As my husband and I and our Italian greyhound, Sophia, walked the trails of Seward Park on Sunday as participants in the Furry 5k fundraiser for Seattle Animal Shelter Help the Animals Fund, my mind turned to real estate (as usual) and wonder of the prices in that particular, especially expensive, area. I’ve not spent much time in the southeast portion of the city, living in the southwest portion of the city and getting from one to the other area not particularly easy (altho it can be done without getting on a highway or freeway). There is even a Wikipedia entry for Seward Park, which will tell you way more than you ever thought you could know about this part of our fine city.

I continue to be boggled by housing costs and the decreasing availability of homes for the first time home buyer. I was a first time home buyer in 2001 – at the age of 31 – and all I can say is I am glad I got into the ownership market then and wasn’t trying to do it now! The market is particularly challenging these days – and downright depressing for many making anything less than an above-average income for our area. Even singles, making a decent salary, can’t afford to buy into anything less than a dinky studio condo inside the city limits. It’s so sad! I feel your pain.

Just for curiosity sake, when I’ve explored a certain part of the city, I like to come back to the office and check out what’s selling and for how much. I couldn’t find anything within a half-mile of Seward park’s entrance (5902 Lake Washington Blvd, South) for under half a million, and only one under $600k. Check out this 3 bedroom two and a half bath split-entry on Wilson Avenue South. When I enlarged my search to within one mile, I found 13 listings under $500k, some new townhomes as well as older single family residences in Hillman City, Columbia City, and in surrounding areas, starting in the mid 300s. Still not a lot, and probably a lot of people competing for these “starter” homes.

If you’re looking to live near one of Seattle’s great green spaces, such as beautiful Seward Park, do your homework. Talk with your lender and be real clear on what you can bid up to. Because if you fall in love with this area and one of the classic charmers in the surrounding neighborhood, you’ll want to have your agent move quickly when you find the perfect home for you and your family!

The Seattle Animal Shelter’s eighth annual Furry 5-kilometer Fun Run & Walk will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday in Seward Park, 5902 Lake Washington Blvd. S. I’ll be there leading Team IGGY Ambassadors-Emerald City (Italian Greyhounds of the NW).

I began as a volunteer at the Seattle Animal Shelter in 2005, shortly after adopting my Italian greyhound, Sophia. I did it in part as personal therapy to get over my fear of dogs. I wanted to be a dog walker, but the scheduling didn’t work for me, so I became a MatchMaker instead – someone who works with the public introducing them to the adoptable dogs and cats and other furry and feathered friends residing at the shelter. After 6 months of feeling guilty for leaving my dog at home on the weekends, and also living with a 16 year old ailing cat I was afraid to pack home something contagious to, I instead joined the Pet Therapy Team, and got to take Sophia to visit residents at a local convalescent home. They loved her since she was small enough to get up on their beds. She did really well, I was proud of her.

Anyway – the Seattle Animal Shelter counts on the Furry 5K to make money to be able to cover veterinary expenses for incoming orphaned pets (among other things). Many animals are brought to the shelter due to medical problems, or perhaps a broken leg, and the family doesn’t have money to pay for the animal’s care. Because of the shelter’s Help the Animals Fund, the shelter is able to take the pet, send it to the vet for care, foster it during its recovery, and then help it find a new home.

It’s important to know that all money raised at the Furry 5K will benefit the Help the Animals Fund, which supports the shelter in providing veterinary care to sick, injured and abused animals, and finding them new homes.

Pre-registration for the race is available until midnight Saturday at http://www.furry5k.com/ or during operating hours at the following stores: Seattle Running Company (Capitol Hill), Sound Sports (downtown Seattle), Super Jock and Jill (Green Lake) and Footzone (Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond). Registration will also be available the day of the race from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.

For more information, call 206-386-4286 or visit http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org/

See you at the Furry 5K!

Finally! State officials released a green-building standard for state-funded affordable housing projects. Read Affordable housing gets green standards (SeattlePI.com)

Free training is available regarding the new standards. Plan on attending Green Building 101. CTED, Enterprise Community Partners and Common Ground will present Green Building 101, the first in a series of trainings on the new standard. More training will be available in the future. This training will cover the new Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard and will provide attendees with information on how to meet the new requirements.

There is no charge. The specific agenda and more details will be distributed shortly. Seating is limited, so please reserve a spot now. Contact Reta Chamberlain, retac@commongroundwa.org, 509-326-3678 to reserve your place.

June 13 (Spokane): Oxarc Training Center at E. 4003 Broadway.
10 am to 3 pm, with lunch provided.

June 14 (Seattle) ALREADY FULL – WAITING LIST
Downtown Seattle, Location to be determined. 10 am to 3 pm, with lunch provided.

Related: Click here to read the Evergreen Sustainable Development Criteria, which effects projects that apply to the Housing Trust Fund after July 1, 2008.

STRAW BALE PLASTER WORKSHOP
At Shorelines’ first straw bale Studio
July 7 and 8 (Saturday and Sunday)

Host: David Vollen
Instructors: Catherine Burke and Chariti Li Montez
Cost: $75 includes lunch

This workshop is designed for people who want to learn how to plaster straw bales from scratch. It will be an “informative work party” which means….they’ll be mixin and muddin up a storm!

If you are interested and need instructions or have questions please email Catherine at bootita@hotmail.com

You can read more about straw bale at greenhomebuilding.com

Seattle Weekly has done a round-up of the low-down on Seattle area dog parks in this week’s issue. Read the blurb here.

They neglected to mention Westcrest Dog Park in West Seattle (located north of SW Roxbury on 8th Avenue SW). Westcrest is of particular interest to ME because it has only the 2nd “small and shy dog area” designated for small – and/or shy – dogs, like my little Italian greyhound, Sophia. At only 16 pounds – and adopted from a formerly very sheltered and lonely life – the “small and shy” area is all she can handle without freaking out. And that is after 6 months of intensive socializing thru Ahimsa Dog Training’s trainer-supervised Small Dog Playtime and my organizing a Meetup playgroup for this breed for over a year now.

If you have a small, or shy dog regardless of size, be sure to check out the SAS dog areas at Magnuson Park or Westcrest. The SAS area at Magnuson gets kind of crazy so if you would like to try something with a little slower place (and less crowding), Westcrest might be more your speed.

See you at the dog park!

Great Special to Seattle Times today, regarding plastics and recycling! Read Where can we put all those plastics?

I think I will be switching to a Klean Kanteen. I’ve been using Nalgene bottles for years, then recently got lazy – and a Costco membership – so have been carrying around a case of water in my car to ensure I actually drink it. But I feel kinda guilty being lazy about it and will probably buy at least two of them so I have enough water for the day. Some days I am in my car all day long, looking at property.