Plans for the new flexible community space at the Hunters Farm lot (7744 35th Ave NE) are available at the Wedgwood Community Council homepage. The “Amish style barn raising” build is scheduled for August 18-21. Got hammer, English? You’re invited to join in.
July 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment
“Why is my alarm clock blinking?” – Power outage affects 3,600 in Ravenna/Wedgwood this afternoon
April 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
About 3,600 Seattle City Light customers lost power this afternoon around 1 PM, due to a falling tree branch. Power was restored about an hour later.
From Seattle City Light’s Scott Thomsen (emphasis mine):
Seattle City Light restored service to about 3,600 homes and businesses in Ravenna and Wedgwood in about an hour after a falling tree branch cut power to the area.
The outage started about 1 p.m. when a private tree company cut down part of a Douglas fir near NE 40th Avenue and NE 92nd Street. The falling wood hit power lines, causing a short, before coming off the lines and falling to the ground.
City Light crews inspected the area for damage then re-set breakers to restore power before 2 p.m.
The general boundaries of the outage were NE 106th Street on the north, NE 75th Street on the south, 8th Avenue NE on the west and Lake Washington on the east.
At the time of this writing it looks as though there is one customer still affected, very close by where the incident took place. But all other customers in the area have restored power.
This is also a friendly reminder (for those in the effected area) to check your clocks (especially any that may wake you up in the morning) when you get home from work today.
Welcome our newest ad partner, Blossoming Buds Cottage
April 4, 2011 by 1 Comment
Say hello to the Ravenna Blog’s newest ad partner, Blossoming Buds Cottage!
In November 2004, Tristan Christophilis opened her Blossoming Buds Preschool in the basement of a house in the Laurelhurst neighborhood. The program and educational philosophy of the school proved to be quite popular and successful, and in January 2007, the preschool moved to its current larger location in Bryant (4706 35th Ave NE).
Then in July 2009, a sister facility to the preschool was opened in Wedgwood: Blossoming Buds Cottage (7501 35th Ave NE).
The Cottage shares the same education goals and standards as the preschool, with the added bonus of being a flexible, drop-in style preschool. At Blossoming Buds Cottage, students may attend two-, three-, or four-hour blocks. Every day is broken up into a predictable schedule (ex. story and meet and greet time followed by snacks followed by art) that parents can depend on, but the activities and themes change from day-to-day and month-to-month.
Blossoming Buds Cottage also has other services and events available throughout the year:
- Semimonthly “Date Nights” – Kids spend a four-hour block playing, eating pizza and watching a G-rated movie while their parents are enjoying some quality kid-free time.
- Open for afternoon home Husky games – Open approximately one hour before kick-off and up to four hours after the game ends (with a four hour maximum stay).
- Birthdays or other special events – Two hour blocks of time are available on weekends, and various party packages are available.
My three-year-old son has been attending about once a week since January, and loves it. I love the flexible schedule, and my precious block of time down at the Starbucks (with the wifi). And the staff could not be nicer and care more for my child.
For more information on Blossoming Buds Cottage, click on their ad to the right, or visit blossomingbudscottage.com.
Really, it *is* spring. Here are some local garden events to prove it!
March 31, 2011 by 1 Comment
[UPDATED 4:47PM – Added some Center for Urban Horticulture Events]
Spring has, indeed, sprung. The sun’s path has crossed the equator and is headed further north everyday. (Astronomers know what season it is well before meteorologists and Seattleites, unfortunately.)
Here are some upcoming local garden-related events you may want to attend. Just be prepared to bring along your rain poncho.
Ravenna Community Garden
Two April work parties are scheduled (and you can find out about future ones by visiting their website at RavennaCommunityGarden.org):
- Sunday, April 10th, noon to 3PM – plant cabbage in Bed #10, move dirt pile, re-position compost bins, BUILD SHED, weed and plant the herb border, install fencing around herb bed
- Saturday, April 30th, 2 to 5PM – plant potatoes in separate containers, plant Bed #7 with root veggies, BUILD SHED, border plantings
Anyone in the neighborhood is welcome to lend a hand in the community garden. It’s located on the northern end of the field behind the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE).
Picardo P-Patch
The Picardo Farm Gardener Gathering date has been set for Saturday, April 9th, in the University Prep Commons Area (8000 25th Ave NE). (This meeting is really only for Picardo P-Patch plot holders. If you’d like to look into getting your own plot at Picardo [or any other p-patch in the city], you can read up on the process here.)
Here are some agenda highlights:
10-11AM – New Gardeners
- Picardo history and culture
- Expectations and gardener responsibilities
- Mentoring program
11-noon – Whole Garden
- Announcements: Leadership, Straw Bale and Coffee Bag sale, post garden plant sale
- Master Plan updates: Compost bins, orchard areas, grant proposal
- Composting Toilet: Demonstration after the meeting
- Food Bank gardening
- South Field conversion to year-round gardening: process and how to get involved
- Door prizes
After the meeting to 2PM – New gardener orientation in the p-patch
- Find your plot
- Learn about the garden – composting toilet, orchard, children’s garden, toolshed, etc.
Center for Urban Horticulture
Over in Laurelhurst at the UW’s Center for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st Street), gardening-related events ABOUND. Here are three that I would recommend:
- Saturday, April 2nd, 9AM-2PM – Northwest Fuchsia Society Spring Plant Sale: Hardy, species, baskets & many hard to find varieties. More info at www.nwfuchsiasociety.com.
- Saturday, April 2nd, 9AM-3PM – Garden Lovers’ Book Sale: Free and open to the public. Find a great deal on used gardening and plant books. Proceeds of the sale are used to purchase the best and newest in horticultural books and journals for the Elisabeth C. Miller Library. More info at depts.washington.edu/hortlib/index.shtml
- Saturday, April 16th, 10:30-11:15AM – Young Gardener’s Story Time: The Magic of Seeds! Join us for a story program that starts small and grows into something amazing! After the stories, do a seed dance and plant a seed to take home. (Held monthly, through the growing season.)
There are MANY more events in April at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Visit their Classes and Events Calendar to see them all.
Thanks to Rebecca on facebook for the tip!
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Do YOU know of any other Ravenna-area gardening events in April? Let me know in the comments below or by email, and I shall add them to the post.
Bake-at-home pizza and collegiate surplus new to the area this week
January 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Today, we welcome Zaw Pizza to the (nearly) neighborhood, and tomorrow it’s UW Surplus’ big day!
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New signage, with bonus phone number (photo courtesy Zaw Pizza)
Zaw Artisan Pizza opens its fifth location in Wedgwood (7320 35th Ave NE) today at 2pm. No deliveries this week, as they focus on the pizza-making first; however, busy folks can order ahead and pick up their pizzas while STILL IN THEIR CARS, thanks to a second door to the store, adjacent to the kitchen.
When deliveries start next week, the neighborhoods of Wedgwood, View Ridge, Bryant, Ravenna, and even Laurelhurst are included in the delivery area. Roosevelt and Maple Leafers east of 15th Avenue NE are also in the delivery zone. (The rest of Roosevelt and Maple Leaf, and the University District may be added to the deliver zone later.)
The Wedgwood Zaw crew! Katie, Amanda, Danielle, Stephanie, Will, Nathan, Townley, Danny, Rose and JOE are happy to be here!
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On Tuesday, UW Surplus holds their first public sale from noon-6 PM at their new location (4515 25th Ave NE), across 25th Avenue NE from University Village.
The old location (underneath campus security on Boat Street) had its charm: Lots of wood, lots of old signage. A duck. But it was also small, and had very little head room. And no heat. The new location is quite a bit larger AND heated. (And conveniently located across the street from Radio Shack.)
A sneak peek -- LOOK at all that head room!
Just how does the University of Washington decide what they don’t need or want anymore? From the UW Surplus Store’s FAQ page:
The UW is committed to contributing toward a greener world, and we try to let nothing go to waste if it can be reused, repurposed, or recycled. We take in surplus items from all UW departments and medical facilities. When a department doesn’t need something anymore, they send it to us. We receive items every day, so our stock of items is always changing & evolving.
And what is it like inside? What kind of stuff is the UW parting with? Well, if you’ve even been to the original Archie McPhee’s (on Stone Way) and wished they had more stuff you could outfit your mad scientist lab and office with, THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU.
Entrance is the small door to the left of the BIG DOOR.
Zaw Artisan Pizza coming to Wedgwood in the new year
December 30, 2010 by 4 Comments
Zaw's new home in Wedgwood
Where once there was a Domino’s there shall now be a place that makes take-home pizzas, like the Twice Baked Potato, Pig ‘n Pear, and Tailgate Feast.
Zaw Artisan Pizza is coming to Wedgwood (7320 35th Ave NE).
On or around January 10th is the rumored verified opening date. Exterior preparations due in the next few days are a paint job and new windows. (And a new sign, we’re guessin’.)
Along with a variety of take-and-bake pizzas (featuring many locally sourced and organic ingredients), you can choose from a variety of local beers, wines and sodas. Not sure what pairs with your pie? They’ve already done the research for you: Recommended pairings are listed on the menu.
Salads are offered as well. Among them is a Caesar salad wedge that looks like you could pick it up and eat out out of hand.
Wondering if Zaw will offer home delivery? The answer is YES. Once they’re open for business, from 4:30-9pm you can have your pizza delivered to your door…by BIKE.
Zaw’s other four locations are Capitol Hill, Ballard, Queen Anne and South Lake Union.
UPDATE: Their gluten-free crust will be available at this location as well (via twitter).
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Anyone been to any of the other Zaw’s? What did you think? Tell us in the comments.
Continuing power outage in Wedgwood (restored)
October 27, 2010 by 1 Comment
UPDATE (8:45 am): We have confirmation from a Wedgwood Power Outage sibling that some power was restored around 11:30pm that night.
UPDATE (6:41 am): Looks as though power has been restored to customers throughout the affected area at some point after after my last update (Seattle City Light System Status page now shows zero outages).
UPDATE (12:40 am): Power has been partially restored to the affected area. Seattle City Light System Status page now showing only 2 outages affecting 241 customers.
At approximately 2:30 pm on Wednesday afternoon, a Ravenna Blog twitter feed follower up in the Wedgwood/Matthews Beach/Meadowbrook area had her lights flicker and die, only to come on about a half an hour later.
But some of her neighbors were not so lucky.
Nearly 400 customers are still without power in an area of Wedgwood bordered by 30th Avenue NE, NE 90th St, 45th Ave NE and NE 82nd St (information from Seattle City Light’s System Status page; see the graphic below for greater detail).
Power-outage affected area as of 11:20 pm on Wednesday, October 27
Specially tagged areas of the map at the source give an estimated number of affected customers, an estimated power restoration time, and a cause (though not specific). This Seattle City Light’s System Status page is updated every 15 minutes.
For this current outage, two of the three tags have lapsed restoration times listed. All three have “Equip fail” listed as causes.
Another way to access outage information (and to report an outage) is to call Seattle City Light at (206) 684-7400. However, you need a phone number within the affected area to hear or report outage information for that area.
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Unfortunately, that is all the information on this outage that I can find at this time. I’m left to publish an update in the morning.
Halloween activities this week at the Northeast Library
October 26, 2010 by 1 Comment
Halloween is coming up on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean your kids can’t put their costumes on earlier in the week!
The Northeast Library (6801 35th Ave NE) has FOUR upcoming Halloween activities for your boys and ghouls to enjoy.
Both Story Times this week will include some Not-So-Spooky stories. Costumes are encouraged, and Children’s Services Librarian Erica will be wearing one herself!
- Tuesday, October 26 at 10:30 am – Preschool Story Time (geared for ages 3-5)
- Thursday, October 28 at 10:15 & 11:15 am – Toddler Story Time (geared for ages 1-3)
The Northeast Library is also participating in the Wedgwood Halloween Trick-or-Treat on Friday, October 29 from 4-6 pm.
And, last but not least, the library will also receive trick-or-treaters during their open hours on Halloween itself (October 31, from 1-5pm).
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We’ll also mention that on Saturday, October 30, at 10:15 am, Children’s Librarian Marita will be back to treat you to more Spanish and English stories and songs.
Thank to you Erica for the information for this post!
Obama-cade!
October 21, 2010 by 3 Comments
Here’s a picture from 23rd Avenue NE and NE 75th Street of the President’s motorcade as it climbed up the hill into Wedgwood just moments ago:
SO. MANY. CARS.
I also have video footage – COMING SOON it’s up now! You can also find it on the Ravenna Blog YouTube channel.
Dahl Playground swings are GONE, but shall return.
October 16, 2010 by 3 Comments
Yesterday afternoon, my friend and Roosevelt resident, Allan, alerted me to the following scene at the Dahl Field Playground (7700 25th Ave. NE):
Big fence!
No swings!
Even the merry-go-round and all the gravel is affected!
A twitter inquiry from me to @SeattleParks soon followed, and I heard back from Joelle Hammerstad with the Communications Office at Seattle Parks and Recreation that evening:
Seattle Parks and Recreation will begin swing set replacement at Dahl Playground on Oct 13. The four-seat swing set will be replaced with six swings. Four are 10 feet high (same as current swings), and two are eight feet high. The work is being done for safety and accessibility. The project will be complete by November 9. Signs have been posted informing users (who can read, and their parents for those who cannot!) of the work.
So there we go, Allan, and other concerned parents (and kids): The swings SHALL RETURN.
As for the removal of the pea gravel under both the (missing) swing set and the merry-go-round, my guess is that the ubiquitous wood chips will be their replacement. There were also some signs of some drainage-related construction (or some terribly uninspired graffiti, but I assume the former):
Note the step down due to the missing gravel
Ravenna Blog would LOVE to post your updates to the playground construction*. Just send us a note via email or in the comments below.
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*Our Playground Beat Reporter will try to get there herself a few times during the construction, but usually she’s rather distracted watching Playground Beat Reporter Jr.
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