It was a warm day so I decided to walk in the Laurelhurst and Windermere neighborhoods thinking I would find some shade. I did find some but not much and was starting to feel that this walk wouldn't offer up much other than an upscale neighborhood with sidewalks, curbs, underground utilities, water views, and well tended homes and gardens. Then I noticed that I walked by 60th and 60th, ...


... 59th and 59th, ...


... 57th and 57th, ...


... 55th and 55th! Where else could something like that happen?


I did spot some spectacular shrubs ...


... and trees that didn't offer as much shade as I had hoped.


I passed through the Windermere posts ...

... and the smaller Belvedere Terrace posts.

I admired a beautiful arbor, ...

... parking strip art, ...

... tree art, ...

... this tidy development in Belvedere Terrace, ...

... and sidewalk art in front of the shops along Sand Point Way.


 

Along these meandering 7 miles, I walked down a dead end alley, spotted tree swings and basketball hoops (even a basketball court), Saint Bridget's Church, Villa Academy, houses which had been or were being replaced or expanded, a pricey townhouse community, Children's Sand Point Learning Center (it had been the Center for Spiritual Living), the Archives building (yes, it's still there), and a UPSP mailbox near City People's Mercantile. Going inside City People's, I noticed that the area which had once sold women's clothing now sells pet products. There have been quite a few changes in the stores just south of City People's. Where once there were a jewelry store and a day spa, there is now a pet grooming shop and an art studio and gift workshop. There are still two restaurants, a dry cleaners, and a real estate office. Katterman's Pharmacy is still there with a window tribute to Beverly - the Vaccine Queen!

I had spotted four Little Free Libraries (one was called a Lending Library and one was built as an Eagle Scout project). They contained DVDs, novels, graphic novels and a selection of religious and self-help nonfiction.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 Once again, Wallingford was the location of an enjoyable walk. Starting near Golden Oldies on NE 45th Street, I admired the murals ... ... on both sides of the building. Just across the street was Dick's and ... ... I noted the the entire block behind Dick's had been demolished. I wonder what will be going up there. Walking south of 45th, I filled in streets I had missed on prior walks and came across quite a few tree-lined streets. Houses varied from small bungalows to large, stylish homes with the majority being somewhere in between.  Most houses and gardens were well kept. A few had been replaced by townhomes and I noted two that were boarded up, probably awaiting replacement. I saw a street mural and vegetables growing in the swags along the curbs. The short stretch of Stone Way that I walked today was either already densely populated or soon would be.  Wandering over to 5th Avenue, I could see huge towers which have gone up in the U District. Further west, I had cau...
Read more
Image
  Yesterday, a friend and I walked in Wallingford. We encountered businesses along 45th and mostly quiet streets south of this busy area. Many had lovely gardens, one featured well tended grape vines. This sculpture was outside the Wallingford Center on 45th. This mural was on the side of an Afghan restaurant. These steps on a quiet street ... ... led to this staircase. This sidewalk art ... ... provided a posting spot for this poem. On Corliss Avenue, north of 42nd, we spotted this "Art in the Yard." The artist, Brooke Borcherding, displays a different piece of art every day. She will be having a Studio Show August 30th to September 1st with over 100 paintings in the yard. On this 4.5 mile walk, we spotted one Little Free Pantry, two churches (Wallingford United Methodist and First Church of the Nazarene),  one play tree (with a swing and climbing devices), and six Little Free Libraries. They contained  children's books, cookbooks, in addition to books on diet, health, s...
Read more
Image
  A friend and I were treated to some great views yesterday, as we walked in the charming Madrona neighborhood. We started near Madrona Elementary School, the Madrona Public Library, and St. Theresa's Catholic Church. We admired the quiet, tree-lined streets of lovely older homes. Only a few had been replaced by newer, denser houses.   Madrona Playground was well kept and there was a nice commercial strip along 34th Avenue where we stopped for an enjoyable breakfast at the Hi spot Cafe in an area called Madrona Village. We spotted a Free Little Art Gallery which contained both art and art supplies. A Fairy Village adorned a front yard. Along our 2.5 mile walk, we noted five Little Free Libraries. They contained novels, diet books, computer books, reference books, books on economics, politics, sea life, humor, education and an Italian language text book.
Read more