Let me say up front that I have been neighbors and friends with Janet Stillman these last 11 years and I admire her. Deeply. Because she is talented and energetic and caring and I can't think of anyone else who has done more for this neighborhood. And, no, no one elected her First Lady of Wallingford but in my mind that's what she is. There, I've put all my cards on the table. Janet's official title is the Director of the…
Housed at the Good Shepherd Center, the ALLIANCE FRANCAISE OF SEATTLE is a non-profit cultural & educational organization that strives to improve understanding between France and other countries. One of the ways they do that is to arrange for a summer student exchange program. Here's where you come in: 15 French students are eager to visit Seattle July 29 - August 18th... and they need host families. If you or someone you know is interested in hosting an exchange student, please…
We will do almost anything in our house to help the Wallingford Branch of the Seattle Public Library. So, taking a brief online survey doesn't seem like much to ask. It took me less than 10 minutes and it was informative! For example, did you know that the Library offers the following services (great tidbits for your next dinner party)?: Online magazines and newspapers (for example, Consumer Reports and the New York Times) - Skip those expensive subscriptions, save some trees!…
We've been keeping bees in our Wallingford backyard for close to a decade now. About 18 months ago, we became parents to a very curious little boy. As it turns out, bees and very curious little boys make for a tricky mix. Our solution: install a giant rack system to lift the bee hives off the ground and out of harm's way (or, more accurately, out of Baby Z's way). Well, there we were staring at that big space under the…
The Urban Assault Ride (bikes, that is) will wend its way through Wallingford on Sunday, May 16th. If you're not familiar, UAR is fast-growing event that started in Austin, Texas. This year's Seattle ride benefits Bikeworks Seattle, a non-profit whose mission is to build sustainability by promoting bicycling & by educating young people. The ride works like this: teams of two set out to hit various checkpoints throughout the city, in any order you wish. At each checkpoint riders dismount, complete…
If you've ever been to Home Depot or Lowe's, you've seen them: crowds of men, mostly Latin American, standing around the lot entrance waving down cars, looking for work. If you're like us (and, if you live in Wallingford, you probably aren't that different), you have enough money to own or rent a place to live, put food on the table and still have some left over for what the economists like to call "discretionary activities". Further, you probably don't have…
One year ago today, Sevim and Yalcin Ataman opened Fainting Goat Gelato here in Wallingford. But make no mistake—while the store is fairly new, the Atamans are veteran gelato makers. Prior to coming over to the United States in 1997, they owned a gelato shop for 20 years in their native city, Izmir, located on the west side of Turkey. When they moved to the U.S., the Atamans wanted to take some time to perfect their English and learn more about setting…