Maria Isabel Velez: Images of SE Seattle in fiery color

This beautiful photo of autumn leaves on the grounds of the VA Hospital is by Maria Isabel Velez. Her photostream on Flickr has some beautiful atmospheric images of things in Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Georgetown, and elsewhere. According to her profile, all of the photos were taken with her iPhone!

Many of the images are of things that might go unnoticed — a crack in concrete, a rusting bench, an outlet on a wall. Maria’s use of composition and saturated color makes them fascinating.

Some other photos I particularly enjoyed in Maria’s photostream:

New pedestrian signage installed on Beacon Avenue

Will a bright yellow pedestrian warning sign get drivers attention? Photo by Wendi.
Will a bright yellow pedestrian warning sign get drivers' attention? Photo by Wendi.
We’ve heard neighbors complaining lately that it is sometimes difficult to cross Beacon Avenue South in front of Beacon Hill Station–cars just don’t see pedestrians, or just don’t stop for them. Sometime in the last week or so, the city added new signs to Beacon Avenue in an attempt to make this crosswalk safer, along with warning lights. With the opening of the light rail station, this crosswalk is even more heavily used than it was before, so this new signage has been needed.

A cyclist walks a bicycle across the crosswalk under the new signs. Photo by Wendi.
A cyclist walks a bicycle across the crosswalk under the new signs. Photo by Wendi.

Neighbors blogging: Walking hills, pipes, remodels, and reviews

This weekend there’s been a burst of activity on the blogs of some Beacon Hill neighbors. Here’s a selection of some recent posts.

Kat reflects on her former neighbor Marsha and the steep walk uphill.

Nikchick ponders how to deal with bad pipes in her home heating system.

Allison‘s attic bedroom remodel is coming together.

Brendan has posted several new album reviews.

JvA has a new set of shots from her latest photographic tour of nearby Georgetown.

Thanks bloggers! And if you live on Beacon Hill and you’ve got a blog, please point us to it!

Armed robbery of hair salon across from Shell

From the SPD Blotter:

On October 24th at approximately 6:37 p.m. two male suspects wearing all black clothing and ski masks and armed with handguns walked into a hair salon located in the 2300 block of 15th Avenue South.

Victim #1, a female employee, was at the rear of the salon and walked to the front when she heard the door chime. As she walked into the front area of the salon, one of the suspects grabbed her by the shirt and ordered her to the floor. Both suspects demanded money from her. She gave them cash.

Victim #2, a male employee who was also inside the salon, heard the noise and went to victim #1’s location. There he was contacted by one of the suspects and ordered at gun point to walk to the back of the business.

Victim #1 was able to run out of the salon when one of the suspects had briefly left her location. She ran across the street to a gas station for assistance. Both suspects fled the business when they discovered victim #1 had escaped.

Both victims and several citizens in the area heard one or two gunshots as the suspects fled the area. No property damage to the business or adjacent buildings was found by officers. Neither victim was injured during the incident. The suspects remain at large.

Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identities or whereabouts of the suspects is asked to call 911 or Seattle Police immediately and refer to this incident.

Help keep your library open more than 35 hours a week

Sign The Friends of the Seattle Public Library‘s Facebook petition to preserve library hours at the Beacon Hill branch.

If Mayor Nickels’s proposed budget plan is adopted by the City Council unchanged, the library’s hours will be reduced to:

  • 1pm to 8pm Mondays and Tuesdays.
  • 11am to 6pm Wednesdays and Thursdays.
  • Closed Fridays.
  • 11 am to 6pm Saturdays.
  • Closed Sundays.

More information about the 2010 Proposed Budget’s effect on the Operations Budget (collections and hours) and Capital (major building maintenance) is available on The Seattle Public Library’s website.

The Friends of the SPL want to hit 2000 signers on the petition today. It’s not out of reach at 1483 petitioners so far. Add your signature here.

Oh, the in-dog-nity and more fall events

Dog-o-ween 2008s Most Original winner Sasha as The Center of the Universe. Photo from dogoween.org.
Dog-o-ween 2008's Most Original winner Sasha as The Center of the Universe. Photo from dogoween.org.
Citizens for Off Leash Areas hosts “Dog-o-ween 2009” at the Genesee Park off-leash area today. Well, now. From 11am to 2pm.

Jefferson Community Center is hosting a Toddler Trick or Treat on Thursday and a Halloween Howl and Carnival on Friday. For more information, check the events page.

If you missed the Student Conservation Association and Boeing employee volunteer event in the Cheasty Greenspace today, there’s another chance coming up on November 7th for Green Seattle Day.

Eric Spivack from Soaring Crane Massage encourages folks to come out on Monday evening to wave signs in support of Approve Referendum 71. More details, again, on the events page.

This weekend: Rummage and walk with Mallahan

Just a couple items of note coming up this weekend:

Tomorrow:
12:00 PM Rainier Valley Cooperative Preschool Fall Rummage Sale and Festival

And Judith Edwards just announced on the mailing list a treat for Sunday:
1:00 PM Joe Mallahan walking tour of North Beacon Hill

For more details about these and more, hit the links on the events calendar page.

(Wendi adds: Don’t forget the Bookfest in Columbia City, also this weekend!)

Melancholy photos of October on Beacon Hill

From the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr:

Outside McPhersons fruit stand, at sunset. Photo by Tim Ripley.
Outside McPherson's fruit stand, at sunset. Photo by Tim Ripley.
Fog in Jefferson Park. Photo by Joel Lee.
Fog in Jefferson Park. Photo by Joel Lee.
These autumn sunsets are getting earlier and earlier. Photo by Bridget Christian.
These autumn sunsets are getting earlier and earlier. Photo by Bridget Christian.
Fish delivery. Photo by Tim Ripley.
Fish delivery. Photo by Tim Ripley.
Thanks to Tim, Joel, Bridget, and all who have shared their photographic talents with the community! Do you have interesting photos of Beacon Hill? You are invited to add them to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool. We’d love to see them!

McGinn favorite among BHB readers in poll

Mike McGinn at a town hall meeting on Beacon Hill last month. Photo by melissajonas.
Mike McGinn at a town hall meeting on Beacon Hill last month. Photo by melissajonas.
The Beacon Hill Blog Mayoral Survey is now closed. Here are the results:

  • McGinn: 61.5%
  • Mallahan: 33%
  • That dude sleeping on the bench in Triangle Park: 4%
  • Other: 1.5%

Will these match the final numbers? Time will tell.

At least two people attempted to stuff the ballot box by voting repeatedly (and obviously). Any votes that were the result of such ballot-box stuffing were removed from the final total. This left us with fewer than 100 responses, so it is a very small sample.

Lost: Iguana. Green. Five feet long.

Seen one of these lately? Photo by Drew Avery.
Seen one of these lately? Photo by Drew Avery.
Yes, you read that headline correctly. A five-foot-long iguana is apparently lost somewhere on North Beacon Hill.

Found today on craigslist.org:

My iguana headed out Saturday morning, Oct 17th. He cannot survive long in this weather. He was last seen near the I-90 trail at Atlantic & 17th AVE S, and may have wandered down towards 18th, up towards 23rd, or even climbed over the wall towards I-90. If you have seen him, please email me. If you live in the area or know people in the area, especially anyone who might have been driving Saturday morning, or running or biking on the I-90 trail, please let them know about this search.

Thank you,
Pete

You can contact Pete at comm-fvwj5-1430098677@craigslist.org.