North Admiral

I walked many streets multiple times as I zigged and zagged to cover missed streets during today's 6.8 mile walk in the North Admiral neighborhood of West Seattle.

This is a lovely, residential neighborhood and I walked streets between West Seattle High School and SW Admiral Way.

Adjacent to West Seattle High School is the Hiawatha Community Center and Playfield (an Olmsted legacy park).

Just east of playfield is Fairmount Avenue SW which runs through Fairmount Canyon. I walked north along Fairmount as far as the SW Admiral Way overpass before doubling back to more developed streets.

At Admiral Way and 36th Avenue SW, I spotted Belvedere Park

and the Admiral Way Viewpoint. The Admiral Viewpoint Story Pole (pictured at the top of this post) is located here together with three storyboards well worth reading. One gives a brief history of West Seattle, another explains the story pole and introduces the artist (Michael Halady), while the third contains words attributed to Chief Sealth*. (There is some debate as to the accuracy of this quote but it is still beautiful.)

Along the way, I noted chickens,

a few Lafayette Walking School Bus signs,

sidewalk chalk drawings,

milk delivery boxes,

an informational "you are here" sign,

quiet streets,

lovely homes

and gardens

and a row of garden apartments/condos at 42nd and Spokane.

Another great walk. After this walk, I went out with my husband and one of my walking friends to celebrate hitting 2,000 miles. We went for a Red Mill Burger because none of us had ever had one and I'd heard that they are consistently voted the best burgers in Seattle - they were very good. Another great Seattle experience.

* "You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin.

Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother.

Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.

This we know: The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know.

All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected.

Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life: he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

Even the white man, whose God walks and talks with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny.

We may be brothers after all.

We shall see.

One thing we know, which the white man may one day discover - our God is the same God,

You may think now that you own him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and his compassion is equal for the red man and the white.

This earth is precious to him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator...

Where is the thicket? Gone

Where is the eagle? Gone.

The end of living and the beginning of survival."

Chief Sealth, 1854