July 9, 2008
We just received notice of what looks to be a wonderful way to spend a summer evening. The recently-opened Branches Garden Center is holding a wine tasting event in their rose garden:
Thursday July 10th, from 6-8pm, our Rose Garden will be transformed into a beautiful outdoor cafe. There will be wines from Spyder Lake Winery to sample, hors d’oeuvres to taste, a classical guitarist to listen to, and roses to enjoy both for fragrance and beauty. Whether you come as a couple, in a group, or as a single you will enjoy a splendid evening at this exclusive Branches After Hours event. Tickets are $15 and are available for purchase at the garden center or by phone . Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.
We were sad to see Kelly Gardens leave, but we’ve been very happy with our experience at Branches. They continue the tradition of personal service that Kelly’s was known for and have done a great job in fixing the place up. Worth a visit anytime – but doubly so when wine is involved!
We’ve also visited Spyder Lake Winery in Edgewood – they are very hospitable friendly and have some interesting fruit wines to share. They also have a nice wine shop selling a nice selection of wines from the region.
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July 4, 2008
Local real estate agents are upset that the City is removing their open house and directional for sale signs from the public right of way. Boo-hoo!
“I would just ask you to imagine how you would feel if you were trying to sell your home in these challenging times,” Windermere agent Marylyn Gates said.
While we can sympathize with their need to conduct business, in the age of the Internet and craigslist, we really have to question the benefits of having open house signs all over the place. It’s pretty common knowledge that open houses don’t actually sell houses, rather, they provide a stream of new contacts for real estate agents.
We’re less worried about the open house signs that are out for a couple hours on weekends in various locations. We loath the little “directional for sale” signs that are planted in the parking strips and tacked to any flat surface available.
If we agree that it’s OK to advertise a house for sale in the public right of way, then it’s not a stretch to say it is OK for the home-based business advertisements to be stapled to telephone poles, trees, bus shelters and so on. It’s then not much of a stretch to give the OK to Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Home Depot to line Pac Hwy with sandwich boards advertising sales, specials, and whatever else. Imagine if every business in Federal Way took the the view that it is their right to put signs anywhere in the name of conducting business in “these challenging times”.
We’re already bombarded with signs and advertisements all over Federal Way. Maybe it’s time to tell the real estate agents, apartment homes, and multi-level marketers that our public right of ways are not designed to be an avenue of free advertising.
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June 28, 2008
What is this world coming to?
First, we have the death of a 7-month old in a fire pit. His “father” claims that he fell asleep and only had “three to six beers” that night. I am still trying to figure out how the hell a 7-month old on a person’s chest can crawl off and then make their way fully into a fire pit. Maybe he slid down his legs or something. No matter how he got on the ground, I’m still having a hard time figuring out how he could then make his way to a fire pit and get burned on 100 percent of his body. One would think the first little hand to reach the fire would cause the child to pull away.
Something doesn’t add up here. The thrice-deported illegal alien father is being held in jail on manslaughter charges.
Later this week, a premature baby was found dead – umbilical cord still attached – in this drug addict “mother’s” apartment. The Seattle Times reports:
There is some indication that leads police to think this death “wasn’t just a miscarriage,”
I feel for these children. What a horrible week.
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May 8, 2008
It may not seem like it these last few cold days, but a sure sign of spring comes this Saturday when the Federal Way Farmers Market begins. The 2008 season kicks off with a Pancake Breakfast from 9:00 – 10:30 with music provided by local classical guitarist, Cesar Medel. To help get your spring gardening in gear, Master Gardener Ed Hume will visit from 1:00 – 3:00. There will also be events for kids all day, including a magician and a Mothers Day art project.
Don’t let the chance of rain keep you away from all of the great produce, flowers, entertainment, and gardening advice (and our favorite apple ciders!).
The Farmers Market, located in the Commons parking lot near Sears, is open for business every Saturday, 9:00am – 3:00pm through October.
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April 8, 2008
Federal Way is already home to one Fortune 500 company, and one large non-profit, so why not add Russell Investments to that list?
It doesn’t get too much press in the Seattle-centric media, but Russell Investments is looking for new digs for their 1000+ HQ employees within the next few years.
Tacoma brought out the big guns last week in a push to keep Russell right there. A key to their proposal was the phasing out of the local B&O taxed on “international financial services”. There goes Federal Way’s number one advantage – we don’t have any B&O to begin with.
Still, we’re in the race. Probably a long shot.
There’s not enough employment for professionals in Federal Way and the perceived commute is a major detractor to living here for many, I am sure. As downtown seeks to revitalize establish itself, wouldn’t this be great way to start:
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April 8, 2008
There’s no denying it – 320th @ I-5 can be a mess! The City of Federal Way is looking to improve traffic from I-5 into Federal Way and is currently considering two options for new I-5 on-ramps/off-ramps.
The current options being evaluated are North (312th) and South (324th). They are also considering a “no build” option, but we can’t imagine anyone would want that. While we’d love it if nobody ever moved to Federal Way and everybody always took public transit, that’s just not realistic. Initially, we think the south option would be best as it avoids mostly-residential area.
We hope there will be some significant changes to the 320th interchange in the works as part of this project. We were really disappointed to not see cloverleafs constructed while WSDOT was tearing everything up right there for a couple of years. Talk about a missed opportunity.
There is an open house tomorrow, April 9, from 4:00-7:00pm, with a overview presentation at 4:30 and again at 6:00.
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