Vuecrest View Newsletter - February 2016
FEBRUARY 2016 VUECREST VIEW NEWSLETTER
Four Legged Critters
We have had reports of a coyote "as large as a small dog" in Vuecrest.
So, beware of letting small pets such as your favorite kitty cat or puppy
run loose around the neighborhood. We have a raccoon who has been walking
through our own yard lately, almost on a daily basis. He is probably looking
for something to eat, so be sure to keep garbage cans secure.
Two Legged Slimeballs
Car prowls remain a problem. If you have to leave your vehicle outside
be certain that all of the doors are locked. This is a major deterrent to
break-ins. There also have been rumors of garage prowlers. We have locked
mail boxes for a good reason. Consider a home alarm system to protect your
most precious possessions.
Safety in Vuecrest (per Eileen Foley, Chairwoman of the Safety Committee)
Vuecrest is a very safe neighborhood, and Bellevue in general is a very
safe city. Keep in mind though, Bellevue is an affluent community and the
highest crimes recorded are that of property crime. That said, the majority
of criminals looking to steal your things are not looking for a
confrontation. It tends to be a crime of opportunity, so unlocked vehicles,
doors, windows or garages are prime targets. As for burglaries, what is
typically seen are daytime break-ins when people are not at home.
Security systems can be very beneficial for these instances when people are
typically away from home. Systems that alert homeowners to activity and link
cameras to smart phones have been very successful in alerting Police to
these incidents in real time and with good information which results in
burglars being caught. Monitored security alarm systems, think ADT, are fine
too but mostly act as a deterrent (though it is difficult to quantify those
results). Within our community, the Vuecrest HOA is in the process of
setting up a Neighborhood Surveillance Community made up of homeowners
operating their own camera surveillance systems. This is an opt-in community
project. They ask that homeowners point one or two of their personal cameras
towards public areas / roads, in order to record activity. This will enable
public area/ street surveillance around our neighborhood. Further
information on this coming soon. In the meantime, be an active member of
Blockwatch, sign-up here www.vuecrest.net/communicate/block-watch-signup
http://www.vuecrest.net/communicate/block-watch-signup . In addition, over
the coming weeks, each home will receive the BE SAFE booklet, issued by our
Bellevue Police.
(Thank you, Eileen! Valuable information for us all to remember!!)
We've got Drones
Real estate photographers were spotted on Belfair Road operating a drone
and taking videos of a home while standing in a neighbor's yard. When asked
to leave they did so. We checked with the City of Bellevue regarding the
operation of unmanned aircraft, and these are the rules:
-
Drones are not allowed in any parks except for Marymoor at the area
designated for model airplanes.
-
They cannot be flown above 400 feet. -
If drones weigh more than 55 oz., or if used for commercial
purposes, they must be registered with the FAA. (and will have a visible
serial number on the body)
-
Hobbyists can operate drones in residential neighborhoods, but they
must stay at least 25' away from people and "vulnerable infrastructure or
resources".
March Board Meeting
The March Board Meeting will be at the home of Steven and Dana Bathiche,
9428 Vineyard Crest. As usual, it will be held on the first Thursday (March
3) of the month at 7 pm. All are welcome to attend. If you have any
concerns, please come and voice them. You WILL be heard!
Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Mark your calendars and hip-hop right over to the usual location, at the
intersection of Park and Belfair on Saturday, March 19 at 11AM. Lots of
games, prizes, treats and sweets for all kids, young and old.
Vuecrest Community Handbook
The Vuecrest Handbook has been updated with a few cosmetic changes. The
content of the Handbook is unchanged. CC&Rs remain the same and are
published on the Vuecrest website. Please read them thoroughly. Remember:
good neighbors make for a good neighborhood!
DTP
Tid-bits!
Neighbor to Neighbor
Lots of coming and goings in Vuecrest, and every month we'll do our best to
introduce you to our new families. Please welcome them if you live close
by.you were once new too!
Sean and Nyla Wang and their 9 year old daughter Katie moved to 9652
Evergreen Drive last July. They are both in I.T. (Sean at Twitter, Nyla at
Microsoft) and love the convenience and vistas of Vuecrest. Nyla immediately
volunteered to be secretary for the Vuecrest Board, and it is thanks to her
that the official minutes of the meetings are so proficiently executed.
(Come to the next Board meeting and meet her in person!)
Hobbies/interests/free-time/fun-time: Sean loves all kinds of gadgets,
especially the ones with a screen; Nyla loves travel, movies, creative
writing, stock market trends and interior design; Katie is a young athlete
in development; she is on both track and swim teams. The overlapping sports
seasons keep the entire family busy for 9 months out of the year. Katie also
loves Minecraft, and enjoys improving her "crafting" skills by watching
Minecraft videos on Youtube.
Steve and Vonne Soriano are delighted with their new residence at 9829
Hilltop Road and have already completed an extensive interior remodel. Their
kids are grown and living on their own so they get to enjoy their beautiful
swimming pool all by themselves! They are well-seasoned "Vuecresters", as
they had lived on Sunset Way since 1988. They are both retired and now enjoy
skiing, golf, walking and hiking. There's a good chance you'll catch Vonne
walking her fluffy white pooch Brie (ahem., no Heinz 57 here, he is a "Coton
de Pulear"!) on a pleasant afternoon.
Mark and Rebecca von der Berg moved to 9613 Vineyard several months ago.
(Many of you will recognize the address as that of Barbara Prahl, who now
lives in downtown Bellevue). Their daughter Christa, 22 years old, just
completed her degree in Performing Arts in New York City and is now enjoying
a little time with "the folks" before continuing on to LA to pursue her
career. Mark and Rebecca are both well-known in the Real Estate field
(Coldwell Banker) and chose Vuecrest for its ramblers and short walk to
Bellevue's center. They greatly enjoy championship horsemanship and have
traveled throughout the US to attend various equestrian events. They are
hopeful to carve out some free time from their busy schedules for skiing at
Whistler this month.
Wa-za-go'n-on???!!!
Turns out.plenty! Just because we hate to move our respective duffs out of
our toasty Barcaloungers on these cool and overcast days, doesn't mean we
shouldn't do so..and yes! We should! Let me try to tempt you with a few
mid-winter ideas, so you can make the mostest of this, our post-solstice.
Start with a snappy walk down the hill to the Hyatt and enjoy the strum and
twang (clearly, nicht to be confused with sturm und drang) of Wintergrass,
the annual Bluegrass Fest, February 25-28. The Hyatt will be a' hummin as 30
bands and 70 musicians share the spotlight for the 7th year of their
family-friendly extravaganza that includes 75 open "jams", free workshops
for kids (Pintgrass!), and educational academies. Explore their website:
http://www.wintergrass.com www.wintergrass.com. Tickets go FAST! Do you
think they have a "thatch-grass" group for us oldsters??
If you're more into Romantic era "long-hair" (vs. Willy Nelson style "long
hair") consider the "Viva Vivaldi" concert on Sunday, Feb 27 at Emmanuel
Episcopalian Church on Mercer Island. Of course, the program will include
everyone's favorite Four Seasons.just to remind us that spring is barely a
month away! Call 206-708-6003 for tikkies.
On the music scene.again and still.is the delightful "Jersey Boys" at the
Paramount (877-784-4849). March 8-13. If you loved the songs of the Four
Seasons (no, not a Vivaldi quartet!) back then (Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk
Like a Man, Sherry, Silence is Golden), then you'll love the "behind the
scenes" story now. It's a real hum-dinger of fun, song, and teenage angst
(Can we really remember back that far?!) Take my word for it, it's great
entertainment- I've seen the show and I just might see it again!
It's not too soon to start thinking about YOUR Beautiful Garden of 2016;
the hot vermilion of geraniums, pretty purple faces of petunies, cascading
lobelia, and dinner-plate dahlias. Make your "green-dreams" come true at the
Flower and Garden Show, Feb 17-21 at the Washington State Convention Center.
Lots of Early-bird tickets out there for the snagging. Full show guide:
http://www.gardenshow.com www.gardenshow.com
YES! Keep reading! This is FREE!!!!! Try some Do-si-do's at Crossroads on
Saturday evening, February 20, with demonstrations for all. If you're going
to be square, why not be square dancing??! Just show...and go! Live music
with caller Gabe starts at 6:30.
Williams Sonoma on the 2nd floor of Bel-Square is offering a one hour
"Thai Cooking Techniques" demonstration on Sunday, Feb. 28 from 10-11AM.
Yup, it's free and there should be some "tid-bits!" of the munchable sort
after the class. So, Chop! Chop! Sign up not necessary.
Now.back to that Barcalounger. If you and your naugahyde have truly morphed
and bonded, then tune in to Channel 9, KCTS on Wednesdays 8PM for their
Nature series (moose and dinosaurs on 10th and 17th). Particularly darling
will be their presentation "Snow Chick" on Feb 24 as they follow a
teeny-tiny new-born Emperor penguin from his birth-day, pecking his way out
of his shell, to his boisterous adolescence as he leaves for the sea. Oh my,
get the hankies ready. (Will he call? Will he write?)
Speaking of penguins, join Jen Mannas from the Eastside Audubon Society
as she shares her knowledge as a researcher with the US Antarctica program.
She has breath-taking photos of animals, glaciers and her "base-camp" at
McMurdo Station on the earth's 5th largest continent. Her life at -18'
is.COOL! Learn all about it on Thursday, Feb 25, 6:30-8PM, at the Northlake
Unitarian Church, 308 4th Ave S. Kirkland.
ODD STUFF: Lowe's, the free coffee and bathroom break hangout for every
builder north of Home Depot is soon to become a BMW dealership. No firm date
yet when the sales start but my guess is that the funky stuff in the auto
section will be included. And do you know about our favorite Freddie Meyer's
up the road on 148th? Good news/bad news: They are closing on April 23 for 7
months! You read this right.the (really) good news is that they will start a
$40 million remodel and open again on Nov 18 with newly expanded departments
and increased square footage from the (ex) back parking lot. They promise to
have a larger wine section as well as a salad bar, for those of us who live
on green crunchies. Funny gal Lisa Lampanelli is coming to the Moore Theater
on March 12. If you want an experience way "over your head", check out the
Harlem Globetrotters on Feb 12, 14, 15 at Key Arena. Still quite a few top
quality winter items at the Land's End dept at Sears at rock-bottom sale
prices (who am I to resist? I spend 9 months of the year in t-necks and knee
socks). Keep in mind that the long-running fest of "Silent Movie Mondays" is
again at the Paramount, until Feb 29. Only 10 bucks. Take your
hard-of-hearing folks, they won't miss a thing-
Don't forget, Valentine's Day is Sunday, Feb 14. Roses? Chocolates? Red
dainties? Who knows! Try that always perfect giftie: Kind and sweet words of
appreciation and fondness, and a smoocheroonie to seal the deal. SMACK-O!!!
Now THAT's the best freebie of all!
Mara