Party with Cops

If you're a Seattle resident served by the South Precinct, you're invited to an annual celebration with police officers this Saturday. If you're a Seattle resident who hasn't had any reason to figure out what your local precinct is, then you should throw your own little celebration. I'll probably be skipping this shindig in favor of the Northwest Horticultural Society's Fall Plant Sale, the Bridge Motel installation, and a friend's end-of-summer mojito party, even though Mark Solomon, who has been known to hang out at the Beacon Pub from time to time, seems like he'd know how to throw a good party.

Dear Community Friends -

Please join us for our annual Picnic at the Precinct.

Saturday, September 15, 2007, 1-4pm at the South Precinct (3001 S Myrtle ST)

All South Precinct Community Members are invited. There is no cost to attend.

We will have food, music, magic performances, martial arts demonstrations, dance performances, raffles, activities for children and more.

Get a Precinct tour. Meet and interact with your South Precinct officers and members of our SWAT team, K-9 unit, and others.

We hope you can join us!

Mark

Mark Solomon
SPD Crime Prevention, South Precinct
206.386.9766

My First Trip to Skyway, Kubota Gardens

We got lost on our way to the Kubota Gardens plant sale today.

We drove down what must have been the old interstate highway before I-5 because we saw ancient motels and trailer parks.

I can't believe there are still trailer parks within Seattle city limits. (Actually, we may no longer be in Seattle at this point; I'm not sure.) With the light rail coming in close by, I bet this park is not long for this world.



Yep. Its demise is already being planned.

Mobile Home Park Update: Seattle has five mobile home parks remaining within its boundaries; a sixth, the Crest Trailer Park, closed last October. DPD has been contacted about changing the use of the Westward mobile home park, located at 9685 M L King Jr Way S., to a construction storage yard, although no permit application has yet been submitted. In addition, we have recently had an inquiry from a potential purchaser of a park in north Seattle just east of Aurora Avenue, the Jensen Trailer Court, located at 937 North 97th St. If either of these parks close, the actual closure is some way off since a 12 month eviction notice would have to be given after approval of a relocation report and plan.

This motel reminds me of an NPR interview I heard this morning, with the guy who wrote the book about what the earth would look like if all the humans disappeared. It wouldn't take long for the weeds to start taking over the buildings, he said.



It's really pretty out here, wherever here is.



Signs of life -- exciting.



Oh, so this is Skyway!











That burger stand is called "Basket Case"!












These cars and houses look just like the ones on Beacon Hill.





You can see downtown Seattle in the distance.



And here we are.





I'll have to check this out sometime. I just want to go to the plant sale right now.







These look useful. Evergreens that top out at 8 feet.





We discover that they'll only accept cash and checks, so we have to go find an ATM. Hmm, back to Skyway?



I bet there'll be an ATM in the bowling alley / casino. (Yep!)



Skyway looks so quiet. This house is going to have an awesome view of Lake Washington.







Back to Beacon Hill. Vince's is an old-school Italian restaurant; we ate here our first night in the house.



The lovely East Duwamish Greenbelt.



This is the sister house to my house. Same weird bricks, windows, everything. I wonder what the story with that is.





Today some Crosscut dude was whining about the demise of white men's clubs like the Elks. Beacon Hill actually still has community clubs, like this Somali club.



Here's my neck of the woods.



I like what these guys are doing with their yard.



Our plant sale haul. I've always wanted some bird's nest spruce, but it's like $60 at Rosso. Just $18 at the Kubota sale.



Now I just have to figure out where to put it.