All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.
Clean and Green

Help trees find good homes

A fernleaf beech in autumn. Photo by Sten via Wikimedia Commons/Creative Commons.

Seattle reLeaf sent us this this announcement:

Good news Seattle neighbors! Seattle reLeaf still has free trees for residential yards available through the Trees for Neighborhoods program. Residents are eligible for up to four free trees but trees are going fast and some species have waiting lists. The deadline for street trees has passed, but you can still apply for trees to plant in your yard. Here are two of the beautiful trees that still need good homes:

Fernleaf Beech – This naturally graceful and majestic tree brings year round interest to the northwest garden. Originating from France, this deciduous tree has glossy green fern-shaped leaves and strong muscular branches. In the fall the leaves turn an enchanting golden color, lighting up the neighborhood!

Western Red Cedar – The flagship tree of the northwest forest! The western red cedar has graceful sweeping branches and stunning reddish brown bark. Lewis and Clark thought that western red cedars were amazing enough to be called the “trees of life” – arbor vitae. Plant one in your backyard and bring new life to your neighborhood!

The deadline to apply for one of these handsome trees is October 21st, so apply now. Applications are here.

Local Events

Chobo-Ji invites neighbors to visit, learn, celebrate

Members of the Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Temple, or Chobo-Ji, would like to invite Beacon Hill friends and neighbors to classes and an open house celebration this month to see their grounds, learn about Zen Buddhism, and celebrate the group’s one-year anniversary in their space on South Horton Street.

The classes in the Introduction to Zen series will run each of the next three Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30, followed by a Sunday retreat. Here is the schedule of the remaining classes (the first class was this week):

  • Tuesday, October 9: Meditation in Action: chanting, bowing, walking, working
  • Tuesday, October 16: Zen Meals: preparing and eating food mindfully
  • Tuesday, October 23: Roots of Rinzai Zen: koans and the Zen Master with Rev. Genjo Marinello Osho
  • Sunday, October 28: 5:00-11:30 a.m. Half-day Zen retreat, or sesshin

Neighbors are welcome to attend all or part of the series. There is a suggested donation of $20 for the Tuesday night series, and $40 including the half-day retreat. If you have questions, contact Muken Rick Proctor at 206-817-4410.

On Sunday, October 14, the group will host a One-Year Anniversary Celebration and Open House from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Here’s the invitation from Chobo-Ji:

Beacon Hill friends and neighbors are invited to come celebrate one full year at Chobo-Ji’s new Zen Temple and Residential Zen Practice Center. We will chant the Heart Sutra and Four Great Vows at 10:30 and will serve refreshments and have an open-house afterward.

The temple is located at 1733 S. Horton St. in North Beacon Hill, about three blocks north of Spokane Street and one block west of Beacon Avenue.

The temple courtyard. Photo courtesy of Chobo-Ji.
Lost and Found

Cops got your goat? Maybe.

Photo courtesy of Seattle Animal Shelter.

Jonah Spangenthal-Lee at the SPD Blotter reports that a South Precinct police officer found a lost animal while patrolling in Rainier View (not Beacon Hill) Sunday morning. But this wasn’t the usual lost cat or dog — it was either a goat, or a big-horned sheep. (According to the Seattle Times, there is some uncertainty about the animal’s species at this point.) A full-sized male animal of about 60 pounds, the beast was just wandering down the street near Beacon Avenue South and South Leo Street.

Police have turned the beast over to the Seattle Animal Shelter. If you know where he came from, you may want to call the Shelter to let them know: 206-386-7387.

(Editor’s note: The SPD Blotter reported this story as being on Beacon Hill. An earlier version of the story here at the BHB said it was Beacon Hill as well, but apparently South Leo Street crosses Beacon Avenue in that far southeast part of Beacon Avenue that is not actually on Beacon Hill. The story’s not actually on the Hill, but… how often do we get to run stories about roaming ruminants?)

Meetings

PacMed rep added to tomorrow’s NBHC meeting agenda

What is the future of this iconic building? Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
An addition has been made to the agenda for Tuesday night’s North Beacon Hill Council meeting. Rosemary Aragon, Executive Director of the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority (PDA), will be on hand to discuss the recent termination of Wright Runstad’s lease on the historic PacMed Center building, and talk about the PDA’s history and mission: to remove gaps in healthcare access.

As the Seattle Times reported recently, Wright Runstad lost their 99-year lease 85 years early after they missed a $380,000 quarterly lease payment in June, and then were unable to meet a deadline last week to pay the back rent.

The council meeting will start at 7 p.m. at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Ave. S.

The rest of the agenda for the meeting is in our earlier post.

Local Events

Rainier Valley Co-op Preschool celebrates Fall Festival 10/13

A table of baked goods for sale at the RVCP Fall Festival in 2009. Photo by Jason Simpson.

It’s fall festival season! The Rainier Valley Cooperative Preschool‘s annual Fall Festival is Saturday, October 13 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Roberto Maestas Festival Street in north Beacon Hill.

The festival will have lots of activities, including bike hay rides, a bike parade, face painting, costume dress-up, a photo booth, cider pressing, pumpkin decorating, and more. All ages are welcome.

There will also be food for sale including baked goods and grilled food for both carnivores and vegetarians.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit the preschool.

Education, Volunteering and Giving

Boys and Girls Club needs volunteers

Photo courtesy of Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club.

The Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club needs volunteers to support their educational programming via homework help and tutoring.

The homework help program has two sessions per day, Monday through Thursday, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (7th grade – 12th grade) and 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (2nd grade – 6th grade). The tutoring program has two sessions per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m..

For more information on these volunteer positions, contact the Volunteer Coordinator at srvvolunteer@positivelace.org or at 206-436-1893.

Local Events, Volunteering and Giving

El Centro to celebrate 40 year anniversary this weekend; volunteers needed

Local non-profit group El Centro de la Raza‘s 40th anniversary celebration is this Saturday, September 29 at the Seattle Westin Hotel. There will be a reception, historical art walk, live and silent auctions, awards, and more.

The keynote speaker will be New Mexico Congressman Ben Ray Luján, the second Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Co-chair of the bipartisan Technology Transfer Caucus.

Volunteers in multiple areas are still needed to help the event run smoothly. The most help is needed between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m.; dinner will be provided for volunteers. If you’re interested, contact Taylor Skoglund, volunteer coordinator, at volunteer@elcentrodelaraza.org or call (206) 957-4602.

To register, donate, or find out more about this event, see the website here.

Lost and Found

Have you seen Dora?

3 Comments

There have been a lot of lost pets in the neighborhood lately. Here’s one.

Neighbor Heidi writes:

Our cat went missing yesterday afternoon and I’m hoping one of our neighbors has seen her or has information. She’s a pretty common looking brown tabby with white chest and white front feet. Her name is Dora. She’s a bit skittish with strangers, never strays more than a house away and has never been gone more than a few hours. She’s not the kind to get lost, or curious enough to get locked in a garage or something either, so we’re worried. She doesn’t wear a collar or tags, but is micro-chipped. We’re at 19th and Lander area.

If you have seen her or know anything, call 206-322-4503.