Chemical Wedding Backpack

A year or two ago, I saw this stunning handbag in Andaluz over in Columbia City.



Because I don't like to carry handbags, I didn't buy it, but I did obsess over it. I must have talked about it a lot, because later on, my husband returned to Andaluz to buy it for me (to shut me up?), but someone else had snapped it up.

I looked up the designers, Jon and Tracy Haaland of Chemical Wedding, online, and I found out that they're local. (South Enders, in fact!) I sent them some fan mail, asking about store locations, and continued to admire their industrial-yet-organic, goth-meets-western (and sometimes sinister, and always gorgeous) designs whenever I'd see them in shops around Seattle and Portland.

I mean, seriously, folks. Look at the work they're doing. There is nothing else like this around, is there?



But I continued to resist their charms until a recent upload to their blog put me over the edge:



Then I knew I had to have one of their bags. But I still wanted a backpack. And when I first e-mailed them a year or so ago, they sounded open to the idea of custom work. So I sent them another message:

Hi, there. I love your bags, though I pretty much exclusively carry a backpack, as I hate having to carry something around. ... Do you think you might be able to adapt one of your styles to the form of a small, slender backpack (16 in. x 11 in.)?

Tracy responded very enthusiastically:

We would love to make a backpack for you! ... We have never made a backpack but would love to give it a try.

I then sent a 600-word manifesto on backpack usability, which it seems that they actually read, bless their hearts. And within two weeks of my original e-mail about wanting a backpack, it was done!

They invited us over to their lovely home studio just south of Georgetown, and welcomed us with bourbon cocktails. Old Crow with apple-pear juice, on the rocks. These are my kind of people.





I was honored that we were the first customers ever to see their basement studio. And that's a privilege that I won't be sharing much of here, since I was feeling like it would be too presumptuous of me to ask to take photos of it. Besides, I was kind of overwhelmed by the quality of their handiwork.

But after the bourbon kicked in and we were upstairs again, I asked to take some shots of their cool stuff.

You can't really see it, but on the top shelf of this curio cabinet, there's a bottle of Old Crow (Jon's liquor of choice) signed by Maakies creator Tony Millionaire. Dook dook!



Puppy!



Kitty!





Tracy explained a little about the inspiration for their name, a 400-year-old Rosicrucian allegory about alchemic transformation.



And the backpack? I couldn't be more pleased with it. Here's a shot of it in Smarty Pants, later in the day.



And here's a photo that Jon took of me wearing it in their backyard. If you can get past how badly I need a haircut (I still only go to Dirty Little Secret in Portland), you may notice how perfectly it fits me. Nice work, Chemical Wedding! And thanks so much, Jon and Tracy. You'll be hearing from me after Jon takes his cobbling class and announces that he's going to start making custom boots!

Friday Night in Georgetown

Yeah, I know this is turning into a Georgetown blog than a Beacon Hill one, but I think that my section of Mid Beacon Hill used to be part of Georgetown. The title documents to our house say "Maynard's Addition to Georgetown."

A photo from Calamity Jane's on Friday night.



And a nighttime photo of the arbor that I shot during the day a week or two ago.

Save Georgetown! No Dump!

Instead of meetings its recycling goals, Seattle Public Utilities has announced that it wants to build a huge "intermodal transfer station" (i.e., a dump) smack in the middle of the historic neighborhood of Georgetown.

Some developers will make big bucks building this monstrosity, and everyone in Seattle and the surrounding areas will be able to relax and continue to throw stuff out instead of working harder at reusing and recycling.

Thanks, but we're already flattered that you government folks have chosen us for sex-offender housing and also considered us for Southwest and Alaska airline terminals and a new strip club zone. For a change of pace, why don't you guys give another neighborhood a chance at some of your munificence? Just a thought!



From a recent flyer:

In 1998, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) set the goal for Seattle to reach 60% rate. Because SPU has failed to achieve this, they have asked for repeated extensions. Currently, they are between 42% and 44% rate.

In 2001, SPU was directed to develop a 20-year master facilities plan. SPU decided they needed a third facility to achieve their waste management goals.

SPU set out to identify property for a third waste station. Many sites were eliminated because they were less than five acres or because they had established businesses on site. Nine businesses exist on Corgiat, including Puget Sound Energy. Isn’t Puget Sound Energy a well-established business?

In 2003, SPU listed their top six choices: Corgiat was not on that list. Corgiat received a mediocre score of 12.5. 16 other sites received higher scores.

In 2005, SPU announced five options: 1) was a no-build option; 2) involved two sites on Harbor Island; and 3) involved two sites in Georgetown (one being Corgiat).

In February 2006, the Georgetown Community Council submits its official stance against Corgiat being a possible site for SPU’s waste station. Reasons include traffic concerns, environmental issues and social justice.

On April 4th, 2006, SPU announces Corgiat as its preferred site. Tim Croll (SPU) makes calls to various community leaders stating that SPU is pleased to be part of the neighborhood and they look forward to working with us. Tim said a meeting would be arranged so we can start discussing mitigation.

According to Resolution #30431, this third station could serve Seattle AND the surrounding region’s needs. Imagine hundreds of trucks and containers driving through our neighborhood every day. There are no designated routes.

SPU says building a third station is needed because the existing facilities (in North and South) are old and inefficient. Those stations will be rebuilt and redesigned regardless if a third station is built.

South Seattle neighborhoods start questioning the siting, asking about inequities, inquiring if a third waste station is necessary, and encouraging the city to examine other possibilities such as adopting a zero waste strategy.

In November 2006, the city hires an independent consultant to study zero waste. URS, Norton Arnold and Company, and Herrera Environmental were hired to conduct a six-month study.

April 2007, the consultants complete their study. Mayor Nickels and SPU released the study on April 9, 2007: it is two volumes and over 600 pages.

The zero waste study provides scenarios where a third station is not needed. The city could expand their recycling policies, like including more organics and construction (construction debris makes up over 40% of what we send to landfills!). The city could use private companies who have facilities that already exist. Building a third station is a waste of money and will just continue our dependency on landfills.

Public hearings will be held June 7th and June 20th. The Utilities Committee will vote on June 26th. This matter will go before Full Council on July 2nd. Please contact City Council today!

Bowling and Beer Drinking

We went bowling on Friday night at West Seattle Bowl.



My brother started off with three strikes in a row. This is called a turkey.



We did not drink the beer mentioned in the title of this post. We drank cocktails.



My brother-in-law's cat is the beer drinker in the family. (The following photos are from Mother's Day.)





Redhook's his favorite.

Belated Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

I know I'm three days late with this. Garden bloggers are supposed to take photos of their blooms on the 15th of each month. Maybe next month I'll take my bloom day photos just one day late, on Bloomsday.

I also know that I am about to bore you with multiple pictures of my sage plants, which are my favorite thing right now.



OK, no flowers here, but these Helictotrichon sempervirens seeds look beautiful.



Let's return to that Salvia.



Siberian dogwood.



Alliums!



My husband picked this plant. I've always thought it looked ghostly.



I have not shown you photos of the Ceanothus in a while.



I can never remember what this plant is. Enkianthus or something like that?



Waning blossoms.



Rosemary.



Parahebe? Pretty. I just noticed the blossom this morning.



Looks like yellow blossoms are on their way.



And let's take one last look at the sage.

Salon of Shame

Last night I went to Salon of Shame, where brave grownups read the most embarrassing entries from their teenage diaries.



The event organizer reads about her 16th birthday.



This guy reads a poem he wrote about a date gone bad.



Unicorn Power guy talks about Ali, the girl who broke his heart.



The Brooklyn version of this, which started first, is called "Cringe."



My preteen diary had a lock like the one shown here.



Another broken heart. Aww.



My pal Brangien had the best reading of the night, complete with photos that proved just how angsty she was at the time.



This guy read selections from the autobiography he wrote as an 11-year-old.





Jeannie MCs but never reads because, reportedly, she once burned all her diaries. A shame.



This local reporter read an unflattering report she wrote for -- and about -- her 8th grade English teacher.



And this reader also showed us the cheer she and her sister made up for high school cheerleading tryouts in like 1973.







She made the squad, hurray!

Hat and Boots (Oxbow Park)

Here's the pair of cowboy boots at Oxbow Park on Corson Street in Georgetown.



Hopefully someday they'll have enough money to fix up the hat as well.



There's a community garden in the park as well. I had hoped to get a better picture of this girl's hair, which almost perfectly matches the flowers on that bush in the background.



Hat and Boots used to be a Texaco station, which opened in 1954. A postcard from the time reads: "The site of the worlds largest cowboy boots and hat by E. Marginal Way and Corson. Colorfully designed by Louie Nasmyth, stitch for stitch and wrinkle by wrinkle in structural steel and concrete." (HistoryLink.org says his first name is actually "Lewis.") The station closed in 1988.



In December 2003, Hat and Boots were moved to the park after languishing behind a chain-link fence for 15 years.