Almost done...

Dear Diary,

No, of course I'm not almost done hiking around testing water fountains and photographing parks.  I'm almost done with the single region, of the eleven into which I've divided North Seattle this time, that had the most sites to visit.  At this point I have reason to go back to three sometime soon.

Executive summary:

Twenty-four of the sites were official parks owned or managed by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation.  None of the other sites had restrooms whose doors opened to the outdoors, "sanican"s, hand-washing stations, SPU sinks, or outdoor water fountains.  However, two of the other sites are buildings that have partly re-opened to the public, including restrooms whose doors open to the indoors and indoor water fountains.

Restrooms:

Jackson Park - Three pairs of restrooms.  Two pairs, multi-user and gendered, open to the indoors of buildings that have been open to the public since at least last May.  The third opens to the outdoors, and consists of gendered single-user stalls; this is the only one I've used.

Lake City Community Center - I know nothing about them but assume they exist.  The community center is open a few hours some days, staffed by staffers of the charity God's Lil' Acre.

Little Brook Park - One restroom (not a pair, not gendered, not lockable, very peepable).  I found it locked Monday at 1:54 P.M. but forgot to put the newspaper in the photo.  I found it locked today at 11:37 A.M. and did put today's newspaper into the photo.

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park - One pair of multi-user, gendered, restrooms.  I found them locked at 6:37 P.M. (though my photos with newspaper are a bit later); a woman who saw me photographing them spoke with me at some length and, in particular, informed me that they had been locked not long before I got there.  Since this is well within a reasonable time of 7 P.M., the official closing time, I have to get back there soon; this is the most important of the three parks I hope to re-visit before telling you, dear Diary, in more detail about them.

Park buildings that might offer restrooms under normal circumstances but aren't offering them now include the Northgate Community Center and the building on the grounds of the Thornton Creek Addition.

Non-park city-owned building that currently offers restrooms with doors that open indoors:

Seattle Public Library, Lake City branch.  I'm pretty sure I've used this branch's restrooms in the past, but don't remember anything about them.

Non-park buildings that normally offer restrooms with doors that open indoors, or that I presume do so, but aren't offering them now:  Lake City Neighborhood Service Center; Seattle Public Library, Northgate branch.

I deliberately haven't investigated other levels of government this time.

Various groceries, and probably at least some other businesses, also currently offer restrooms with doors that open indoors; a Dick's Drive-In location near downtown Lake City has restrooms with doors that open outdoors, and there may conceivably be other such businesses.

Water fountains

Albert Davis Park - One, off.  I've never found this one running.

Jackson Park - Two, running.  These have run each time I've visited (May and October; I skipped January because the map I was checking didn't include this park, but was told in October that they would run in January too).

Little Brook Park - One, off both days I visited.  This was running last May but off in October and January.

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park - One, off.  I've never found this one running.

Northgate Park - One, off.  I've never found this one running.

Pinehurst Playground - One, running.  This ran last May and October but not in January.

Victory Heights Playground - Two, off.  I've never found these running.  (I didn't visit in January because there were no restrooms or "sanican"s there).

Virgil Flaim Park - One, running.  This was off last May but running last October.  (I didn't visit in January.)

I assume the situation for indoors water fountains is similar to that for restrooms summarised above.  I have yet to find outdoor water fountains in this region other than in Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation parks.

"Sanican"s and related things

I can't summarise these parks' whole histories with these, only what I know basically from writing you, dear Diary.  There are unlocked "sanican"s more or less all over town outside the parks, but I pay them limited attention since I don't consider a "sanican" without even a hand-washing station an acceptable thing to use except in emergencies.

Albert Davis Park (and/or other nearby city institutions) - Was swept last Thursday, May 6.  As of Monday, May 10, the "sanican"s, hand-washing station, and SPU sink I had seen in January were gone.  I think the "sanican"s and hand-washing station, but not the SPU sink, went to Lake City Mini-Park.

Jackson Park - Removed "sanican"s from the golf links early in the pandemic, according to two employees with whom I spoke last year; I haven't asked whether they've been brought back yet.  I don't know there to have been hand-washing stations.

Lake City Mini-Park - Had more "sanican"s and one more hand-washing station than it had in January.  Both hand-washing stations worked on Monday.

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park - The woman with whom I spoke today said that a few years ago, someone lit a fire in at least one of the restrooms, so the parks department brought in a "sanican" until they could fix the restroom(s).  Then someone burned the "sanican".  I've never seen one there.

Northgate Park - The one I found in January is still there (so evidently it hadn't been borrowed from B. F. Day Playground, whose "sanican" has returned, after all).  However, it's now locked.

Pinehurst Playground - Still has one.

Parks

Albert Davis Park - Only photos of the "sanican"s (etc.) before.

Beaver Pond Natural Area - No photos before.

Flicker Haven Natural Area - No photos before.

Homewood Natural Area

Hubbard Homestead

Jackson Park - No photos before.

Kingfisher Natural Area - No photos before, and not much this time; this is the least urgent of the three I hope to re-visit before telling you, dear Diary, about them in detail.

Lake City Community Center - I only took photos of signs this time.

Lake City Mini-Park - Only photos of the "sanican"s (etc.) in the past and this time.

Licorice Fern Natural Area - No photos before.

Little Brook Park

Maple Leaf Community Garden

Maple Leaf Reservoir Park - So far this time, only photos of the restrooms and fountain.

Northgate Community Center - Wasn't able to approach closely this time.

Northgate Park

Pinehurst Playground

Pinehurst Pocket Park - No photos before.

Rainbow Point - No photos before.  I took today, among others, view photos, but they were towards the sun, so this is the medium-importance park to re-visit.

Sacajawea Playground

Thornton Creek Addition - No photos before (first visit).

Victory Creek Confluence Natural Area - I have a hypothesis, with photo, as to its location, but if my hypothesis is right, it's more or less inaccessible to the public.

Victory Creek Park

Victory Heights Playground - This time I was finally able to photograph the coloured shadows the playground equipment casts.  Yay!

Virgil Flaim Park

Waldo Woods - This time I photographed the small area that isn't walled off from the public.

I have to get these photos off my phone and into you, dear Diary, before I can usefully hike again, so expect at least eight pages (heck, just from the number of photos, more like sixteen) in the next two or three days.  Until then, happy times...