Madison Park Times 7-1-2023

Arboretum launches broad community survey

Staff

On Mother’s Day, the Arboretum Foundation and UW Botanic Gardens launched a broad, statefunded survey to learn about the needs and preferences of the community regarding the future of the Washington Park Arboretum.

The entities are asking for feedback both from current park users and those to wish to better serve in the future.

A focal point of the survey is the North End parcel, the 28-acre peninsula on the shores of Lake Washington that will return to the Arboretum at the completion of the SR 520 bridge project. Community input will help shape the design and use of this land.

At this early stage, priorities

Submitted

Visit Seattle is thrilled about all the events scheduled during Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week, set to take place from July 7-11

“This is an incredibly exciting moment for Seattle,” said Tammy Canavan, President & CEO of Visit Seattle. “Collaborating with the dedicated Visit Seattle team and our esteemed community partners to present our city in its utmost splendor has been truly inspiring. Our goal is for all the baseball enthusiasts visiting during All-Star Week to create unforgettable memories that will endure a lifetime. We hope they leave

include recognizing the Coast Salish peoples as the original inhabitants of the land, expanding shoreline access, and restoring Arboretum Creek.

“We want to ensure that all

community voices are clearly heard in this process,” said Arboretum Foundation Executive Director Jane Stonecipher. “One of our key goals

Courtesy Seva Workshop and BRV

The survey team at work in the Arboretum

SURVEY Page 3Æ

Human engagement with first aid

As a member of the Madison Park volunteer Emergency Preparation Hub, I’ve been mulling over the relevance of something Anna Deavere Smith asks:

“In this time of a global economy and business mergers happening as often as sunrise and sunset, where is the human merger? Where is real human engagement?”

A global pandemic has certainly put us through our paces, a reckoning of sorts for many of us as individuals, and for us as a fast paced, consumer-driven culture. If we landed on our feet rather than on the street, perhaps the subsiding of that pandemic provides a sense of expansiveness, some adjusted possibilities for our lives. We have plenty of evidence though, that other big troubles are waiting in the wings. How do we use this little window of time wisely, on behalf of who and what we really care about? What kind of preparation will serve us well when the next disaster hits?

broken bones, emotional shock and concussions. Bob has generously allowed me to extract recommendations from his list of First Aid courses and manuals.

Stop the Bleed. This is a national grassroots awareness program to educate citizens in first aid for serious bleeding using the tourniquet innovations that were developed by the military during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This training is strongly recommended. Here are some Stop the Bleed courses to choose from:

Margie Carter Madison Park Emergency Prep

1. Seattle’s Office of Emergency Management. The city periodically offers free Stop the Bleed classes. To access these trainings, you must contact StopTheBleed@seattle.gov or (206) 403-8127.

2. American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. This free on-line course and quiz can be completed in about 30 minutes and includes a certificate of completion. It does not include in-person training. stopthebleed.org/training/ online-course/

2. REI Wilderness First Aid with REI and NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). 16 hours (2-4 days). Classroom and outdoors regardless of weather. REI provides group first aid kit. From $350. rei.com/events/

3. Mountaineers Alpine/Wilderness First Aid. 16 hours (2-days) hands-on course usually taught once monthly over a weekend plus an evening “scenario” session. Includes CPR. Taught by Remote Medical Training. $240 for members, $255 for guests. mountaineers.org/

At the community as well as personal level, my thinking circles around exploring Deavere-Smith’s question regarding real human engagement. If we already feel too overwhelmed, too overburdened, what does that say about how we’ll respond when the next tidal wave of disruption arrives? I think we do well to prepare by engaging in some human merger. AND we need to have some basic skills for taking care of each other because our city emergency management team tells us to expect significant delays before others outside our community might arrive with help and resources when, not if, an earthquake rocks our city.

So how do we get engaged?

Pockets of volunteers around the city are forming neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs. This involves recruiting volunteers and identifying a neighborhood location where they organize communication supplies and systems for mutual aid for neighbors to assist each other when a disaster arrives. In addition, neighborhood block groups are organizing, getting to know one another’s existing needs and resources, along with teaching each other the basic skills of how to manage power outages, ensure clean water, dispose of human waste, do search and rescue.

Here’s a helpful example from the Madison Park Hillside neighborhood group which over time formed task groups. One team focused on First Aid concerns, identifying who might have medical training or experience. Neighbor Bob Mecklenburg worked with this team to come up with some recommendations for training and supplies. They suggested that all members of their block cluster (SNAP group) receive basic first aid training. They also evaluated a number of available course offerings and distributed the list with specific links to consider. While noting that most urban-oriented courses emphasize CPR and the use of defibrillators, Bob’s team stressed that general first aid skills are the most relevant for us when faced with the injuries most likely after an earthquake, such as, bleeding,

3. American Red Cross (ARC) First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST) course. This course includes Stop the Bleed training. Course duration is 90 minutes for on-line format ($30) redcross.org/take-a-class

There is also a 135-minute classroom option ($24).

4. CPR Seattle. Severe Bleeding Control content. Three-hour classroom course is $59. cprseattle.com/severe-bleeding-control

BASIC FIRST AID COURSES

1. American Red Cross basic first aid courses:

a. Adult, Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online Only. About 2.5 hours. $37.

b. Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED. About 2.5-hour online plus 2.5-hour classroom. $117.

c. Adult First Aid/CPR/AED. About 2.5 hours online plus 2.25-hour classroom. $82. This class is also available in a 3.5-hour classroom format. $97. redcross.org/take-a-class/

2. CPR Seattle basic first aid courses

a. First Aid. On-line/classroom course is 1.25 hours; classroom course is 2.5 hours. Cost of each is $66.

b. Adult CPR, AED & First Aid. On-line/ classroom course is 2.25 hours; classroom course is 4 hours. Cost of each is $77.

c. Adult/Child/Infant CPR, AED, & First Aid. On-line/classroom course is 2.75 hours; classroom course is 4.5 hours. Cost of each is $85. cprseattle.com/cpr-first-aid-aed-classes

Outdoor/wilderness-oriented classes. While not having an urban CPR/AED emphasis, their focus on administering first aid when professional services are not readily available could be useful preparation for urban disasters.

1. CPR Seattle Wilderness First Aid. Included is a 140-page digital copy of the American Safety and Health Institute Wilderness First Aid book. Course does not include CPR/AED training. 16 hours. Classroom. $229. cprseattle.com/ wilderness-first-aid

FIRST AID MANUALS

There are many options, but here are two that have good, basic content:

1. Boy Scouts of America First Aid Merit Badge Pamphlet. Excellent, well-tested content and graphics with input from numerous authoritative sources and references. Outdoor focus. $5.99. Available for purchase on-line at scoutshop.org/

2. Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED Participant’s Manual (item ID 754000). Urban focus. $12.95. Available online at: https://www.redcross.org/store/

FIRST AID KITS

1. Individual /home first aid kits: recommended contents are available in the two manuals above. Commercial kits, available on-line or at REI, contain much of this content and can be supplemented as needed with personal meds or other items.

ENGAGE BY LEARNING AND SHARING SKILLS

Consider this: something as fundamental as learning first aid skills is NOT yet another task for your busy life, but rather, an opportunity to engage with a few neighbors in becoming better able to take care of yourselves when the need arises. In a serious disaster, neighbors must be the very first responders for someone who is seriously bleeding, or has cuts, burns, sprains or fractures.

How might you find neighbors to join together to make use of Bob’s list and take some first aid classes together? Alternatively, could you find someone to come teach a first aid class at a location in your neighborhood with a pledge to get neighbors out to attend? Our bodies will certainly be grateful when we find ourselves in need of first aid. Our hearts will especially be grateful as we engage in building relationships that nourish us and call out our longing for a community spirit that looks out for each other, in ordinary times as well as during disasters.

BRIEFLY

PICNIC EVENT SCHEDULED FOR JULY 15

e Madison Park Picnic & Parade is from noon to 2 p.m. on July 15 near the Madison Park tennis courts. e parade starts at noon. Decorate your bikes and scooters and meet at the Starbucks at 11:45 a.m. Picnic and games to follow — face-painting, watermeloneating contest, water balloon toss, sack race, yard games and more.

Visit friendsofmadisonpark.com for more information.

MP MERCHANTS HOLDING ‘LOVE HAPPENS HERE’ EVENT

On July 11, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Friends of Madison Park invites all neighbors to come support our community merchants with a message of: Love Happens Here.

According to the organizers: “We welcome everyone. No place for hate. is summer evening, stroll to meet and support our merchants, ending with gathering around the Domicile gallery to hear from city leaders and Seattle Police Department.”

activation

MLB from Page 1 with a strong desire to return and experience even more of what Seattle has to o er.”

Visit Seattle projects MLB All-Star Week will generate more than $50 million in economic impact to the community through various events.

Furthermore, in collaboration with the Mariners, community organizations, and elected o cials, Visit Seattle is curating and celebrating events and activations throughout the city, ensuring there are plenty of engaging experiences for everyone to enjoy beyond the o cial MLB activities.

“We can’t wait for everyone to experience All-Star Week in Seattle. It will be a city-wide celebration thanks to the tremendous collaboration with Major League Baseball, Visit Seattle and the Seattle Sports Commission,” said Catie Griggs, Seattle Mariners President of Business Operations. “ is year’s lineup of All-Star Week events and activations will showcase the best of our city and provide fans with a lifetime of memories.”

“Since 2019 when the Seattle Sports Commission rst began working on the MLB All-Star Week bid with the Mariners and Visit Seattle, we all saw this as a catalyst for an exciting future in our region,” says Beth Knox, President & CEO of the Seattle Sports Commission. “Hosting the rst premier sporting event in over 20 years is a thrilling precedent to establish as we carry this momentum forward into our planning for the 2024 NHL Winter Classic, the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regionals and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Seattle has quickly established itself as a world-class sports market and travel destination.”

In advance of All-Star Week, Visit Seattle worked with the Seattle Monorail Services, Seattle Center, and Climate Pledge Arena to bring about the rst-ever art installation on the Seattle Center Monorail’s guideway columns. Conceived by local muralist Brady Black, the monorail columns will be adorned with murals depicting eight stars of the game and eight Seattle sports fans, signifying the connection between baseball and the greater community. In designing the murals, Black developed a paint-by-number system that allowed youth artists from Urban ArtWorks and Seattle residents to take part in their creation. e murals are set to be installed in late June with the hope of activating the Monorail columns as a public art gallery for future citywide events.

“I am thrilled to announce an extraordinary public art program that celebrates the talents of our local artists and pays tribute to the stars of baseball,” says Marshall Foster, Interim Director of Seattle Center. “ is groundbreaking initiative merges the worlds of sports and art, captivating our community and visitors alike. e Seattle Center Monorail, an iconic symbol of our city, will transform the support columns along 5th Ave into a moving gallery, adorned with stunning renderings created by our talented local artists. We invite everyone to join us in experiencing this unique installation downtown as we celebrate and welcome MLB All-Star Week to Seattle and embrace the dynamic fusion of athletics and art!”

MLB ALL-STAR WEEK GREEN PATH: JULY 7-11

roughout the entirety of the All-Star Week proceedings, fans are encouraged to walk or bike to T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field using the Green Path. Developed by the MLB and the Mariners as a sustainable method of transportation between

downtown, the Waterfront, and the stadiums, the path also drives attendee spending to local businesses curated by Intentionalist. Additionally, Visit Seattle and Intentionalist have collaborated on a map that highlights BIPOC-, women-, and LGBTQ+-owned small businesses along this route to encourage support for local places to eat, drink, and shop that make Seattle special. Collaborating with Gigs4U and the Seattle Sports Commission, Visit Seattle will showcase the Paci c Northwest’s strong music culture with performers entertaining fans as they travel along the Green Path.

Laura Clise, CEO & Founder of Intentionalist shares the value of exploring Seattle through the lens of small businesses and the diverse people behind them.

“Small businesses are a wonderful way to get to know Seattle, because they re ect and celebrate the diversity of the region,” Clise says. “From restaurants and shops that have been a part of the city for generations, to the cafes and galleries that infuse our city with new energy and cultural perspectives. We’re proud to collaborate with Visit Seattle to put diverse small businesses on the map, and make it easy for fans to get to know and support them as part of their AllStar Week Seattle experience.”

OCCIDENTAL SQUARE: JULY 7-11

Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) will bring all manner of activities to Occidental Square during All-Star Week. Further details are available here.

Jennifer Casillas, DSA’s Vice President of Public Realm and Ambassador Operations, says, “Just a line drive away from T-Mobile Park we’re bringing free events to Occidental Square for the entire family to enjoy. From an 80-foot roller skating rink and a pop-up arcade featuring classic games to face-painting, music and

food, you can truly make a day of it in the neighborhood.”

OFFICIAL MLB ALL-STAR WEEK EVENTS

HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile & powered by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation – July 7

Leading o MLB All-Star Week’s o cial events on July 7, this is a new MLB event helmed in large part by Mariners legend Ken Gri ey Jr. e game will air on MLB Network and showcase 50 prospects from Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) on a national stage. Fans are welcome to stick around a erward for post-game reworks. With tickets available for $10, this is a fantastic opportunity for families to take part in the All-Star Week experience. Purchase tickets here.

Capital One PLAY BALL PARK –July 8-11

Baseball fans of all ages will enjoy Capital One PLAY BALL PARK which runs throughout the majority of MLB All-Star Week. Located in and around Lumen Field, PLAY BALL PARK allows fans to take batting practice, meet legendary players, participate in baseball or so ball clinics, and more. While plenty of fun activities are freely available outside of the stadium, indoor activities do require a PLAY BALL PARK-speci c ticket. View ticketing options here.

2023 MLB Dra – July 9

On Sunday, July 9, the MLB Dra takes place in Seattle for the rst time as part of All-Star Week. With the Dra stage located on Lumen Field inside Capital One PLAY BALL PARK, fans have free access to watch Major League teams select future stars. For more information, visit AllStarGame. com.

For more information, visit visitseattle. org.

C’EST LA VIE

I’d like to begin by saying: I love what I do. I am so grateful to be an author and speaker, appreciative of the programmers who invite me, excited to share my work with willing listeners. Ten women in a book club or hundreds in a conference room, it doesn’t matter.

However.

ere are times when if I was also the person assigned to hold the door open for the audience members as they le , I’d want to trip a couple of them.

I o en use the line, “c’est la vie,” by which I mean “such is life,” all the while wishing it wasn’t.

A few events — and there are always a few — just back re for one reason or another, so that I have to pray for the stamina to hang in there when all I am feeling is so pissed o that, at any minute, I fear it will show.

As I write this, I’m thinking that Seattle is not the same city as it was before the pandemic, but I expect this because I’m not the same woman. A lot has happened, even more has followed, and it feels like way too much and not nearly enough.

Either way, my ties to Seattle have only intensi ed.

No matter what draws me downtown, I always take a moment to stop and take in the view of Elliott Bay and give thanks for all Seattle was, is struggling to be again, and for the beautiful nature that surrounds it either way. Here is the city I know so well. Two decades ago, it cast a spell on me that helped build a wonderful — for a writer at least — career. I came looking for footing in a promising new city, never really coming around to the weather, but never happier.

So, I’ve been wondering what it is, exactly, about our present city — our present world — that has brought about in too many of us a neglect of courtesy. Is it the nearly three years of staying at home? e constant,

repetitive, low-frequency fear of the 24-hour news cycle?

I don’t know. What I know is that rudeness has become a given lately, no matter where I nd myself. Add to this an increasingly lessthan-patient attitude toward each other as witnessed by a writer who doesn’t look down at her phone when she’s out and about but pays close attention. To everything.

Still, one would think (hope!) that some would be better at decorum, especially those who have had every opportunity to practice it. Take one prestigious downtown club (here’s a clue: Fourth and Marion). A er my last author event there, I thought of someone I haven’t thought of in years. She and I were bartenders together, and we could count on the construction workers and cops to tip well. But the white-collar guys? Not so much. Causing her to whisper in my ear, “ ose with the most give the least.”

Here’s what happened: Twenty members of said Prestigious Club registered for my talk. Five showed up. e programmer was disappointed. I was disappointed. But that’s not the worst of it. Out of the ve, four were eating tacos, three were noticeably intoxicated, two were on time, one bought a book, but only a er I embarrassed her into it. And you know a hometown audience is the hardest, so I didn’t sleep well the night before. (It’s been suggested I give up red wine in the evening, and I will … think about it.)

But the yin yang, dark and light, of being a speaker, of being alive, is that the opposite experience is right around the corner.

Sure enough, later in the week, I was a keynote speaker for an international organization in a convention center in Pennsylvania. Yes, I had to travel by air to get there and not just hump up Madison pulling a carton of books behind me. But, no, those hundreds of listeners were not eating tacos and slurping

Merlot through my talk. ey were … generous, there is no other word for it. Will I try to emulate the generosity I admired in them? De nitely.

And then.

A few days later, my new column came out. And while I’ve never received so many positive emails from readers, a few others didn’t like it one bit. It was one of those columns that literally wrote me, eager to free itself since the reversal of Roe V. Wade. To recap: I call out the evangelists for spending so much money to ensure women cannot have nal say over their reproductive healthcare options.

One comment from a reader really got to me: “I marched the streets for CHOICE in the 1960s, a er going through a hell experience in my early 20’s when access to abortion meant you had to beg a panel of doctors that you would commit suicide if you remained pregnant. My mother always said, ‘Abortions would be a nickel on every street corner if men could get pregnant.’ ”

Others? ey’d like to put an end to me and told me so. e oddest thing, though, is one begins his hateful emails with “Dear Mary Lou” and signs o with his real name. I didn’t want to go to the police. But my husband copied his emails and marched on down to the department. When I wrote for the Northwest Life section of e Seattle Times, I had to get a restraining order. When I began at this paper, I had to get a restraining order. I don’t feel like getting another, but I will if I have to. For now, a er his second email, I had a second glass of wine despite earlier advice not to have a second glass of wine. And I let his words go.

Well, I am trying to let them go.

C’est la vie.

Mary Lou Sanelli is the author of Every Little ing, a collection of essays that was nominated for a Washington State Book Award. Her previous titles include poetry, ction, non- ction and a children’s title, Bella Likes To Try. For more information about her work, visit www.marylousanelli.com.

SURVEY from Page 4

is to identify and remove barriers preventing people from participating in the many wonderful resources that the Arboretum has to o er.”

e study is being funded by the Washington State legislature, and the results will be made public. Data collection is expected to be completed by September 2023, and the nal report will be published in November. “ is is a truly unique opportunity to in uence the future of the Arboretum and the programs we provide there. We want to hear from all voices in our community,” University of Washington Botanic Gardens Director Christina Owen said.

To complete the survey, visit surveymonkey. com/r/arboretum2023. It takes fewer than 10 minutes.

More details about the survey arboretumfoundation.org/ community-survey.

e Arboretum Foundation, in partnership with UW Botanic Gardens, has contracted with Seva Workshop and Biederman Redevelopment Ventures to conduct the study.

The 230-acre Arboretum is cooperatively managed by Seattle Parks and Recreation and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, with major support from the Arboretum Foundation. The city owns the land and maintains the roads, trails, lawns, and utilities, while the University owns and curates the plant collections. The Foundation raises important funds to support Arboretum operations and special projects.

Mary Lou Sanelli Falling Awake

The why and wherefore of Madison Park

Life in Madison Park was almost back to normal in the early ’50s after the depression and WW2 had disappeared from memory. Businesses were thriving with its many restaurants, a couple of grocery stores and a fifth gas station called Richfield where Starbucks is today (similar to having too many banks now!) Hadfield’s Repair and Gas filled a tank for 23 vents a gallon — outrageous!

There were many twists and turns with the grocery stores. Crowshaw’s Grocery was doing well located where the The Wolf is now (later moved to the present Bert’s Red Apple location). The Lake Shore Delicatessen (later Tully’s and then HomeStreet Bank) was a happening spot — Ken Fraser was the owner and its claim to fame was selling lottery tickets, sundries, wine and beer. John and Millie’s family grocery store called Johnsons, next to the Richfield station, was a before-school stop for candies and socializing but closed due to retirement. Jaffe’s Shoe Repair had been a going concern until shoes became cheap, so it evolved into a jewelry store.

The greatest place to buy low-priced items for birthdays and anniversaries was Bill and Ada’s Ten Cent Store. The only competitor was the Madison Park Hardware store, which is gloriously still standing with Adam Hagan at the helm providing answers to household issues.

The best lunch was an egg sandwich and soup for 70 cents at Madison Park Pharmacy. Both Madison Park Pharmacy (a bigger store) and Ken Lindley’s had super soda fountain specials like hot fudge sundaes with two scoops of hot fudge and five spoons. We welcome the return of the MPP and of course have suggested the soda fountain.

Riley’s Café (Villa Marina Apartments now at the corner of Madison and 43rd) had the distinction of being standing room only as it was imperative to stand behind a patron at the counter to get something to eat quickly. Eventually someone slid off their stool so you could order. People slurped coffee from their saucers to cool it quickly before the ferry horn blew, then rushed off to secure a seat on the way to Todd’s Shipyard in Kirkland. It later became The Silver Swan Café, which rented the Silver Swan to interested parties.

Some commuters came out on top. When two of the Vashon Island vessels were found to be unlicensed, the Silver Swan, a dine-and-dance cruise ship, was put into service instead. The newspaper described

the 62-foot floating nightclub’s rescue of marooned Vashoners, like Roy Rogers with the mortgage money. Commuters on this run got to knock back decent cups of Joe, dine on yummy hamburgers, pop a few dimes into the jukebox, and trip the light fantastic on the dance floor on the way home from work. As one rider stated, “We used to hate the ride, now we hate getting off.

(historylink.org/ File/5294)

My grandparents operated a small business on wheels that they placed near water’s edge at the MP beach every spring.

It was a snack bar essentially but had the best burgers and hotdogs in the area. Once the awnings opened, the aroma of freshly barbequed foods wafted north downward to the beach.

The eateries drew in droves of folks from everywhere. No licensing required, per se. In those days, farmers from the east side brought fruits and vegetables from their gardens via a large truck into Madison Park. It seemed apples were sweeter than now and the cherries were as big as golf balls that burst with flavor. The carrots appealed to us little tykes and were incomparable. Perhaps the lack of bees is the problem with our fruits and vegetables these days.

Venders wandered through the streets and offered goods and services like sharpening knives and household repairs, similar to ice cream trucks. Even vacuum and Fuller Brush salesmen made appearances.

A friend’s mom was given a demonstration by a salesman who spilled dirt on the floor and with an array of attachments, sucked it all up and even cleaned window blinds. If only it could mow the lawn! We were glad she bought the vacuum because we blew up huge weather balloons from Warshall’s War Surplus store with it. That store was the toy store for preteens — bought a two-man raft for $19.95 plus a bolo knife for making trails in the woods in Canterbury.

The once small Madison Park was becoming a rental haven due to a surge of empty smaller dwellings and soon there was an infiltration of newcomers. These vacant properties were poetically advertised as an area for cheap rents near beaches, parks and the business district, all within walking distance.

Our village had much a single person would need, but sometimes one had to venture to the big city for variety in dining and

entertainment. It was nice to mingle for an evening of refreshments and perhaps dancing but you were always sure to see friends from the Park while doing so because Seattle was so small then. At some point, it was time for nourishment but very few places were open late. El Gaucho to the rescue. Around midnight o’clock, the door would open slightly and your name was called by friends already inside. Steak, eggs, hashbrowns and endless coffee was the usual repast. On special occasions, a specialty drink arrived where the waiter peeled an orange soaked in cognac at arm’s length, which he then dangled into the fresh coffee and lit. It was mesmerizing to watch the flame disappear into the coffee.

Being young and now wide awake at 2 a.m., a great stop on the way home was Birdland on 22nd and Madison. Quincy Jones, Dave Louis, Bill Sunrise (a local DJ) crowded around a piano until just before sunrise. Ray Charles barely started playing but you knew it was him by the first couple of notes.

Madison Park had become a sought-after environment from which to conduct the ’70s. It was casual, it was hippy-like, it was boisterous and fun. The taverns contributed greatly to this happiness and went down in history as a place for college kids and folks pretending to be hippies. It has retained a sense of that freedom and many of us know and can say that this is indeed a Shangri-la.

“Best Ever Garage Sale”

Richard Carl Lehman Revisiting the Park

Bright, bold and glossy contrast

Steve

Contrast. One often hears or reads the term when exploring art, interior design, fashion or gardening. It’s the practice of putting two different colors or shapes together, each of which makes the other stand out.

In the gardens of the Pacific Northwest, contrast often means playing a contrasting plant color against the vast palette of greens in our evergreen world. It might also mean using a different shape of foliage in harmony with needled conifers.

Three foliage colors are most commonly paired with green: yellow or gold, blues and bluish grays, and reds. Yellows are abundant, blues less so. When it comes to reds, maples, assorted European beeches, smoke trees, a number of barberries and others sport reds in a range of shades. Trouble is, nearly all of them are deciduous, so come winter, you’re looking at bare branches.

Photinia is the uncommon exception. Its broad leaves are a vivid, glossy copper or red from spring into summer. The foliage makes a striking contrast to our ubiquitous greenery.

In a genus of 40 plants, all from Asia, there are three species of evergreen Photinia common to Northwest horticulture. Photinia glabra, native to Japan, reaches 20 feet in height and makes for a handsome, garden scale, broad-leafed evergreen tree. Leaves are coppery when young, aging green by autumn. Spring blooms are 4-inch clusters, reminiscent

of a sturdy Queen Anne’s lace, turning into red berries that are near black by season’s end. Chinese native P. serrulata, reaches 40 feet tall. Its leaves are also copper colored when new. The tree’s crown is broad and dense in maturity. In flower it is a mass of tiny cream-colored blossoms in clusters that measure 6 inches across.

These two Photinias produced a much-loved, highly versatile offspring: Photinia X fraseri. A broadleafed shrub or small tree, to a maximum height of 15 feet, P. faseri has all the strengths of its parents, but with far brighter spring and summer foliage. The leaves, which can be almost 5 inches long, are a bright, almost surrealistic red. Grown as a hefty shrub, it can fill the corner of any garden or anchor a circular driveway. As a loose hedge, it will define a large property or buffer an unwanted view. As a small garden tree, it is statuesque.

Early spring is the prime time to plant most things, this evergreen tree included, but if you buy a plant today, you can plant it now if you water it (about 15 gallons a week) until seasonal rains start. Place this Photinia where it will get ample exposure to sunlight to ensure flame red new growth. It thrives in our rich acid soil. Our typical annual rainfall is sufficient. The plant is considered droughttolerant once established. Tip pruning the new growth in late summer keeps it dense and compact. Shearing is a mistake. It butchers the large, handsome leaves.

To train the plant into a small tree, removed lower branches. It is effective with

either a single trunk or with multiple trunks. Select the vertical shoots you want, pruning off all side shoots, about halfway up the plant. As it grows, continue this process to as much as 6 or 8 feet above soil level. Take cut foliage indoors for long lasting bouquets.

The showiness of this plant is anything but narcissistic. There’s a generosity to it. Backed by one of our dark green conifers, the bright, bold and glossy leaves seem to shout: “Look at me and look at what’s behind me!” Contrast is not dominance. Photinia is a real team player.

Lorton Tree Talk

Madison Park Pharmacy back open

Madison Park Pharmacy hosted a grand opening celebration on June 27.

“We are bringing back much of the pharmacy team who worked at Pharmaca in the old space, which MPPWC now occupies, along with some hand-selected new team members who are thrilled to be part of this new venture,” a press release announcing the re-opening said. e pharmacy is located at 4130 E Madison St.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

This article about racist threats in Madison Park is very disturbing .

You wrote an entire article on “Hear Say” not clean journalism. You wrote about what lots of different people said with “no proof.” There is no racism in Madison

Park and this article was clearly written by someone who wants to agitate and start something.

Articles like these actually create and promote racism.

Seattle has a graffiti problem “daily” that does not mean it was targeted toward anyone Madison

Park has crime daily; that does not mean it is targeted at any one person.

No one has the right to assume that crime is targeted toward them. That is very paranoid behavior from people who see themselves as victims.

Nothing in your article makes sense.

All the incidents that took place are clearly random.

You have no right to suggest Madison Park is racist.

Madison Park Times should be ashamed of publishing this article.

Terri Randall

MARKET from Page 1

high-end sellers more willing to negotiate, whether it be on price or assuming closing costs.

e most important message I have for buyers: make an o er. Get o the fence. You may think a seller will not entertain your o er, but with a good agent, you can begin a conversation that may ultimately lead to your new home. Yes, buyers have more time in the luxury market at the moment. However, time and time again we see buyers regret not making an o er a er a home they were interested in closes and they see the nal sales price. Work with an experienced agent who knows how to get deals done.

In the under $1.5M market we continue to see multiple o ers and few contingencies, especially when homes are carefully prepared for market. Incity inventory remains constricted at this price point, and our area still has a backlog of buyers looking for homes. My advice given above also applies to those buyers looking to purchase a home under $1.5M: do not assume that a house is going to sell way over list price with multiple o ers. Make an o er you are comfortable with and get in the game. Because many buyers do not want to get into a bidding war, they choose not to make an o er at all, only to nd out that there was only one o er. Finally, choose a trusted lender who o ers programs to get the interest rate down and most importantly—have your nancing ready to go so you can be competitive.

Here’s a snapshot of the recent housing market stats in our area:

For Denny Blaine, Broadmoor, Washington/Madison Park

Jan 1, 2023 through June 20, 2023:

Homes Sold: 48

Average Sales Price: $1,958,505

Average Days on Market: 35

Average Price Per Square Foot:

$793.55

Lowest Sales Price: $310,000

Highest Sales Price: $5,800,000

Selling at 95% of original listed price

34 of these are $1M+ and the average market time over $1M is 26 days

Jan 1, 2022 through June 20, 2022:

Homes Sold: 55

Average Sales Price: $2,424,592

Average Days on Market: 49

Average Price Per Square Foot:

$874.91

Lowest Sales Price: $350,000

Highest Sales Price: $8,250,000

Selling at 101% of original listed price

For 98112

Jan 1, 2023 through June 20, 2023:

Homes Sold: 131

Average Sales Price: $1,459,759

Average Days on Market: 32

Average Price Per Square Foot: $686.29

Lowest Sales Price: $295,000

Highest Sales Price: $5,800,000

Selling at 98% of original listed price

83 of these are $1M+ and the average market time over $1M is 24 days.

Jan 1, 2022 through June 20, 2022:

Homes Sold: 167

Average Sales Price: $1,673,798

Average Days on Market: 28

Average Price Per Square Foot: $765.78

Lowest Sales Price: $280,000

Highest Sales Price: $8,250,000

Selling at 105% of original listed price

My takeaways:

Rising interest rates are crimping activity and have not come down as expected; some economists predict this may occur in late 2024

Inventory is up in the luxury market and days on market are longer

Under $1.5M we are seeing some listings receiving multiple o ers

Buyers are patient and searching for homes that meet their lifestyle needs (time at home during COVID de nitely created a stronger relationship with home)

Some things to consider:

Sellers: coming on the market at too high of a price typically results in your property “stalling.” We need to analyze the micro-neighborhoods and the most recent sales data to price your home competitively and strategically. If you push price your home can sit, and that may result in longer market times and a larger price reduction versus if the home had come on the market at a reasonable listing price.

Sellers: Presentation is becoming even more important as inventory rises. Cluttered and dark homes fail to captivate buyers’ attention online (virtual showings), resulting in fewer in-person showings and prolonged time on the market. Tackle projects that give you bang for your buck: painting, surface updates, and landscaping.

Declutter—packing more now means packing less later! Make sure every room is inviting, neutral, and appealing to a broad demographic. Hire a broker to represent your home who utilizes staging services.

Buyers: Ask us about lenders that can provide you with ways to circumvent the current higher rates until lower rates come down the road. Be very wise about your credit and have a solid lender relationship when you enter the market.

Buyers: work with a trusted broker with strong agent relationships. is will really help you in a multiple o er situation or if hiccups arise during the transaction.

As of press time, there are 18 homes for sale over $2.5M in Madison Park, Washington Park, Broadmoor, and Denny Blaine. One of the residences is a condominium, and the highest priced single-family home for sale is a waterfront estate with 120 feet of Lake Washington waterfront for $22.5 million.

Our Compass experts have a long history in Madison Park and are ready to help you navigate this unique time with the latest technology, top-notch marketing, and proven pricing strategies. If you need help preparing your home for sale, call me about our Compass Concierge program. Compass fronts the money for certain improvements ( ooring, tile, painting etc.) and you pay the money back at closing.

PROVEN RESULTS

A CONTINUED LEGACY Realogics Sotheby's International Realty ranks amongst the largest, most productive, and fastest-growing real estate companies in Washington with access to 26,000 brokers in 81 countries and territories generating global sales of $167 billion annually.

Founding Member | Managing Broker Senior Global Real Estate Advisor 206.399.5842 | Laura.Halliday@rsir.com

MADISON PARK PLACE

MADISON PARK PLACE

Pat & Diane Colee

WASHINGTON PARK TOWER

MY JULY PICK FROM THE GARDEN My favorite garden flowers....Dahlia's! They fill my vases until October with their wild and crazy blooms! SOLD | BUYER REP SOLD | SELLER REP

2000 43rd Ave E #101 Sought-after Madison Park Place home! This kind of square footage with incredible indooroutdoor spaces and unobstructed lake views is practically impossible to find.

2000 43rd Ave E #503 A rare waterfront penthouse with stunning lake, Bellevue skyline, and Cascade Mountain views. Floor plan and finish work read like a single-family home. Stunning!

PENDING IN

“Working with Laura was a real delight! She is likable, professional, and knowledgeable. She represented us in the purchase of a new condo and the sale of our old one. She instinctively understood exactly what we were looking for and worked diligently to find it for us. Her skill in advising us on selling our old unit was “right on”–she really nailed it with the marketing and staging, resulting in a sale considerably above asking within four days! I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for an agent to help them find the perfect place or to sell their existing one!” -

Seattle Waterfront Project plans to connect Pioneer Square with $12.6M in improvements

By Spencer Pauley e Center Square

The $739 million project to construct Seattle’s new Waterfront continues with a new $12.6 million contract to Gary Merlino Construction to build pedestrian improvements to portions of Pioneer Square.

The construction at South King, South Main and South Washington streets, and Yesler Way in Pioneer Square will begin in the fall and is expected to be completed in late 2024.

The $12.6 million stems from a local improvement district tax, in which property owners within the Seattle Waterfront district area contribute to a portion of the area’s improvement costs. The property owners’ portion of the funds are based on the “special benefit” they receive from those improvements.

The tax is an annual assessment payment based on a $1,000 assessment paid over 20 years at a 3.8%

interest rate. According to the Waterfront Seattle website, the total payment from 2022 through 2041 would be approximately $1,586 based on a $1,000 assessment for a property owner within the district.

The Center Square previously reported on King County Superior Court Judge Matt Williams ruling the district tax to be “arbitrary and capricious.”

Williams ordered the Seattle to refund taxes paid by plaintiffs that challenged the Local Improvement District tax.

As part of the latest phase of the Waterfront project, the design improvements in Pioneer Square include curbless street designs to ease local traffic, wider sidewalks to accommodate small cafes and activities, and added greenery.

The project design will also implement shorter street crossings. South Washington and South Main streets will turn into one-way streets to reduce

vehicle traffic.

“We are truly excited to create pedestrian improvements that will connect Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood to our new waterfront, which we expect will contribute towards the ongoing revitalization of the city’s downtown area,” Director of the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects Angela Brady said in a news release.

The Waterfront Seattle project is anticipated to finish in 2025. The original projected timeline had construction expected to finish in late 2023. However, that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of concrete delivery availability between December 2021 and April 2022 as a result of a concrete strike in King County, according to Waterfront Seattle.

Fat Salmon open-water swim set for July 15 Sta report

On July 15, the Orca Swim Team — a non-pro t organization that promotes community building through swimming — will host the Fat Salmon Open Water Swim, now in its 23rd year.

Madison Park Beach is used for the event, a 3-plusmile point-to-point open water swim that starts at Day Street Park at I-90.

Event details, according to the organizers:

• Event hours are from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 15;

• e majority of the attendees/participants will be on the north end of the beach;

• During event hours, we expect between 50-400 attendees at Madison Park Beach;

• Parking directly adjacent to the north end of the beach (see map) will be restricted from the hours of 5 a.m.-11 a.m. so our event sta and volunteers can bring equipment/supplies to the beach and to also to provide space for support;

• We will have ampli ed

sound during the hours of 6:30 a.m.-11 a.m. for announcements prior to the race, as swimmers nish and for awards presentations. Speakers will be directed towards the water to minimize sound in the neighborhood.

In a news release, the organizers said: “We are working closely with the City of Seattle Special Events Committee to minimize the impacts of the event. We encourage you to come visit the event and see swimmers nish at Madison Park Beach that morning or join our team of volunteers (onland, kayaking or in a powerboat).”

More information about the event can be found at fatsalmonswim.com.

With over 34 years of real estate experience, we would love to be your real estate experts when it comes to marketing your home and purchasing a new home. We are excited to talk with you about your options!

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Our trusted global advisors curate a life better lived through an exceptional real estate experience.

WALLFLOWERS TAKE THE DANCE FLOOR

It always seemed to me wall owers couldn’t catch a break. eir Latin name, Erysimum, sounds stu ed with the wrong number of syllables. If said without con dence, or to the nonhorticulturally inclined, there’s a decent chance of sounding like you’re under the in uence. e common name, “wall ower,” made me think of my parents’ generation.

To them, a wall ower was someone, typically female, who was clinging to the walls of a ballroom or high school gym because they hadn’t been asked to dance. (Because the onus was on them to be desired, but that’s a topic for another day.) Adding to the confusion is that related Cherianthus were also called wall owers, but now they all are called Erysimum.

However, in that assumption I was, not for the rst time, mistaken. e name more likely means literally a ower that will grow in walls, which is kind of a superpower when you think about it.

Like many English cottage garden favorites, I read about Erysimum long before I met them IRL, probably in books by Gertrude Jekyll and Louise Beebe Wilder when I rst became a gardener. E. ‘Bowle’s Mauve’, the longtime standard, was imprinted on me as a longblooming stalwart, but I found the watery violet

color uninspiring, so I subconsciously led it under “non-essential plants” for me. Fast forward to life in the Paci c Northwest, where I had to retrieve that name out of the dusty mental le when I met new cultivars beyond “Bowles’s Mauve” — and they bowled me over.

Suddenly there were new colors — reds, yellows, tangerine orange, and all kinds of blends combining all my favorite hot colors in sundae swirls of orange/red, yellow/peach/ purple, raspberry/purple. And the clincher? Not all, but most, had a delightful, honeyed oral fragrance.

I planted some E. “Apricot Twist” (because orange is my kryptonite) early on in my rst years of gardening at our house in what would prove to be some really tough neighborhoods — spots choked by hawthorn and bay laurel roots, shaded by our house.

ey bloomed. I cut them. ey bloomed more. For weeks. Finally, they waned, and I cut them back fairly hard. ey made it through summer and in September, bloomed again — and returned next March to do it all over again!

I can hear you saying, “What’s the catch?” e catch is that then they disappeared. It turns out there are several reasons for this. Wall owers are some of the bloomingest perennials in the garden —

even better than yarrows and perennial salvia, which give a whisper of a second show a er being cut back. Many are sterile, not setting seed, so that prolongs their blooming. However, they burn so fast and bright, they just can’t keep it up inde nitely. Some are biennial, dying a er owering in their second season. ey also prefer gritty, well-drained soil rather than the clay against my fence (wall- ower, remember?). Nonetheless, their attributes make them more than earn their place in my garden.

ey o er such delight blooming in our gray time of need (March-Mayish, sometimes longer), and those mixed colors are fabulous at bridging color combinations in the garden, pot, or vase. (Lime, red, or purple foliage looks great with any of them.) Here in Seattle, they may be evergreen.

Gardens Illustrated magazine from the UK suggests regular cutting back to refresh the foliage and keep them from growing in the loosey-goosey way they can and taking insurance cuttings in July just in case. Erysimum are so popular in England they are apparently sold bareroot in the fall, which I’ve never seen here — but would like to!

Some varieties to look for:

“Bowles’ Mauve” — this classic is readily available, and can ower for up to nine months, says Gardens illustrated, but unfortunately, has no fragrance.

“Walberton’s Fragrant Star” — lemon yellow/ plum owers with knockout variegated foliage

“Apricot Twist” — eggplant buds open to orange owers, nice scent.

“Winter Orchid” — the Winter series is touted for larger owers and a long bloom time. Orchid’s owers emerge red, turning purple for a delicious bicolor e ect. Lightly scented.

Erysimum × marshallii

“Orange Bedder” — groundcover biennial from Siberia that o en self-sows for years.

ere are new choices coming out every year, so pick your favorite, and hit the dance oor.

Erica Browne Grivas Get Growing

Photos by Erica Browne Grivas Orange Erysimum with blue Lithodora

Multitoned Erysimum closeup.

A gem in every season: The Bellevue Botanical Garden’s perennial border

By Erica Browne Grivas

Free and open 365 days a year, the 53-acre Bellevue Botanical Garden (bellevuebotanical.org) is already a treasure giving people access to beauty year-round. Within it is an extra-special gem that rewards visiting any day of the year: the perennial border.

Entirely maintained by volunteers from the Northwest Perennial Alliance (northwestperennialalliance. org), the border showcases the best of Northwest gardening in a kaleidoscope of color and texture that shifts at least every two weeks, if not daily for the really close observer. The largest volunteer-tended public perennial garden in the country, it’s been wowing people since the garden opened in 1992.

While it’s called a perennial border, the maples, horse chestnuts, and hydrangeas adding seasonal support and structure make it a mixed border. The border was overhauled and nearly doubled in size to 33,000 square feet in 2012 by original designers

Glenn Withey and Charles Price, known for their love of color.

I recently attended a tour led by NPA president Tere Kalfus, for a behind-the-scenes look at the planning and maintenance of the garden.

Amazingly, the garden always seems full, with new wonders revealed weekly, yet the plants have plenty of elbow room — notably unlike my current garden.

On this visit, in early June, the border was surfing the cusp between spring and summer - the irises and azaleas were in their heyday, while the delphiniums had just started and the peonies were nearly finished blooming.

But the real magic lies not in the pure flower power, but in the choreography of the planting. Purple iris blossoms are set off by a lemony meadow rue (Thalictrum flavum ‘Illuminator’). Plenty of evergreen foliage and winter interest backs up and highlights that flower power. Color stories shift from section to section, from full sun to shade, as the path snakes back and forth across

the hillside. A particularly striking section centered on a variegated dogwood, with silver brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Looking Glass’) in the foreground and a statuesque clump of sapphire blue delphinium (Delphinium ‘Cobalt Dreams’) on the right.

Kalfus said the NPA has full rein on planting choices — except trees, which require approval from the BBG. She recently championed a new maple’s inclusion. She said they are working on “leaving the leaves” when appropriate over winter to showcase horticultural best practices, though longtime volunteers may need convincing. The volunteers use only organic inputs in the garden beds, including Sluggo for slugs and snails and blood meal for rabbits.

I’ve discovered many a plant here, like ginger relative Hedychium with fragrant orange spikes in late summer and fuzzy silver Potentilla lineata. (One of the two Hedychiums planted in my yard last year has returned — it’s very possible the other was swamped by marauding

daylilies from the next yard, or I ripped it out while pulling at those same daylilies. We don’t know yet about the Potentilla, which was in a mixed container all winter.)

It’s easy to discover the names of plants you love, even without plant tags, thanks to QR codes on signposts at the edge of each section. Simply zap with your phone and you’ll get a list with photos of the plants in that section. My shopping list gets longer every visit!

Happily, the NPA also sells plants to fulfill those needs in a stand next to the Trillium Gift Shop. It’s restocked every day by Monday, FYI. Interestingly, they are not divisions from the grounds, as you might assume.

A recent surge of a soil-born

hellebore virus and some persistent weed seeds put an end to that, so the plants are from local wholesalers. This time, I adopted an Agastache “Morello” whose leaves start out plum, making a lovely foil for the raspberry pink flowers, and several candelabra primroses, which are not that easily found at general nurseries.

If you want to learn from passionate gardeners in this beautiful setting, join the crew of volunteers for work parties on Monday and Thursday for as many hours as you’d like — all skill levels are welcome. You can learn more at northwestperennialalliance. org/NPA-Border.

Chris Sudore President/Founder

Megan Bassetti Marketing

Andrea Whitehall Sales Broker

Courtesy Photo