Artificial Turf warrants further study, according to the EPA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.