Stone Walled.

This evening a grassroots (netroots, really) group of cyclists met at Gasworks Park to plan a ride to protest Seattle's capitulation on its promise to make Stone Way a bike-friendly connection between the Burke Gilman Trail and Green Lake. About 30 people showed up and scheduled the ride for Wednesday, August 1 at 5pm.

A single property owner and developer, Suzanne "Suzie" Burke, has managed to throw her weight around and bully the City into eliminating bike lanes from Stone Way, as well as keeping the Burke Gilman Trail closed for yet another year. Perhaps worst of all: she's a hard-core right-winger who gave money to Rick Santorum just last August. Does this woman really speak for the people of Fremont and Wallingford? I hope not.

Burial Grounds.

Down the street from us some genius stuck a 4500 square foot home on a 4000 square foot lot. I'm not sure what kind of people would pay $1.36 million for a house with a yard the size of a VW bus, but I hope they're not afraid of ghosts. The poltergeist of the little old bungalow that sat on that space for the past 100 years might just haunt their champagne dreams.

Squeaky Wheels.

Last week I discovered that FlexCar had removed their ONLY vehicle parked within the dense swath bordered by Brooklyn Avenue, Stone Way, Lake Union and Green Lake. Tens of thousands of residents and zero FlexCars.

I complained to the company and threatened to cancel my membership if they didn't better serve my neighborhood. Either they succumbed to my threats or it is a terrific coincidence that there are now TWO FlexCars parked in the gravel parking lot behind Dick's on 45th. I don't really care how they came about, I'm just happy to have access to a Honda hybrid for trips to PCC and a Subaru sedan for a night at the opera.

Sweet Relief.

Yesterday I went on a fairly long bike ride and burned more calories than a large plate of spaghetti could replenish. At 7pm I craved something sweet. Unfortunately The Essential Bakery, Just Desserts and Wallingford Bakery all close at 6pm or earlier on Sundays. Even The Erotic Bakery was closed (though I'm not sure I was hungry enough to eat a slice of penis cake). I was so desperate I almost went to Winchell's.

Instead I called Boulangerie. I swear this place never closes. The owner said he'd be there "at least until 9." I walked up the streeet and purchased a delicious Honey and Walnut Tart. I must have looked satisfied because the guy with the drum (who is always hanging out front) said to me: "It looks like you got styled!" Indeed.

Hairy Palm.

Our Windmill Palm is looking great these days. Its flowers appear fuller, brighter and more luxuriant than they were last Spring. A robin's been spending the mornings tugging hair off its lower trunk, then flying next door with the takings to build a nest in our neighbor's eaves.

Nature's rad. Except for the flies.

Street Cred.

While riding toward the John Stanford International School rummage sale on Saturday, I passed this crime scene. The man's death (possibly linked to an earlier stabbing) was written up in the P-I this morning.

The guy died just around the corner from my house, so I'm not sure why the paper refers to this as happening in the "U District". I guess this kind of stuff just doesn't happen in Wallingford.

The New World?

Today was the John Stanford International School's annual rummage sale. I scored a CD of X's 1983 classic "More Fun In The New World" in great condition for a paltry $2. On Track 7 John Doe & Exene Cervenka exclaim:

"...I'm guilty of murder of innocent men,
innocent women, innocent children, thousands of them!
My planes, my guns, my money, my soldiers,
my blood on my hands, it's all my fault!
I must not think bad thoughts..."

Not much changes in 24 years.