A new exhibit featuring ten photographs by BTB photog Michael Brunk began a two month display at the Burien Community Center today.

The set of photos features images from several Burien parks displaying the local beauty from all seasons of the year.

The photos will be displayed until the end of March 2012.

The Burien Community Center is located at 14700 6th Avenue SW.

It’s open to the public from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm Monday thru Thursday, and 8:30 am to 5:00 pm on Friday.

Karuna Arts Yoga and The Tag Zone celebrated their grand-opening at their new Des Moines location with a ribbon-cutting this past weekend.

Formerly located in Olde Burien, these side-by-side businesses run by Anne and Johnny Basco are now settled into a freshly remodeled building at 605 South 223rd Street in Des Moines.

Read the full story and see photos from the event on The Waterland Blog

Another successful Empty Bowls fundraiser is behind us, setting new records for both attendance and contributions.

This annual event raises money for the Highline and White Center Food Banks by accepting donations for a hand-made bowl filled with soup.

When the dust settled and the soup ladles were put away 1,150 attendees contributed $18,400 versus last year’s 1,014 attendees and $16,300.

Here’s a list of the sponsors, soup contributors and others that made the event possible:

909 Coffee & Wine, Ace Hardware, Angelo’s Ristorante, Azteca Restaurant, Archies Mexican Restaurant, B-Town Blog, Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, Clay Art Center, CC’s Lounge, Day Star, Discover Burien Association, El Dorado West Retirement, Elliott Bay Brewery & Pub, Emerald Cove Catering, Fred Meyer, Grand Central Bakery, Highline Medical Center, Ivars Seafood Restaurant, Kayak Bar and Grill, La Costa Mexican Restaurant, Mark Restaurant & Bar, Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub, Normandy Park Senior Living, Osteria da Primo, Panera Bread Company, Puget Sound Skills Center, SideStreet Kitchen and Bar, Sterling Savings Bank, The Company, The Tin Room Bar & Grill, Waste Management, and the amazing Moshier Potters!

BTB photog Michael Brunk was at the dinner session and put together the following photo gallery. You can click the image above or the thumbnails below to view high-resolution photos.

Don’t forget today’s Empty Bowls fundraiser at the Burien Community Center, which will benefit the Highline Area and White Center Food Banks!

Stop by for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or dinner from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Your donation will get you the opportunity to pick out a beautiful handmade bowl, as well as a simple but wonderful meal of soup, bread, dessert and drink; all donated by local businesses. Sponsored by Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services and Discover Burien.

Suggested donations are:

• $15 (minimum) Adult Donation
• $10 (minimum) Child Donation

Empty Bowls events can be found around the country raising money to combat hunger in our communities. Moshier Art Center Potters have donated bowls to be filled with soup at this fun event… and all are invited!

The community center is located 14700 6th Ave SW in Burien.

While you’re there, be sure to check out the new art installation (shown above) by BTB’s own Michael Brunk hanging on the walls of the Community Center.

The installation consists of two photographs from Seahurst Park split into triptychs of 20″ x 30″ panels. The final result is a pair of images measuring 60″ x 30″ that reflect a small part of Burien’s natural beauty.

This weekend marks the return of unusually high tides to the Washington coastline, including Burien’s own Seahurst Park.

These tides are called “king tides” and they happen during the winter months when the Earth is closest to the Sun.

This morning’s high tide was a 13.2 — high enough to obscure nearly all of the beach at Seahurst Park at its peak.

If you missed today’s high tide, you have another chance Sunday morning just after 9 a.m. with a 13.1 tide forecast.

BTB photog Michael Brunk was at Seahurst Park this morning and captured the following gallery of images. You can click the image above or the thumbnails below to view high-resolution photos.

If you were anywhere near the water this morning, you couldn’t help but notice the large fleet of colorful sailboats just offshore. The occasion was the Duwamish Head Race hosted by the Three Tree Point Yacht Club.

Our sister site The Waterland Blog has more information and a large gallery of images by photographer Michael Brunk.

Read the post on The Waterland Blog

What’s a photographer to do with a day of expected good weather? Get out and shoot photos of course!

And that’s exactly what BTB photog Michael Brunk did on Thursday evening.

Taking advantage of the unexpected clear skies he made his way to Burien’s Seahurst Park to capture his first sunset photos of the new year.

“I wouldn’t have minded a few more clouds. They reflect the color and make for a more dynamic sky.” said Michael. “But that just gives me a reason to come back and shoot again some other time.”

We certainly won’t complain!

You can click the image above or any of the thumbnails below to view high-resolution photos.

It’s the first of January and you know what that means… the annual Polar Bear Plunge at Three Tree Point!

Once again the weather cooperated and a great crowd of locals showed up to plunge themselves into the cold Puget Sound water.

We counted at least 38 participants before we lost track, so we’re sure the actual number is higher.

Our own Bart Bryan once again mustered the courage to participate. You might remember that he took home the “Three Tree Point Polar Bear Plunge” trophy last year.

This year Bart passed the trophy on to young Isaac Chrisman, visiting from Idaho with family here in town.

We covered the event from multiple angles with video cameras in the water and on the shore. We’ll have the video ready to post a little later.

In the mean time, here’s a gallery of photos by BTB photog Michael Brunk. You can click individual thumbnails to view the full sized photo.

Welcome to a bold, new year… if you’re reading this you successfully made the transition with the rest of us. Hope the hangover isn’t too bad!

The biggest celebration in town happens at the Seattle Space Needle, and while photog Michael Brunk isn’t keen on on crowds or traffic, he does like fireworks!

With that in mind he wandered up to the West Seattle side of Elliott Bay just before midnight last night looking for a vantage point to make photos of Seattle greeting the New Year. We think you’ll enjoy the results.

You can click individual thumbnails to view the full-size photos.

If you saw convoys of fire and rescue vehicles driving around Burien today, don’t panic! It was the Burien/Normandy Park Fire Department and a small army of volunteers delivering the fruits of the annual “Light Up The Holidays” outreach program.

Every year leading up to the Christmas holiday, the fire department works with businesses and the community to gather donations of food, gifts and cash. These donations are used to give a helping hand to local families struggling during the holiday season.

The annual effort ends in one frenzied day of activity when the results are boxed, bagged, loaded into trucks and delivered by Santa and his helpers to families all around our community. By the end of the day, each family on the list received the makings of a complete turkey dinner, along with pie for desert and toys for each child.

This year an extra “santa” was added to the mix to allow two teams to work simultaneously to speed up the delivery. Joining Santa John Nielsen this year was Santa Mark Adler, a lieutenant with the Fire Department.

BTB photog Michael Brunk joined a team making deliveries today and shot the following photos. You can click individual thumbnails to view the full-sized images.

We recently had the opportunity to tour the Sea-Tac Airport Consolidated Rental Car Facility being constructed on International Boulevard near State Route 518.

The construction project kicked off in June 2008 and will hit a major milestone in February 2012 when construction of the main structure is complete and the contractor — Turner Construction — will turn the facility over so the car rental companies can begin building out their counters and office space.

The public grand opening is expected to happen in April of 2012.

When the new car rental facility is completed, the five-level building will span approximately 2.1 million square feet and accomodate up to 5,400 vehicles. This will free up 3,200 parking spaces in the airport garage as rental car companies move their operations to the new location.

The Port of Seattle is pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the facility. To reach this goal the building design includes measures to be sustainable and meet green initiatives. Examples include quick turn-around facilities onsite that feature car washes that capture, filter and reuse 85% of the water used. This includes even small details such as coating garage ceilings with a light, glossy finish to reduce the amount of lighting required.

Besides providing a more efficient way for Sea-Tac passengers to gain access to rental cars, the project is also intended to reduce traffic into and around the airport itself. Changes to ramps to and from SR-518 will streamline the flow of traffic and the introduction of a shared bus service that will transport passengers between the airport and the top level of the car rental facility are all part of the plan.

Photographer Michael Brunk recently joined Port of Seattle Public Affairs Manager Perry Cooper and Senior Inspector Ernie Padua for a behind-the-scenes tour of the construction project and shot the following photos. You can click individual thumbnails to view full-sized photos.

Normandy Park Christian Church certainly has one of the more unusual, innovative and entertaining holiday displays in the area – a Drive-Through Nativity Story – which runs this coming weekend, Dec. 10-11th from 6pm – 8:30pm at their campus at 908 South 200th in Des Moines.

Here are the details from their invitation:

Normandy Christian Church invites you to the 11th Annual
DRIVE-THRU CHRISTMAS STORY
December 10 and 11 | 6:00-8:30pm

For 10 minutes this Christmas season, you and your family can be transported to Bethlehem while driving through the church parking lot at Normandy Christian Church. Scores of volunteers, thousands of lights, and full-size sets bring to life the Nativity Story. You will visit live scenes of angels, shepherds, a donkey, some sheep or goats, guests at the inn, wisemen, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

Normandy Christian Church invites you and your family to DRIVE-THRU CHRISTMAS STORY on Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11, between 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm. Free admission.

Normandy Christian Church is located between Des Moines and Burien. For directions: www.normandychristian.org or 206-878-4740.

Construction of the two approaches to a new South Park Bridge over the Duwamish River, its supports and girders, and the bridge deck and rails is now under way.

This phase of construction of the long-awaited bridge replacement will be much more visible to passers-by than was work on the foundation.

The new South Park Bridge is expected to be completed and open to traffic in the fall of 2013.

Here’s more from a King County news release:

“One year after our coalition secured funding for a new bridge, South Park residents can now see for themselves the work that’s well underway,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

“As construction ramps up on both sides of the river, the community will have a front-row seat to witness a new bridge rise above the waters of the Duwamish.

“At the height of construction next fall, as many as 120 workers will be on the job, bringing activity that will boost South Park businesses,” Constantine added.

Construction has been proceeding on schedule, and the addition of a second weekday shift and a day shift on Saturdays has brought more workers to South Park. More than 50 construction workers continue to perform excavation work for the placement of new piers.

By next spring, the piers will have reached a depth of 70 to 100 feet below the riverbed – the equivalent of a seven to ten-story building.

The contractor has kept construction noise to a minimum by shrouding the equipment with barriers that contain the sound. Meanwhile, plans are being made for demolition of the remaining bridge structure and control tower in the second half of 2012.

Watch the South Park Bridge construction via three live cams at www.kingcounty.gov/southparkbridge

B-Town photographer Michael Brunk stopped by the site today and shot a few photos of the construction. You can click individual thumbnails to view them larger.

We thought we’d share a special photo set with you this Friday. Something to help set the mood for your Halloween weekend!

BTB photog Michael Brunk recently had the opportunity to attend the 2nd annual zombie photo shoot organized by local photographer Brian Morris, of Morning Star Creative Group.

This event brings together amateur and professional photographers, models, make-up artists and other supporting folks for an on-location photo shoot featuring… what else, zombies!

Last year’s setting was an actual graveyard. This year the plan was for “hero” characters to fight off a zombie horde while taking shelter in an abandoned house.

The logistics for a photo shoot like this can be daunting. Finding the right location is just the first problem you have to solve.

Scouting the site and figuring out the scenes you’re going to shoot and which locations at the site you’re going to use is next. It doesn’t work without a plan!

After that it’s a matter figuring out everything you need to bring to the location for the day of the shoot. Power, lights, tables and chairs, extension cords, flashlights, ladders and more camera gear than you can shake a stick at.

Getting it all there and setup is the final pre-shoot challenge but after that it’s time to brief the participants, turn the make-up artists loose on your models and then start shooting!

For a photographer, shooting the photos is the obvious payoff for an event like this. But that’s not to say that it isn’t a challenge both physically and mentally.

Managing the light when you’re shooting at night, in a house that is mostly pitch black, takes a fair amount of skill. You’re generally using a flashlight to set your focus and using one or more strobes to illuminate the scene when you make the photo.

In between shots you’re directing your models and figuring out how to squeeze yourself into a space that you’re sharing with other photographers and support crew to get the angle you want.

Do that for a few hours and then tear down all the gear, lights, generators and other stuff you brought to the location and load it for transportation and you’ve got the makings of an exhausting evening.

But the results make it all worthwhile!

Here are a few photos of the finished product shot by Michael Brunk.

In a dedication ceremony held Monday afternoon (Oct. 24) at Eagle Landing Park, the City of Burien celebrated the installation of an eagle carving donated by local artist Galen Willis.

Willis carved the 44-inch eagle in Western Red Cedar in the Northwest Indian style. It is mounted on a pedestal and housed in a shelter constructed by Eagle Scout candidate Sean Kent as project to complete his Eagle Scout requirements.

BTB photographer Michael Brunk attended the ceremony and shot the following photos. Click individual images to view the full-size photo.

Here are additional details provided by Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services:

Eagle Carving Dedicated to City Park

Eagle Landing Park in Burien has been the home to many eagles over the years. Now a new eagle has taken permanent residence in the park. This eagle however is a carving and the City’s latest addition to an extensive collection of public art.

Galen Willis, a Burien resident and artist, recently donated a hand-carved wooden sculpture of an eagle he carved from Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) an evergreen coniferous tree in the Cypress family and is native to western North America. It is the Provincial tree of British Columbia, and has extensive applications for the indigenous First Nations of the Pacific Northwest.

Mr. Willis created the sculpture for the purpose of placing it in the park. The carving style of the eagle is referred to as Native American or Northwest Indian, and is partially painted red and black. The eagle carving is itself over 44 inches tall and is mounted on a pedestal.

As part of this project another volunteer, Sean Kent, constructed a shelter to house and display the carving. It is only fitting that Sean is an Eagle Scout candidate. He is a member of Troop 392, a senior at Mt. Rainier High School and he resides in Tukwila. His project was done as part of his work to complete his Eagle Scout requirements. Sean solicited and received numerous donations from local business owners, including eight massive peeler poles which support the structure.

Other donors included Manke Lumber, Miles Sand and Gravel, Puget Sound Steel, Sound Building Supply, Stella Jones, Tacoma Screw, and Valley Equipment and Truck. A general contractor, Mark Leggett, also generously gave his time and expertise on the project.

The sculpture was earlier approved by the City’s Arts Commission and Parks Advisory Board for placement in the park. The formal dedication of the sculpture took place on October 24, 2011. It was attended by City representatives, as well as friends and family of those involved in the project.

Eagle Landing Park is located at 14641 25th Ave SW in Burien. Established in 2005, it is a six-acre park containing many native plants, mammals and birds including a metal stairway which winds its way down a steep slope to Puget Sound. Eagles have nested and rested in the old-growth conifer forest of the park since 1991.

On Sunday (Oct. 23) the Environmental Science Center at Seahurst Park opened its doors to the public to celebrate its grand opening.

This new facility is located on the beach, north of the turning circle in Seahurst Park.

As indicated in our previous coverage, the remodeled caretaker’s building will provide a dedicated, educational facility for the Environmental Science Center (ESC).

The open house this past weekend featured an array of educational activities, fun and games and walking tours of Seahurst Park.

BTB photog Michael Brunk stopped by and shot the following photos. You can click individual images to view them larger.

Friday night’s “Night of the Pumpkin” at the Burien Community Center drew overflow crowds of costumed kids intent on having fun despite the cool, damp weather.

Although we didn’t get a firm number, a conversation with Parks director Michael Lafreniere and supervisor Casey Stanley suggested that this was clearly a record-setting crowd for this event, now in it’s second year at the new Community Center.

The throngs of ghouls and goblins (and maybe one or two prince and princesses) even had staffers scrambling to do an emergency candy run as stocks dwindled.

BTB photog Michael Brunk was on the scene with his assistant Lindsey, snapping photos and even wrangling live tarantulas and snakes in the interest of providing coverage of local happenings.

He assembled the following gallery. You can click individual thumbnails for view full-sized photos.