Beacon Food Forest

I'm still very much in love with this "food forest" idea!  I wish there were more in Seattle!  What a fantastic move towards permaculture and community sustainability!  Personally I think all of those grassy/weedy abandoned city alley ways throughout Seattle residential neighborhoods should be turned into P-Patches, food forests or some other form of community edible gardens!

Way to go Beacon Hill!  I was driving by last weekend and checked it out and there was a large neighborhood work crew getting it ready!   Yay for community!

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A Greenwood fixture prepares to say goodbye!

The eclectic eye-catching antique shop at the corner of Greenwood Ave. and 85th St. will soon be closing its doors.  "Antiqua" has been a community fixture since 1996 so it will be sad to see it go!  The owners, Meridee and Fevzi, say it is simply time for them to retire.
Everything is 40% off so get in there and wish them the best with the next chapter in their lives and take home some great finds!  We will miss you Antiqua, but thank you for the many years as a great Greenwood community business!

I wonder what will take its place?  Any businesses out there looking for a very cool space in a prime location?

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Unique "Grow Community" on Bainbridge Island

There is a unique 130-unit development in the works on Bainbridge Island.  It is called "Grow Community" and promises to be totally solar powered and carbon neutral.  In addition they offer community gardens for growing organic fruits and veggies, and an electric car share program for the community.  They are the fifth community to receive the One Planet Living seal of approval, a global initiative launched by the World Wildlife Fund and environmental consultancy BioRegional that promotes zero-carbon emissions, zero waste and car-free cities.

There are homes for sale starting in the $300's and homes for rent as well.  There are multiple models and floor plans to choose from and you can even add an additional room or outbuilding for extra live/work space or storage.

Personally I love this sustainable community-oriented idea but realize it's not for everyone. It should do well being located right near the heart of Winslow and a short 35-min. ferry ride from downtown Seattle.  What do you think of this idea?

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New Greenwood Fred Meyer opens - what do you think?

The newly remodeled Greenwood Fred Meyer re-opened on Feb. 1st to quite the crowd of shoppers and neighbors!
I can't deny that I was very sad to see my beloved Greenwood Market (a Town & Country Market) close its doors last spring, but I tried to keep an open mind about the improved Fred Meyer that was to take its place. My dogs and I used to walk to Greenwood Market literally daily...sometimes more than once per day since it was so close to both my house and office and had such a great selection of local and organic products.  Plus the staff were so friendly.  I knew them all by name and we frequently chatted and exchanged recipes.  I've been a bit lost for the past year with no local grocery store within 2 blocks of my house.  I know, I was spoiled having such a great store so close! :)

While I haven't explored the new Fred Meyer in its entirety yet, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by a few things in the grocery department.  There is an awesome independent cheese shop inside the store.  I'm a cheese-a-holic so this is a very good thing and also very dangerous for me!  ha!  They also seem to have a much better selection of organic produce than the other Fred Meyer stores around town.  It seems they are making an effort for more local products as well, but I'd like to see them increase this even more.  Kudos though for the marked improvements over the other stores and a step in the right direction!

I'm curious what the rest of the neighborhood thinks about the new store?  There were some heated debates and mixed emotions about the closing of Greenwood Market when Fred Meyer decided not to renew their lease, even some people claiming they would boycott FM because of this.  I'm curious if anyone's views have changed now that the new store is here and it seems they are making an effort to be a very positive addition to the community.  A great move on their part was for their grand opening they donated $5000 each to local non-profits:  the Greenwood Senior Center, Greenwood Food Bank, Greenwood Library, the North Seattle Boys & Girls Club, and PAWS.  Way to go Freddies!  Let's keep up the community involvement!

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Green Lake Pathway of Lights - Dec. 8th

Don't miss this year's Pathway of Lights at Green Lake this Saturday, Dec. 8th from 5-8pm.  This is always a fun community event for the whole family with music, hot chocolate, and of course lights! Dress warm and bring your kids and furry kids!  Costumes and glow-sticks encouraged!

Please visit https://www.facebook.com/GreenLakePathwayofLights for more information!

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Annapurna Trek to Support Children with Disabilities was a Smashing Success!

Earlier this year I was asked by a few philanthropic friends if I would be interested in developing and leading a fundraising trek in Nepal.  Nepal has always held a special place in my heart ever since my first visit back in 2000 so of course I jumped at the opportunity to return to this magical place and support a great cause.  The goal would be to raise $15,000 to help support The Rose International Fund for Children (TRIFC), a local Bellevue non-profit that provides support in the areas of education, medical needs, nutrition, and facilities and environment improvements for children living with disabilities. TRIFC is also working to raise awareness of the living conditions of these children and to hopefully change how a disability is perceived in Nepal.  To have a disability in Nepal is to be shunned by others for having committed a past life sin.  TRIFC is dedicated to providing opportunity to those who would otherwise be helpless.

The trek was to be a 10-day trek through remote mountain villages to Annapurna Base Camp (elevation 13,550 ft).  We would also visit some of the project sites that TRIFC supports and do a little cultural sightseeing as well.  It was months of planning, organizing, fundraising and getting our group physically and mentally ready for the challenging 10 days on the trail.

All the hard work paid off though and I'm happy to declare TRIFC's first fundraising trek to be a smashing success!  We had fewer people that we were originally anticipated, but our small but mighty trekking group made up for that with our enthusiasm and large hearts!  Together we raised over $15,000 for TRIFC and we all successfully completed the trek with no major illnesses or injuries!  Yay!!

It was quite an incredible experience, both the trek and spending time with these amazing children living with disabilities.  I think we all learned a lot about ourselves and each returned home a slightly changed person.

These kids continue to show me and remind me just how incredible the human spirit can be if given the opportunity to thrive.  I'm so happy we were able to make a small difference in their lives and hopefully in other children's lives as well as the programs are able to expand and provide more support.

Rockwell Realty was a great support as well, helping out with fundraising efforts and supporting my business while I was "off the grid" for nearly 3 weeks! Thank you to the Rockwell "family"!

I will be continuing my involvement with TRIFC and the fundraising trek program so if anyone is interested in a physically, mentally & spiritually challenging travel experience in Nepal that will forever change you, just let me know!  I can't recommend it enough!  :)

Namaste!
Stephanie

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"17 Hours" Art Show by Yours Truly!!! :)

I'm excited to announce my first ever solo photography show!  Photography is still a fairly "new" hobby for me so this is definitely a step out of my comfort zone but I decided to just go for it and put it out there!  :)  Yay for trying new things and being vulnerable!

This Friday, October 12th will be the show's opening at Rockwell Realty (of course!) as part of the monthly "Art Up Phinneywood" art walk.  I'm calling the show "17 Hours".  Basically I took 1 summer Seattle day and tried to find a wide variety of things to shoot.  I still had to deal with some daily commitments and other priorities, but all of the photos were from that one day.  I had no plan or direction in mind and didn't want to specifically try to depict "Seattle" in my photos, but simply one random day and whatever that day threw at me.  It was an awesome challenge and I was exhausted by the end of the day but what a blast and a great learning experience!

If you're in the area this Friday please consider stopping by to check it out and say hello!  I'll be there from 6-9pm and we'll have wine and cheese too!  :)  I'm not posting any photos of the show since I don't want to spoil it - you just have to come see for yourself!  And yes I'm working on a photography website:  www.stephaniemoe.com, but have a long ways to go before it's "live".  Stay tuned!

Cheers!

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The BIG Annual Art Walk at Rockwell Realty!

This weekend we get to once again play host to a very fun event.  The 17th Annual Art Walk in the Greenwood/Phinney neighborhood.  More than 150 artists will be showcasing their works in 75 businesses from 59th to 87th St on Greenwood Ave.

The event is from 6-9pm on Friday, May 11th and again on Saturday May 12th from 12-5pm.  In years past this hugely popular event typically turns into a massive neighborhood party with musicians, street performances, kid's activities and more. It's always a great time! 

This year we are excited to be featuring some unique works from a very talented local artist and personal friend, Michael Lyons.  His website can be found here.

We'll be offering up some snacks and drinks along with music, art, and great conversations with our community! We'll be continuing our fundraising efforts for local non-profit The Rose International Fund for Children, and maybe just maybe we'll have some surprise live music again this year!  ;)

I will be hosting on Friday night so do come by and say hello!  Rockwell Realty - 8315 Greenwood Ave N.

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Help Disabled Children and Trek to Annapurna Base Camp

Here at Rockwell Realty, we really stress the importance of giving back and community involvement...hence our tagline, Connected to Community.

I truly enjoy volunteer work and making a difference in somebody's life. My latest philanthropic endeavor is with The Rose International Fund for Children (TRIFC.org).  I have been asked to lead a group to Nepal to complete a 10-day trek to the Annapurna Base Camp.  Our goal is to raise a minimum of $15,000 to go towards medical, educational, and vocational programs to help children with disabilities.  We have been busy getting all the details of the trip ready and all of the fundraising tools to make this a reality.  It is going to be an amazing adventure and we will all have the chance to see how these donations are helping children with disabilities thrive in a country whose government and society hinder their opportunities.

We are still looking for people to join us for this adventure so if anyone is interested send me a message and I would be happy to pass along the details!

Online fundraising for Stephanie Moe fundraising for TRIFC's Annapurna Base Camp Trek 2012 1 at Razoo

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