Petition to repave Beach Drive

January 24, 2016 by 4 Comments

bd pot hole driveA Beach Drive neighbor, Jim Unland, wants Beach Drive to be repaved. He is looking for 100 signatures on his on-line petition to repave pot-hole riddled Beach Drive. Whether your drive or bike on Beach Drive, you’re probably very aware of sad state of our street.

From Jim’s emails:

“Here is the link to a petition I created.  I am hoping you can put it on your blog and promote it and convince people to sign it and share it.  It is linked to Lisa Herbold’s email and Sue Byers (SDOT).

I have business cards ordered with the website on them and I will be walking the neighborhood giving them out.  Between websites like yours and my walking, I’m hoping to get enough signatures to get some movement on this issue by the City.

…When someone signs the petition, our Councilmember, Lisa Herbold and the two “at-large” Councilmembers, Tim Burgess and Lorena González will be emailed a message simply stating “Please Repave Beach Drive”  The other recipient of this message will be Sue Byers.  She is in charge of repaving at SDOT.”

In 2011, someone with a sense of humor re-named “Pot Hole Drive”.

You can sign the petition by clicking this link: https://www.change.org/p/jim-unland-repave-beach-drive

 

Filed Under: Politics, Safety Tagged With: , ,

Come help plant fruit trees on Chilberg

January 22, 2016 by 2 Comments
photo kevin working

Kevin getting the project started.

Chilberg neighbors have starting a volunteer landscape project in the to install 10 dwarf fruit trees on a public median. They are one of the West Seattle groups awarded a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods matching fund grant.

From the neighborhood announcement:

“Friends of the Chilberg Link will beautify a sloped median that leads to Emma Schmitz Park along the shoreline. The median is along Chilberg Ave SW between SW Carroll & SW Douglas. Friends of the Chilberg Link will remove invasives, prune vegetation, plant edible plants, and create an area for rainwater holding and a secured art piece. Work parties will be held in the winter and spring of 2016. Professional landscape firms will be hired to lead the community in landscape installation, including: Mariposa Naturescapes, Garden Cycles, and Black Lotus Landscaping LLC.

The neighborhoods desire is to honor a piece of West Seattle’s cultural and landscape history:

“The meadow at the northern end of the Schmitz property, a single lane dirt road wound down a hill through substantially uninhabited meadow to a dead end a block beyond Carroll Street.  

 When walking to and from the old Alki School [at Chilberg Ave. SW/59th and Caroll], we frequently preferred the trail along Chilberg Avenue, to enjoy some of the most beautiful wild flowers in the open fields and leading up into ‘The woods,’ the hillside forest.”  Lillevand Papers, SWSHS.

ChilburgIf you would like to help out, you can join the Friends of Chilberg on:

Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 to 12:30 until March 15, 2016.

Bring:

  • Shovels
  • Pruners
  • Gloves
  • Cardboard (to lay on dirt)
  • Allow use of yard waste containers

For more information, contact Janice at nymanarc@gmail.com

Filed Under: Garden

King Tides coming next Week

January 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment

We have extra high tides (aka King Tides) predicted next week.

  • Wednesday, January 13th at 7:35 AM: 12.9
  • Thursday, January 14th at 8:14 AM: 13
  • Friday, January 15th at 8:55 AM: 12.9

Hopefully it will be as sunny and calm as it is today. Although it was a spectacular sight along Alki with last month’s King Tide.

Filed Under: Tides, Weather

King Tide

December 18, 2015 by 1 Comment

We have a high tide of 12.5 minutes away at 10:14 am this morning. There is a small craft advisory in effect until this evening with waves of 2 to 4 feet.

Our intrepid reporter, Scupper is on the scene at Mee Kwa Mooks and has just shared this video of the tides washing over the walkway.

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Tides Tagged With:

Wind and Rain this Week

December 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment

2015 Nov 8 drain

We’re being deluged with rain and wind this week from sweet ol’ Mother Nature. This sewer drain is now a water feature by 5400 Beach Drive.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory until 3:00 pm today and we’re just at high tide as I write this post.

It’s a great evening to be hunkered in by the fireplace. 🙂

Filed Under: Weather

Thanksgiving Moon Set

November 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment

I woke up this morning to this beautiful moon setting over the Olympics.2015 thanksgiving moon set
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Filed Under: Sunrise & Sunset

King County Foot Ferry aborts docking at Alki and other Mother Nature Mayhem

November 24, 2015 by 2 Comments

We have very strong northerly winds this afternoon along with higher tides. King Tides officially started this afternoon and continue through the 27th for November.

Late this afternoon, the King County Ferry opted not to dock at Alki after two attempts. Video credits to Scupper.

Passengers were waiting on the Alki dock hoping they’ll get a refund for not being able to board.

Thanks to Michele, a friend of Beach Drive Blog for sending us these pics!

nov 24 wind kite

And this photo of the seas crashing up to what is typically a sandy beach with a park, picnic tables and fire pits. Quite spectacular!
nov 24 seas over table

Here’s some videos I captured of this afternoon along Alki. Please pardon my shaky hands.

This north of the volley ball pits with the kite surfer.

This is by 61st and Alki.

 

This is at the end of the park as it heads towards Alki point, looking back towards Seattle.

This person braved the waves (see the person in the mist to the right).

2015-11-24 14.58.13

I’m so glad that I was able to witness this event and hope the home owners along Alki weathered this okay and are safe.

Filed Under: Alki, Weather

USS John C. Stennis returning home

November 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment

CV 74
We just spied the USS John C. Stennis returning to her home port of Bremerton.

While doing a little research, I found this CNN documentary about the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) that I’d thought I’d share.

Filed Under: Puget Sound Tagged With:

Do you recall the sinking of The Dix? Check out this video.

November 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

One of our readers shared this video with us of the sinking of passenger ship, The Dix.  Thanks, Mark!

HISTORY: A Night to Remember from Avenue Collection on Vimeo.

Filed Under: Film, Puget Sound

High Wind Watch and Gale Watch: BARKING DOG REPORT

November 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

We have some very windy weather in the forecast for Tuesday. The winds are predicted to start today and build through Tuesday. We have a small craft advisory in effect through tonight followed by a Gale Watch on Tuesday.

A High Wind Watch as been issued starting 6:00 am Tuesday morning through midnight. A “high wind watch” is defined by the National Weather Service as:

A HIGH WIND WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A DAMAGING WIND EVENT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH AND/OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR STRONGER MAY OCCUR.

Based on the current forecast (see below), we are preparing for the possibility of flooding due to the high winds, high tide and the predicted waves.

This is what we at BDB have referred to as a “barking dog report”. It may be that we’re just being a friendly neighborhood dog, howling at nothing, or this really could be an event that is legitimately cause for concern. Of course, we hope it’s all a big to-do over nothing.

Cliff Mass says that Tuesday will be “a particularly wild day”.

Here is the forecast from the NWS:

Tuesday
Rain. High near 56. Windy, with a south southwest wind 28 to 38 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
Rain before 10pm, then showers after 10pm. Low around 44. Breezy, with a southwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible

Seattle City Forecast:

…HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING…
TODAY…BECOMING WINDY. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN AT TIMES IN THE AFTERNOON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 MPH THIS AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE 40S. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

TUESDAY…VERY WINDY. RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 20 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT…WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES IN THE EVENING…THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 30 MPH SOUTH PART…NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH NORTH PART. WIND BECOMING SOUTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH ALL AREAS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

Puget Sound Marine Forecast:

TODAY  S WIND 10 TO 20 KT…RISING TO 20 TO 30 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT…BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT IN THE  AFTERNOON. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN IN THE  AFTERNOON.  

TONIGHT  S WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. RAIN.  

TUE  SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT…RISING TO 35 TO 45 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT…BUILDING TO 6 TO 8 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.  

TUE NIGHT  W WIND 25 TO 35 KT…BECOMING SW 15 TO 25 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT…SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER  MIDNIGHT.

Check out the tides. We have a 11.71 high tide at 9:13 Tuesday morning. The tides are predicted to go down to a 6.5 at 3:15 pm and then up to a 8.66 at 7:57 Tuesday night.

2015-11-16_1025_tides
Wind Alert shows the winds building with gusts over 45 mph starting at high tide and continuing throughout the afternoon. This wind graph is of Fauntleroy.

2015-11-16_1030_wind_alert

Filed Under: Safety, Weather
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