The scene last year in Ballard on Free Car Wash Day.

Today is Free Car Wash Day at many of the Brown Bear locations around Puget Sound, an event the family owned business hosts to show appreciation for its customers on its 53rd anniversary.

Unfortunately, the closest Brown Bear to Maple Leaf, just to the north at 12506 15th Ave. N.E., isn’t included. It’s a self-service facility, and the free washes are at Brown Bear’s “tunnel” car washes.

The closest ones are in Shoreline at 16032 Aurora Ave. N., and Ballard at 5111 15th Ave. N.W. The event is on from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more participating locations click here.

The North Helpline food bank’s “Round Up Hunger” campaign earlier this month, is over, and a big success.

Thirty-eight organizations, businesses, and community groups had signed up to participate by decorating a barrel and filling it with food for the food bank, which has seen demand grow by 37 percent this year.

Businesses or organizations with barrels in Maple Leaf include Cloud City Coffee, Café Javasti, La Casa del Mojito, Northgate Community Center Teen Program and Blue Saucer Coffee.

The food bank serves northeast Seattle.

The North Helpline food bank’s “Round Up Hunger” campaign earlier this month, is over, and a big success.

Thirty-eight organizations, businesses, and community groups had signed up to participate by decorating a barrel and filling it with food for the food bank, which has seen demand grow by 37 percent this year.

Businesses or organizations with barrels in Maple Leaf include Cloud City Coffee, Café Javasti, La Casa del Mojito, Northgate Community Center Teen Program and Blue Saucer Coffee.

The food bank serves northeast Seattle.

Here’s something quite unexpected - at least, unexpected in a tavern parking lot.

Dozens of baby accessories like the hooded towels above will be for sale from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Roosevelt Ale House, 8824 Roosevelt Way N.E. The sale is this Sunday, Aug. 29.

It’s part of a new event, the Bumps & Babies Fair. Here’s an explanation from the founder:

I’m Michelle Simpson, co-owner (aka wife 🙂 ) of the Roosevelt Ale House, though I haven’t been working there much because I’ve been home with our daughter, Lila, for the last year. Having some extra time on my hands, in January I started an at-home business making baby accessories (bibs, burp cloths, quilts, belt, etc).

The idea gained momentum. Now featured at the sale is baby gear from boutique sellers including:
* The Chic Bambino, which is Michelle’s company
* J. Shelton Photography
* Ice Ice Binky
* Tiny Toppers
* Tiptoeing Tutus
* Critters by Chris (creater of the towels at top)

In addition there will be new and gently used consignment items from more than 20 families. Learn more at the Bumps & Babies Facebook page.

Oh, and leave your credit cards at home; the sale is cash only.

Now if somebody would tell us why it’s Bumps & Babies….

Here’s something quite unexpected - at least, unexpected in a tavern parking lot.

Dozens of baby accessories like the hooded towels above will be for sale from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Roosevelt Ale House, 8824 Roosevelt Way N.E. The sale is this Sunday, Aug. 29.

It’s part of a new event, the Bumps & Babies Fair. Here’s an explanation from the founder:

I’m Michelle Simpson, co-owner (aka wife 🙂 ) of the Roosevelt Ale House, though I haven’t been working there much because I’ve been home with our daughter, Lila, for the last year. Having some extra time on my hands, in January I started an at-home business making baby accessories (bibs, burp cloths, quilts, belt, etc).

The idea gained momentum. Now featured at the sale is baby gear from boutique sellers including:
* The Chic Bambino, which is Michelle’s company
* J. Shelton Photography
* Ice Ice Binky
* Tiny Toppers
* Tiptoeing Tutus
* Critters by Chris (creater of the towels at top)

In addition there will be new and gently used consignment items from more than 20 families. Learn more at the Bumps & Babies Facebook page.

Oh, and leave your credit cards at home; the sale is cash only.

Now if somebody would tell us why it’s Bumps & Babies….

Here’s something quite unexpected - at least, unexpected in a tavern parking lot.

Dozens of baby accessories like the hooded towels above will be for sale from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Roosevelt Ale House, 8824 Roosevelt Way N.E. The sale is this Sunday, Aug. 29.

It’s part of a new event, the Bumps & Babies Fair. Here’s an explanation from the founder:

I’m Michelle Simpson, co-owner (aka wife 🙂 ) of the Roosevelt Ale House, though I haven’t been working there much because I’ve been home with our daughter, Lila, for the last year. Having some extra time on my hands, in January I started an at-home business making baby accessories (bibs, burp cloths, quilts, belt, etc).

The idea gained momentum. Now featured at the sale is baby gear from boutique sellers including:
* The Chic Bambino, which is Michelle’s company
* J. Shelton Photography
* Ice Ice Binky
* Tiny Toppers
* Tiptoeing Tutus
* Critters by Chris (creater of the towels at top)

In addition there will be new and gently used consignment items from more than 20 families. Learn more at the Bumps & Babies Facebook page.

Oh, and leave your credit cards at home; the sale is cash only.

Now if somebody would tell us why it’s Bumps & Babies….

Derek writes: “Any idea what’s going on with the new white poles that are lining Roosevelt between 85th and 95th or so? Is Big Brother watching me?

Good question. Plus, when we went back to take a better photo of them this morning, they were gone!

We’ve asked the city for more information, but we can say they have to do with traffic. Each pole has a box that says “miovision technologies,” a company whose website boasts: “The new industry standard for traffic data collection.”

Miovision’s SIMPLE, ACCURATE and COST-EFFECTIVE system for Automated Turning Movement Counts is transforming traffic data collection across the globe.

We also know the city plans a marked crosswalk on Roosevelt Way Northeast at Northeast 90th Street, in the same area as the white poles, and the Maple Leaf Community Council has asked for several more crosswalks in the vicinity.

We get to keep it.

The water tank and tower that are THE face of Maple Leaf have been sitting empty since last year, and will never be put back in service. Their structure isn’t up to earthquake standards for holding eight million pounds of water 100 feet in the air.

Keeping even an empty tank will require maintenance, such as painting, but Seattle Public Utilities has decided it’s worth it, as it generates revenue from its secondary use as an antenna tower.

“It is still used to support communications antennae and there are no active plans to remove (the tank and tower),” e-mails Andy Ryan, media relations coordinator for Seattle Public Utilities.

“The exterior of the tank needs to be recoated (for aesthetic reasons) and that work is planned for 2011. The recoating should last somewhere between 10 to 20 years-hopefully closer to 20 years given the lack of water in the tank.”

The water tower was built near the corner of Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 85th Street in 1949 to replace two towers built nearly a hundred years ago, around 1915.

Since it became known the tank was empty, many Maple Leaf Life readers have had suggestions for its future. A sample:

Timmcb: “I think it would be a great lookout tower with one of the best views in Seattle if it was retrofitted for safety. It would be cheaper than creating something wholly new (viewing platform, landscaped hill) for the new park.”

EnduroDriver: “Take it down, the city has such a huge list of unfunded projects that would provide actual value for rate payers why would we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars maintaining an empty tank.”

SimoneBird: “Why not make it into a Peregrine Falcon nesting area? An adult has been seen perched on it off and on for the last two years or so.”

Spotted on the side of a not-too-dirty car at the Safeway, Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 75th Street.

We believe it to be a bear. (Older residents might recall Kilroy.)