As seen from Union Bay … (It looked better in person, but this was about the best shot I could manage with my little point-and-shoot.)

I’ve lived in the same spot for 9 years now, and I don’t ever remember being able to see the Lake Union fireworks as well as this year. (Thanks, CHASE!) If nothing else, it made me really happy I didn’t venture out into the madness of the Gasworks crowd … as I’d surely still be battling traffic to get home as I write this.

CHASE Family 4th on Lake Union:
Formerly known as the WaMu Family 4th … and the only surviving Seattle fireworks display.

Read more:
16th Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles (May 22-25, 2009)

Read more:
38th Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle (May 22-25, 2009)

Read more:
35th Seattle International Film Festival (May 21 – June 14, 2009)

That’s because it’s a beaver!

And away he goes …

I have lived on Union Bay for just over nine years (give or take a few months during that stretch of time). Long ago my landlord had blessed my ears with far-fetched rumors about local beavers and the havoc they wreaked on fruit trees. I never saw any of the supposed damage myself, but the fence in the photo was actually put up by my landlords in the beaver’s “honor.”





On May 8th, the beaver ceased to exist merely as a figment of my wonderful landlord’s imagination. I was very happy I had enough time to grab my camera and get the one money shot I needed to prove it, though – to myself and to all of my friends who also believed in the Union Bay beavers as mere figments of both my landlord’s and my imagination. They are real.

The 3-course-for-$30 trend continues with a newly-titled Seattle Times promotion and a host of new restaurants. This round of bargain dining is called “Urban Eats,” and is offered by 49 participating restaurants, including such Seattle classics as 13 Coins and The Georgian, to relative newcomers on the King County dining scene such as the Boka Kitchen & Bar (Seattle), Pearl (in Bellevue), and Ama Ama (West Seattle).

It’s comforting to know that in today’s suffering economy, Seattle realizes the importance of still being able to eat well. And $30 for a three-course meal at most of these restaurants is quite a bargain.

This promotion runs Sunday-Thursday nights, May 3-31, 2009. (Mother’s Day not included.) See the Urban Eats website for details, restrictions, a list of the participating restaurants, and links to menus, reviews, and chef bios.

May 9, 2009 is National Train Day and the 10th Anniversary of the Amtrak Cascades line. See my Examiner.com article, National Train Day & the 10th Anniversary of Amtrak Cascades (May 9, 2009), for a brief description, as well as links to more official and detailed information and some related articles.

The Amtrak Cascades celebration takes place at the King Street Station in downtown Seattle, on May 9, 2009 (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM). There is no charge for admission, and JP Patches is scheduled to appear.

Official websites:
10th Anniversary of Amtrak Cascades
National Train Day