My husband joined me today for a walk in the Bryant neighborhood. This is a lovely area with tree-lined streets, sidewalks, curbs and alley ways. This mural was painted on a wall at the entrance to an alley off NE 55th Street. Walking down one of the alleys, we saw what looked to a garage turned into a two story house.

We noted house remodels and replacements. Some fit into the neighborhood better than others. Some placed multiple really skinny homes on a single lot.

Many of the homes were nicely landscaped. One plot was a Certified Wildlife Habitat. We spotted an overgrown vacant lot - it looked as if a house had been knocked down. We spotted two women sweeping their sidewalks; one was even sweeping the street.

Bryant Elementary School takes up the entire block from 57th to 60th from 33rd to 34th.

The speed limit on 33rd is 10 mph. That is the lowest I have seen.

Across from the school on 33rd, sits the old Ravenna Methodist Protestant Church, aka Ravenna United Methodist Church (built in 1922). It appears, recently, to have been home to the Ravenna Collaboratory (an incubator for social change) but is now for sale.

Along 55th, we came to old Fire Station Number 38. In 2012, it was sold as a residence and then the City sued the owner for using it as such. The owner countersued and won. On 55th between 30th and 35th, we noted three restaurants, a rock landscapers, Wunderkind, a salon, a barber shop, a jewelers, a fitness center and a chocolate shop.

I continued south on 35th, admiring the trees lining the street in front of Calvary Cemetery. These trees were planted in the late 90's as one Boy Scout's Eagle Project and really beautify the neighborhood today.

Most of the headstones in the cemetery lie flat to the ground ...

... which is why the large ones stand out. There are even marble benches beside some of the graves.

I was drawn to one with a large family photo and ...

... was surprised to find information on the back side about Blessed Solanus Casey. I don't think that Casey ever lived in the Seattle area but it seems that some of his family members did.

Leaving the cemetery, I walked east on 55th and came to Metropolitan Market on 40th. The new Fire Station Number 38 is on the northeast corner of 55th and 40th. I walked north on 40th and passed a lot where a house had been renovated and two additional homes had been built in the backyard. None of the houses were "affordable." I also passed a woman who was out raking leaves.

At 65th, I came to Bryant Playfield and PCC. On the south side of PCC, I spotted a community bulletin board and Little Free Cook Book Library. It contained four cookbooks. At this point, I left the busy traffic along 40th for the quieter 42nd. Walking north, I zigged and zagged with 42nd, sometimes walking on 40th or 41st until I reached Thornton Creek Elementary School on 77th. This school has been renovated since I walked here 12 years ago. A soccer game was in progress. 

North of 77th, 40th became much quieter so I took it to 89th Street to 42nd which becomes ...

... what my family calls "The Wiggly Road." (Here was another 10 mph speed limit.) It wiggles down the hill to 45th from which I worked my way to the Burke Gilman Trail. 

Along this 6 mile walk, I spotted palm trees, Halloween displays and two additional Little Free Libraries. One contained novels and a game, the other fiction, nonfiction and two bags of something - I didn't open them. As I walked from Bryant through View Ridge and Wedgwood, the lots and houses got bigger but the sidewalks appeared and disappeared.