How many movies can you count where an "incurable disease" threatens the worlds population? No worries if you can't think of any off-hand… they're still making them! 

Unfortunately, this old plot is a bit too close to home for our local Puget Sound salmon runs. Recent news has reported a sample of wild Sockeye in British Columbia have contracted a European strain of Salmon Anemia. Which of course, is non-curable.This fish flu has historically only affected (devastated) the Atlantic Salmon farms in Norway, Scotland, Chile, and Eastern Canada but has never shown up on the Pacific side of the world… until now. 

Like me, you may be asking what Atlantic Salmon are doing in the Pacific mixing with our own superior wild salmon species? Well, our northerly neighbors in British Columbia have been farming the Atlantic species for years now, buying the eggs from Norway (just like Chile did). Then it dawned on me that we have some aquatic salmon pens about 5 miles west of Beach Drive just inside the southern tip of Bainbridge Island inside Rich Passage.

I've motored over to the pens a few times each summer showing guests salmon splashing around and the seals begging a few get loose.  A little research revealed: "Oly Yump'n yalmon!" those are Atlantic Salmon being farmed by American Gold Seafood for buyers such as Whole Foods who sells the fish outside our local market area (it's a "socially sensitive subject" in these parts). American Gold Seafood owns and operates over 120 salmon pens in Washington waters with this villian fish yet claim superior farming methods as compared to other competing sites. They have not detected the virus.  

We've recently noticed the UW research vessel Thomas G Thompson snooping around between Beach Drive and Blake Island wondering if they're probing some of our friendly salmon or herring in their floating laboratory (place dramatic sci-fi music here).

 Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog

Two women on a walk by Beach Drive and Lowman Park around 8:45am this morning were followed by a man with intent of them seeing him behaving lewd.  The Caucasian male was driving a white Mazda pick-up truck has been reported to the police… you can read the details on West Seattle Blog.

The driver is described as being in his 40's with "average/heavy build, thinning brown hair, wearing a white shirt and khaki work pants".

Please contact the police if you have information about this or a had a similar experience with this person.

Apparently this creature has blue wings and landed on my husband by Jacobsen… any idea what type of insect this is?

This otter didn’t notice us watching as he dined on this fish.

I tend to shy away from writing about my "day job" on Beach Drive Blog…however it occurred to me that there are some significant changes that may impact many in the Alki area who have higher valued homes that may require larger loan amounts with their mortgages.  I'd be remiss not to give my neighbors a heads up on something that may have dramatic impact on their finances.

Unless Congress passes an extension of the current loan limits, they will be lowered on October 1, 2011 and possibly again on January 1, 2012.  The current conforming "high balance" loan limit for a single family dwelling in the Seattle area is $567,500, any loan amount over that is considered a "jumbo" (or non-conforming) and often has a higher interest rate and tougher qualifying guidelines.  Our current conforming loan limits are technically "temporary" and are set to roll back to $506,000 on October 1, 2011. Fannie Mae has hinted that we may see loan amounts reduced further effective 2012 as conforming loan limits are based on median home values.  We probably won't have more information about the loan limits for next year until November. 

Reducing the loan limits from $567,500 to $506,000 means that potential home buyers will need to come up with $61,500 more for a down payment if they want to have a conforming mortgage, for a home priced around $710,000.  If you are selling a home in this price range, you may want to consider that there may be fewer buyers available should your home require a larger down payment or jumbo financing.  For those considering refinancing a conforming mortgage, if their loan amount is over $506,000, they should act soon.  Often times, lenders will implement guidelines well in advance to what Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA or VA will do in order to not get caught holding a mortgage with "yesterday's" higher loan amount.

Loan amounts are being reduced across Washington State, I'm addressing the limits that will be impacting our West Seattle neighborhood.   FHA "high balance" loan limits are set to be reduced on October 1, 2011 as well.

Mortgage rates are still very low and the difference between a jumbo and conforming interest rate is about 0.5% in rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. If I can be of any assistance, please contact me.  I'm always happy to help a neighbhor.

And now…back to our regular programming.

No parking zones will be enforced tomorrow starting a 7:00 am and ending on Thursday, July 14th at 7:00 pm for several blocks of Beach Drive.  This is for repaving of the 4500 – 4600 blocks (additional blocks are closed).

Bus stops have been temporarily moved too.  This one has been moved about a block south of it's normal location to the 4700 block with will be a tow zone tomorrow morning too.

Today's low tide of -2.5 happened at 10:38 this morning.  Check out the tides for the rest of the week with a full moon this Thursday:

Monday, May 16:

• 11.42 at 5:48 pm
• 6.06 at 11:04 pm

Tuesday, May 17:

• 11.75 at 4:18 am
• -3.17 at 11:22 am
• 11.9 at 6:41 pm
• 6.47 at 11:59 pm

Wednesday, May 18:

• 11.44 at 5:01 am
• -3.37 at 12:05 pm
• 12.13 at 7:31 pm

Thursday, May 19:

• 6.68 at 12:54 am
• 10.95 at 5:47 am
• -3.13 at 12:50 pm
• 12.13 at 8:20 pm

Friday, May 20:

• 6.71 at 1:50 am
• 10.31 at 6:36 am
• -2.51 at 1:36 pm
• 11.98 at 9:07 pm

Saturday, May 21:

• 6.57 at 2:50 am
• 9.55 at 7:29 am
• -1.6 at 2:22 pm
• 11.74 at 9:54 pm

The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning until 8:00 p.m. this evening…stating:

…SOUTH WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS 60 MPH UNTIL THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. WINDS EASING TO 15 TO 25 MPH AFTER 8 PM AND TO 10 TO 15 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

Tides are currently at about 5 ft (estimating from my tide chart) with the next high tide of 9.52 ft at 9:14 p.m. tonight.  Picturing the waves 4.52 feet higher is a bit daunting.

Puget Sound Marine Forecast

…GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT… TONIGHT…SW WIND 30 TO 40 KT THIS EVENING…. WIND ALL AREAS EASING EASING TO SW 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 6 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 OR 2 FT LATE. SCATTERED SHOWERS.

Here's the current forecast from the National Weather Service for West Seattle:

Wednesday: Rain. High near 45. Windy, with a south southeast wind 8 to 11 mph increasing to between 30 and 33 mph. Winds could gust as high as 49 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Wednesday Night: Rain showers likely before 4am, then rain and snow showers likely. Snow level 1200 feet. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Breezy, with a south wind 19 to 22 mph decreasing to between 11 and 14 mph. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Seattle Area Tides for Wednesday, March 2, 11:

High   4:22 AM    11.3  

Low  10:08 AM     5.2     

High   3:15 PM     9.8

Low   9:40 PM     0.7

Puget Sound Marine Forecast

…GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON…

WED…SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT…BECOMING S 25 TO 35 KT BY NOON. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 3 TO 6 FT. RAIN.

WED NIGHT…S WIND 20 TO 30 KT…EASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT…SUBSIDING.