Every summer I wage war on the blackberry brambles fighting their way into my garden, and every year they come back for more. Now, thanks to this article on KUOW last week, I know who is to blame. Luther Burbank, an experimental gardener who lived at the end of the nineteenth century, was the first to cultivate and sell blackberries in the US. In 1894, he offered the berry in a special circular he sent buyers in mild climates. It was popular. By the…
The leaves may not be falling yet, but the last gasp of summer is upon us. If your kids are looking to get in one last splash before school starts, you'll need to head elsewhere—the Wallingford Playfield wading pool is now closed for the season. When asked to comment about the (seemingly) early closure of Wallingford's wading pool, Laurie Dunlap, of the Seattle Parks and Recreation office, had this to say: The wading pools that stay open through Labor Day are…
This is old news, but still worth a mention: you may have noticed that that Bettie Page mural on the side of a house facing I-5 just across from Wallingford was smeared with gray paint back in June. The vandals tagged it with the statement "Stop exploiting women’s bodies. - some feminists." Jessica Baxter (pictured), who lives there with her partner (and one of the artists behind the mural) Chris Brugos, replaced their words with the statement "Autonomous sexuality is empowerment. Telling a…
Recently, Frankie posted to the forums: Be careful. I have seen a number of young people, some of them with backpacks, some without, all with phones – wandering aimlessly around Wallingford. Some of them stop in front of houses, like they’re casing the joint, looking around and seemingly filming things. Very suspicious. I have also seen an uptick in children doing the same thing WITH PARENTS!, but in a weird, distant, zombie-like trance. Sometimes they will acknowledge each other as they pass…
The recent article and subsequent comments about the bike corral on 54th and Latona got me thinking about schools. My daughter will start kindergarten in a few weeks and we live only three blocks from McDonald. We will not be attending McDonald however, because someone outside the neighborhood is willing to pay more than we are for that privilege. At the school tour, the introductory statement by McDonald leaders stated a mandatory $1,000 donation (to be fair the website states "$850 per student"). That…
If you like old people and liquor, have I got a fundraiser for you. The Wallingford Senior Center is holding a benefit event at the Fremont Mischief Distillery tomorrow, Thursday August 25 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance.
Seattleites love their secret restaurant openings; see Stop N Shop for example. I got a tip about a hidden French bakery next to Manolin and went to investigate. Located at N 36th and Stone Way the sign for Sea Wolf is pretty nondescript. I have been waiting years for a French bakery to come to our neighborhood. Now I know we have had some great bakeries that sold croissants over the years, but I'm talking about the type of bakery that sells…