If you're looking for an immersive theater experience, consider the new production from the Maynard Park Neighborhood Players. Opening next Tuesday, it's "Eyes Wide Shut: The Musical." The enigmatic Kubrick film gets a retooling with a little bit of mystery, a bit more dazzle, a double dash of comedy, and way more music.
The musical play is the disturbed brainchild of Kyle Eggebraaten (Norwegian TV's "Bob" from the hit series, "I Remember Bob.") While he was inspired by the film, the play is more of a jumping off point. "I wanted to add greater symbolic elements than what one can do in film," said Kyle backstage. "I also want it to be an in-your-face theater experience for the audience. You don't come to my play and expect to be left alone." In fact, the audience participation is so invasive that the production will be requiring that all attendees sign a limited power-of-attorney for the duration of the performance. "No one will be electrocuted," promises Kyle.
Those familiar with the film may strain to draw direct correlations, and the constant presence of a character named "Mr. Buzzard" (a 10 foot tall bird with a top hat and cane), further distracts from the foundational narrative of the story. At other times, audiences will find themselves firmly back in Kubrick territory, particularly during the "big Mansion scene" which painstakingly recreates the film's centerpiece ritual.
The songs are bouncy, and complimented by the Fidelio dancers. The rehearsal performance we witnessed ran 3 hours and 45 minutes, but Kyle expects to trim it by "6 to 7 minutes" before curtain time next week.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
It's Film Festival Time in Maynard Park
The Maynard Park Inner-city Film Festival Tribute (or MIFFT) kicks off this weekend at the MP Arts Center. Originally, a very robust slate of films was planned for the festival, showcasing hundreds of movies from around the world. However, due to budgetary constraints, the film festival was extensively re-imagined.
Instead of actually showing films, a team of local thespians will provide staged readings of film descriptions from other prominent Film Festival guides. Says Artistic Director, Travis Perdant, "we still feel we're in a position to create excitement about the art of cinema."
Admission is free to the public, but donations may be demanded upon entrance.
Instead of actually showing films, a team of local thespians will provide staged readings of film descriptions from other prominent Film Festival guides. Says Artistic Director, Travis Perdant, "we still feel we're in a position to create excitement about the art of cinema."
Admission is free to the public, but donations may be demanded upon entrance.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Something Muddy in Maynard Park
Picture yourself, pulling into your driveway or parking garage, with your SUV or motorcycle covered in mud and dirt. It’s a sight that almost literally screams to your neighbors, “hey, look at me… I’m cool and kick-ass!”
Your admiring neighbors are flooded with visions of your offroad adventures, and as they reflect on their own wasted sedentary lives, your status soars and reaches new heights of envy.
In today’s busy life, with all of our professional pursuits and social obligations, who has time for a real outdoor adventure? Now, there’s an affordable time-management solution.
The Maynard Park Mudworks is open for business and ready to elevate your perceived status with an array of services designed to impress.
The concept is simple: You discreetly drive your vehicle into Maynard Park Mudworks, meet with your Design Consultant, select your Service Package, then sit back and relax while your car or motorcycle is transformed into a status symbol. The process works much like a reverse carwash, producing a realistic mud effect that will have your neighbors convinced that you’ve just returned from the adventure of a lifetime. When your vehicle is ready, you drive it home to bask in the glory and forever change the perception of your friends, neighbors and acquaintances that you’re a do-nothing, pointless nobody. When it comes to perception, perception is all that matters.
The Mudworks features “clean-mud” technology that won’t harm finishes, with authentically sourced “mud-product” from popular offroading trails. For example, when a customer selects the “Tahuya”, or “Naches Pass Trail” package, they leave with a mud coverage mix that can fool even an expert-level offroader.
If...the idea of heading into a nightmare landscape of stuck wheels spinning in mud, horrific flying and crawling insects, twisting and ominous logging roads leading to potential encounters with angry backwoods humanoids, without a Starbucks in sight...is your idea of hell on earth, then Maynard Park Mudworks is for you.
Spend your day at the Mall, go to a Film Festival or to the Library, hang out at a Casino, or indulge yourself at a Cold Stone Creamery, then when you’re ready to feel the best you’ve ever felt, drive back home to a heroes welcome.
Maynard Park Mudworks also provides water-soluble “Shoe and Pant Leg Mud Spray" as a finishing touch to your grand illusion. Packages start at $29.
Your admiring neighbors are flooded with visions of your offroad adventures, and as they reflect on their own wasted sedentary lives, your status soars and reaches new heights of envy.
In today’s busy life, with all of our professional pursuits and social obligations, who has time for a real outdoor adventure? Now, there’s an affordable time-management solution.
The Maynard Park Mudworks is open for business and ready to elevate your perceived status with an array of services designed to impress.
The concept is simple: You discreetly drive your vehicle into Maynard Park Mudworks, meet with your Design Consultant, select your Service Package, then sit back and relax while your car or motorcycle is transformed into a status symbol. The process works much like a reverse carwash, producing a realistic mud effect that will have your neighbors convinced that you’ve just returned from the adventure of a lifetime. When your vehicle is ready, you drive it home to bask in the glory and forever change the perception of your friends, neighbors and acquaintances that you’re a do-nothing, pointless nobody. When it comes to perception, perception is all that matters.
The Mudworks features “clean-mud” technology that won’t harm finishes, with authentically sourced “mud-product” from popular offroading trails. For example, when a customer selects the “Tahuya”, or “Naches Pass Trail” package, they leave with a mud coverage mix that can fool even an expert-level offroader.
If...the idea of heading into a nightmare landscape of stuck wheels spinning in mud, horrific flying and crawling insects, twisting and ominous logging roads leading to potential encounters with angry backwoods humanoids, without a Starbucks in sight...is your idea of hell on earth, then Maynard Park Mudworks is for you.
Spend your day at the Mall, go to a Film Festival or to the Library, hang out at a Casino, or indulge yourself at a Cold Stone Creamery, then when you’re ready to feel the best you’ve ever felt, drive back home to a heroes welcome.
Maynard Park Mudworks also provides water-soluble “Shoe and Pant Leg Mud Spray" as a finishing touch to your grand illusion. Packages start at $29.
Friday, July 5, 2013
The Key to Happiness by Expertologist Jenny Voleur
Are you generally happy? Do you greet each day with a genuine feeling of balance, purpose and enjoyment? Do you consider yourself to be well adjusted, with a fulfilling and enriching life? If you answered "Yes" to most or all of these questions, you're wrong...and you're likely suffering from FSS or False Serenity Syndrome. FSS is an insidious affliction, because the better you "feel" each day, the worse the condition is actually becoming.
I discovered this syndrome after extensive workshopping on scientific themes, and rather than filling sufferers of FSS with despair, I'm offering new hope for a truly happy life for all. I've found that as soon as I confront seemingly happy people with the news that they are indeed FSS sufferers, their first question is always "Why me?", and their next question is "Why won't you go away?"
Confronting truth is never easy, but the key to recovery from False Serenity Syndrome is to understand your Mentally Indexed Barometer of Adversity Data or MIBAD score. The MIBAD score operates much like a Credit Score but instead rates your emotional well-being and suitability for genuine happiness. In my research, I reached the shocking and surprising conclusion that no one could have a "perfect score" and be happy. Unlike a Credit Score, where people strive to be in the 800s, the goal with the MIBAD score is to bring it down to a mentally healthful level of imperfection. The best way to attain that difficult achievement is through an array of merchandise and services that I can provide you.
Let me bring this home for you. You think you're happy. You're not. Let me point out how unhappy you really are by inviting you to dwell on focal-points that will raise your doubts and create new depressive fixations that can only be put into perspective through an investment in my extensive books, e-books, tapes, CDs, MP3s, online subscriptions, web-seminars, speaking engagements, lectures and immersive "offsite" isolation workshops at my compound in Belize.
The next time you're really feeling good about yourself, consider the alternatives.
I discovered this syndrome after extensive workshopping on scientific themes, and rather than filling sufferers of FSS with despair, I'm offering new hope for a truly happy life for all. I've found that as soon as I confront seemingly happy people with the news that they are indeed FSS sufferers, their first question is always "Why me?", and their next question is "Why won't you go away?"
Confronting truth is never easy, but the key to recovery from False Serenity Syndrome is to understand your Mentally Indexed Barometer of Adversity Data or MIBAD score. The MIBAD score operates much like a Credit Score but instead rates your emotional well-being and suitability for genuine happiness. In my research, I reached the shocking and surprising conclusion that no one could have a "perfect score" and be happy. Unlike a Credit Score, where people strive to be in the 800s, the goal with the MIBAD score is to bring it down to a mentally healthful level of imperfection. The best way to attain that difficult achievement is through an array of merchandise and services that I can provide you.
Let me bring this home for you. You think you're happy. You're not. Let me point out how unhappy you really are by inviting you to dwell on focal-points that will raise your doubts and create new depressive fixations that can only be put into perspective through an investment in my extensive books, e-books, tapes, CDs, MP3s, online subscriptions, web-seminars, speaking engagements, lectures and immersive "offsite" isolation workshops at my compound in Belize.
The next time you're really feeling good about yourself, consider the alternatives.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Haute Cuisine Workouts: Heating It Up In Maynard Park
You can never have enough Yoga Studios. That’s true in Seattle, and it’s apparently truer in Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood, where at last count we noted 37 Yoga Studios in an approximate 10 city-block radius. Yes, that seems about right. And…that seems about wrong, unless it’s a really, really interesting, ground-breaking Yoga Studio concept that’s never been seen. Well, we saw it, and we’re excited to tell you about it, because that’s what we do.
The latest entry, or to more accurately state it, entrée on the Yoga scene is Haute Crock Yoga. Situated on a bustling corner, in a former Church’s Chicken, “the Crock” (as locals have begun calling it) is all about the sizzle of savings. Appealing to mega-busy professionals who don’t have the time to fit both a workout and a dinner-out into their compressed schedules, Haute Crock Yoga brings it all together in a sweltering, delicious and literal melting pot of humanity and pulled-pork.
You can easily distinguish a “Haute Crocker” from the typical garden-variety rolled-mat-carrying yoga enthusiast. Clients of Haute Crock Yoga can be seen hauling their own slow-cookers with them to their Yoga Classes, and that’s when things really start to heat up.
Here’s how it works: Classes at Haute Crock begin with the synchronized placement of Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, DeLonghi or traditional Rival Crock Pots in a wide circle around the perimeter of the large yoga space. The room is pre-heated to 120 degrees, and with a unified flip of all the encircling switches, the ring of 200-to-300 degree crock pots springs to life…and so begins the aromatic journey of body, mind and soul. As participants work through their yoga positions, the Crock Pots emit their delicious leaching fragrance of Corned-Beef, Pot Roast, Liver and Onions, or on Vegan night, Barley Casserole, Tuscan Kale or Balsamic Root Vegetables, forming an airborne slurry that infuses with and enwraps the aficionados in what Haute Crock owner, Brenda Caramel, simply calls “love.”
At the conclusion of the 3-hour yoga session, picnic-style rustic tables are brought out onto the floor, crock pots are placed atop, and then the steamy bounty is shared among all who wish to partake. Cooking times may vary, from night to night, depending on the level of advancement of each class.
And there you have it… You just chop it, crock it, bring it, heat it, and eat it. Done and done. Dinner and a workout, and a memorable night out…in Maynard Park.
The latest entry, or to more accurately state it, entrée on the Yoga scene is Haute Crock Yoga. Situated on a bustling corner, in a former Church’s Chicken, “the Crock” (as locals have begun calling it) is all about the sizzle of savings. Appealing to mega-busy professionals who don’t have the time to fit both a workout and a dinner-out into their compressed schedules, Haute Crock Yoga brings it all together in a sweltering, delicious and literal melting pot of humanity and pulled-pork.
You can easily distinguish a “Haute Crocker” from the typical garden-variety rolled-mat-carrying yoga enthusiast. Clients of Haute Crock Yoga can be seen hauling their own slow-cookers with them to their Yoga Classes, and that’s when things really start to heat up.
Here’s how it works: Classes at Haute Crock begin with the synchronized placement of Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, DeLonghi or traditional Rival Crock Pots in a wide circle around the perimeter of the large yoga space. The room is pre-heated to 120 degrees, and with a unified flip of all the encircling switches, the ring of 200-to-300 degree crock pots springs to life…and so begins the aromatic journey of body, mind and soul. As participants work through their yoga positions, the Crock Pots emit their delicious leaching fragrance of Corned-Beef, Pot Roast, Liver and Onions, or on Vegan night, Barley Casserole, Tuscan Kale or Balsamic Root Vegetables, forming an airborne slurry that infuses with and enwraps the aficionados in what Haute Crock owner, Brenda Caramel, simply calls “love.”
At the conclusion of the 3-hour yoga session, picnic-style rustic tables are brought out onto the floor, crock pots are placed atop, and then the steamy bounty is shared among all who wish to partake. Cooking times may vary, from night to night, depending on the level of advancement of each class.
And there you have it… You just chop it, crock it, bring it, heat it, and eat it. Done and done. Dinner and a workout, and a memorable night out…in Maynard Park.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Reality Comes to Maynard Park
Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood might soon be “on the map” in the world of Reality Television, thanks to a TV production crew who has arrived here to begin taping a new series.
We had the opportunity to meet with Executive Producer Marsha Pariah to talk about what this could mean for Maynard Park residents.
MPB: There are a lot of Reality TV shows these days. Could you tell us a little about the show you’re bringing to Maynard Park?
Marsha: You’re right, there are a lot of Reality shows today, but my show represents something new that’s never been done. The show is called Extreme Reality Wars, and very simply it’s a competition show that pits current reality-show Producers against each other in a quest to create the next big hit reality-show.
MPB: How does the show work?
Marsha: Well, each Producer contestant ventures out going door-to-door, visiting shopping centers, riding public transportation, stopping in at Laundromats, basically going to the places where “reality” hangs out looking for human circumstances suitable for InfoEnterExploiTainment.
MPB: What happens next?
Marsha: Each competitor identifies, secures and adapts their discovered reality “talent” to a format of their choice (hoarders, complainers, mattress-eaters, musicians, lawyers, real estate agents or whatever) then they produce and edit a sizzle reel that they bring back and pitch to a panel of ordinary citizen judges. Through a series of elimination rounds, a winner is selected. The winning contestant receives $10 million and an exclusive 39-episode contract for the production of their winning show on the Home Crafts Channel.
MPB: How are the winning Producers judged?
Marsha: We did extensive audience research, and from our studies and analysis we determined that reality-show success was directly correlated to the show’s PTER ranking.
MPB: PTER?
Marsha: The Pity-to-Entertainment-Ratio. In our focus groups, we found that audiences rejected the nothing-but-sad stories because they were just so depressing. But, we found that if you took that same story and mixed in just the right amount of bouncy music and quick hand-held camera movements, the shows PTER went through the roof. That’s the job of a Reality Television Producer, and that’s the challenge our producer/contestants take when they compete with the best of the best to put together a winning show.
MPB: How did you happen to choose Maynard Park as one of your locations?
Marsha: We scouted several locations throughout the country, and chose the communities where we felt there was the most potential.
MPB: Were there residents here that particularly got your attention?
Marsha: When we came through last summer on a location and talent scouting trip, we were impressed with the volume of raw material that was abundant here. Couple of examples… the “Cornucopia Queen” on SW Allen Street. She has a lot of reality-show potential due to the prolific and very narrow focus of her hoard, and just the effort it took to nail all of those horns-of-plenty to nearly every visible surface of her home’s interior and exterior. We were also intrigued by Randall Moorkly who has tirelessly campaigned to convince one of your local community colleges to include an accredited course in CosPlay in their curriculum because of its “significant social import” as stated on the flyers he hands out to anyone who will talk to him.
MPB: So, will the producers mainly be looking for quirky characters?
Marsha: Not necessarily… quirky is always good and will gain points when the Producers pitch their show ideas to the judges, but a winner needs to dig deep and find the hidden gems, like the high-drama of a nail salon, or the philosophical clashes at a donut shop.
MPB: Should Maynard Park residents welcome or fear you and your show?
Marsha: I would think they would welcome us. Who doesn’t want people to come into their lives, take an interest in their existence, validate their despair or celebrate their aspirations?
MPB: Well, I’ve held somewhat silent during this interview, but now it’s time to listen to me for a minute… So, you and your show come into our neighborhood, Miss Marsha, like a swarm of locusts feeding, or like invading aliens from outer-space here to harvest our organs, while we’re alive, no anesthesia, while you parade us Quasimodo-style on that round platform thing all chained up as you wheel us through the throngs of gawkers, and give us some cotton-candy to hold and chew on so we don’t notice you’re making fun of us and pointing cameras up our nostrils looking for some glint of our humanity to slither out so you can slowly kill us while we’re imprisoned like veal, held there in a sickened state, pressed into packages and sold to the highest bidder, who relishes schadenfreude as a sport of the insulated, as the very soul of humanity is crushed, dimmed and descended into a pit of irrevocable decay.
Marsha: I think there may be a place for you on the show.
We had the opportunity to meet with Executive Producer Marsha Pariah to talk about what this could mean for Maynard Park residents.
MPB: There are a lot of Reality TV shows these days. Could you tell us a little about the show you’re bringing to Maynard Park?
Marsha: You’re right, there are a lot of Reality shows today, but my show represents something new that’s never been done. The show is called Extreme Reality Wars, and very simply it’s a competition show that pits current reality-show Producers against each other in a quest to create the next big hit reality-show.
MPB: How does the show work?
Marsha: Well, each Producer contestant ventures out going door-to-door, visiting shopping centers, riding public transportation, stopping in at Laundromats, basically going to the places where “reality” hangs out looking for human circumstances suitable for InfoEnterExploiTainment.
MPB: What happens next?
Marsha: Each competitor identifies, secures and adapts their discovered reality “talent” to a format of their choice (hoarders, complainers, mattress-eaters, musicians, lawyers, real estate agents or whatever) then they produce and edit a sizzle reel that they bring back and pitch to a panel of ordinary citizen judges. Through a series of elimination rounds, a winner is selected. The winning contestant receives $10 million and an exclusive 39-episode contract for the production of their winning show on the Home Crafts Channel.
MPB: How are the winning Producers judged?
Marsha: We did extensive audience research, and from our studies and analysis we determined that reality-show success was directly correlated to the show’s PTER ranking.
MPB: PTER?
Marsha: The Pity-to-Entertainment-Ratio. In our focus groups, we found that audiences rejected the nothing-but-sad stories because they were just so depressing. But, we found that if you took that same story and mixed in just the right amount of bouncy music and quick hand-held camera movements, the shows PTER went through the roof. That’s the job of a Reality Television Producer, and that’s the challenge our producer/contestants take when they compete with the best of the best to put together a winning show.
MPB: How did you happen to choose Maynard Park as one of your locations?
Marsha: We scouted several locations throughout the country, and chose the communities where we felt there was the most potential.
MPB: Were there residents here that particularly got your attention?
Marsha: When we came through last summer on a location and talent scouting trip, we were impressed with the volume of raw material that was abundant here. Couple of examples… the “Cornucopia Queen” on SW Allen Street. She has a lot of reality-show potential due to the prolific and very narrow focus of her hoard, and just the effort it took to nail all of those horns-of-plenty to nearly every visible surface of her home’s interior and exterior. We were also intrigued by Randall Moorkly who has tirelessly campaigned to convince one of your local community colleges to include an accredited course in CosPlay in their curriculum because of its “significant social import” as stated on the flyers he hands out to anyone who will talk to him.
MPB: So, will the producers mainly be looking for quirky characters?
Marsha: Not necessarily… quirky is always good and will gain points when the Producers pitch their show ideas to the judges, but a winner needs to dig deep and find the hidden gems, like the high-drama of a nail salon, or the philosophical clashes at a donut shop.
MPB: Should Maynard Park residents welcome or fear you and your show?
Marsha: I would think they would welcome us. Who doesn’t want people to come into their lives, take an interest in their existence, validate their despair or celebrate their aspirations?
MPB: Well, I’ve held somewhat silent during this interview, but now it’s time to listen to me for a minute… So, you and your show come into our neighborhood, Miss Marsha, like a swarm of locusts feeding, or like invading aliens from outer-space here to harvest our organs, while we’re alive, no anesthesia, while you parade us Quasimodo-style on that round platform thing all chained up as you wheel us through the throngs of gawkers, and give us some cotton-candy to hold and chew on so we don’t notice you’re making fun of us and pointing cameras up our nostrils looking for some glint of our humanity to slither out so you can slowly kill us while we’re imprisoned like veal, held there in a sickened state, pressed into packages and sold to the highest bidder, who relishes schadenfreude as a sport of the insulated, as the very soul of humanity is crushed, dimmed and descended into a pit of irrevocable decay.
Marsha: I think there may be a place for you on the show.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Maynard Park Takes a Gamble on Parking
On a warm summer night this past August, Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood Community Council quietly passed an innovative fund-raising scheme. Maynard Park has been challenged with steadily declining parking meter revenues, due to the lack of compelling reasons for people to visit the neighborhood.
In a moment of inspired brilliance, council member Preston Camelot gave a compassioned soliloquy. “Why do people park?” he proffered. “People park because they want to go someplace nearby. But, what if there’s no place for them to go? Why should they park? People need a reason to park. If they don’t have a reason to park, then parking needs to be their reason.”
The rest of the Council remained perplexed, until Preston revealed a flipchart illustration of his vision for Maynard Park parking. Calling it the “Maynard Parking Slot”, Preston showed how a standard parking pay station could be easily fitted with a video slot terminal, money-changer, flashing lights and a series of buttons marked 25-cent, 45-cent, 75-cent, Max Bet and Spin. Maynard Parkers simply insert their coins or credit-card into the machine, select their requested parking duration and then optionally add a side-bet for as many reel spins as they desire. As Preston put it, “With this level of excitement and thrill, people will be lining up to park in Maynard Park…and look how much money we save by not improving the neighborhood at all.”
The “Maynard Parking Slots” are being trialed this month on several of Maynard Park’s main thoroughfares. Additional Parking Enforcement Officers have been added to deal with the occasional “hand pays” of Jackpots and larger wins. But, just as in standard Casinos, the “house” or in this case the “neighborhood” always wins, thanks to a 75% payout guaranteeing Maynard Park a steady stream of revenue.
The next time you have no place to go, why not pay a visit to Maynard Park? And may the odds be ever in your favor.
In a moment of inspired brilliance, council member Preston Camelot gave a compassioned soliloquy. “Why do people park?” he proffered. “People park because they want to go someplace nearby. But, what if there’s no place for them to go? Why should they park? People need a reason to park. If they don’t have a reason to park, then parking needs to be their reason.”
The rest of the Council remained perplexed, until Preston revealed a flipchart illustration of his vision for Maynard Park parking. Calling it the “Maynard Parking Slot”, Preston showed how a standard parking pay station could be easily fitted with a video slot terminal, money-changer, flashing lights and a series of buttons marked 25-cent, 45-cent, 75-cent, Max Bet and Spin. Maynard Parkers simply insert their coins or credit-card into the machine, select their requested parking duration and then optionally add a side-bet for as many reel spins as they desire. As Preston put it, “With this level of excitement and thrill, people will be lining up to park in Maynard Park…and look how much money we save by not improving the neighborhood at all.”
The “Maynard Parking Slots” are being trialed this month on several of Maynard Park’s main thoroughfares. Additional Parking Enforcement Officers have been added to deal with the occasional “hand pays” of Jackpots and larger wins. But, just as in standard Casinos, the “house” or in this case the “neighborhood” always wins, thanks to a 75% payout guaranteeing Maynard Park a steady stream of revenue.
The next time you have no place to go, why not pay a visit to Maynard Park? And may the odds be ever in your favor.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Make it a Maynard Park Weekend!
It seems like something’s always happening in Seattle’s Maynard Park neighborhood. This weekend, there are more events, festivals and “happenings” happening in Maynard Park than in all the combined previous Maynard Park weekends this year.
Here’s this weekend's rundown:
· Backward-walking 7K Fun Run
· A Brief History of Thyme (7-part lecture panel over 3 days with cooking demonstration)
· Street Magic Flash Mob & Flash Dance (what a feeling of suspended disbelief)
· Making Termites Your Friends (drift-wood art created by domesticated wood eaters)
· Celebrity Miniature Golf Tournament (benefit to buy dry-erasers for the community center)
· Maynard Park hand-decorated shrimp festival (self-explanatory and delicious)
· Collectibles on Parade (treasured uncommon items marched by locals in procession)
· The 5th Annual Maynard Park Vintage Chrysler LeBaron Car Show
· Maynard Park’s Got Talent? (let’s all find out…followed by a no-host Pancake Dinner)
With all this going on, who says Maynard Park isn’t a real neighborhood?
Here’s this weekend's rundown:
· Backward-walking 7K Fun Run
· A Brief History of Thyme (7-part lecture panel over 3 days with cooking demonstration)
· Street Magic Flash Mob & Flash Dance (what a feeling of suspended disbelief)
· Making Termites Your Friends (drift-wood art created by domesticated wood eaters)
· Celebrity Miniature Golf Tournament (benefit to buy dry-erasers for the community center)
· Maynard Park hand-decorated shrimp festival (self-explanatory and delicious)
· Collectibles on Parade (treasured uncommon items marched by locals in procession)
· The 5th Annual Maynard Park Vintage Chrysler LeBaron Car Show
· Maynard Park’s Got Talent? (let’s all find out…followed by a no-host Pancake Dinner)
With all this going on, who says Maynard Park isn’t a real neighborhood?
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
It's Maynard Bay Music Festival Time!
Beat the heat this weekend at the Maynard Bay Music Festival. Established by musician and Maynard Park music promoter, Clive Madison, this little-known Seattle festival celebrates its 3rd non-consecutive year in existence.
Setup in the large back parking lot of the Maynard Park Hardware Emporium, this outdoor venue consists of a small plywood stage fronted by a deluxe child’s wading pool that serves as Maynard Bay. Says Clive, “We wait for the sun to set, then we light all these floating tea lights in the pool, and it’s magic.”
This year, as in previous years, the headline act is Clive’s own band, Flugel Riot Anthem. “We’re a Flugelhorn Power Trio of myself, my brother and our cousin Lloyd. In-between sets, we have a Fire Dancer who’s pretty good. And we have hot-dogs.” Flugel Riot Anthem performs what they have come to call “FRA music” which they describe as a fusion of several other fusions.
If Seattle’s heat-wave is getting to you this weekend, and you could find some relief standing in a parking lot, you might want to check out the Maynard Bay Music Festival.
Setup in the large back parking lot of the Maynard Park Hardware Emporium, this outdoor venue consists of a small plywood stage fronted by a deluxe child’s wading pool that serves as Maynard Bay. Says Clive, “We wait for the sun to set, then we light all these floating tea lights in the pool, and it’s magic.”
This year, as in previous years, the headline act is Clive’s own band, Flugel Riot Anthem. “We’re a Flugelhorn Power Trio of myself, my brother and our cousin Lloyd. In-between sets, we have a Fire Dancer who’s pretty good. And we have hot-dogs.” Flugel Riot Anthem performs what they have come to call “FRA music” which they describe as a fusion of several other fusions.
If Seattle’s heat-wave is getting to you this weekend, and you could find some relief standing in a parking lot, you might want to check out the Maynard Bay Music Festival.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Review: New Seafood Restaurant is Making Waves in Maynard Park
Just in time for Seafair, a new themed restaurant has opened its “galley doors” to the more adventurous diners among us. The Maynard Park Squall Café combines the thrill and unpredictability of rough seas with a fun family-dining experience.
The adventure begins before you’re even inside the restaurant, as guests “walk the plank” that leads frighteningly (but safely) up to the main entrance. Netting on all sides prevents serious peril for anyone who might feel off-balance negotiating the narrow and suspended wooden walkway.
Once aboard the Squall Café, you’re greeted by your Captain/Host who shows you to your ship (table) and introduces you to the “First Mate” who will be taking care of you during your mock journey on the culinary high seas. When seated comfortably and perusing the abundant menu, new guests to the Café often joke and question what “thrill” could be had dining in what appears to be a miniaturized replica of an old Spanish Galleon, complete with mast and “privacy sails” that shield your view of other diners in their respective “ships.”
Orders are taken, just like any other restaurant, but then things start to get interesting.
“Ahoy Mates,” announces the server as he or she brings the first course of appetizers and beverages. “The Captain says we’re going to be encountering some cross-winds, and suggests we have you buckle up…for your own safety.”
Guests find what appear to be seat-belts on either side of them, and the First Mate helps get everyone in the dining party strapped in. Beverage glasses and plates are placed in special form-fitting grooves that hold everything on the table neatly in place, and once all is secured, guests begin to feel a gentle rocking and mild swaying. Soon, the main entrees are brought and similarly secured by the First Mate, who then makes a rather ominous statement.
“The Captain says we’re heading straight ahead into a tropical storm, and suggests you take all necessary precautions.” And this is when the fun really begins.
Built on a series of individualized motion-simulator dining platforms, guests to the Maynard Park Squall Café can enjoy everything from the standard “Gentle Breeze Dining Experience” to the “Andrea Doria Experience” that has rain slicker bedecked guests literally holding onto their food to prevent it from rolling onto the floor. For the less adventurous or those prone to mild or severe motion-sickness, stationary dining areas are also provided.
Whether you want to recreate the romance of dining in the Hawaiian Isles, or if you just want to punk your friends with an extreme dining experience they’ll never forget, the Maynard Park Squall Café is your place for the quintessential Seattle Seafair dining experience.
The adventure begins before you’re even inside the restaurant, as guests “walk the plank” that leads frighteningly (but safely) up to the main entrance. Netting on all sides prevents serious peril for anyone who might feel off-balance negotiating the narrow and suspended wooden walkway.
Once aboard the Squall Café, you’re greeted by your Captain/Host who shows you to your ship (table) and introduces you to the “First Mate” who will be taking care of you during your mock journey on the culinary high seas. When seated comfortably and perusing the abundant menu, new guests to the Café often joke and question what “thrill” could be had dining in what appears to be a miniaturized replica of an old Spanish Galleon, complete with mast and “privacy sails” that shield your view of other diners in their respective “ships.”
Orders are taken, just like any other restaurant, but then things start to get interesting.
“Ahoy Mates,” announces the server as he or she brings the first course of appetizers and beverages. “The Captain says we’re going to be encountering some cross-winds, and suggests we have you buckle up…for your own safety.”
Guests find what appear to be seat-belts on either side of them, and the First Mate helps get everyone in the dining party strapped in. Beverage glasses and plates are placed in special form-fitting grooves that hold everything on the table neatly in place, and once all is secured, guests begin to feel a gentle rocking and mild swaying. Soon, the main entrees are brought and similarly secured by the First Mate, who then makes a rather ominous statement.
“The Captain says we’re heading straight ahead into a tropical storm, and suggests you take all necessary precautions.” And this is when the fun really begins.
Built on a series of individualized motion-simulator dining platforms, guests to the Maynard Park Squall Café can enjoy everything from the standard “Gentle Breeze Dining Experience” to the “Andrea Doria Experience” that has rain slicker bedecked guests literally holding onto their food to prevent it from rolling onto the floor. For the less adventurous or those prone to mild or severe motion-sickness, stationary dining areas are also provided.
Whether you want to recreate the romance of dining in the Hawaiian Isles, or if you just want to punk your friends with an extreme dining experience they’ll never forget, the Maynard Park Squall Café is your place for the quintessential Seattle Seafair dining experience.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Restoring Unnatural Resources in Maynard Park
Living in the Pacific Northwest, we’re surrounded by the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world. Just as inspiring as nature itself is the dedication of those who devote countless hours to pursuits such as restoring salmon runs, preserving forest lands and sustaining urban Green initiatives.
What about our unnatural resources?
Meet Charles (“Corny”) Cornweather. We were lucky enough to be granted an Exclusive Interview with the Maynard Park man who has dedicated his life to restoring soda streams.
MPNB: First of all, thank you for taking the time to share your story with us.
CC: I appreciate your interest, and your giving me a soap-box to stand on.
MPNB: How did you come to be involved in what you’re calling soda stream restoration?
CC: Well, first off…something you should know about me is that I love Sprite. Sprite is my drink. I don’t care for 7-Up. If there’s not a Sprite available, then I can make do with 7-Up. But, Sierra Mist? No way. I don’t even understand Sierra Mist. So, anyway…I generally, practically always drink Sprite. Over the years, I think I became a bit of a Sprite aficionado. I knew how it should taste. At least I thought I knew how it should taste, until about 4 years ago when they remodeled this particular Maynard Park fast-food establishment. They practically brought the place down to the studs. It was an extensive and extreme remodel, replacing everything, like the grills, the fry machines, all the fixtures and tiles, and even the drive-thru window…everything. It took months.
MPNB: And when they reopened?
CC: When the place opened back up for business, it was all shiny new…no grime, everything polished and clean and sparkly. Without thinking, I went up and ordered some things, and of course I ordered a Sprite. I carried it back to my table, sat down, had a couple fries, and then I took a sip of the Sprite. Oh my god, it was like drinking from pristine waters from a glacier. Pure, absolutely pure. For a moment, just a moment, I cried to myself.
MPNB: So you tasted the purest Sprite you’ve ever had?
CC: From a fountain. A can is different in its own way, but not as natural as one that comes from the free flow of water. Sprite in a plastic bottle is better…it doesn’t have that can taste. But, the best Sprite by far is from a Corny Cornweather certified fountain-drink purveyor, like that place that started it all, with their fresh soda tubes and pipes, and I suspect too that they had upgraded some of the soda fountain technology, because you weren’t getting that orange soda backwash…you know, like when the previous customer orders orange soda, and then you order a Sprite, and then it has this essence of Fanta or whatever that orange drink is.
MPNB: How did this go from a simple observation to a mission?
CC: That day made a big impact on me. It was life changing. Days later, I went to another neighborhood place that had Sprite on tap, and I ordered it and sipped it, and could barely swallow it. It wasn’t bad Sprite. It just wasn’t pure like a sugary mountain stream. So, I talked about it with the manager of that place, and at first he didn’t seem to care, but I think some others overheard me because someone else also said their Sprite tasted a little off, so the manager agreed to replace the equipment. Then I thought…hey, I’m onto something.
MPNB: And you carried your mission to the rest of Maynard Park?
CC: To Maynard Park, and all points nearby… First to the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood, because they love Sprite up there too…and they have the more sophisticated palates that can appreciate the various notes of a well-made beverage. Not everyone has been receptive though. In some other places, I get “the look” and I know I can’t change anything there, and I put those places on my Lifetime Moratorium list, but I also revisit the list every year just in case they have new management. My goal is to change the taste and essence of Sprite for the entire city of Seattle, one place at a time, but that’s still a lot of hoses.
MPNB: It sounds like this has evolved into quite an extensive program you’re running. Why has no one heard of you or acknowledged what you’re doing for the city of Seattle before now?
CC: I’m not looking for recognition. I don’t mind being unsung. All I would ask is that when people are out there, enjoying a snack or a meal, and ordering a Sprite…to just take a moment, and if the Sprite beverage is oh so pure, crystal clean, sweet and thirst-quenchingly delicious…just think to themselves, I bet Corny’s been here.
What about our unnatural resources?
Meet Charles (“Corny”) Cornweather. We were lucky enough to be granted an Exclusive Interview with the Maynard Park man who has dedicated his life to restoring soda streams.
MPNB: First of all, thank you for taking the time to share your story with us.
CC: I appreciate your interest, and your giving me a soap-box to stand on.
MPNB: How did you come to be involved in what you’re calling soda stream restoration?
CC: Well, first off…something you should know about me is that I love Sprite. Sprite is my drink. I don’t care for 7-Up. If there’s not a Sprite available, then I can make do with 7-Up. But, Sierra Mist? No way. I don’t even understand Sierra Mist. So, anyway…I generally, practically always drink Sprite. Over the years, I think I became a bit of a Sprite aficionado. I knew how it should taste. At least I thought I knew how it should taste, until about 4 years ago when they remodeled this particular Maynard Park fast-food establishment. They practically brought the place down to the studs. It was an extensive and extreme remodel, replacing everything, like the grills, the fry machines, all the fixtures and tiles, and even the drive-thru window…everything. It took months.
MPNB: And when they reopened?
CC: When the place opened back up for business, it was all shiny new…no grime, everything polished and clean and sparkly. Without thinking, I went up and ordered some things, and of course I ordered a Sprite. I carried it back to my table, sat down, had a couple fries, and then I took a sip of the Sprite. Oh my god, it was like drinking from pristine waters from a glacier. Pure, absolutely pure. For a moment, just a moment, I cried to myself.
MPNB: So you tasted the purest Sprite you’ve ever had?
CC: From a fountain. A can is different in its own way, but not as natural as one that comes from the free flow of water. Sprite in a plastic bottle is better…it doesn’t have that can taste. But, the best Sprite by far is from a Corny Cornweather certified fountain-drink purveyor, like that place that started it all, with their fresh soda tubes and pipes, and I suspect too that they had upgraded some of the soda fountain technology, because you weren’t getting that orange soda backwash…you know, like when the previous customer orders orange soda, and then you order a Sprite, and then it has this essence of Fanta or whatever that orange drink is.
MPNB: How did this go from a simple observation to a mission?
CC: That day made a big impact on me. It was life changing. Days later, I went to another neighborhood place that had Sprite on tap, and I ordered it and sipped it, and could barely swallow it. It wasn’t bad Sprite. It just wasn’t pure like a sugary mountain stream. So, I talked about it with the manager of that place, and at first he didn’t seem to care, but I think some others overheard me because someone else also said their Sprite tasted a little off, so the manager agreed to replace the equipment. Then I thought…hey, I’m onto something.
MPNB: And you carried your mission to the rest of Maynard Park?
CC: To Maynard Park, and all points nearby… First to the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood, because they love Sprite up there too…and they have the more sophisticated palates that can appreciate the various notes of a well-made beverage. Not everyone has been receptive though. In some other places, I get “the look” and I know I can’t change anything there, and I put those places on my Lifetime Moratorium list, but I also revisit the list every year just in case they have new management. My goal is to change the taste and essence of Sprite for the entire city of Seattle, one place at a time, but that’s still a lot of hoses.
MPNB: It sounds like this has evolved into quite an extensive program you’re running. Why has no one heard of you or acknowledged what you’re doing for the city of Seattle before now?
CC: I’m not looking for recognition. I don’t mind being unsung. All I would ask is that when people are out there, enjoying a snack or a meal, and ordering a Sprite…to just take a moment, and if the Sprite beverage is oh so pure, crystal clean, sweet and thirst-quenchingly delicious…just think to themselves, I bet Corny’s been here.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Hanging Out with J.P. Patches at the City Dump...it really did happen!
The Maynard Park Neighborhood Blog breaks with format today (the format being made-up stories about a Seattle neighborhood that exists only in my imagination) to share some thoughts and memories at the passing of J.P. Patches (Chris Wedes.)
Anyone in the Seattle area who grew up with J.P. Patches on television or had the privilege of meeting him at any of his many appearances can speak at length to the impact he had on their life. For those of us lucky enough to have been children during the years when he was on KIRO television twice-a-day, he was there in the morning to help us get up, face the day and head off to school, and he was there again when we came home, waiting to ask how we were, and to make us laugh. It's almost impossible today to envision a personality who could so genuinely transcend the medium of television to become a trusted member of the family. But, he did it, with a deep kindness that inspired so many.
As a kid who had a serious health problem requiring a lengthy stay at Seattle's Children's Hospital, many, many years ago, I still remember the excitement that anticipated a planned visit by J.P. Patches. At that time, J.P. had only been on Seattle television for about 6 years, but he was already the most important star any of us kids could imagine meeting. For those of us there, it was an obviously challenging time. But, knowing that our friend J.P. would be coming to see us, it was all we could think about, and it was just what we needed. As it turned out, I left Children's Hospital the day before J.P. arrived, but I had a second chance to meet him a little later in life.
While writing for a Seattle-area Community College newspaper, I was assigned a "human interest" story of my choosing. I knew immediately that I'd use my community college journalist "credentials" as my ticket to interview J.P. Patches. I arranged to interview J.P. at the KIRO studios during his morning broadcast. I brought along my notepad and a portable cassette tape recorder. I remember walking through the KIRO TV lobby and seeing all of the portraits of the News Team and other station personalities, and I was escorted back to a room just outside of where J.P. was on-the-air performing his live show. I was getting a little nervous, wondering just what I had gotten myself into, and then at the first commercial break, in walked J.P. I think I was a little afraid that my childhood vision of J.P. Patches might be shattered. After all, I was there to interview him, not ask for his autograph or tell him how I missed seeing him years ago at Children's Hospital, or tell him how much he meant to me in my life. I remember thinking, what if he's just some guy who does this kids show, and the character of J.P. is just this artificial invention. When he introduced himself and shook my hand, he was just as genuine, kind and engaged as he was on television. As he sat down to talk with me, I knew he was the real thing, and I was tremendously relieved. I asked him questions about how he got his start in television, and he talked about his time in Minneapolis and some of the characters he did there, like "Chuckwagon Chuck", and then it was time for him to go back on the air. He let me stay around for the whole show, and we talked more during the cartoons and commercials, and then he showed me around the rest of the studio, and I saw the set where they did the News and I got to see the cameras and talk to some of the technicians and other staff. I felt so comfortable and was made to feel so welcomed.
Something that impressed me so much in my time wandering around behind-the-scenes of the KIRO studio with J.P., was just how much he loved his job and the people he worked with there. In one conversation, one of the camera operators mentioned how the CBS Network had recently and significantly improved the audio quality range of their live broadcasts and how on the daytime soaps you could now hear the camera cables snap over the air when the big cameras were moved around and positioned. J.P. was excited to hear about it, and I could tell from just that little glimpse how much he loved being in broadcasting, having seen all of the technical developments from the early days of television. I remember the energy of it being "live television", and I could see that J.P. was completely in his element and so much enjoying the fun, creativity and challenge of putting together his show as it was beamed out to the masses throughout the Seattle region.
I last saw J.P. in person last year at the Fisherman's Festival, and he was just as I had remembered. I know from being in that crowd that day, and from hearing so many stories over the years, and from the outpouring of his many Patches Pals over the last 24 hours, that the experience I had of J.P. Patches and the man, Mr. Chris Wedes, is multiplied by so many thousands, likely hundreds of thousands whose lives were forever enriched by a kind, funny, creative and gentle man who none of us will ever forget.
--by David La France
Anyone in the Seattle area who grew up with J.P. Patches on television or had the privilege of meeting him at any of his many appearances can speak at length to the impact he had on their life. For those of us lucky enough to have been children during the years when he was on KIRO television twice-a-day, he was there in the morning to help us get up, face the day and head off to school, and he was there again when we came home, waiting to ask how we were, and to make us laugh. It's almost impossible today to envision a personality who could so genuinely transcend the medium of television to become a trusted member of the family. But, he did it, with a deep kindness that inspired so many.
As a kid who had a serious health problem requiring a lengthy stay at Seattle's Children's Hospital, many, many years ago, I still remember the excitement that anticipated a planned visit by J.P. Patches. At that time, J.P. had only been on Seattle television for about 6 years, but he was already the most important star any of us kids could imagine meeting. For those of us there, it was an obviously challenging time. But, knowing that our friend J.P. would be coming to see us, it was all we could think about, and it was just what we needed. As it turned out, I left Children's Hospital the day before J.P. arrived, but I had a second chance to meet him a little later in life.
While writing for a Seattle-area Community College newspaper, I was assigned a "human interest" story of my choosing. I knew immediately that I'd use my community college journalist "credentials" as my ticket to interview J.P. Patches. I arranged to interview J.P. at the KIRO studios during his morning broadcast. I brought along my notepad and a portable cassette tape recorder. I remember walking through the KIRO TV lobby and seeing all of the portraits of the News Team and other station personalities, and I was escorted back to a room just outside of where J.P. was on-the-air performing his live show. I was getting a little nervous, wondering just what I had gotten myself into, and then at the first commercial break, in walked J.P. I think I was a little afraid that my childhood vision of J.P. Patches might be shattered. After all, I was there to interview him, not ask for his autograph or tell him how I missed seeing him years ago at Children's Hospital, or tell him how much he meant to me in my life. I remember thinking, what if he's just some guy who does this kids show, and the character of J.P. is just this artificial invention. When he introduced himself and shook my hand, he was just as genuine, kind and engaged as he was on television. As he sat down to talk with me, I knew he was the real thing, and I was tremendously relieved. I asked him questions about how he got his start in television, and he talked about his time in Minneapolis and some of the characters he did there, like "Chuckwagon Chuck", and then it was time for him to go back on the air. He let me stay around for the whole show, and we talked more during the cartoons and commercials, and then he showed me around the rest of the studio, and I saw the set where they did the News and I got to see the cameras and talk to some of the technicians and other staff. I felt so comfortable and was made to feel so welcomed.
Something that impressed me so much in my time wandering around behind-the-scenes of the KIRO studio with J.P., was just how much he loved his job and the people he worked with there. In one conversation, one of the camera operators mentioned how the CBS Network had recently and significantly improved the audio quality range of their live broadcasts and how on the daytime soaps you could now hear the camera cables snap over the air when the big cameras were moved around and positioned. J.P. was excited to hear about it, and I could tell from just that little glimpse how much he loved being in broadcasting, having seen all of the technical developments from the early days of television. I remember the energy of it being "live television", and I could see that J.P. was completely in his element and so much enjoying the fun, creativity and challenge of putting together his show as it was beamed out to the masses throughout the Seattle region.
I last saw J.P. in person last year at the Fisherman's Festival, and he was just as I had remembered. I know from being in that crowd that day, and from hearing so many stories over the years, and from the outpouring of his many Patches Pals over the last 24 hours, that the experience I had of J.P. Patches and the man, Mr. Chris Wedes, is multiplied by so many thousands, likely hundreds of thousands whose lives were forever enriched by a kind, funny, creative and gentle man who none of us will ever forget.
--by David La France
Friday, July 13, 2012
A Zombie Uprising in Maynard Park?
Special to the Maynard Park Neighborhood Blog [by an Anonymous Postal worker]
I’ve seen a few strange things at times walking my Postal route through Seattle’s Maynard Park, but I’ve never encountered anything like I experienced today.
As I walked North on West Maynard Park Boulevard, I saw this guy creeping along the sidewalk ahead of me. He had a grayish ashen complexion. His arms flailed out in front of him like he was trying to catch fireflies, and he dragged one of his legs behind him as he slowly ambled forward. His clothes looked like they had been unearthed from dirt, shredded in places and matted with grime.
I didn’t want to pass by him, so I stopped and pretended to sort through my bag of mail. Just then, a very well-dressed woman in a nice blue blazer, with coiffed high-end hair and pearls (a Real Estate Agent), approached the guy, and I half expected that he might lunge at her. But, instead his gaze fixed on her as the two made eye contact, and they appeared to be having a conversation.
This seemed like the right time for me to make my move, walk past them and then continue on my route. So, I started walking again, getting closer to the lady Real Estate agent and her sketchy companion. They had both turned their backs as I approached, with a couple of feet of sidewalk for me to slide by, hopefully unnoticed.
I was able to pass by and I went about half a block more before I turned to look back. When I turned around, they were both staring back at me, almost sizing me up in some way. I turned back around and kept moving, and then I quickly glanced back to see that the stumbling one had begun heading towards me. I turned and picked up my pace, almost running now. Then suddenly, the woman grabbed the guy’s shoulder, pulled him back and leaned in to whisper something to him. He stopped and sat down at a nearby bench.
The woman stepped away, reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. She held it up in front of her, gesturing with it in my direction, and she said, “Sir, sir…I have a letter I need to mail”, and she was heading towards me, her heels click, click, clicking on the sidewalk.
Something didn't seem right, so I just ran, and by policy I can't accept loose mail not deposited in a proper mail-drop location. So, I ran as fast as I could until the clicking seemed to stop, and then I went into the Maynard Park Bait and Tackle Shop. I stood behind a canoe, keeping still and quiet, and listening, for anything. After a few moments, the woman and her heels clicked louder then stopped just outside the store’s front window. I stayed there for another couple of minutes, staying hidden but with a clear view of the store window.
I looked down at my watch, and when I looked back up, the stumbling guy had joined the Real Estate lady again and the two now stood, with their backs to me, surveilling the distance. I had to get out of there and get back on my mail route, so I snuck up closer to the door, and that’s when I heard the woman say to the guy, “You’re going to need someone like me to help you get close to the people you want. And in a strange way, I think we’re good for each other.” And then the gray one leaned in and said very quietly, “Brains…”
I ran out of the shop and down the street…
No more mail was delivered today, on this Friday the 13th in Maynard Park.
I’ve seen a few strange things at times walking my Postal route through Seattle’s Maynard Park, but I’ve never encountered anything like I experienced today.
As I walked North on West Maynard Park Boulevard, I saw this guy creeping along the sidewalk ahead of me. He had a grayish ashen complexion. His arms flailed out in front of him like he was trying to catch fireflies, and he dragged one of his legs behind him as he slowly ambled forward. His clothes looked like they had been unearthed from dirt, shredded in places and matted with grime.
I didn’t want to pass by him, so I stopped and pretended to sort through my bag of mail. Just then, a very well-dressed woman in a nice blue blazer, with coiffed high-end hair and pearls (a Real Estate Agent), approached the guy, and I half expected that he might lunge at her. But, instead his gaze fixed on her as the two made eye contact, and they appeared to be having a conversation.
This seemed like the right time for me to make my move, walk past them and then continue on my route. So, I started walking again, getting closer to the lady Real Estate agent and her sketchy companion. They had both turned their backs as I approached, with a couple of feet of sidewalk for me to slide by, hopefully unnoticed.
I was able to pass by and I went about half a block more before I turned to look back. When I turned around, they were both staring back at me, almost sizing me up in some way. I turned back around and kept moving, and then I quickly glanced back to see that the stumbling one had begun heading towards me. I turned and picked up my pace, almost running now. Then suddenly, the woman grabbed the guy’s shoulder, pulled him back and leaned in to whisper something to him. He stopped and sat down at a nearby bench.
The woman stepped away, reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. She held it up in front of her, gesturing with it in my direction, and she said, “Sir, sir…I have a letter I need to mail”, and she was heading towards me, her heels click, click, clicking on the sidewalk.
Something didn't seem right, so I just ran, and by policy I can't accept loose mail not deposited in a proper mail-drop location. So, I ran as fast as I could until the clicking seemed to stop, and then I went into the Maynard Park Bait and Tackle Shop. I stood behind a canoe, keeping still and quiet, and listening, for anything. After a few moments, the woman and her heels clicked louder then stopped just outside the store’s front window. I stayed there for another couple of minutes, staying hidden but with a clear view of the store window.
I looked down at my watch, and when I looked back up, the stumbling guy had joined the Real Estate lady again and the two now stood, with their backs to me, surveilling the distance. I had to get out of there and get back on my mail route, so I snuck up closer to the door, and that’s when I heard the woman say to the guy, “You’re going to need someone like me to help you get close to the people you want. And in a strange way, I think we’re good for each other.” And then the gray one leaned in and said very quietly, “Brains…”
I ran out of the shop and down the street…
No more mail was delivered today, on this Friday the 13th in Maynard Park.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Get Motivated in Maynard Park!
Thanks to the regionally-famous self-help guru, Shandy Pantin, Mondays have never been more manic in Maynard Park.
Author of the book, "If You Can't Do It, I'll Do It For You", and co-founder of the prankster-mime dance troupe, "Up With Everything", Shandy is turning frowns upside down through a neighborhood program called "Motivational Mondays."
Instead of crowding into a lecture hall or listening to a tape or reading a book, Shandy's motivation comes to you right on the street corners of Maynard Park. A band of volunteers calling themselves the “Shandy Sparks” gathers at key intersections, welcoming morning commuters (on foot and in cars) with prolonged shouting of inspiring messages of encouragement and validation.
The initial cacophony from the often simultaneous screams of hope can be a bit daunting at times. "You can be all you can be if you'll only take the risk to stop your limiting thinking and consider the core value of your authentic self and share your gifts with the others in your life who need those gifts..." But, some of it does sink in, and if nothing else, it demands your attention.
For Shandy, giving back to the community is a life-long mission. Says Shandy, “Many years ago, I was a highly successful ice dancer, when one day I completely forgot my routine during a performance of A Few Good Men on Ice.” Shandy never performed again, but the experience inspired the self-help book series, “Frozen on the Ice: Shandy Remembers.”
If you find yourself feeling like someone left your cake out in the rain, consider passing through Seattle's Maynard Park Neighborhood (and Shandy’s renamed "Smile Avenue") on your way to work on Monday, and put a little sunshine back in your life.
As Shandy says, "When life gives me lemonade, I drink it!"
Author of the book, "If You Can't Do It, I'll Do It For You", and co-founder of the prankster-mime dance troupe, "Up With Everything", Shandy is turning frowns upside down through a neighborhood program called "Motivational Mondays."
Instead of crowding into a lecture hall or listening to a tape or reading a book, Shandy's motivation comes to you right on the street corners of Maynard Park. A band of volunteers calling themselves the “Shandy Sparks” gathers at key intersections, welcoming morning commuters (on foot and in cars) with prolonged shouting of inspiring messages of encouragement and validation.
The initial cacophony from the often simultaneous screams of hope can be a bit daunting at times. "You can be all you can be if you'll only take the risk to stop your limiting thinking and consider the core value of your authentic self and share your gifts with the others in your life who need those gifts..." But, some of it does sink in, and if nothing else, it demands your attention.
For Shandy, giving back to the community is a life-long mission. Says Shandy, “Many years ago, I was a highly successful ice dancer, when one day I completely forgot my routine during a performance of A Few Good Men on Ice.” Shandy never performed again, but the experience inspired the self-help book series, “Frozen on the Ice: Shandy Remembers.”
If you find yourself feeling like someone left your cake out in the rain, consider passing through Seattle's Maynard Park Neighborhood (and Shandy’s renamed "Smile Avenue") on your way to work on Monday, and put a little sunshine back in your life.
As Shandy says, "When life gives me lemonade, I drink it!"
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Maynard Park Neighborhood Blog is Back
Due to one lost email, in-fighting among the staff, and a limited-time-offer of incredible savings at Travelocity, the Maynard Park Neighborhood blog has been inexcusably and grossly neglected. We apologize for all of our failings.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Something Special This Way Flows...
By Staff Writer, Molly Joylee
Fourth (and concluding installment) in a series of Special Reports:
With a quiet solemnity usually reserved for funeral processions, a team of Maynard Park Neighborhood movers and shakers filed nearly motionless into Sam & Ella’s Fish Shack for what was to have been a celebratory coming together of the community. A month ago, this conclave of neighborhood visionaries (who called themselves W.I.M.P. or We Identify Maynard Park) set out on a mission to visit as many other Seattle neighborhoods as possible to find out what makes a neighborhood special. It was the hope of all involved to find inspiration for something to make Maynard Park just as special.
Instead of returning with a sense of renewal, what I witnessed at the Fish Shack felt like the death of a neighborhood. Since this was a formal meeting of the Maynard Park Neighborhood Municipal Urban Council, it began customarily with several gavel strikes from Council President Pamela Stockingbird. In the absence of any chatter whatsoever from attendees, the sound of the gavel only served to break the uncomfortable silence.
“Our order of business today,” Pamela announced to the crowd of downward-looking heads, “is to hear a report from the W.I.M.P. team on their findings and recommendations. Who will be speaking to that?”
“Maynard Park is a joke of a neighborhood…” someone heckled from the back of the Shack.
The comment echoed the mood of the dejected participants upon conclusion of their exhaustive tour of Seattle Neighborhoods that began last month amidst much excitement and fanfare. Instead of being filled with inspiration, the troop returned deeply disappointed, crestfallen and heart-broken in their conclusion that Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood had nothing to offer anyone. Some were so dispirited that they even considered moving away to one of the neighborhoods they had visited.
“We’re not even recognized by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods,” lamented neighborhood poet, Ed Mantra.
“We’re not special, and we never will be,” Gretchen Oublie quietly added, as tears began to visibly well up. “We can’t compete with all the other name-brand Seattle neighborhoods. We’re nothing…”
Ed Mantra continued poetically, “We live in the mossy cracks and odd plots scattered in-between the supposedly ‘real’ neighborhoods of Seattle. Maynard Park may as well not even exist!”
Just as it looked like hopelessness and resignation would ignite the Fish Shack, there was a shout from the back of the room. “Wait! You have this all wrong, people!” Into the light stepped neighborhood historian and statistician Clarese Sagesse. Approaching the podium, Clarese turned to face the dejected crowd of Maynardites.
“Maynard Park may not have a Troll, or a Statue of Lenin, or even a Taco Del Mar. We don’t even have a big rock moved here by a glacier. There’s no place in Maynard Park to safely roller blade, and there’s not enough room for a lighthouse, and we’ll never have brass dance steps embedded in the sidewalks that threaten litigation for copyright infringement. But, it’s not about what we have, what we don’t have, or what we’ll never have. It’s about who we are. Am I making sense?”
There were only blank stares from the faces in the room.
“Okay,” Clarese went on, “Where are we?”
“In the Fish Shack, obviously…” someone answered.
“No, think bigger…where are we?” Clarese challenged.
“We’re in Maynard Park, in Seattle…” someone else added.
“Bigger than that…” Clarese swept the room with her eyes, and then someone finally said it.
“We’re in Washington State.”
“That’s right! We can let all those other Seattle neighborhoods be who they are. That’s them, and they’re all special and part of what makes a community, but in Maynard Park we think big, because we represent the great State of Washington!” Clarese continued, as heads began to nod and eyes started to widen. “Did you know that the fun and popular games Pictionary, Pickle-Ball and Cranium were invented in Washington State? Did you know that Washington State is first in the nation in the production of red raspberries? Did you know that our State insect is the Green Darner Dragonfly?” The once quiet crowd began to stir with the buzz of comments and the marvel at facts. “The mean elevation of the state of Washington is 1,700 feet above sea level, with the highest point of elevation being 14,410 feet above sea level!”
“I never thought of it that way,” I heard someone observe excitedly.
“But, think of it,” Clarese expounded. “We, the State of Washington, have one of the most remarkable petrified forests in the world. We’re also the 2nd largest premium wine producer in the United States. We have over 740 wineries, and we have the lowest per capita church attendance in the contiguous states. We’re one of the top wheat producing states in the country. And did you know that it’s illegal in some parts of the state to display a hypnotized person in a store window? Don’t let anyone tell you that we’re not special!”
The excitement in the room was palpable, and more than a few smiles started to blossom. Clarese was working the room in her inimitable style.
“We ARE ALL THAT here in Maynard Park! Do you know what state people think of when they think of volcanoes? I’ll tell you…it’s Washington State. Even though Alaska has the most active volcanoes in the United States, people think of us because of Mount St. Helens and because of that movie, Dante’s Peak, with Pierce Brosnan. It’s because we know how to spell Lahar around here.”
It was at this moment, in the meeting of the Maynard Park Neighborhood Municipal Council that something magical happened. A soaring, collective, group-mind vision began to swirl above the now upraised heads and imagining eyes, transfixed with Spielbergian awe and wonder at the shared sight of…
“A Maynard Park Volcano!!!” screamed Ed Mantra. “When people think of Washington State, they think of volcanoes, and when they think of volcanoes they’ll think of us, if we have one, and IF we have one, they’ll think of Maynard Park!”
Ed had put it all together, and the room exploded with every imagined human emotion. It was the birth of a new identify. From a journey that began by looking everywhere else, Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood found its identity in the very earth it stands on in Washington State. Drawing inspiration from magma—which is lighter than the solid rock around it, which rises and collects in magma chambers, until it eventually pushes through vents and fissures in the Earth’s surface—the earth-rich pride of the Maynard Park Neighborhood erupted into a community project to construct and place a giant “active volcano” on top of the roof of the Maynard Park Community Center. Everyone in Maynard Park will be getting involved, starting with the community collection of 6,000 pounds of flour, salt, chicken-wire, recycled newspapers (this will be a “green” volcano), and non-insect based red food dye.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “life is a journey, not a destination.” If that’s true, then Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood has arrived.
The Maynard Park Neighborhood Blog will eagerly post photos of the Maynard Park Volcano when completed (though it should be noted that it will be a multi-phased and funded, multi-year project.)
Fourth (and concluding installment) in a series of Special Reports:
With a quiet solemnity usually reserved for funeral processions, a team of Maynard Park Neighborhood movers and shakers filed nearly motionless into Sam & Ella’s Fish Shack for what was to have been a celebratory coming together of the community. A month ago, this conclave of neighborhood visionaries (who called themselves W.I.M.P. or We Identify Maynard Park) set out on a mission to visit as many other Seattle neighborhoods as possible to find out what makes a neighborhood special. It was the hope of all involved to find inspiration for something to make Maynard Park just as special.
Instead of returning with a sense of renewal, what I witnessed at the Fish Shack felt like the death of a neighborhood. Since this was a formal meeting of the Maynard Park Neighborhood Municipal Urban Council, it began customarily with several gavel strikes from Council President Pamela Stockingbird. In the absence of any chatter whatsoever from attendees, the sound of the gavel only served to break the uncomfortable silence.
“Our order of business today,” Pamela announced to the crowd of downward-looking heads, “is to hear a report from the W.I.M.P. team on their findings and recommendations. Who will be speaking to that?”
“Maynard Park is a joke of a neighborhood…” someone heckled from the back of the Shack.
The comment echoed the mood of the dejected participants upon conclusion of their exhaustive tour of Seattle Neighborhoods that began last month amidst much excitement and fanfare. Instead of being filled with inspiration, the troop returned deeply disappointed, crestfallen and heart-broken in their conclusion that Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood had nothing to offer anyone. Some were so dispirited that they even considered moving away to one of the neighborhoods they had visited.
“We’re not even recognized by the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods,” lamented neighborhood poet, Ed Mantra.
“We’re not special, and we never will be,” Gretchen Oublie quietly added, as tears began to visibly well up. “We can’t compete with all the other name-brand Seattle neighborhoods. We’re nothing…”
Ed Mantra continued poetically, “We live in the mossy cracks and odd plots scattered in-between the supposedly ‘real’ neighborhoods of Seattle. Maynard Park may as well not even exist!”
Just as it looked like hopelessness and resignation would ignite the Fish Shack, there was a shout from the back of the room. “Wait! You have this all wrong, people!” Into the light stepped neighborhood historian and statistician Clarese Sagesse. Approaching the podium, Clarese turned to face the dejected crowd of Maynardites.
“Maynard Park may not have a Troll, or a Statue of Lenin, or even a Taco Del Mar. We don’t even have a big rock moved here by a glacier. There’s no place in Maynard Park to safely roller blade, and there’s not enough room for a lighthouse, and we’ll never have brass dance steps embedded in the sidewalks that threaten litigation for copyright infringement. But, it’s not about what we have, what we don’t have, or what we’ll never have. It’s about who we are. Am I making sense?”
There were only blank stares from the faces in the room.
“Okay,” Clarese went on, “Where are we?”
“In the Fish Shack, obviously…” someone answered.
“No, think bigger…where are we?” Clarese challenged.
“We’re in Maynard Park, in Seattle…” someone else added.
“Bigger than that…” Clarese swept the room with her eyes, and then someone finally said it.
“We’re in Washington State.”
“That’s right! We can let all those other Seattle neighborhoods be who they are. That’s them, and they’re all special and part of what makes a community, but in Maynard Park we think big, because we represent the great State of Washington!” Clarese continued, as heads began to nod and eyes started to widen. “Did you know that the fun and popular games Pictionary, Pickle-Ball and Cranium were invented in Washington State? Did you know that Washington State is first in the nation in the production of red raspberries? Did you know that our State insect is the Green Darner Dragonfly?” The once quiet crowd began to stir with the buzz of comments and the marvel at facts. “The mean elevation of the state of Washington is 1,700 feet above sea level, with the highest point of elevation being 14,410 feet above sea level!”
“I never thought of it that way,” I heard someone observe excitedly.
“But, think of it,” Clarese expounded. “We, the State of Washington, have one of the most remarkable petrified forests in the world. We’re also the 2nd largest premium wine producer in the United States. We have over 740 wineries, and we have the lowest per capita church attendance in the contiguous states. We’re one of the top wheat producing states in the country. And did you know that it’s illegal in some parts of the state to display a hypnotized person in a store window? Don’t let anyone tell you that we’re not special!”
The excitement in the room was palpable, and more than a few smiles started to blossom. Clarese was working the room in her inimitable style.
“We ARE ALL THAT here in Maynard Park! Do you know what state people think of when they think of volcanoes? I’ll tell you…it’s Washington State. Even though Alaska has the most active volcanoes in the United States, people think of us because of Mount St. Helens and because of that movie, Dante’s Peak, with Pierce Brosnan. It’s because we know how to spell Lahar around here.”
It was at this moment, in the meeting of the Maynard Park Neighborhood Municipal Council that something magical happened. A soaring, collective, group-mind vision began to swirl above the now upraised heads and imagining eyes, transfixed with Spielbergian awe and wonder at the shared sight of…
“A Maynard Park Volcano!!!” screamed Ed Mantra. “When people think of Washington State, they think of volcanoes, and when they think of volcanoes they’ll think of us, if we have one, and IF we have one, they’ll think of Maynard Park!”
Ed had put it all together, and the room exploded with every imagined human emotion. It was the birth of a new identify. From a journey that began by looking everywhere else, Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood found its identity in the very earth it stands on in Washington State. Drawing inspiration from magma—which is lighter than the solid rock around it, which rises and collects in magma chambers, until it eventually pushes through vents and fissures in the Earth’s surface—the earth-rich pride of the Maynard Park Neighborhood erupted into a community project to construct and place a giant “active volcano” on top of the roof of the Maynard Park Community Center. Everyone in Maynard Park will be getting involved, starting with the community collection of 6,000 pounds of flour, salt, chicken-wire, recycled newspapers (this will be a “green” volcano), and non-insect based red food dye.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “life is a journey, not a destination.” If that’s true, then Seattle’s Maynard Park Neighborhood has arrived.
The Maynard Park Neighborhood Blog will eagerly post photos of the Maynard Park Volcano when completed (though it should be noted that it will be a multi-phased and funded, multi-year project.)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Way Out (West) Seattle
By Staff Writer, Molly Joylee
Third in a series of Special Reports:
In our continued quest to find out what makes a neighborhood special (so we can find a way to make Maynard Park more special), we loaded up the van and headed…well, in circles. Given the Maynard Park Neighborhood’s unique physical layout—wide in places, extremely narrow in other places, and circular, as its boundaries creep in-between other defined Seattle neighborhoods—a heated discussion ensued as to the best route to West Seattle. If Maynard Park is “West of there…” how could we head to West Seattle? Employing a bit of follow-the-yellow-brick-road logic and referencing our trusty neighborhood schematic, we finally jogged slightly east to explore the West Seattle Neighborhood.
Our next big argument erupted upon our arrival, when it was realized that there isn’t a clearly defined “West Seattle Neighborhood” at all…there’s a whole bunch of neighborhoods, all over the place. The neighborhood exploration team hadn’t counted on that. Food provisions were not at all adequate for the miles that would need to be covered, and the collective patience and attention-spans of the sojourners were not robust enough to take in the full spectrum of West Seattle’s many, many neighborhoods. So, we decided to just go to Alki and call it the “West Seattle Neighborhood.”
Citizen Leader, Gretchen Oublie, decreed that the MP Team experience West Seattle “as the locals would” so we went immediately to Wheel Fun Rentals and commandeered a caravan of Single and Double Surreys. With bells ringing, we headed out into the gorgeous sun, blue skies and surf that surrounded our entourage. The gang soon worked up quite an appetite, so we parked for some much needed refueling at Duke’s, where Ed Mantra regaled us with a word-poem he wrote to sum up what we had experienced of West Seattle. Calling it simply, “Ed’s Spring Poem” it went like this…“Bladed, tanned, shirtless, volleyed, grilled, beached, waded, families, dogs, Harleys, Low Riders, fish, chips, ice cream, dreams and a Lighthouse.”
Focusing back on ourselves, on our mission to find something to make Maynard Park as special as the Seattle neighborhoods we’ve toured, the team concluded that the only thing we could borrow from West Seattle would be the Lighthouse. But, with only 14 feet of accessible waterfront square-footage in Maynard Park, it would have to be a very narrow-at-the-base, twisty and precarious-looking Dr. Seuss-style lighthouse. As we pondered the vision, dusk began to fall and the team headed back to the MP…
Look for the conclusion of the Four-Part Series, with “Something Special This Way Flows”…
Third in a series of Special Reports:
In our continued quest to find out what makes a neighborhood special (so we can find a way to make Maynard Park more special), we loaded up the van and headed…well, in circles. Given the Maynard Park Neighborhood’s unique physical layout—wide in places, extremely narrow in other places, and circular, as its boundaries creep in-between other defined Seattle neighborhoods—a heated discussion ensued as to the best route to West Seattle. If Maynard Park is “West of there…” how could we head to West Seattle? Employing a bit of follow-the-yellow-brick-road logic and referencing our trusty neighborhood schematic, we finally jogged slightly east to explore the West Seattle Neighborhood.
Our next big argument erupted upon our arrival, when it was realized that there isn’t a clearly defined “West Seattle Neighborhood” at all…there’s a whole bunch of neighborhoods, all over the place. The neighborhood exploration team hadn’t counted on that. Food provisions were not at all adequate for the miles that would need to be covered, and the collective patience and attention-spans of the sojourners were not robust enough to take in the full spectrum of West Seattle’s many, many neighborhoods. So, we decided to just go to Alki and call it the “West Seattle Neighborhood.”
Citizen Leader, Gretchen Oublie, decreed that the MP Team experience West Seattle “as the locals would” so we went immediately to Wheel Fun Rentals and commandeered a caravan of Single and Double Surreys. With bells ringing, we headed out into the gorgeous sun, blue skies and surf that surrounded our entourage. The gang soon worked up quite an appetite, so we parked for some much needed refueling at Duke’s, where Ed Mantra regaled us with a word-poem he wrote to sum up what we had experienced of West Seattle. Calling it simply, “Ed’s Spring Poem” it went like this…“Bladed, tanned, shirtless, volleyed, grilled, beached, waded, families, dogs, Harleys, Low Riders, fish, chips, ice cream, dreams and a Lighthouse.”
Focusing back on ourselves, on our mission to find something to make Maynard Park as special as the Seattle neighborhoods we’ve toured, the team concluded that the only thing we could borrow from West Seattle would be the Lighthouse. But, with only 14 feet of accessible waterfront square-footage in Maynard Park, it would have to be a very narrow-at-the-base, twisty and precarious-looking Dr. Seuss-style lighthouse. As we pondered the vision, dusk began to fall and the team headed back to the MP…
Look for the conclusion of the Four-Part Series, with “Something Special This Way Flows”…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A Haunting in Maynard Park
As the first day of Summer approaches, we’re counting down the days to the seasonal close of one of Maynard Park’s spookiest attractions. The Maynard Park Neighborhood “Haunted Haunts” ghost tours wraps up at the end of this month. So, bid farewell to the “haunted mailbox” in front of the Community Center (with its creaking mailbox hinge and the unnerving chill one gets when placing a hand inside the ghostly darkness), and shed a tear for the “haunted lunch counter” at the Maynard Park Deli. The Deli (and the counter) isn’t going anywhere, but the ghosts are packing it up with the change-over from skull candles to daffodils. Let the sun shine in!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Maynard Park Blog Staff Returns from Hiatus
For those of you who hang on every new story coming out of Seattle's Maynard Park Neighborhood Blog, rest assured that the free flow of assembled words will continue. The Staff (and a few notable neighbors) desperately needed intensive team-building, so we loaded up the van and headed straight to the Sea Lion Caves in Florence, Oregon. At times, the 7 hours and 14 minutes of continuous driving (working in shifts) became tedious, but in the end we survived the team-building and the caves, and we've now returned with a renewed sense of appreciation for the depths of human tolerance. Seattle is a sizable city, and Maynard Park is a jaggedly constructed neighborhood, and there are stories that must be told. In that spirit, we soldier on...
Monday, April 16, 2012
Wedgwood Rock(s)!
By Staff Writer, Molly Joylee
Second in a series of Special Reports:
What makes Seattle neighborhoods special, and how can that specialness inspire Maynard Park in a quest for its own specialness? That’s what a band of Maynard Park movers and shakers have set out to do in pursuit of creating, finding, or repurposing something to help define Seattle’s Fabulous Maynard Park Neighborhood.
Fresh on the heels of Fremont, the gang again climbed aboard the “Crepe-Mobile” and headed out to Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood. On this recent sunny day, everyone in Wedgwood seemed like they were in a particularly good mood. “Everyone’s so nice here,” someone said from the back of the van. “It’s a little off-putting. I don’t know if I trust people who are always kind, considerate and friendly.”
On our way to our target destination, we drove down a tree-lined street, the sun glinting through the leaves. We passed a bright red squeaky-clean Fire Engine, got waves from the crew, passed some kids playing stick-ball in the street, saw some other kids with a lemonade stand, passed an older couple walking hand in hand carrying an American flag, and I swear we saw a squirrel walking with a little pink parasol.
Then, suddenly…we were upon it! Wedgwood Rock!! It’s not technically in Wedgwood, but being from Maynard Park, we don’t get too hung up on the whole neighborhood boundary political correctness. If a neighborhood “attraction” has the neighborhood’s name in its name, then it’s in the neighborhood.
We climbed out of the van, and quickly encircled the behemoth rock.
Ed Mantra read aloud some specific factoids about the rock from Wikipedia:
· It’s 14 million years old…wait, he corrected himself… it’s 14,000 years old (still, that’s old)
· It arrived in the neighborhood when it was still a dense forest
· A glacier moved it there
· Dinosaurs played around the rock at one time (not specifically in Wikipedia, but we could read between the lines…)
“Do we have anything this old in Maynard Park?” Gretchen Oublie pondered aloud.
“Nope”, answered Andy Plateau, “Nothing artificial, natural, or glacier-driven. Only way we’re going to have something like this in Maynard Park is if we make it ourselves.”
Feeling a little dejected, but full of the warm glow of Wedgwood, the Maynard Park team retired to the Wedgwood Broiler for Prime Rib ($19.25 Wedgwood Cut), Chicken Fried Steak ($11.50), the Captain’s Plate ($17.00) and plenty of friendly Wedgwood neighbors to keep us company.
We then soldiered on in search of new inspirations for making Maynard Park special.
Next stop… West Seattle!!!
Second in a series of Special Reports:
What makes Seattle neighborhoods special, and how can that specialness inspire Maynard Park in a quest for its own specialness? That’s what a band of Maynard Park movers and shakers have set out to do in pursuit of creating, finding, or repurposing something to help define Seattle’s Fabulous Maynard Park Neighborhood.
Fresh on the heels of Fremont, the gang again climbed aboard the “Crepe-Mobile” and headed out to Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood. On this recent sunny day, everyone in Wedgwood seemed like they were in a particularly good mood. “Everyone’s so nice here,” someone said from the back of the van. “It’s a little off-putting. I don’t know if I trust people who are always kind, considerate and friendly.”
On our way to our target destination, we drove down a tree-lined street, the sun glinting through the leaves. We passed a bright red squeaky-clean Fire Engine, got waves from the crew, passed some kids playing stick-ball in the street, saw some other kids with a lemonade stand, passed an older couple walking hand in hand carrying an American flag, and I swear we saw a squirrel walking with a little pink parasol.
Then, suddenly…we were upon it! Wedgwood Rock!! It’s not technically in Wedgwood, but being from Maynard Park, we don’t get too hung up on the whole neighborhood boundary political correctness. If a neighborhood “attraction” has the neighborhood’s name in its name, then it’s in the neighborhood.
We climbed out of the van, and quickly encircled the behemoth rock.
Ed Mantra read aloud some specific factoids about the rock from Wikipedia:
· It’s 14 million years old…wait, he corrected himself… it’s 14,000 years old (still, that’s old)
· It arrived in the neighborhood when it was still a dense forest
· A glacier moved it there
· Dinosaurs played around the rock at one time (not specifically in Wikipedia, but we could read between the lines…)
“Do we have anything this old in Maynard Park?” Gretchen Oublie pondered aloud.
“Nope”, answered Andy Plateau, “Nothing artificial, natural, or glacier-driven. Only way we’re going to have something like this in Maynard Park is if we make it ourselves.”
Feeling a little dejected, but full of the warm glow of Wedgwood, the Maynard Park team retired to the Wedgwood Broiler for Prime Rib ($19.25 Wedgwood Cut), Chicken Fried Steak ($11.50), the Captain’s Plate ($17.00) and plenty of friendly Wedgwood neighbors to keep us company.
We then soldiered on in search of new inspirations for making Maynard Park special.
Next stop… West Seattle!!!
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