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.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

Polygon Homes, one of 5 developers building at The High Point, has very few units available in their 96 unit Redwood at High Point condominium community (plus 7 SFR houses). These are ready to move in to today – aren’t you lucky?? I have to wait until August before getting the keys to my townhome there.

Both units currently being advertised are “Genesee” floor plans, which are 2 bedroom 2 bath condo suites with single car garages.

“Lot 906″ (building 9) is either a 2nd or 3rd floor 2 bedroom, 2 bath suite with a one car garage (2nd floor is direct access, 3rd floor is not attached). Click here for the floor plan. This building faces west, and this unit has a deck with a view of the pond and Puget Sound. All of the homes here are very nicely appointed, gourmet kitchens with maple shaker cabinets with brushed nickel handpulls, and stainless steel Whirlpool appliances. The master bath includes a shower with a handset ceramic tile surround.

“Lot 1001″ (building 10) is a ground floor 2 bedroom 2 bath suite with an attached one car garage that walks right into the gourmet kitchen. Click here for the floorplan. This building also faces west. This unit has over $6,000 in upgrades – which translates to a hardwood entry and upgraded carpet in the dining room (according to their flyer). This ground floor unit faces the park, close to city views, and a nice trail (around the pond). This unit happens to be ADA compliant and accessible – something hard to find. It’s ready to move in NOW.

If you are interested in taking a closer look at The High Point, it’s one of the few developments of its kind, inside the city limits. If you would like to have buyer representation, a Buyer’s Agent, please email me at wendyhj@greenspacesrealestate.com. Polygon pays SOC (selling office commission) so it won’t cost you a thing to have someone on your side. I know the sales staff, the community, and am moving there myself so have been through the many hoops that a developer such as Polygon makes you jump through. I’ve lived in West Seattle for 10 years, so if you are moving from out-of-area, I can get you plugged in to the many wonderful things there are to be found in West Seattle.

High Point Highlights:

A friendly front-porch community

Parks and playgrounds, sidewalks and trail –West Seattle Parks and Trails

Places to walk, run, bike or just plain escape –Longfellow Creek

The High Point Pond offers spectacular views, night and day

Future mixed-use retail center with grocery, shops and conveniences

A beautiful new branch of the Seattle Public Library right in your backyard –High Point Library

Built Green(TM) & Sustainable Living –Green Living EXPO

A Built GreenTM community with environmentally sensitive land plan – Neighborhood tries to honor Mother Nature’s runoff rules

All the great shops, bistros, entertainment and services of West Seattle nearby – Things to do in West Seattle

Close to downtown, easy access to I-5, I-90, SR-99, SR-518 –Directions to High Point West Seattle

Highly rated West Seattle Golf Course within blocks

A true city neighborhood mixing incomes, ethnicity, origin, culture and interests –Elizabeth Stubblefield Article

Seattle Times’ Climate Challenge has been running all month long. Read the “live Q&A;” online transcript from today’s session with Amy Snover and Jeremy Littell, scientists with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group.

Visit the Seattle Times Climate Challenge homepage to learn more about reducing your carbon footprint.

New session begins June 3rd!

I spent Sunday afternoons in March participating in a new “yoga with your dog” class at the Seattle King County Humane Society facility on SE Eastgate Way in Bellevue. The instructor, Brenda Bryan, teaches a “Gentle Yoga” class at 8 Limbs Yoga in The Junction of West Seattle – and has recently added a new dog yoga class at the Capitol Hill location of Downtown Dog Lounge.

I’ve been bugging her for a West Seattle location since the first day of class. I’d spent months looking for a dog yoga class because of a show shown on Animal Planet in 2005/06, called “K9 Karma“. I was a recent dog adopter and watched lots of dog shows to learn more about them (dogs, not shows). Host Kari Harendorf, who is a dog trainer and also owns a yoga studio in New York City, began and ended each show in the yoga studio with her students and their dogs, but she and her shepherd mix, Charlie (aka Peanut) would go on adventures all across NYC. It was a great way to be a tourist in New York, told from the dog’s perspective. I longed for a yoga class here – and kept googling “dog yoga” for over a year until finally something turned up. I was lucky to find the Humane Society class flyer online about a week before class started, althought I was too late for the initial orientation.

I encourage yoga practitioners of all levels (and no experience is required at all, really) to try Yoga With Your Dog! I found it a fun class, and very relaxing for my Italian greyhound, Sophia. Unfortunately for me, my dog weighs only 16 pounds and isn’t much of a “yoga prop” for me, even tho she did make a great partner. When Brenda brings a class to West Seattle, you can bet I will be there!

Read “Doing yoga, doggie style” (April 3rd)

Read or Listen to “Yoga Class Incorporates Canine Partners” on NPR (May 18th)

Visit Brenda Bryan’s web site

View the Yoga With Your Dog flyer from Seattle King County Humane Society. A new session starts June 3rd!