Five private gardens, three in Bellevue and two on Mercer Island, will be open to the public for one day on June 27 as part of this year’s Symphony of Gardens tour to benefit the Bellevue Symphony.
Island gardens to be featured are the Ehrig and the Fishman gardens.
The tour will feature such treats as profusions of roses at one garden and rare perennials while another features two acres of old growth trees, mature rhododendrons and many other plantings in a setting that overlooks Lake Washington.
A trillium flower, considered a hallmark of a healthy forest, is seen here in Pioneer Park.
The graduating high school seniors from our community are about to take a step of faith. Now that’s a safe assumption. Whether they consider themselves religious or not makes little difference. Gazing forward through the windshield, all the while glimpsing a familiar campus in the rearview mirror, requires faith. A vision of the road ahead is fuzzy at best.
A couple of Mercer Island kids enjoy the sunshine while swinging on a bright yellow tire swing at West Mercer Elementary.
Bjorn Anderson’s horror film, “Eyes in the Dark,” will be premiering at Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival (STIFF) in June. The screening of Anderson’s film will be on Saturday, June 5, at 7:45 p.m. at the Jewelbox Theater at the Rendezvous in downtown Seattle.
The film was produced by Islanders Joseph Cole and Marco Scaringi, and Mike Ash and Robyn Scaringi. Both Cole and Marco Scaringi attended Mercer Island High School with Anderson.
MIHS sophomores Celine Cheung and Kristina Chang wave to a friend while enjoying ice cream at Baskin & Robbins on a sunny Friday evening, May 7.
A marching band for the Island’s annual Summer Celebration is being organized by Islander Bert Pound, who was appointed to the task by the city arts and special events coordinator as he felt that the parade would not be a parade without a marching band. Island musicians who would like to march in the Summer Celebration parade on July 10 should contact Pound. For those musicians who need to borrow an instrument, Pound may be able to assist in finding one. Arrangements for the loan of music, instrumentation and rehearsal locations will be made with Parker Bixby, Mercer Island High School band director, once a marching band has been assembled. Pound can be reached at (206) 232-0762.
Nothing I’ve ever done or will ever do will mean more to me than being a mother. I also feel deeply blessed to have had a mother who was as loving and nurturing as mine. Falling on May 9 this year, Mother’s Day is a perfect opportunity to honor the woman in your life who nurtures, loves and sacrifices for her children, even if her biggest sacrifice is sleep.
Usually the last ones to go to bed, some mothers are up at the crack of dawn to head off to work, to work out or to do both before most of us have pushed the snooze button for the first time. For many moms, breakfast is a cup of coffee and a protein bar on the fly, even on the weekends.
Islander Ian Wood enjoys a lunch break with his dog, Tera, after pulling out invasive weeds at Clarke Beach on April 18 with EarthCorps. Four-year-old Skye Murdoch, left, came down to play with the puppy at the waterfront on what turned out to be a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Tulips were in full bloom at the Roodman residence on Mercer Island last week as the warm, sunny days brought out the best blooms so far this spring.
I have friends who feel less-than-holy until they’ve had their first cup of coffee in the morning. Others I know faithfully commune with their friends at St. Arbucks. Ken Lottis is one such acquaintance. For this 75-year-old Islander, drinking coffee is a spiritual experience.
While Ken is quick to express gratitude to the Creator for a flavorful cup of joe, the spiritual component to his coffee-drinking fixation isn’t limited to a blessing for good beans. It has more to do with the meaningful conversations he has with those who enjoy his habit. Several times during the week, Ken can be found at a Noah’s, Tully’s or Starbucks conversing with friends about how faith intersects with daily life. His circle of cappuccino compadres include Roman Catholics, Jews, Protestants and agnostics. Ken has been chewing on philosophical ideas while sipping an espresso in coffeehouses for a long time. (Would you believe half a century?) He first realized the value of such a venue while working with university students in Brazil.
Emmy-winning comedy star Judy Gold brings her edgy wit and sharp observational commentary to Mercer Island for an exclusive, one-night-only stand-up appearance at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC).