Here's what it looked like when we first started renting it out:

And last week it got a makeover:

We went from wild abandon to low maintenance in two days:

For over sixteen years (the longest I've lived anywhere)I attempted to mold my suburban garden into the Wallingford English cottage garden of my dreams which we couldn't afford in 1993. This house was affordable for us, and had the large yard in which I could allow full scope for my imagination. The neighbors looked on indulgently as my hard work began to take shape. And then my back went out in 1994 and I had to have the third of three back surgeries. Trying to keep up with a two year old AND what was becoming a fairly high maintenance garden was beginning to look impossibly difficult.

But I stuck with it and did what I could. We planted the fruits we loved, the flowers which would survive periodic summer droughts and the shrubs that I knew would provide scent and interest in the winter. We had parties in the backyard and robins set up housekeeping in the overgrown camellias that flourished outside our bedroom windows (although the rain never reached them under the eaves they seemed to love it there). Every spring the mama robins launched their fledglings out of their nests, sitting in the nearby sycamore tree, singing "come hither" songs and keeping a vigilant eye out for our cat.

One year it was roses. The next it was hardy geraniums. Then I wanted alliums. Lilies became my passion. We had a standing order with Cedar Grove compost. My husband graciously shovelled much gravel, compost and mulch. I became known in the neighborhood as "she who is never happiest than when she has a pile of dirt in her driveway." We began running out of room.

A dear friend built us a pergola where one could sit and watch the lilies and roses grow. Soon vines of kiwi, clematis and grape overtook the structure and a shady bower was born. We put in bird baths and fountains, patio, paths and a firepit.

Every birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas holiday, and anniversary usually brought forth something for the garden. Sticks in cardboard boxes arrived from Raintree Nursery and, when planted, became grapevines, cherry trees, fig, pear, apple and crabapple trees. Usually. I ordered roses from Old Heirlooms in Oregon with names like Jude the Obscure and Abraham Darby, planting each one in honor of a friend who was ill, infirm, moved on, and in one especially sad case, died. It was Mark, the builder of our pergola.

And then we moved. None of us really wanted to, but it was time. For a number of reasons. So we held on to the house for sentiment's sake (the best kind, in my book) and thought we'd rent to families here for weddings, reunions, work--by the week, by the month...and in summer they could enjoy fresh herbs for cooking as well as a bountiful harvest of plums, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and grapes. Strawberries in the spring. Fresh-cut flowers. Maybe the odd fig, kiwi, apple or pear.

But trying to nurture everything through a disastrous drought between tenants during what proved to be a very busy summer season turned out to be too much.

So I let things go.

The bones of the garden remain. Most of the blossoms are gone, but they'll return as they always do. A blank slate for now.

You Say Snohomish/I Say Snoqualmie!

2009-09-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent the sunny, hot afternoon at South 47 farm learning firsthand what it was like to bring in the harvest, or, in our case, what it was like to pick a few beans for dinner, admire a gorgeous, cat-sized squash the color of celadon, pluck a huge bag of red onions from a hook in a greenhouse, and cut healthy sideshoots of basil from a very long row. Aromatic bliss! All this and some darling alpacas (not for picking!) too. Of course, early valley farmers didn't get to follow up a hard day's harvest with a late lunch in air-conditioned comfort at Racha Thai restaurant in Woodinville either. God we're spoiled!

Everything but the squash was eaten later in a quickie pasta beefed up with ripe heirloom tomatoes from our own garden.

Sunday we were back on the eastside hunting down farms in Carnation/Duvall by way of Snohomish (don't ask! but it was a lovely drive!) Again, bringing in the harvest at Fall City Farms this time--lacinato kale, Chioggia beets, lots of Bright Lights chard and broccoli. Perhaps early farmers of Snoqualmie Valley would have felt more at home dining in the friendly, goofy homestyle comfort surrounded by the kitsch collection at Armadillo BBQ in Duvall than in a suburban stripmall (like we did the day before). Next door at the antique store we picked up a bass and amp to add to the family's burgeoning collection of musical instruments.

I looked to Julia Child for inspiration in serving up the fresh-picked broccoli to the family. I made her hollandaise which was insanely easy and let's just say the kids ate all their veggies.

The chard and rest of the basil was eaten last night in a quinoa saute with onion and leftover hollandaise. Some ricotta and lot of parmesan. It was a little weird. It shoulda been pasta. But we'd eaten it all Saturday night!

Today I'm caramelizing all my onions for the freezer. I may roast the squash. The kale will be slowly simmered for a Tuscan stew. The trick is to get everything sorted out (frozen, eaten, etc.) before the next farm foray THIS weekend. Somebody's got to bring home the veggies!

Under the "gourdwalk" at Fall City Farm

We're Number 37!

2009-09-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

This guy is extremely clever. Unfortunately, it's true. We're #37 in Health Care. And we pay 20% more than the other 36.

Where did my Spring Go? by the Kinks

2009-09-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

What I'll be warming up to today, trying to keep up with the girls in the kilts! Thank you to the lovely and talented Megan for this!! Follow me over to my other (Red Apple Jukebox) blogfor more dance tunes.