Life In The Pacific Northwest
I must confess that I’ve never been on the Underground Tour in Pioneer Square. It’s on my proverbial “bucket list”, but what that’s worth. Simon Whistler put together a great video explaining Seattle’s Underground. It is a quirky history, to be sure.
If you’re interested in taking the tour yourself, here’s the info. And enjoy the video below. Now I’m thinking about writing articles focused on Lou Graham and Bill Seidel. Is that something you’d like to read? Leave me a comment and let me know.
If you’ve been in Washington for a significant amount of time, you’ll have heard of the Handford Nuclear Reservation. A key part of the Manhatten Project, having supplied plutonium for the Hiroshima bomb, amongst others, this site has a huge legacy. Besides the history of the weapons, there’s the ecological nightmare that’s been decades in cleaning, with decades more until it’s “safe”.
Simon Whistler gives a great, brief overview of the site’s history and legacy. I recommend checking it out. I have a personal history with eastern Washington, and with the Hanford Downwinders. I appreciate all efforts to bring light to this.
Just read “Summit stewards make the steep trek to Green Mountain Lookout“. Ah, visions of Kerouac on Desolation Peak! Well, this isn’t quite so literary, I guess.
If you don’t know Kerouac’s connection to the Pacific Northwest, below are few links for you (and if you don’t know Jack Kerouac, please fix that. I always start such things with Wikipedia).
Anyway, I enjoyed the article, probably in no small part due to my literary fascinations. This looks like a fun, if aggressive hike. And staying on top of a mountain (I doubt there’s wifi) would be a great way to decompress. For me, personally, after this season’s hikes, I realize I’m not quite in good enough shape for hikes like this one. I’m building back up, though.
Below is a video of the current occupants of the lookout (as of the article’s writing, at least) created by the good folks at the Everett Herald.
https://vimeo.com/358390009
If you’re inspired to make this hike, check out the WTA’s (Washington Trails Association) page for the Green Mountain trail. And if you’re interested in the Kerouac/Beat pilgrimage to Desolation Peak, the WTA has your covered, too.
The clever little bit of satire brought to you by legendary Seattle DJ Bob Rivers, part of his Twisted Tunes series. Another piece of “old Lynnwood”, and, I guess, continuing is this unintentional series (started yesterday).
So, any interest in pursuing this further? It’d be interesting to see what else I could dig up to add to this thread. Do you have any ideas? Requests? Let me know!
Many memories
Walking past the empty halls
In winter’s darkness
Ages ago I lived in Seattle’s heart. The city was beginning the transformation into the economic behemoth it is now. Still the refuge of the poor, downtrodden. Suburban business professionals drifting through, vanishing as the clock struck five. The flurry of buses and cars away from us. I found myself wandering nighttime streets, streetlights and gentle rain accompanying my steps.
Perhaps you’re familiar with Gary Snyder. Most famous for his affiliation with Beat poets like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, he work is really it’s own beast. One of my favorite writers, I read his work quite regularly. He’s quite influential on me.
I find the way he combines such things as zen, Chinese literature and nature poetry with geomorphology and geology simply fascinating. And his eye keeps looking at the west coast, with him spending a great deal of time in the Pacific Northwest.
His seminal work, Mountains and Rivers Without End covers a great deal of ground topic-wise. There are several poems with Pacific Northwest themes, but one strikes me most: “Night Highway 99“. (The link will take you to the Google Books edition of book.)
I remember when I first really read the title. “Really” meaning “attentive, aware, awake (in a zen-sort-of-way). The connection was instant. Growing up in Lynnwood just a few blocks from Highway 99, it’s very easy to envision the places he writes about. Also, with my journeys around the region, most of the towns he mentions I know. At least driving by, and many of them have memories of my footsteps upon the ground.
Definitely give Mr. Snyder a read. The rewards; magnificent!
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I love Seattle. At one point, in my blogging career, I thought it grand to use the web, my accumulated knowledge, writing prowess and free-time to explore Seattle. As a writer, putting these explorations into text, editing them, and crafting something remotely readable seemed the best way to proceed. With my mind’s propensity towards wandering, and the recklessness of the use of my time, the effectiveness of that aspiration has been rather questionable at best.
As the site’s host was clamoring for their next payment, I wondered about this crazy project. What the hell am I doing? And why am I paying for it? Weighing many options: rebooting as a real estate site, just killing the whole thing….all kinds of options on the table, so to speak. At one point, my desk was an actual table, so I guess that’s apt. But now I’m much more high-class, with a desk from Goodwill, or ValueVillage, or one of their kin. But I digress.
So, the site’s still up (hope you noticed). Now I have something of a vision, of a plan for my quirky little homestead on the web (thinking of singing “home for the strange” to “Home, Home on the Range”). “Something” leaves a great deal to the imagination. Probably a good thing.
Upon the deepest reflection, and a few cups of coffee, and perhaps a deep lack of creativity, I return to the original notion: exploring Seattle…and more. Or do I mean “beyond”? Well, what do I mean?
Though my life intersects with Seattle extensively, I’ve lived far longer in the suburbs to the north. Also, a few other places in the “greater Northwest”. And, of course, my insider-outsider status. And, of courser, I like to write. And, even more of coursing, this being the web and all, I should drop in imagery (photos, videos, drawings and all that sort of thing). Multi-modes of communication and all that. Better creation of a narrative. Ah, communication analysis and strategic language. Some of us love it, even it runs drier than the Scablands in August.
Choosing to dive back into Seattle’s history, and, by extension I guess, the Pacific Northwest’s, I opted to jump back into books. Growing up, Emmett Watson’s columns were a delight. His understanding of Seattle, having lived through key parts of it’s history (we really aren’t that old of a City), captivated me. He’s one of the first names that comes to mind when I think of Seattle, especially understanding it’s culture before the birth of the tech sector, before the glass, steel and scraping of skies. Before the Space Needle, Emmett lived in this city.
My favorite library had a copy of Watson’s book Emmett Watson: “My Life In Print”
I love Seattle, I love this region: western Washington and the Pacific Northwest. From the skies mottled with infinite variations of grey, mists strung out, cotton-candy-like by fir-boughs, to the fascinating characters that have been birthed picking fir needles and pine sap from their hair, this is home. Thank God!
A couple of years ago I noted that Albertsons acquired Safeway. And here in Lynnwood we have an intersection with one of each kitty-corner to the other. I had a hunch that one of them was doomed, most likely Safeway. To me, the store always seemed to be struggling, always rather empty.
Then I noticed “guys with signs” (a modern incarnation of the town crier?) recently. They were sharing the news the they were liquidating the whole store. So, I guess my projection was accurate. If you’re a Safeway fan, there’s the store in Edmonds off of 99 and 236th (pretty sure it’s 236th). And the one off of 148th. I don’t know about the Edmonds store, but the north Lynnwood one is a busy and vibrant place. With its relatively recent remodel, it’s a rather pleasant place to shop. Good since it helped keep it competitive when Fred Meyers opened their Alderwood Store.
I find the Lynnwood Safeway’s migration to be interesting. My first memory of the store, it was located a block east where Big Lots is now. In the 80s (I’m pretty sure) it moved to its current location. What’s interesting to me is that Office Depot went into the old Safeway building. Then a decade or so later, it moved west into the retail space right next to Safeway. So I expect Big Lots will move to the space vacated by Safeway. Well, not really, but it’s a fun conjecture.
Driving up 196th is always telling for me. I remember many old businesses. Like where Shakeys Pizza used to be. Or Pizza Hut. Then I look and try to remember what was “in that spot”. Then there’s the sadness of the now long vacant Alfy’s. A place with many memories for me, and a study in bad management. But that’s a post for another day.
Realizing I have decades of this region’s history tucked into my brain is both rather cool, and a bit alarming. I don’t feel that terribly old! But I can talk about how this city was thirty/forty years ago. I guess it’s clear this place is home for me. No complaints. Nope, not one.
It’s been a lovely weekend here in South Snohomish county. Yesterday I made my way down to the Edmonds Barbershop. For me, that’s John’s barbershop. When I lived down there, I’d walk there once a month or so. He always did a fantastic job. Then we moved to north Lynnwood, nearly Mukilteo. Slowly, the drive started to become too much, too convoluted. And for the sake of time, I’d end up at the discount hair place with the shortest line. After moving a few years ago, it finally sank in that I can make the journey now without too much trouble. So, even with my maniacal calendar, I was able to carve out the time. It was great to catch up. He knows so very much about the details of Edmonds life.
It’s amazing to reflect on all the changes I’ve seen the city come through. My grandparents lived there for decades. My grandfather died in this town. He’d hardly recognize it. I can’t imagine him trying a pain au’chocolat (he’d definitely try a crescent roll with chocolate bits, though). There are elements of that old Edmonds left. The first things that comes to mind is the Edmonds Bakery and the venerable Pankcake Haus. But we have many lovely but fru-fru restaurants now; ones that I love but he’d scratch his head over. These changes excite, but I feel a tinge of nostalgia. Me, though, I focus on the positive and let the negative drift away. Especially as I have little control over either.
With that, it’s time for me to step outside and enjoy this lovely breezy spring-esque day. May you day be filled with delight and fun, rejuvenating you for the week to come.
Found this press release in my inbox just now, so I’m sharing it pretty much as-is. If you’re looking for something a little more unique in Lynnwood, here you go. It’s tomorrow, at Heritage Park from 11-3.
Lynnwood’s Heritage Park open house event continues this Saturday, September 5 from 11am – 3pm. Take a break from the parades and cookouts and join us for a ride on the Transit Time Machine for a view of transportation’s past, present, and future.
The Past: Explore Heritage Park’s restored Interurban Car 55 which provided commuter service from Everett to Seattle. History buffs will enjoy the historic buildings and museum exhibits showcasing Alderwood Manor and early Lynnwood.
The Present: Check out a Community Transit Double Tall Bus and lean about the variety of transportation options available today. Get info and ask questions about current routes, developments, and options for getting around Snohomish County.
The Future: Planners from Community Transit will be available to discuss the future of service — from the future Swift lines to expanded service and much more. There will also be information and displays on the upcoming Sound Transit Link Light Rail project that will connect Lynnwood to Seattle and beyond.
The park, located east of I-5 at the SE corner of Poplar Way and Alderwood Mall Parkway, is a cultural, heritage and visitor resource. The open house events offer a unique opportunity for park visitors to tour the various historical structures including Interurban Car 55 that have been preserved at the park.
Open House activities include:
School Supply Donation Drive:
The Snohomish County Tourism Bureau will be hosting a school supply donation drive at the Visitor Information Center in the Wickers Building. The donation drive will kick-off at the open house and continue through the month of August. Donated supplies will benefit the Sleep Country Foster Kids Program that provides much needed school supplies to foster kids in the local area. To donate, bring your new item to the Visitor Center sometime in the month of August. Donation items can include: