Barers Of Maple Valley Venture Out To Capitol Hill

Last Saturday, Deb and I went with my Cousin and her husband to the Capitol Hill area of Seattle.  We found it to be a loud, vibrant area.  Our first stop was Sun Liquor(pictured above) on Summit Street.  Their was no wait staff, so it we needed to go to the bar and order our drink.  The mixed drinks were made of fresh fruits which the bartender squeezed for each order. They were very Delicious.  Afterwards, we walked the dogs.  There was a row of small houses down a sidewalk that intersected with the street.
Then we drove to the Elysian Brewery on Pike Street for dinner.  It is a well known microbrewery in the Seattle area.  The food was good, but even better was the service.  On a crowded Saturday night, we were able to get a table in right away.  Our food server was very good at helping us make meal choices.  My friend said that she was one of the best he ever had. 
After dinner and a side stop, we walked to The Unicorn.  The streets were filled with party people, bringing energy to the neighborhood.  The Unicorn was unique, but not scary,  there were rare pinball machines and a carnival motif.  We enjoyed the games before we called it an evening.

This Blog Turns 8

 

 

Barers of Maple Valley started on May 29, 2005.

The Capitol Movie Theatre

When I was little in Walla Walla, there were 3 standing indoor movie theatres.
The Roxy which was closed but still had it's marquee, it was eventually torn down.  The Liberty, which was the main theatre and the Capitol (pictured above).   The Capitol showed mostly foreign movies. It eventually became an X rated movie house before closing. The Capitol was also torn down.   The Liberty, although no longer a theatre, has been preserved because of it's stunning architecture.
Growing up, with just one theatre in town, it was common to drive to the Tri Cities to watch a first run movie. 
All the theatres in the area were owned at one time by Sterling Recreation Organization, a Bellevue company.  Known as SRO, it also owned bowling alleys and radio stations.

I-5 Bridge Collapse Near Mt Vernon

Not much information, go to King5 or any Seattle news source for details.   Thoughts and prayers for anyone involved. UPDATE: King 5 reports that the bridge collapse after a truck with an oversized load hit the span.  Two cars went into the water. Three people were rescued and sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

America Mourns Moore, Oklahoma

Doors Keyboardist Manzarek Dies

Ray Manzarek, who played one of the most electrifying intros in Rock and Roll history on "Light My Fire" has died at 73.  Manzarek who survived his more famous band mate, lead singer Jim Morrison by almost 42 years, had been suffering from cancer.  Born in 1939, Manzarek was slightly older than most of his rock contemporaries.  After his stint with the Doors, he turned to producing, working with the LA Punk band X.  He objected to the Oliver Stone Movie "The Doors" because it presented Morrison "as a violent, drunken fool.."  In recent years, he toured with Doors guitarist Robby Krieger.   Manzarek and Krieger had also been battling Doors drummer John Densmore in court on various issues.  Densmore and Krieger are now the only survivors from the group.

Congratulations, Dasher!

We are really proud of Dasher as he has passed his Certified DogTherapy Test.  This allows Dasher a chance to do service work when needed.

Constantine Speaks In Issaquah On Coal Trains

King County Executive Dow Constantine was the headline speaker Wednesday night as the 5th District Democrats held a discussion on why a proposal to have coal trains passing through the area would be harmful to both the economic climate and the environment.  Constantine, known a strong environmentalist, said that there are three proposed routes to transport coal from mines in Wyoming and Montana to be loaded at ports in Longview and/or Bellingham and shipped to China.  Constantine said that 18 trains a day, approximately a mile and a half long could be running through  downtown Seattle, causing serious traffic snarls.  That could seriously damage the economic health of the region.  The trains could also tie up the rails and ward off needed cargo for Seattle's major industries.
Constantine has said that King County government has made a commitment to clean energy sources and  that Coal is one of the dirtiest sources of energy.  Dust from the coal passing through could severely lower the air quality of the region, raising the human health issue.
Also, speaking was Tiffany McGuyer, from Power Past Coal, a group that opposes the trains on the grounds that cleaner and healthier energy sources are available.
5th District Chair Jim Baum addressed the group to say that more discussions on timely regional issues are now in the works.  The discussion took place at the City Hall in Issaquah, the largest city in Washington's 5th legislative district.

It's Final--No NBA In Seattle For 2013-14

Seattle's hopes of gaining an NBA franchise became dim as the NBA voted to keep the Kings in Sacramento.  The Kings have been on the verge of moving for the last few seasons, but a joint effort by NBA commissioner David Stern and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, himself a three time NBA all star has rescued the team each time.  By contrast, when a move by the Seattle Super Sonics took place, Commissioner David Stern rebuked Seattle's efforts to keep the team.

Maple Valley Entertains 4 Legged Guests

Goats have been hired to clean out brush and trim the grass at the Patrick's Faire Subdivision across from Belmont Woods in Maple Valley.  The curious heard of young and old goats have attracted quite a gallery of  spectators from homes nearby. 

Former Sonics Coach George Karl Wins NBA Coach Of The Year

George Karl, who like Mariner manager Lou Piniella was controversial during his time with the Sonics, has won his first Coach Of The Year award.  Karl has coached the Denver Nuggets since 2005 and this year coached the team to 57 wins. The most in it's history.  The team, however, had an early exit in the play-off against Golden States.  One of the knocks on Karl when he was with the Sonics is that he could rack up wins during the season, but only once could it go deep in the play-offs.
Karl is 6th in all-times wins amongst past and present NBA coaches.  He does not have a championship ring.  Karl's honor is the longest time a coach (25 years) has gone before winning that award.  He is a two time cancer survivor.

They're Coming! 5th LD Democrats To Host Discussion On Coal Trains

The 5th District Democrats will devote it's May Meeting to present a forum on  plans to ship coal by rail through the Northwest. King County Executive Dow Constantine will headline the discussion, along with representatives from 2 groups opposing the plan--Washington Conservation Voters and Power Past Coal. 
The plan is to ship coal mined in Montana and Wyoming to Northwest ports for shipment to Asia.  The ports will be rebuilt to handle the exports.  Environmental impact statements for the proposal are currently being prepared.
The meeting will convene at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 15th at Issaquah City Hall's Eagle Room, 130
Sunset Way.

Ken Levine's Observations On Walla Walla

The world may finally be taking Walla Walla, Washington seriously, but that didn't stop TV writer/baseball announcer Ken Levine from writing a charmingly funny blog post his visit there to promote the Walla Walla Sweets Baseball team.  Check it out here.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Erin Murphy Selling TV History

Having used her blog for a few years to connect with fans, Erin Murphy, who played daughter Tabitha on the 60s-70s TV classic Bewitched, is selling pictures from the show that she has autographed.  Click here

Rachel Rings Seattle's Bell!

She's sassy, zany, and seemingly always enthusiastic, she's the only local radio personality, as far as I know, that has her own jingle (the old Disco standby Ring My Bell), Rachel Belle is KIRO FM's feature reporter.  Rachel reports the news that didn't make the news and has an uncanny knack for humanizing every story no matter what the impact.  Her delivery is mile a minute, yet clear and she is more than able to stand up to wisecracking afternoon hosts Ron And Don.   Rachel can be heard daily at 4:40 and 6:40 on 97.3 KIRO FM. She does radio commercials for a variety of products.  Rachel also has done stand up in local comedy clubs as you can see here.