Leschi

My husband and I got a real workout today as we climbed up and down the streets and staircases of Leschi. Our 5.5 mile walk took us from Dearborn to Alder between 31st Avenue S and Lake Washington.

There is a small commercial strip along Lakeside Avenue S.

Leschi Marina and the newer, denser housing add to the almost beach-community atmosphere and there is a nearly hidden public shore access near Lakeside and King.

Leschi Park has some really tall trees

and Frink Park has some impressive hiking trails.

Along the way, we spotted an historical marker which commemorates the steam ferries which started operating here in the 1880's. The ferries carried passengers to Mercer Island and Eastside communities. The largest, the SS Issaquah, carried 600 passengers. Ferry ridership decreased in 1940 when the floating bridge was completed and ended in 1950 when the toll came off the bridge.

We passed the Leschi Market, restaurants, a house being built into the hillside,

pots of geraniums,

a house designed to fit on an oddly shaped lot,

a building with a planted roof,

a house with a deck on its roof,

an old stone overpass

and the Sol Food Mobile Farm. Their website says: "We are a non-profit located in Durham, North Carolina that focuses on issues of environmental sustainability and community development. 

We operate out of a retro-fitted, Blue Bird school bus complete with a greenhouse, living greenroof, waste vegetable oil engine and rain water collection systems. We travel exensively across our city, state and country connecting urban gardens to their local area and greater farming community...

...Our garden assistance crew is currently making a 6 month tour around the United States, stopping in major cities to host workshops and expositions that focus on topics of: gardening, nutrition, composting and alternative fuels."

We did not get to speak with the young woman who was standing near the bus because she was having a long conversation a police officer .



There is no end to the surprises we encounter on these walks.