Nature: Juanita Bay Bird Walk, July 15th, free. The East Lake Washington Audubon Society hosts a walk through the park. Birding is one of those simple joys in life. Be sure to bring binoculars. * Also, Public Beach Walks in Edmond, July 5th and 6th, and other dates, free. A ranger hosts a stroll down the beach, guiding and educating the participants.
Literacy: Elliot Bay Book company, as usual, has a full calendar of author readings for next month, many free, including the author of books More Than It Hurts You, Sailing Home, My Guantanamo Diary, Covert, Stirring Up the Water, Angels in America, Game On, Endangered Species, Church of the Dog, Palace Council, and The Last Polar Bear. This is only about a third of July's list.
Social Activity: Play Date Seattle, July 12th, $10. This is part social activity, part singles’ mixer. It's a pretty good line-up of games, including the childhood games of Hungry Hungry Hippos, UNO, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, and others. So, this event may actually draw in some of the gamers in the area, instead of single people looking to grope each other playing Twister.
Festival: Hispanic Seafair Festival, July 6th, free, for a reason to walk around Seattle Center. They have your live music, entertainment, information booths, art exhibits, and of course, a large variety of Hispanic foods. Like fresh vegetables right out of the garden, and those tortillas taste so much better when they're hot off the stove.
Speaking: Brain-Voice Connection, classes start July 8th, $200. As often repeated, it's not what you say, but how you say it. This class is geared to professionals for voice control: using warmth when needed to disarm, project power for leadership, and speaking with tonality to influence and persuade. Get that Darth-Vadar voice that you always wanted.
Foodie: Guest Chef on the Waterfront, July 9th, $70. This event is one of the top five dining values in town this year. Dozens of chefs create their signature dishes, accompanied by wine and beer tastings, and a quartet. The cool thing about these chef events is sampling a variety of flavors from restaurants throughout town. You easily and cheaply discover what you really like (and don't) so you can make smarter selections on future restaurant visits.
Outdoors: Girlfriends Bicycling Getaway, July 12-13, $285. Get on that bike and ride. The ladies bike through the lavender hills of Sequim before the crowds get there for the big festival. Go bicycling, hiking, shopping, and dining. They supply the arrangements and everything else, you so just need a bike and leg power.
Music: Kent Station Music Series, starting July 8th, free, of using live music to lure shoppers. These venues are family friendly. Kent Station is trying to follow the success of the UW Village, of an open-air main street feel as a lifestyle center.
Groups: Allied Arts of Seattle, if it wasn't for these folks, Pike Place Market would just be another block of condos. It's not bragging, but Seattle is a great place to live, and this group helps make it so. Their mission is to improve the quality of urban life and cultural livability of Seattle. This group is one of the more political powerhouses in the city.
