Hey Montlakers! The Montlake Community Club is inviting you to engage! Are you interested in learning more about your neighborhood? Meeting new people? Serving on a board? Volunteering? If any, (or all!) of these appeal to you, please reach out to Heather at hjhardin@gmail.com to learn more.
Waiting
Young eagles in the nest are one of the most inspiring and hopeful moments in life. For more visit:
Have great day on Union Bay…where Eagles live in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Larry
How to support your Montlake community
Support the Montlake Community Club! Please join your neighbors in building our all-volunteer effort to keep Montlake safe and connected.
Give to the MCC in the annual GIVE BIG campaign and share on your social media to encourage your friends to do the same!
Give Big (or small or medium!) to the Montlake Community Club!
On Raptors
How do hunting styles vary among raptors? More on:
Have a great day on Union Bay…where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Larry
The Montlake Flyer
Family Matters
Friends and Neighbors,
Many of our common yard birds have somewhat subtle differences depending on their gender or age. Brush up on the differences at:
https://unionbaywatch.blogspot.com/2021/03/family-matters.html
Have a great day on Union Bay…where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Sincerely, Larry
L’esprit de ‘escalier
The title of this week’s post looks like a reference to, ‘The Spirit of the Escalator’. Actually, it is bird-related. More at:
Have a great day on Union Bay…where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Larry
It’s beginning to look a lot like MONTLAKE
We have awesome Montlake hoodies, hats, and T-shirts in a range of colors, designs, and sizes available for the holidays. We also have GAITERS ($5 each) which can keep your neck and warm during the chilly months ahead.
Make sure to buy one for you and all your favorite elves. Easy pick-up or possible delivery options. Sales of Montlake Gear benefit the all volunteer-led Montlake Community Club. The MCC are the folks who host the Montlake Turkey Trot, sponsor the beautiful winter lights in our business district, publish the Montlake Flyer, and more. Click the link below to shop then contact us at treasurer@Montlake.net or text Matt at (312) 515-5070 to get your gear!
Tot Lot – Montlake
Hello All,
Thank you for your responses to the survey. There were over 150. This spot is very popular! We heard that the Treetop and Explore plans were the most desired. In addition to voting, there were constructive comments. We also met with Arboretum staff and incorporated their ideas.
I have attached the PowerPoint that shows the analysis of the work. One thing that you can’t see is that there another slide, wide enough for two people. Also, note how the playground equipment blends into the trees in the shot from the street.
We heard that you wanted more subdued colors and more natural materials. Unfortunately, we can’t use wood: we have had a lot of trouble with termites and have replaced structures in other parks.
However, we have reduced the amount of plastic and increased metal pieces. This is a little more expensive, so we also changed the artificial grass safety surfacing to engineered wood fiber (wood chips). That also has a more natural feel.
The plan also includes a wider path on the left as you enter. This will help prevent maintenance vehicles from driving on the grass and make for a more comfortable walking and biking space. We will be moving the trash cans so that they aren’t next to the bench and adding a bike rack.
Seattle Parks will build the new play area in the early spring. We are using in-house staff. That allowed us to put more money into construction, but COVID-19 has reduced the number of people working, hence the schedule impact.
A charming comment: “We live across the street and spend a lot of time with our kids there. It is the de facto spot in the neighborhood to meet other kids/families and has been an important community builder, so thanks for giving this time and thought.”
Thanks to everyone and stay safe,
Pam
Virtual Turkey Trot a Success!
The 2020 Montlake Turkey Trot is in the books and once again, the community did not disappoint! Despite having only 390 virtual race participants, down from 1,500 in 2019, we still managed to raise ~$23,000 for the University District Food Bank! This is short of last year’s total of $39,000, but thanks to a large increase in extra donations, the amount raised per participant is far greater than 2019. For the first time ever, we hit our $10,000 donation goal! This was made possible for racers donating on top of their race fees as well as ~35 additional folks that just donated without signing up for the run. Thank you so much for your generosity. And it’s not too late to add more if you are feeling inclined. The donation link will stay live through Monday.
If you participated in the race, please upload your results and photos. Not many have shared yet, but it has been fun to see those that have. A Montlake family that is currently living abroad even posted their Turkey Trot photos! So fun!!
Last, but certainly not least, we are very grateful to our sponsors. New Turkey Trot sponsors include our only Signature Sponsor, Windermere Real Estate Midtown as well as Premium Sponsors Mangum Fitness, Hilleberg the Tentmaker, and Diane Terry. Burb’s Burgers sponsored at the Turkey Trotter level and was generous enough to give all participants free French fries with purchase! If you haven’t tried Burb’s yet- don’t delay! Favorites include delicious clam chowder, classic burgers, and a chicken sandwich that hits the spot. They are located in the Southwest corner of the old Montlake Market parking lot next to the holiday tree lot. Returning sponsors include Premium sponsor Graham Construction and Turkey Trotter Homelight. Glam and Tonics and Cafe Lago, continued their 5 years of support by donating products and services. Unfortunately, in our virtual format we were unable to make use of these donations, but we are so grateful for their continued and generous support. Please patronize these local businesses, they are struggling and need the community more than ever!
We hope the rest of 2020 brings you good health and that you find creative ways to enjoy whatever holiday traditions you celebrate. Most of all, we hope to see each and every one of you in person next year at the 2021 Montlake Turkey Trot!
