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:
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.

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

I wrote a short informational piece on the upcoming UW Spring Pow Wow. This free event takes place annually at the Hec Edmundson Pavilion. For more information, please see my article, 2009 First Nations @ UW Spring Pow Wow, on the Examiner.com website.

(This photo is courtesy of the First Nations @ UW. The article referenced above includes a short slideshow featuring more of the First Nations’ colorful Pow Wow photos.)

This was my review:

Elemental @ Gasworks: Unique menus, excellent food, character, and more-than-reasonable pricing. A must!!!

My boyfriend and I went here on a Wednesday afternoon mid-July. We arrived a little too early (as we didn’t want to be late) and were afraid we were going to be sent away after reading some of these reviews. We stayed outside and checked in again after some time of nervously waiting. It was worth all of the anxiety … and then some. I am guessing that the people who have gotten attitude or “rude” treatment might have just been unlucky … but they most likely deserved it. Don’t go into Elemental expecting to order the “staff” around – the fact that there is no tipping allowed should be a pretty big clue. They are not there to wait on you hand and foot or even to make you a happy customer; they are there because they enjoy sharing their talents and love of good food and drink with others. Pretend you are at a friend’s home for dinner, and let them cook and pour for you what they will. At some point during dinner you will be presented a “menu” of sorts, and I highly suggest you try as much of it as you can. I agree that this is an experience very akin to the Herbfarm – albeit lasting fewer hours and being less formal. By sharing different dishes between two of us, we ended up with the equivalent of a very interesting 9-course meal (with more wine than we could keep up with) … yet at about half the cost. I can’t say I loved every dish of our Herbfarm menu, but every dish at Elemental left absolutely nothing to be desired … except for perhaps more money in our paychecks so that we could eat there more often. It was a superb experience, I can hardly wait to go back!

Pros: Menu & Wine Pairings; Atmosphere & Location; Cost
Cons: No Reservations; No Wait List; Small Restaurant with Limited Seating