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Note: This post was from 2010 when HONK! Fest West was held in the West Seattle Junction. If you want to attend the 2021 version, which will be in Columbia City, check out the HONK! Fest West website, and mark your calendars for September 18th. Today is the last day of the 3rd annual HONK! Fest West, a three-day festival of street music featuring marching bands and lots of horns. Stage areas have been designated in the Junction business district in my neighborhood of West Seattle and one block of the main street has been closed off for the event. It's a beautiful sunny day, perfect for getting outside, visiting the Farmer's Market and checking out the bands. There are over 20 of them here from all across the US and Canada. I nearly got run over by the Minor Mishap Marching Band as they charged out into the street to perform. Maybe that's how they got their name. This band is not the typical marching band I remember from high school! 2021 Update: From their website: "HONK! Fest West is a free, three-day, community-supported music festival devoted to marching bands, drum corps, samba lines, and anything acoustic and mobile that makes a ruckus. This immersive festival occurs annually in June, and is 100% volunteer-run, performed, and organized. HONK! is on every continent; with Seattle’s festival occurring since 2008." "This immersive festival occurs annually in June, and is 100% volunteer-run, performed, and organized. HONK! is on every continent; with Seattle’s festival occurring since 2008." "H!FW acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle — the Duwamish People past and present — and honor with gratitude the land itself, the Duwamish Tribe, and the Coast Salish people."

Monday, April 14, 2014 This fun little song was part of my community choir's 30th Anniversary concert. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed singing it! The audio quality isn't great, so here are the lyrics: "May those that love us, love us. And those that don’t love us, May God turn their hearts. And if He doesn’t turn their hearts, May He turn their ankles, so we’ll know them by their limping." A Gaelic Blessing by Daniel Gawthrop

I shot these photos in 1980. Finally posted them in 2016. Monday, November 7, 2016 Today is Election Eve in the United States - tomorrow we will elect a new president. Here are photos from another election eve - in 1980! At the time, I was working in the PR department at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Granite City, Illinois. We heard that morning that President Jimmy Carter was going to be in town during the day for a rally. (Why his campaign thought Granite City would be a good place for a last minute pitch to voters? We never figured that out.) A few of us grabbed cameras and hurried out to see him, thinking that this might well be a once in a lifetime opportunity. We were pretty far from the stage where Carter spoke, so even with a long lens, I wasn't able to get a good image of Jimmy. But while waiting for him to speak, I had a chance to take photos of some beautiful children in the crowd. I wonder where they are today.

Originally published 6/19/2013 In an earlier post, I explained how to calculate the amount of stormwater runoff this project will produce. Now let's look at the amount of waste water (aka sewage) that will be going down the drain if these rowhouses are built. According to a King County study done in 2010, per capita water usage in our area is 80 gallons per person. Nearly all of that water ends up in the sanitary sewer system by way of showers, baths, toilet flushes, handwashing, toothbrushing, dishwashing, cooking, laundry, etc. The developer of the Alki 11 expects that this project will house 33 people. 33 people x 80 gallons of water = 2,640 gallons of waste water generated per day 2,640 gallons per day x 365 days in a year = 963,600 gallons of waste water per year In addition to all that wastewater, stormwater runoff from this development will flow into the sewer system, too. Every inch of rain running off the buildings and autocourt of the Alki 11 will produce a combined total of 5,457 gallons. Rainfall in Seattle averages 38 inches per year. 38 inches x 5,457 gallons of runoff per inch = 207,366 gallons of stormwater per year The grand total of waste and storm water from these rowhouses = 1,170,966 gallons per year Compare that number with the volume that has historically been generated on this site: Zero storm water drained into the sewer because downspouts emptied into yards, and off street parking was on a permeable surface 5 residents x 80 gallons per day = 400 gallons waste water per day The grand total of waste and storm water from previous housing = 400 gallons x 365 days in a year = 146,000 gallons per year If built, these rowhouses will introduce 8 times more waste/storm water into the sewer system than before. Even with the recently completed upgrade to the 53rd Ave Pump Station (which increased capacity by only two or three times), this 8-fold increase is way too much. If sustainability is a goal for the city of Seattle, this is not the way to get there.

Sometimes all we know of a song is the chorus. If we don't know the words to the rest of the song, or the words are in a language we don't understand, it can be a big surprise to hear the entire song, and realize that it's quite different than we thought. Here's an example. When I was in a folk singing group, this was a song we thought we loved and wanted to sing. But when we read the lyrics, instead of sunshine, we saw something darker. What did he mean by "you'll regret it all some day?" Was that a threat? Creepy. You Are My Sunshine You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are grey You’ll never know dear, how much I love you Please don’t take my sunshine away The other night dear, as I lay sleeping I dreamed I held you in my arms When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken And I hung my head and cried You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are grey You’ll never know dear, how much I love you Please don’t take my sunshine away I’ll always love you and make you happy If you will only say the same But if you leave me to love another You’ll regret it all some day You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are grey You’ll never know dear, how much I love you Please don’t take my sunshine away You told me once dear, you really loved me And no one else dear, could come between But now you’ve left me and love another You have shattered all my dreams Here's another song, one that most children learn. It has a upbeat melody and it's easy to sing. For those of us who do not speak French, all we hear is a charming children's song. Seems harmless enough. But the lyrics tell another story. They describe torturing a poor little bird! Alouette Lyrics in French with English translation: Alouette, gentille Alouette Lark, nice lark Alouette, je te plumerai Lark, I shall pluck you Je te plumerai la tête I shall pluck your head (Je te plumerai la tête) (I shall pluck your head) Et la tête And your head (Et la tête) (And your head) Alouette Lark (Alouette) (Lark) O-o-o-oh Alouette, gentille AlouetteAlouette, je te plumerai Je te plumerai le bec I shall pluck your beak (Je te plumerai le bec) Et le bec (Et le bec) Et la tête (Et la tête) Alouette (Alouette) O-o-o-oh The song continues like this, with the italicized phrase (a part of the bird) in each verse being substituted with a new one, with the previous items being recited at the end: Et le cou And your neck Et le dos And your back Et les ailes And your wings Et les pattes And your feet Et la queue And your tail La Conclusion The Ending O-o-o-o-oh Alouette, gentille Alouette Lark, nice lark Alouette, je te plumerai Are there songs you have made similar discoveries about? Tell us about them in the comments.

Originally posted Sunday, April 5, 2015 In my car, running errands, I often pass a house with a lovely Japanese maple in the front yard, decorated with little white lights and what look like tiny prayer flags. After noticing this for several weeks and wondering what all the little tags are for, I decided it was time to get out of my car and walk over to find out. A sign posted on the fence explains: The Wishing Tree. "The most fantastic, magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish." We believe something Magical happens when we wish in one place. Container #1 has pens and blank tags. Write out your Wishes, Prayers, Intentions, Hopes and Gratitudes. Leave your tag in Container #2. In a few days, they will be on the tree! TOGETHER we can create great BEAUTY and bring KINDNESS to the world. When I got in touch with the homeowners to ask permission to do this blog post, I found out that they were inspired by another Wishing Tree that they discovered while on a walk in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. They were so touched by the idea that they decided to do something similar. Judging from the number of tags hanging from the branches, this Wishing Tree has meaning for many people. As one of the homeowners said in an email: "Some of the wishes are just heart breaking :( ... And some are so beautiful and heart warming. I'm glad there is a place people can leave all their hopes and dreams and thoughts and prayers." Here are a few of the Wishes I found there. "God take care of my Brother. Amen." "I wish to find peace with my past regrets." "I wish my daughter's brain condition would get better." "Please may there be peace in Syria." "I wish my husband can find a job where he can be happy and successful." "I wish for the growing baby in my belly (10 weeks) to be happy and healthy." And in what appears to be a child's handwriting, "I want a unicorn. Thank you." If you happened one day to come upon a Wishing Tree in your neighborhood, what would YOU wish for? Update, February 2021. Alas, the Wishing Tree is no longer at this location. I don't know if the homeowners moved away or what happened. I think it is worthwhile to keep this post online, though, as an inspiration for other people. It is my hope that they might create Wishing Trees in their neighborhoods.

Sunday, February 23, 2014 How is it possible to share a bed with a man who has been dead for 222 years? It's simple - try learning to perform his music. It stays with you, like a living presence. In choir, we often talk about "going to sleep" with the music we are working on. Our rehearsals end at 9 p.m. and the music lingers with us for some time afterward. It isn't unusual for a song to be stuck in our heads when we go to bed. I find that to be quite pleasant, actually. But if I wake up during the night, hearing certain pieces of music playing over and over can make it hard to get back to sleep. We are currently rehearsing "Dies Irae" from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D minor. Ironically, Mozart died while composing this "mass for the dead." He was only 35 years old. I don't know if he knew he was about to die, but the passion and near frantic pace of this music is anything but soothing. It IS beautiful, but it's no lullaby. So on rehearsal nights lately, I've been doing my best to focus on some other piece of music as I drift off to sleep. Something by Gershwin, for example. Because if I'm going to sleep with a composer, I'd rather it not be Mozart.