Are you missing a kayak?

A sit-upon kayak was recovered earlier this morning near Lowman Beach Park. If this kayak is yours, or someone you know, please call Larry at 206-200-4677 with a description of the kayak.

We hope it’s back with the owner soon!

Car accident this morning

Around 3:00 am this morning, a vehicle struck a utility pole on Beach Drive around the 5400 block. According to a neighbor, tow trucks are now on scene and the roads are still closed as I write this post (7:30 am). We have not heard how the passenger(s) are doing after the emergency rescue.

Pair of Bald Eagles


These two beautiful birds were sharing a rock in front of Emma Schmitz View Point until a pesky seagull decided to try chasing one away.

Happening Now: Power Paddle to Puyallup

If you’re lucky enough to be home right now or near a Beach Drive Park, look to Puget Sound to see Native Americans participating in their annual canoe trek. This year’s event is the Power Paddle to Puyallup. The tribes plan to arrive in Puyallup tomorrow with 108 tribal nations participating.

You can hear some of the participants sing as they paddle against the current and tide as they head south.

This is always such a treat to witness!

Drill Baby Drill!

Soil samples are now being taken at Emma Schmitz Memorial View Point. According to our intrepid reporter, Scupper, they are going down 60 feet. This is for the upcoming improvements to the deteriorating seawall.

Photo credit: Scupper

And now a word from our Sponsor

At this time, Beach Drive Blog is fully supported by my husband, aka Scupper and me. Unlike other neighborhood blogs and news media in West Seattle, we do not rely on Beach Drive Blog as a source of income. I actually have a full time “day job” to help support our household and therefore, this blog. πŸ™‚ I think it’s appropriate if every once in a while, we take a short commercial break to hear from our sponsor beyond the graphic on the sidebar.Β  I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.

I have been in the mortgage industry since 2000 at Mortgage Master Service Corporation. MMSC was actually started by my in-laws back in 1976. In this photo, I’m with Marilyn Porter, President of Mortgage Master (and my sister-in-law) when we received an award from the Washington Association of Mortgage Professionals. Prior to my mortgage career, I worked in the title and escrow industry for 14 years and managed an escrow branch.

I love working here. My underwriting manager’s office is about 25 steps from mine and we have worked together for 18 years! I share my office with my sister, who also cares for my client’s transactions.

We are a correspondent lender, which basically means that we’re like a combination between a bank and a broker. Like a bank, we underwrite, process and fund mortgage transactions from our credit lines. Like a broker (and unlike a bank), we have several lenders to chose from to shop interest rates and mortgage programs. Unlike a bank or broker, this all takes place at our local office by Southcenter (most banks have large processing centers out of state). It’s nice to have more control over a mortgage transaction and to be able to work directly with our underwriter and the president of the company. πŸ™‚

We offer conventional, FHA, VA and Jumbo mortgages for home purchases and refinances. I can help you with your primary home in West Seattle, second home in Bellingham, investment property in Bellevue or anywhere located in Washington state. We lend on 1-4 unit homes, including homes that could use a little tlc/rehab work, condos and select manufactured homes.

I would love to help you with your next mortgage. Please feel free to check out my other blog at www.mortgageporter.com and my reviews on Yelp.

Thanks for reading Beach Drive Blog!Β  And now… back to our regular programming.

Rhonda Porter MLO-121324

Mortgage Master Service Corporation NMLS ID#40445

 

 

UPDATE: Kitties are indoor/outdoor… Are these your cats?

UPDATE: Bernie and Manny live in the neighborhood and are indoor/outdoor cats. No worries! πŸ™‚


These two sweet cats are hanging around 61st and Beach Drive. Are they yours? If so, let us know or visit the West Seattle Connection group on Facebook to be reunited.

Power Outage on Beach Drive and the Helicopters

If you haven’t been watching the afternoon news or reading West Seattle Blog, you might be wondering what’s up with the helicopters overhead all morning… and I guess if you’re on that portion of Beach Drive without power, you just might be in the dark (so to speak).

Apparently there is an ongoing standoff taking place at 42nd and Findlay. It appears that the SWAT team was called out for an eviction possibly involving family members. The home was registered having a large amount of firearms which is likely why SWAT was called.Β The home was set fire and areas of West Seattle have lost power.

I don’t know if the area on Beach Drive is a cause of the fire or if it’s just a coincidence.

Many nearby streets are blocked off.

West Seattle Blog has ongoing coverage of this event.

 

 

BREAKING NEWS: Jacobsen Road is closed

Jacobson St (4700 block of Beach Drive) is currently closed due to a large tree that came down along one of the bends. Our intrepid reporter, Scupper, is on the scene and will have more info for us soon. Stay tuned.

UPDATE 9:01 AM: Scupper talked to a Seattle Police Officer who stated he does not know when a crew will be out to remove the tree.

The only access for locals is west of the down tree.

 

Spongy Grounds by Emma Schmitz View Point

We had some anxious neighbors wanting us to make everyone aware of some changes to the earth in Emma Schmitz View Point. We did encourage them to contact the City of Seattle.

This is at the southern part of where the rock bulkhead and the metal seawall meet. It looks like it could be a possible water line leak? Our intrepid reporter, Scupper, took this photo and commented that the grounds are quite spongy.

UPDATE 9:36 AM:

Scupper talked to Seattle Public Utilities worker who mentioned that the nearby water meter is spinning. He was in the process of contacting Seattle Parks to ask for direction of how to proceed. Apparently the parks department is in control of everything beyond the public sidewalk where there is a park.

This spongy bulge (aka the Beach Drive Bulge) should be resolved soon.