Pumpkin Art - how are your carving skilss?

Renton Hill is showing some pumpkin flavor - someone has been up late carving these days. Couldn't resist sharing this ever cute doorstep.

Renton Hill has their picnic

Potluck Picnic on Renton Hill this evening at the Phillip Arnold Park. Anyone in or around that area should surely go - those neighborhood gatherings are what give Renton our cool and comfy small town feel. They are also a great way to get to know your neighbors better, share in some potluck dishes and see a few of the city council members making the rounds.

I am sending my best thoughts out to Marcie Palmer who seems to have taken some kind of spill and damaged a leg, forcing her to slow down (so NOT Marcie-like) and put her feet at ease. Gary, her husband (pictured with Marcie above) filled me in this weekend on the news. It happened about a week ago, so maybe Marcie is a-okay now. Hope so - she is always one of those friendly faces you want to see while eating a hot dog and buying a raffle ticket for some goodies at the neighborhood gathering.

UPDATE: Directly from Marcie Palmer herself this morn:

Hi Lady P and all my Renton Friends!

Yes, I broke my right leg and will be unable to put any weight on it for 6 weeks:(

Thursday I get a cast put on, and hopefully that will be somewhat more comfortable. For now, I'm watching all of you through the blogs, enjoying the pictures and stories of what's going on, and missing you all! I have crutches, but anybody that has had to use them knows how hard they are on the upper body. I hurt in places I didn't know were there!

Keep the colorful pics coming and thanks for the Howdy!

Marcie P.

Phillip Arnold Park
720 Jones Ave. S
Renton, WA 98055
(425) 430-6700

On the hill this morn

Beautiful homes, beauiful morn - Renton Hill.

Renton Hill gets a bit of charm

You can see this gate to Renton Hill from the top of South Third Street in Downtown Renton - and I think it is rather charming. As you walk closer, you can see that it is still in the midst of installation where the plaques and final touches are concerned, but amazingly, this project just flew into place on lovely, warm Sunday. I am admiring how the red brick fits in with the other buildings nearby and that Renton is developing some historic "spots" to invite us all to walk and share our city's history. Way to go, Renton.

A bit of the gate detail and appeal above. This gate will also have a tribute to the coal miners and possibly (?) a piece of coal or a cave/coal riser(?). To be absolutely honest, I took a photo of the accompanying sign and I was still the none wiser. But, the city is looking for feedback, and have listed names (Vicky Persson and Fay Moss are the two Co-Chairs on this) so feel free to interpret it for yourself and weigh in for yourself. Whatever the final decision maybe, I saw half a dozen cars drive by and then slow to a near stop to look at this new addition. People are noticing. With the Dog Park's construction beginning next month, how helpful it will be for our out of town guests to be able to know where they are in Renton. Maybe more landmarks or signage are on the way?

This brick is a tribute to the Renton Clay Works 1892 - 1900, and the Denny Renton Clay & Coal Co., 1900 - 1965. But, they are still working out the finer details for the plaque that will be hanging just below. However, the brick you see above is authentic and from the Denny Renton Brick Plant itself- the official article, which is very cool.

Get physical and take a very satisfying walk up Renton Hill while inspecting the other gate that is said to reside at the top of the park and greenery that are right there. Location: Top of South Third Street, at the intersection of Mill and Renton Ave. South. Can't miss it - unless you are intentionally planning on it. In that case, bring the binoculars, grab a coffee and a seat outside Liberty Cafe and you'll be good to go.

Artists Amongst Us!

They walk around, casually, looking like everyone else, but really they are talented painters taking their inspiration from everything around them, like the building site of a house up on Renton Hill(speak up if the painting on the left is of your home-to-be, Mike says that his work is for sale).
At our local little hang, Jet City, we have a couple of these talented folk, and sometimes we get to see the hard work and colorful expressions that they get up to when not shooting the shit, playing cribbage and drinking some hot joe with the rest of us.
Mike Ferguson makes his living as a painter and is featured in a few galleries about the area - American Art Co., Fountainhead Gallery, and the Howard Mandville Gallery to name a few. He says that he has been at it since he was a kid. His mother had a house full of paintings -"old, dead Swedish artists - I didn't even know who they were", but her collection surrounded him and must have filled his artist senses, because so many years later, he is still working at his craft.

Mike likes to play with paint and texture, building up layers using mat boards as palette knifes and sometimes house paint as cheap color to get a "nice, rough dramatic start you can play off". His color palette is not shy, but full of light and brightness. His landscapes are excellent renderings of nature, quite classic but for all of their color - but his story paintings are just plain whimsical. I love some of the topics - Popsicle, Thermos, or Get Out of My Room!

I feel like an explorer within the confines of a small island - Renton - and am enthralled by the little treasures that my search for blog topics can yield up to me. This is a rich territory that we live in, and I for one am out to explore it! And that is why I am Lady P of The Picaroon!