"Something sad has happened," I told my five-year-old son yesterday morning. I hiked him up on my lap, he leaned into my chest, and we spent the next hour slowly tapping through the New York Times' photo essay on Nelson Mandela on my iPad. As I've mentioned, we named our boy, Zevin Rolihlahla Schwartz, after Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, in the hopes that Mandela's legacy might inspire and guide him. Rolihlahla was the name given Mandela at birth and means "tree shaker" or…
Steven from Wally Pets (4411 Wallingford Ave N) writes: Santa will be at Wally Pets on Sunday, December 8th for free photos of your four pawed buds with Mr Claus and a stocking stuffer full of treats to boot 11 am to 4 pm. This will be a memory your pet will treasure forever. (Photo by KatieBread)
Continuing the parade of options for interesting holiday shopping in the 'hood, Om Culture (2210 Pacific Ave) will be hosting the Bizarre Bazaar this Sunday from 1 - 5:30 pm, and featuring the work of 26 local artists and artisans.
Barges have set up and are getting ready to dredge the bottom of Lake Union just west of Gas Works park. Larry Altose, from the Washington State Department of Ecology, writes about the work on their blog: The contamination we’re about to remove existed before the present owner purchased the property in 1994. At that time, Northlake Ship Yard and Ecology signed a legal document called a Prospective Purchaser Consent Decree (PPCD). It’s a cleanup agreement for someone who buys already-contaminated property.…
How's the holiday shopping coming? On the Jewish side of the neighborhood, we'll be lighting the eighth and final candle on the menorah tonight, so the season is more or less by us. In our house, in any case, we seem to have let that whole piece of the holiday slide into neglect: it was Day 6 before Zev remarked "hey, aren't we supposed to get presents?" But, should you be part of the vast majority of Wallingfordians with gift-giving days…
It's open house time season for independent schools. With Baby Z no longer a baby, Family Wallyhood has been doing the tour of the local kindergartens. While we live across the street from the John Stanford School, we're not guaranteed a spot there with the new school districting plan. Plus, JSIS doesn't even offer tours until February, long after the deadline for applications to the area independent schools. It's actually been quite a bit of fun checking out the schools and…
Two years ago, the Wallingford Community Council and Seattle Public Utilities conducted months of negotiations regarding the rebuild of the North Transfer Station in our neighborhood. As a result, SPU and WCC entered into a detailed contract governing a wide range of issues concerning the construction and operation of the new facility. In an unprecedented process, the contract was not only signed by SPU, but was specifically approved by the City Council. The contract requires that SPU investigate and analyze a…