Dear Leschi neighbors, What happens to the human waste/sewerage in the larger vessels berthed at the Leschi marinas? Last month, City Council’s Parks Committee was considering a proposal for a 20-year lease of the Leschi marinas to a private firm, Marine Management (associated with Foss Marine). At the July 6 Committee meeting, it came out that there are four liveaboard boats at the Leschi public moorage. One of the Council Members asked the representatives of the Parks Department how sewage is disposed for the liveaboard vessels. The management representatives of the Parks Department could not answer the question. It turns out nobody knows, except for the individual boat owners, because pumping out the storage tanks is on the honor system. The State of Washington thinks that human waste from watercraft is a problem and the State provides free pump-out services, but the nearest pump-out station is at Yarrow Bay, Kirkland. Recently, the State subsidized a mobile service, but this service requires registration on a website. There is no monitoring. The problem is worse because there are increasingly larger vessels at the marinas—cabin cruisers and luxury speedboats. These boats are places of overnight use and drinking parties—the larger vessels are more likely to have boat owners who are not careful about sanitary disposal. Seattle/King County tests water quality at the public beaches on a weekly basis, but not at the Leschi moorages, where there is significant swimming, wading, paddle boarding, kayak launching, etc. The City/Parks Department really doesn’t know whether the waters around the marinas are safe for swimming. I have written to the Superintendent about this problem, but thus far, the City is relying on “No Diving” signs and cruise-bys by the Police Boats. Problem is this doesn’t work. This weekend there were many people in the water. Instead of diving, people climb down the ladders at the piers. Although police boats patrolled the area, there was no interference by police. Personally, I think that public health should not be ignored, and better testing of water quality and monitoring of waste disposal are necessary. What are your thoughts? ~John Barber

Welcome to our September edition of the Leschi News. We are very excited about the Leschi Art Walk on Saturday, September 9, 2017 from 11–4. We are on our sixth year and each year our vision expands. We invite you to join us. Local artists will be displaying their craft and local businesses are showcasing their offerings. There will be music and a play area for the children in the park. I am your new President of the Leschi Community Council and am excited to serve. Having lived in Leschi for 14 years, Leschi is very near to my heart. I believe we have an amazing hidden jewel and a respite far from the maddening crowd. My goal is to reach out to our newer residents to interest them in engaging with and becoming active members of the Community Council. Those residents who have lived here two years or less will receive a personal letter from me. Our September meeting, Wednesday, September 6 will feature the Marina contract, recently approved by the City Council. We had hoped to meet with our concerns before the council vote, but we weren’t able to stop it. We can air any concerns at this meeting. The meeting starts promptly at 7pm at the Central Area Senior Center. I look forward to serving our community and meeting all of you, Janice Merrill Brown, President, Leschi Community Council

May 10, 2017—Attending: Tracy Bier, Janet Oliver, Jeff Floor, John Barber and Diane Snell. (Yuki on vacation) Treasury: Janet brought samples of the Excel sheet she is working on to capture the input and outflow of the funds. Restricted funds were not up to date when she took over, but Janet has entered all the information for 2016 and we now have some working totals. Discussion re: Cherry Street Corridor fund. No one knows why we have this fund; Diane to call Thurston to see if he knows and if not, we will need to make a decision on where to put those funds. Without a fund chair and any goals, it doesn’t make sense to keep it open. There is approximately $10,000 in the general fund and $20,000 in the restricted funds, not counting the CD for the Brenton fund, which is about $11.000. Jeff spoke on the meeting the previous night on the Vulcan plan for Promenade 23. Attendees were mostly in favor of the plan except for the gate, which will close off access to 24th street. This had been an important request from the neighborhood as 24th street has been blocked by the Red Apple store for many years. Jeff noted that the planned townhouses would not be gated, just the large apartment building. Jeff reported that Vulcan is sending out an RFP to grocers on the need for temporary access to food during the construction phase. The city holds a HALA meeting on May 16, 6-8pm, at Washington Hall on 14th just north of Yesler. LURC received a grant from the Seattle Foundation to pay for what are now out-of-pocket expenses for this volunteer group. Jeff said he had not received a response to his email on the Ultimate Frisbee and will have to follow up some other way. John: A major work party is planned for June 17 at the String of Pearls to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the project. There will be food!! Two pruning workshops are planned with Plant Amnesty. Diane: newsletter deadline May 16. Donation suggestions: LCC received a $500 donation to use where most needed. Diane suggested giving it to the Leschi Natural Area to make sure that their contract for EarthCorps work is covered, leaving them with a small nest egg for plants, rocks, etc. Attendees voted unanimously in favor of this donation. This day was Give Big day and there were several community groups listed; Diane suggested we try this next year. Donation policy to be addressed next month when Yuki is back. LCC insurance was rewritten and basic policy is very similar to what it has been. There were minor changes in limits. We discussed and decided not to accept the Terrorism rider as it calls for a $100,000 deductible. Our agent had recommended director liability; decision to complete form and see what cost is before deciding.

Looking for a delicious and healthy lunch right here in Leschi? The Senior Center serves a complete lunch Monday through Friday from noon to 1pm. and it only costs $5 for anyone age 60 or older. (Under 60, the lunch costs $10.) The Central Café is located in the dining room of the Central Area Senior Center. Chef Anthony prepares a printed menu for each month. Entrées change daily and are not repeated during the month. If you miss catfish in early May, you’ll have wait until June. With the menu in hand, one can choose which days to attend. Membership is not required. Among the many delicious offerings: fried chicken wings with black-eyed peas and mustard greens, cornbread and shortcake; seafood lasagna with roasted vegetables, garlic bread and fresh fruit, jambalaya over rice; BBQ pulled pork with sweet potato fries and fruit, Shrimp salad in pita with cheddar broccoli soup and fresh pineapple. Requests for more vegetarian meals have brought forth a current favorite: Spinach salad with Black beans, carrots, broccoli and tomatoes (with choice of two dressings), sourdough roll and melon. Desserts tend to be fresh fruit, a healthy treat that isn’t often duplicated at home. Coffee and tea are available for 50 cents a cup and 2% milk is available. Pitchers of cold water are on each table, as are condiments. There is another reason to have lunch at the Central. The view is spectacular with the lake, the Cascades and Mt. Rainier! Central Area Senior Center 500 30th Ave. S Lunch served daily Monday through Friday, 12-1pm. ~Diane Morris

Leschi Market is proud to announce the launch of our very own winery. What? Yes! You read that correctly! Now I’m sure you have questions, and we have answers. The idea of forming our own winery began years ago, but really took hold and became a reality in the last six months. Known for our extensive, meticulously put together collection of wine from around the world at the best prices in the city, it had been difficult to find wine at the quality we demanded at the price we felt confident enough to put our name on. Then one day, it simply happened. After tasting and turning down dozens of wines over the years, it began with finally striking gold in finding a couple of single vineyard samples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from McNary in the Horse Heaven Hills. The Leschi wine team conducted their own blending trials and came up with combos that we all were quite taken with. We would eventually use the expertise of the same winemaker to craft our excellently dry, single vineyard rosé. Next came the Reserve- a tremendous Bordeaux-styled red from a Walla Walla winery that we are able to put on the shelf at $19.99. This is truly a serious wine that doesn’t come along very often, plus a great complementary ‘big brother’ to the Rouge. With a Reserve, a Rouge and a Rosé under our belt- we searched for a white wine to complete the initial lineup. Sauvignon Blanc? Chardonnay? We even tried an Albariño! Then, a conversation between wine department phenom Ben and old friend Mike Hallock of Carabella Winery in Oregon resulted in the absolute best Pinot Gris being added to our stable. We carefully selected our labels, using photos of the Leschi Market building circa 1890 (Reserve) and 1910 (Pinot Gris), as well as utilizing pictures of the owners, a young 30-something Leonard Shulman (1967) tending the counter on the Lakeside Rouge, and father and son combo Leonard and Steve (1990) on the Rosé. We gathered and bottled in Woodinville on a couple different occasions, and waited. Nervously we waited. We revisited the reds every couple of weeks to see if they were ready after the initial shock that bottling does to a wine. We waited a couple more weeks, then a couple more. The official release was last month at the annual Spring Wine Tasting with the Lakewood Seward Park Neighborhood Association. The wines were more than ready, and simply sang, a real highlight of the event. The wines were met with wild fanfare at the tasting, and again later that week as customers slowly began to see them emerge on the shelves in the wine department. This first release of wines is quite limited, less than 200 cases each of the red, barely 100 of the pink and half of that for the white. Do not delay if you want to try these amazing wines. This is a project that will hopefully continue to grow and make Leschi proud. We at the Market are beaming. Have a safe and happy summer everyone! 2014 Leschi Cellars Lakeside Reserve Red Blend Walla Walla ($19.99) “We have been listening. This Bordeaux-style red blend hails from Walla Walla and possesses all of the traits you have been looking for—deep velvety fruit balanced by supple tannins and acidity. Enjoy daily or pair with Leschi Market’s famous prime rib. A very serious and age-worthy wine that is only just now coming into its prime, and is bound to develop nicely over the next 5-7 years. 2016 Leschi Cellars Lakeside Rouge McNary Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills ($12.99) Started in 1948, little has changed at Seattle’s favorite neighborhood market. In the spirit of uncompromised quality, we have fashioned this balanced blend of 80% Cabernet and 20% Merlot. Meant to be enjoyed young, it has been (barely) aged in neutral French barrels to allow the deep dark incredibly inviting subtleties of this cooler-climate vineyard to beam forth. -Winery notes. 2016 Leschi Cellars Pinot Gris Oregon ($11.99) Made by Mike Hallock of Carabella Vineyards, this is an utterly perfect Pinot Gris. Lush and juicy white peach and nectarine flavors, great mouthfeel and absolutely thirst quenching, mouth-watering acidity. This is an ultimate summertime wine that will easily pair with food and leave you wanting more. 2016 Leschi Cellars Rosé McNary Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills ($11.99) Made in the style of the bone-dry beauties from Provence, the fruit for our Rosé comes from the relatively cool climate site McNary Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. Tart strawberry and citrus rind notes with low alcohol, fresh demeanor and zippy acidity. Fermented to zero residual sugar, so yes, friends, it is absolutely dry! Kenneth Benner, a Seattle area native, is a trained chef and has worked in such restaurants as Barbacoa, B.O.K.A. Kitchen + Bar, and Dahlia Lounge. Ken is the wine buyer at Leschi Market. He has a passion for learning, a meticulous palate, and a tenacity for searching out the best for his customers while offering some of the most highly coveted wines in the area. His wine column is intended to inspire and explore new choices in wine, learn about wine with his readers, and share his knowledge and experiences in the wine world. Check out the latest at www.LeschiMarket.com or request to be added to email updates or send questions, comments, or suggestions to ken@leschimarket.com and follow the wine department directly on twitter at twitter.com/leschimarket .

BOOK REVIEW Communicating via a dark web, marching north at the rate of a quarter mile a year, releasing alarms when under attack, and throwing up extra shields to protect against invaders, these are a few of the survival techniques of trees. The Hidden Life of Trees, a new book by German forester Peter Wohlleben, fills in many of the details you probably didn’t know about your quiet neighbors which, while casting a shadow on your garden, dropping leaves and needles on your roof, and blocking your views of the lake, are speaking to one another underground, sensing pain when damaged, emitting the essential oxygen you breathe, and providing housing for various creatures. Why, you might wonder, are folks so keen on chopping them down? Whether you look at Eden or East Africa, if you think about it, the earliest humans were born among trees. It somehow seems fitting then to learn from Wohlleben that trees have social networks, that they talk to one another, and many have an overbearing mother that doesn’t want them to grow up too soon. Trees take care of one another and even supply food to aging stumps. While most of the examples in this book come from observations of forests—and lack thereof—in Central Europe, much of the information will make you look at our local sentinels in a new light. And speaking of light, why do we see leaves as green? Because this is the part of the chlorophyll that can’t be converted by trees from sunlight to sugars and so is refracted back to our eyes. The green, which we find so soothing and beautiful, is a tree’s leftover lunch! Much of Leschi is blessed to host a variety of deciduous trees and conifers. But every year many of them are lost to development and indiscriminate trimming. Perhaps we need a new scale to weigh the losses and gains from current practices. Recent reports have linked tree cover and conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. According to a 2015 New Yorker article, “For the people suffering from these conditions, an extra eleven trees per block corresponds to an income boost of twenty thousand dollars, or being almost one and a half years younger.” But of course, recreating Nature is never as simple as planting street trees. Wohlleben reminds us that trees thrive in communities and their roots need vast amounts of space underground to spread out horizontally They are stymied by the compacted soil under roads, which is one of the reason they like to spread through the looser soil around pipes. Forests remain the optimal environment for tree communities. Thank goodness for our natural areas and Leschi and Frink parks. For more information on how Seattle is losing its trees, see: http://invw.org/2016/07/27/seattles-long-neglected-tree-canopy-is-on-a-collision-course-with-development/ . ~Anne Depue

With the provocative title, "In Search of the Lost History of Chinese Migrants and the Transcontinental Railroads", the Tacoma Art Museum features a major exhibition by UW professor of painting and drawing, Zhi Lin, this summer (June 27 – February 18, 2018). First trained in China, then in London and the US, Lin works in multiple styles and media as he addresses a history that is crucial for us to understand today. Chinese migrants, originally drawn to the US by tales of gold, built the railroads from California to Utah. For many years, Lin has researched the lost history and unacknowledged lives of these workers in archives and photographs, then traveled to specific locations, including Northern California’s Donner Pass (where 1,200 Chinese died): “I descended deep valleys and icy tunnels, crossed rivers and streams, climbed snow hills, cliffs and summits, walked on flat-burned campgrounds and along railroad tracks and paid tributes to Chinese graveyards. I made a special trip … facing the winter elements.” His delicate watercolors of these sites ironically adopt the romantic approach to landscape practiced in Europe, at the same time that Chinese workers died in the Western landscape. But the subtle drawings are only one aspect of this major exhibition. The famous 1869 “golden spike” photograph by Andrew Russell marking the completion of the railroad from West to East, excluded Chinese workers. A film, “Chinaman’s Chance,” draws from the reenactment of that photograph (every weekend in the summer!) at the Golden Spike National Historic Site that perpetuates that exclusion. “Chinaman’s Chance” emphasizes marginalization by its viewpoint from behind the trains and often from under piles of railroad ballasts (rocks) like the tombstones of the Chinese workers. The artist wrote in red the few names of Chinese workers that he found in railroad pay records, but he believes even those names, supposedly of leaders of groups of workers, were actually made up nicknames. The installation will include 5 tons of actual rock ballasts. Zhi Lin, “Chinaman’s Chance on Promontory Summit: Golden Spike Celebration 12:30PM May 10th 1869” video sound installation 2013-14 The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 triggered vigilantes to expel the Chinese from communities in the Northwest and California, from Tacoma in 1885, Seattle in 1886 and from hundreds of other towns where racists burned entire neighborhoods and even massacred hundreds of people. To honor these nightmarish tragedies, Lin turned to abstract painting with titles like Bloody Summer, Cape Horn, California, 1865, Building of the Central Pacific by Chinese Workers. He anchored the abstractions with found objects and shapes as references to the vanished workers. And finally, for this exhibition, Zhi Lin turns to Tacoma itself. He is creating a long handscroll, in a traditional Chinese style, based again on meticulous research, that juxtaposes today’s Pacific Avenue with the period of the Chinese expulsion. Don’t miss this major exhibition! Also this summer in Tacoma, on the theme of immigration and racism, is an exhibition that I am curating “Immigration: Hopes Realized, Dreams Derailed (June 30 – August 17, 2017) at the Spaceworks Gallery. The exhibition features twenty artists working in painting, printmaking, collage, sculpture, posters, poetry, texts, and even lace who pointedly explore racism today, an atmosphere rapidly becoming as violent as what the Chinese experienced in the nineteenth century. I am hoping to have a march to the Detention Center on July 20 after a special musical/spoken word program by a former detainee. (950 Pacific Ave Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday 1pm – 5pm (Third Thursday 1pm – 9pm) Of course, you will hear about the thrilling blockbuster exhibition “Infinity Mirrors” at the Seattle Art Museum (June 30–September 10, 2017). It features the work of the famous Yayoi Kusama. She grew up in Japan during World War II and joined the experimental artist-run New York scene in the late 1950s. Since then, she has become legendary for her innovative materials and eccentric aesthetics. The exhibition surveys her career from its earliest days to the present, but the thrill of the exhibition will be her stunning and disorienting Mirror Rooms. In case you are in the International District this summer, here are two crucial exhibitions at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific Experience that I will write more about in the fall. “Teardrops that Wound: the Absurdity of War” May 12, 2017 through May 20, 2018. I find a provocative relationship between Kusama’s mirror rooms that immerse us in abstract light and reflections and the art in “Teardrops that Wound” that explores the aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. To give just three examples, the installations include Hiroshima-native, Yukiyo Kawano’s life-sized replica of “Little Boy,” made from kimono silk from survivors sewed with strands of her own hair, Phong and Sarah Nguyen’s “Break Into Blossom” a fabricated “bomb” covered with moss and flowers, and Patrick Nagatani’s staged photographs of the radioactivity that lurks under the surface of the West (and so timely with the leaking of storage at Hanford). As the curator SuJ’n Chon stated at the opening, unfortunately the threat of nuclear war is with us right now, it is no longer an historical memory. Year of Remembrance Glimpses of a Forever Foreigner (February 17, 2017 – February 11, 2018) features poems by Lawrence Matsuda and Roger Shimomura’s pop/caustic imagery. It marks the 75th anniversary of Franklin Roosevelt’s infamous 1942 Executive Order 9066 that led to the detention of 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans. This small mixed media directly connects then and now, ending with references to current efforts to ban Muslims. Finally, on a different theme, go to see “EMERGENCE First Nation Legendary & Emerging Artists” at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art May 26th, 2017 –September 4th, 2017 features the next generation of First Nations artists and their famous mentors. Pay attention to the days the museum is open and plan ahead on the ferry. You can reserve it now if you take a car, but you can also leave your car in Anacortes and walk up the hill to the museum. Thursday to Monday: 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. ~Susan Noyes Platt, www.artandpoliticsnow.com

Welcome to our redesigned website! We are very proud and excited to present our efforts to our community. As a Seattle-based graphic designer and Leschi resident, I had quite a few ideas about what the redesigned site could do: getting information to folks who want to know more about our area, promoting local events and Council activities, and especially celebrating the amazing people who make this area so wonderful. I started helping the Council in 2012, processing this newsletter, bringing together stories, images and ads into a cohesive, print-ready document. Each month, it is like working a jigsaw puzzle: scoot this ad over here, then that article can go there, using tricks and gimmicks to make everything fit. I love doing it because it is always so satisfying to see the finished product. A few years earlier, I designed the website of the Leschi Market, working with Yousef Shulman. So, when he became President of the Council, we started talking with Diane Snell about what we could do to make the online presence of the Council stronger and the site user-friendlier. I suggested using one of the online, web-building services, usually called a “content management system,” or CMS, which allows the site owner to create content, make changes and update their site however they like, from any computer in the world. The most well known CMS is WordPress, which was initially constructed to make it easy for bloggers to create their posts and get their ideas on the web. However, it quickly became apparent that the technological advances and the organizational structure could readily be adapted to build all varieties of websites. WordPress competitors include Drupal, Squarespace, Joomla and Weebly. I chose a service called Wix, mostly because the interface was similar to the Adobe layout programs that I use in design. In addition, the pricing was right and I found plenty of great reviews about them. So rolling up my sleeves, I got busy with one of my favorite things about graphic design: organization. Starting with close to 90 separate pages in the existing site, I put the name of each page into an Excel document, sorting out categories of information, which evolved into the main navigation menu that you see today. The secondary menus, like what you see under the “Our Council” tab, also came out of this process of bringing together the same kind of info and making logical groups. But the best part of the project was seeing how easily Wix pulled together the overwhelming amount of terrific stories and articles about the Leschi area, its people and all of the exciting events and activities. When you visit the “Articles” page, you’ll see how the article categories work and how easy it is to get to where you want to go. Especially cool are the Reviews pages: arts and books and restaurants and wine, oh my. And see the Events & Calendar page lists for upcoming happenings. We also added a bit of e-commerce, so that subscriptions and memberships can be purchased online. Another benefit of the redesigned site has been the ability to offer online advertising for our local merchants. And then, of course, I got to use pretty colors and fonts, designing the clean, crisp layout, recreating the “feel” of our lovely community. It was wonderful to help the Council do their job of bringing us together. ~Kirsten Hopperstad

We have an election at our June meeting: we need both a President and a Vice-President. As we approach press time, no one has come forward to volunteer for either position. This is sad, given our history of activism. The Leschi Community Council has a long and illustrious history. It was formed in 1958 as the Leschi Improvement Council and the residents who gathered at Grace Methodist Church to establish this organization had some tough battles to fight. The area was redlined by the real estate business and homes were not offered to minorities. In addition, the schools in this area were suffering from neglect; there was a great disparity between Central Area schools and those schools north of the Ship Canal. Over the intervening years, the Council has been a vocal supporter of neighborhood parks and public transportation, i.e. bus 27. As we approach the 20th anniversary of the String of Pearls, I think back to the early hearings on this project and how we all wore (cheap) strings of pearls to show our “colors.” This fight went all the way to the State Supreme Court where it was decided in our favor: the streetends ARE public land and the public has a right to use them. Leschi quickly developed their streetends and other neighborhoods began the process as well. Several years ago, a volunteer group formed LURC, the land use review committee. This group consists of architects, folks with city planning experience and others who just have an interest in how their neighborhood is developed. LURC has been on top of the large projects, working with developers to take the adjoining neighborhood and its needs into consideration. The Leschi CC used to have one chair (with no committee) on land use who attempted to keep an eye on all the development; this turned out to be an impossible task and we are grateful to LURC members for taking over this duty and communicating plans and concerns. At the rate, this city is changing and new developments spring up on every spare lot, it becomes too much for one council to handle. The “job” of President is often dictated by the state of the council as when Diane Morris and I took over; we needed to get the council on a sound fiscal basis with bills being paid and income collected. The Council is in good fiscal shape now; the website has been revamped so we can make changes, and we have more contributors to the Leschi News than in the past. The Presidency can be a “maintenance” job for someone; demands are small: two meetings a month (general and Board), a short column for the newsletter (President’s Message), introducing speakers at the general meeting and working through the jointly developed agenda at the Board meetings. Or, if you have great ideas for Leschi, you need to come forward and light our fire! We need you! ~Diane Snell

It has been such a pleasure serving as the Leschi Community Council President over the past several months. I especially want to thank the wonderful members of the board over the last year; each person provided so much support and wisdom as I came onto the board as a neighborhood newbie. This is my last President’s message, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Council. As a reminder, this is also the last newsletter for a few months; distributions will start again in September, as usual. Please check the website for updates. Summer events, including work parties, will be updated on the online calendar. Please join us at our June community meeting on June 7. We plan to hold elections for President and Vice President of the LCC (we are still looking for candidates for both positions - please reach out if you are interested!), present the Leschi Star award, and share a brief update on parks, including accomplishments and goals moving forward. As a reminder, this will be our last community meeting before we break for the summer; community meetings will reconvene on September 6. Started in 2013, the Leschi Star award honors one or more Leschi neighbor each year that has made a difference! ~Yuki Igarashi

April 12, 2017—Attending: Yuki Igarashi, John Barber, Jeff Floor, Janet Oliver, Diane Snell. Minutes: approved by email Treasury Janet is organizing the data she received. She has created a share account on Google so that the deposited checks can be documented in an Excel spreadsheet and checks scanned; both the secretary who deposits the checks and the treasurer have access. Yuki Has not received any calls or emails pertaining to the President and Vice-President Positions. She did receive one email regarding the Restricted Funds Coordinator position, but Janet does not feel that is necessary once the data is organized. Jeff LURC (Land Use Review Committee) will give a HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda) presentation at the May Meeting, starting at the beginning and working down to the planned changes in our neighborhood. City personnel will not be present; this is a chance to learn what the project means and how it affects our neighborhood. Jeff will provide a brief article describing the meeting for the May Leschi News. Workshop on the development around the I-90 and Rainier Light Rail Station on 4/26 6-8pm. at the Bouldering Project (900 Poplar Pl S, Seattle, WA 98144) Ultimate Frisbee June would be a good time; and Powell Barnett Park is large enough to hold the teams, plus there are places to sit and eat afterward as well as BBQs. John There is no plan at Parks to open our wading pool at Powell Barnett this summer despite the fact that we have one of the most diverse communities. Street tree trimming is being done by Parks along Huron and Lake Washington Blvd. The April streetend work party is geared toward conquering the blackberries at the Dearborn streetend and then adding a heavy layer of mulch to discourage them from coming back. They have been allowed to grow so big that they obscure the view. John would like to see the gravel paths restored. Karen Daubert is now co-chairing the committee and she noted that the 20th anniversary of the String of Pearls is coming up and she would like to celebrate the event. SDOT has been separating the funds rec’d from adjacent homeowners (30 homeowners who have encroachments and pay for this use of public land) in an account which has been used to develop new streetends and the fund is now at a low point. John will provide an article on the goals of the Friends of Streetends for the May Leschi News. Diane Newsletter deadline for May: April 17 Diane was tasked with drafting a donation policy for the April meeting. The draft was discussed and questions about intangible donations such as stock and bonds will be researched by Yuki. John will look into possible donations of land for pocket parks and what that would entail. Further discussion at June Board meeting. Yuki is away for both May meetings. Jeff will handle the general meeting and the Board meeting will fall to the secretary in the absence of a Vice-President. The annual meeting is moved to June with elections, Leschi Star awards and community updates. ~Respectfully submitted by Diane Snell

May has arrived! Those dark, stormy, wintry days have hung around long enough, they WILL go away! If the weather is refusing to cooperate, maybe we can help spring out by drinking great rosé anyway! It’s really never too early to get into the rosé spirit. Here is the pre-summer Top-10 Best Rosé List! 1) 2016 Tranche Pink Pape Estate Rosé Blackrock Vineyard Yakima Valley ($14.99) “Pale salmon in color with a light pink hue. Delicate aromas of rose petal, white peach and honeydew, with lifted notes of sweet pink grapefruit and lemon peel. The wine falls effortlessly onto the palate as light mountain berry and stone fruit flavors combine with fresh citrus qualities and a crushed river rock minerality. Driving acidity provides excellent focus and direction, drawing out the palate to a lingering, mouthwatering finish. A blend of Grenache, Counoise and Cinsault.” 2) 2016 Domaine Eugene Carrel Jongieux Rosé de Savoie France ($12.99) “This is a Rosé of exceptional freshness and expressive flavors which derive from the unique blend of native grapes. The wine displays pure and intense flavors and aromas of black cherry, strawberry, wild flowers and minerals.” –Winemaker notes. 3) 2016 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Rosé Pfalz Germany ($11.19) “Ernest Loosen has taken over the historic J.L. Wolf estate. The Pfalz is a very warm and sunny region, often called ‘the Tuscany of Germany,’ so all of the Pinot varieties do well here. The Rosé is a true rosé, made with a brief maceration. The resulting wine is light and refreshing, with deliciously bright fruit flavors and a clean, zippy finish.” –Winery notes. 4) 2016 Lobo Hills Cabernet Franc Rose Yakima Valley ($14.99) “The Cabernet Franc Rosé is a rich and complex rose, aged on the lees. It opens with aromas of cherries, pepper, strawberries and anise. The palate blends food-friendly acid with gentle notes of cranberries, roses and cherries. Production: 450 cases. Available: 47.” –Winemaker notes. 5) 2016 Seven Hills Dry Rosé Columbia Valley ($14.99) In the tradition of the classic French rosés, ours is delicate and refreshing, pale in color, and bone-dry. Primarily Cabernet Franc, with small amounts of Petit Verdot for additional structure and Malbec for expressive fruitfulness, this wine exhibits flavors of peach, grapefruit and papaya along with fresh herbs and minerality. 6) 2016 Barnard Griffin of Sangiovese Rosé Columbia Valley ($10.59) “Mouthwatering raspberry, orange and pomegranate flavors are balanced by the perfect amount of juicy acidity. Dry, tangy and vibrant! Just a touch of lime and mineral notes checks in on the long finish. Taste for yourself why Barnard Griffin Roses have won eleven Best of Class and numerous gold awards at prestigious wine competitions since our first Rose release in 2002.” - Winemaker notes. 7) 2016 AIX Rosé Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence ($13.99) “The 2016 AIX Rosé is the result of great passion and dedication to produce the best possible Rosé. The hypnotizing salmon pink color reveals the fruity freshness of top quality Provence Rosé. Its generous taste, harmonious structure and long finish make it the perfect rosé to drink with friends all day long! A blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Cinsault.” –Winemaker notes. 8) 2016 Mr. Pink Rosé of Sangiovese Underground Wine Project ($11.19) Collaboration between winemakers Mark McNeilly (Mark Ryan Winery) and Trey Busch (Renegade Wine Co. and Sleight of Hand Cellars). The nose has the essence of orange blossoms and nectarines, while the palate shows flavors of watermelon, grapefruit and strawberry yogurt. It’s bright and refreshing, making your mouth water just a bit. 9) 2016 Domaine de Couron Rosé Ardeche France ($8.39) Jean-Luc carries the mantle, a descendant of nine generations of wine growers. Jean-Luc and Marie-Lise Dorthe craft, with loving hands, wines on land once cultivated by the Romans. 100% Grenache. 39-year-old vines. A bright, bountiful bouquet of fresh strawberries and watermelon with notes of citrus zest. Fresh, full-flavored, but light-bodied mélange from light raspberry and watermelon to strawberry. 10) 2016 Domaine Sorin Rosé ‘Terra Amata’ Côtes de Provence ($11.19) Brilliant pink robe with aromas of white peaches and citrus fruit on the nose, hints of minerals and spice. Attacking freshness with hints of raspberry and red current on the palate. The blend is 40% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Carignan, 10% Rolle and 5% Orgi. Kenneth Benner, a Seattle area native, is a trained chef and has worked in such restaurants as Barbacoa, B.O.K.A. Kitchen + Bar, and Dahlia Lounge. Ken is the wine buyer at Leschi Market. He has a passion for learning, a meticulous palate and tenacity for searching out the best for his customers while offering some of the most highly coveted wines in the area. His wine column is intended to inspire and explore new choices in wine, learn about wine with his readers, and share his knowledge and experiences in the wine world. Check out the latest at www.LeschiMarket.com or request to be added to email updates or send questions, comments, or suggestions to ken@leschimarket.com and follow the wine department directly on twitter at twitter.com/leschimarket .