So far, we have had a mixed bag of weather here in the NW. Jerry tells me that summer really doesn’t start in the area until mid-July. So, with that wise information I guess we just must be patient for I hope warmer weather, if indeed you like warmer weather. Personally, the Taylor/Beck household like this cooler weather, but thank goodness for the rest of you who like the hot stuff we have no control of the weather.
Traveling Neighbors
Edy made it back from her work trip to San Paulo, Brazil. She reports that the work week went well. The flight home was grueling. It took 10 hours from Sao Paulo to NYC – then a 5 ½ hour layover – then a 5 ½ hour flight to Seattle!
These are some of the interesting things Edy learned about their culture that we really need to adopt in the US!
- All those 65 and older prefer any activity. So – they board first for planes (even above first class, kids, military etc.); if there are lines in the post office, grocery, drugstore etc., they are helped first. People revere older folks!!
- Other interesting facts: omelets are often served in a taco type shell, made of tapioca pellets that melt together in the pan, then the egg mixture is poured on top and after cooking the shell is folded over.
- Guava is in many deserts
- San Paulo has more traffic than New York and Seattle combined (Edy’s perception)
- The Brazilian people are the warmest, most welcoming I met in any country in which I have been invited to speak.
Recèpe Du Jour
Chicken Lombardy
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ¾ lb., (halved lengthwise
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp Kosher salt, divided
½ C (about 2 18 oz) all-purpose flour
½ C (4 oz) unsalted butter, divided, plus more if needed
Cooking spray
8 oz crimini mushrooms, thickly sliced (about 1 ½ cup)
¾ cup Marsala
½ cup chicken stock
2 oz. Fontina or mozzarella cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)
2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about ½ cup)
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 Pound chicken:
- Preheat oven to 450F. Place each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper, and pound to 1/8inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
- Sprinkle evenly with pepper and ½ tsp of the salt.
Step 2 Dredge Chicken
- Place flour in a shallow dish, dredge chicken lightly in flour, shaking off excess.
- Reserve 2 Tbsp of the four and set aside.
Step 3 Cook Chicken:
- Heat 2 tbsp of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Cook chicken, in batches, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side (chicken might not be cooked through).
- Transfer chicken to a 13 X 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, overlapping chicken if needed.
- Repeat the procedure with remaining butter and chicken, adding 1 tbsp butter to the skillet before cooking each batch.
- Reserve drippings in the skillet.
Step 4 Cook mushrooms:
- Add 2 tbsp. of the butter and mushrooms to the drippings in the skillet: cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle mushroom mixture evenly over chicken.
Step 5 Make Sauce:
- Stir Marsala, stock, and remaining ½ tsp salt to drippings in the skillet; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 8 minutes.
- Spoon about 1/3 of the Marsala mixture (about ¼ cup) over chicken.
Step 6 Add cheeses to chicken:
- Combine cheeses in a small bowl, and sprinkle over chicken.
- Bake in a preheated oven until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted, about 6 minutes.
Step 7 Finish cooking sauce:
- Meanwhile, bring the remaining Marsala mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Combine the remaining 3 Tbsp butter and reserved 2 Tbsp flour in a small bowl and mix until a paste forms.
- Add paste to Marsala sauce, and whisk until combined and thickened, about 2 minutes’
Sprinkle chicken with parsley and serve with Marsala sauce.
Recipe from Southern Living Test Kitchen
Restaurant Review
Sunday night we had a great pizza at Le Petit Paquet. They have changed the pizza a bit, not much else on the menu other than pizza and a few salads.
It is still a great place to have pizza and such a great location for us.
Open Wed-Sunday 4-8 PM
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Local Events
These suggestions are from Kayoko #302
- For those who love Mahler symphonies… 🎶🎵
The Northwest Mahler Festival is scheduled to take place at the auditorium of Shorewood High School on Saturday, July 27th, at 7:30pm. This year, Mahler #7 is going to be performed. - Details of this concert: https://www.nwmahlerfestival.org
- Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-festival-concert-featuring-mahler-symphony-7-tickets-910081737977?aff=ebdssbdestsearch Ticket prices are $15 (with $2.85 fee) for General admission and $10 (with $2.51 fee) for seniors. 🎶🎵
I heard that there is going to be a blood donation drive at the parking lot of the fire department/le Petit Paquet across the street from RMC organized by the Bloodworks Northwest on Saturday, July 6th, 2024. I participated in the blood donation drive in May to donate my blood, and that was when I was told about this blood donation drive in July.
The medical staff are there to make sure to ask for the donor’s health condition on the day of blood draw, and if the staff finds any concerns with the health of the donor, they will not draw blood from the prospective donor. I got the feeling that they take the health and safety of the donor, the staff and the future recipients seriously.
After donating my blood, they gave me lots of Cougar Mountain Premium Cookies and juice and other treats! 😋
Those who are interested or know someone would be interested, kindly please make an appointment through this link below:
https://donate.bloodworksnw.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/72301
Neighborhood News
On June 5th Jerry and I went over to fire station to hear what the plans are for the existing fire station. Between 20-25 neighbors were there to hear what Fire Chief Matt Cowan of the Shoreline Fire Dept. had to say. Some of you may know the Shoreline Fire Dept purchased the property on the west side of the fire station. Le Petite Paquet and the dog grooming business.
This is some of the questions and answers Chief Cowan tried to answer
Why did the Shoreline Fire Dept purchase land in the Richmond Beach Area?
Answer
The dept purchased the land in the Richmond Beach area to help improve response times in the NW corner of the district, where calls are currently covered by the overburdened Station 64. A new fire station would alleviate Station 64’s workload and enhance performance in the Station 62 area.
Why did the Department purchase this specific piece of property?
Answer
We purchased the property at NW 195th St because it became available while we were evaluation the impact of a new station 62. Despite the evaluation being incomplete, we saw enough potential benefits to make an offer, including it’s proximity to the our current property, the ability to avoid using eminent domain, and its suitability for a new fire station.
What is the Department’s plan for the future?
Answer
We are still evaluating data to ensure the new station is correctly located. If this property isn’t suitable, we will seek other locations while attempting to avoid the use of eminent domain. If a different is chosen, we will sell the current property. If this location is confirmed, we will design the station to minimize community disruption and provide at least two years’ notice before any action, the earliest plans starting in 2027.
What are some positives and negatives of building a new fire station at this location?
Positive aspects of building a new fire station
- Improved response times, reducing 90th percentile response by 2:08 minutes.
- Increased four-minute drive time coverage in the Station 62 area from 78>9% to 82.7%.
- Reduced workload for Station 64, redirection over 600 calls annually and improving performance.
- Willing sellers at the current location, avoiding the need for forced sales.
Negative aspects of NOT building a new fire station
- Response times will remain status quo and may increase with development.
- Increased workload on Station 64, leading to a decline in performance for the Station 62 area.
- Need to find a new location and willing sellers, potentially resorting to eminent domain if necessary.
Jerry and I went over early and received a tour of the fire station given by a firewoman named Michelle who gives classes to children. She offered to come to a condo meeting to give us some fire safety information if we are interested.
Closure of Ballard Bridge
Apparently, the Ballard bridge is going to be closed or partially closed in the next couple of weeks. For more information see below.
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/ballard-bridge-close-july
Getting to Know You
John Weschler is my second person to interview
John Charles Weschler
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania on September 15, 1938.
Father was 2nd generation German- American (Erie, 1887).
Mother from pioneer families in Indiana (Anderson, 1897).
Reared in Erie, Los Angeles, Anderson, Indiana. I’m the youngest and last living with three older sisters.
Graduated from University Of Cincinnati with BA and MA in social sciences where I met and married Linda.
Came to Seattle in 1964 to pursue PhD degree in cultural anthropology. Didn’t get it.
Worked for a national management consulting company and subsequently for federal anti-poverty agency in Seattle/Region 10. Then began and finished a 30 year career in Christian Counseling.
Linda and I reared two children on Queen Anne in Seattle where she completed her career as a middle school teacher. We moved to Richmond Manor in 2005 and really enjoy the community we have become, the quality of our building, and the excellent management of our owner’s association.
My hobbies and preoccupations have been jazz and classical music, wood carving, prodigious reading, growing tomatoes, continual spiritual growth and now grandfathering!
Personal fact: I’ve known how to cuss since I was a little boy and still do.
Thank you, John, for your time and contribution.
Entertainment
John has recommended a few books that he enjoys. He gets many of his books are used books at low cost and free shipping via ThriftBooks.com
I’ve currently got four books going and which one I open next depends on what I’m hungry for.
Currently I’m reading Michael Connelly’s LA police novel THE CROSSING. I’ve read almost every novel he’s written since 2000. He is a super crime novelist who really knows the LA police scene.
Another favorite crime novelist with a much different “voice” is Minnesota author William Kent Krueger. Krueger’s beat is small town/Indian country, the Boundary Waters Wilderness of northern Minnesota. His leading character is Cork O’Conner whose grandmother was Ojibwe. As sheriff of a small town adjacent to a reservation, O’Conner often finds himself caught between ethnic loyalties and ripples of deadly prejudice. 0’conner is a family man and a bit of a mystic which makes for really good reading. His many novels include LIGHTNING STRIKE and NORTHWEST ANGLE, real page turners.
I’m slowly making my way through a most excellent history of the early establishment of American government traditions, ROGER WILLIAMS and THE CREATION OF THE AMERICAN SOUL by John M. Barry. Barry reviews the deep English history of church, state, and the birth of liberty in North America. It is very readable and informative history👍!
I am also reading, SEALED ORDERS, the autobiography of Agnes Sanford, one of my important role models during my career as a Christian Counselor, Contrary to most of the American church doctrines of the early 20th century, Sanford came to believe Jesus still heals after she witnessed a healing miracle.
Her life was devoted to prayer for physical infirmaries and emotional wounds, writing, and teaching. During my career I learned how to and did a great deal of prayer for healing deep emotional wounds. It’s been fascinating to learn the history of this modality. To go a little deeper, I’ve started another a Sanford’s books, BEHOLD YOUR GOD.
Thank you so much John for your book recommendations
Donation to Condo Association
Venita and Chuck generously donated the lovely piece of art hanging in our elevator lobby. I hope you all enjoy it.
Things to do
I recently took my niece who was visiting from Montana to the Chihuly Museum for her birthday. It was my second visit to the museum, I found there were a few changes but enjoyed it as much as the 1st time. If you are a fan of blown glass or Dale Chihuly’s talent you will certainly enjoy a visit.
We went to lunch at the Chihuly Bar which we thoroughly enjoyed. I recommend you try to be there early, we got there about 11:30 and were promptly seated but by the time we left there was a line out the door.
The museum was busy but again not so crowded, we couldn’t see everything we wanted without feeling pressed or rushed. They encourage photo’s, which was great, we took several, these are some of my favorites.
Sad News
We were recently notified of the passing of our lovely neighbor Cheryl, CJ, Munoz in unit #212, in Madrid on June 8th. They will be bringing her ashes to be buried in the Catholic Cemetery Holyrood in Shoreline preceded by a Funeral Mass on August 8th in St Lukes Catholic Church in Shoreline, 322 N 175th St. at 11:00 AM
Family Fun
Beck/Zwicker Reunion
I have been planning a family reunion for my family for about 5 months, we have a large family with some interesting history, and I felt some of the younger members would be well served if they knew and would possibly appreciate the sacrifices and hardships their ancestors went through so they could have their great lives here in America. My maternal grandmother and step grandfather left what is now the Ukraine in 1914 to migrate with 5 children, ages 13-and infant from there to South Dakota, a trip that took about a month. When they got to S. Dakota they had $18 left in their pockets. My grandparents then had 4 more children after they came to America. They left everything, they knew they would never see their families and friends again. In the early 30’s when all the siblings were adults, they left South Dakota and moved to WA., only one moved to Calif.
There were about 100 + attendees, ages from about 5 months to my eldest sister who is 95. Folks came from Wis, Nev, Montana, Tenn. Eastern WA and the Port Angles area. I met and talked to cousins I have never seen before. We had 4 generations there. It was a fun event but don’t want to do that again. I was surprised we had such a great attendance, all notice was basically a word of mouth via telephone and email chains.
Celebrating
We will be celebrating the 4th of July this week. While celebrating with family and friends we should take a moment to reflect on what a great country we live in and feel blessed to have that privilege.
