Rant & Rave: Road raves, rants and more — from stolen catalytic converters to rude bikers and debris in the street

RANT to the metal recycling businesses buying stolen catalytic converters. In what universe do people sell them off their own cars? Just decided to yank it off and bring it in? Double rant to the city and state government for not making it illegal to buy stolen catalytic converters.

RAVE to the person in Georgetown who must have seen my (new!) iPhone 12 sitting on the ground next to our car the other day and so stuck it under the windshield wiper blade. I didn’t notice until we got home to North Seattle. Glad it wasn’t raining!

RANT to whomever decided that majestic specimen trees needed to be removed from a couple of lots in our residential park. Such a ham-handed move followed on the heels of the hottest day recorded in Marysville. There is no substitute for the cooling effect of the shade provided by these fallen sylvan friends. To the expedient and obtuse minds that make such moves come the handy excuses of “hazardous” and “weed tree” without any supporting evidence being offered. I don’t think Atlas cedars qualify as weeds. Let’s see how the respective residents of these lots feel when the next round of record heat comes along.

RAVE to all the firefighters, volunteers and everyone else in our state and other states, too, fighting endlessly to put out all the fires. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to save lives, homes and the environment.

RANT to the speed demon bicyclists at the Sammamish River Trail the other day. As you sped past my wife and I, you did say, “On your left,” but not before clipping her and knocking her into the railing. She is still black and blue and has a sprained wrist. Do everyone a favor and stay off the trails.

RAVE to Seattle for closing Lake Washington Boulevard between the Mount Baker Beach and Seward Park on the weekends this summer. And to the patient Seattle Parks and Recreation employees who sit at either ends of the closure, patiently explaining to drivers the meaning of “Street Closed.”

RANT to our state and local road maintenance crews for allowing foliage to block the view of so many roadside directional signs. What good does a sign directing one to a destination do when it cannot be seen because of overgrown trees, vines, weeds and shrubs?

RAVE to the post office. A friend in California inadvertently mailed a letter with an incomplete address: no city, no state, no ZIP code. The letter still arrived in Issaquah within five days. If that doesn’t show the efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service, I don’t know what does. Kudos all around. 

RANT to the many construction sites around the city that leave nails and other tire-shredding debris loose over the road. Your apathy for the neighborhood is already apparent by the McMansion-building and tree-cutting … you don’t need to go the extra mile by wrecking people’s tires.