The Ladybug Man Is Coming Out of Hibernation

[Editor's Note: Seattlest welcomes new contributor Don Rauf today, and he's going to jump right in with a series of examinations into the wild that is 15th Avenue. We're going to go with the working title "Freakish 15th." Enjoy.]

We always think if Mad Max were to move to Seattle, he’d probably feel pretty comfortable tearing down certain stretches of 15th Avenue. There’s such an eclectic range of warehouses and ramshackle businesses running north from Seattle center and none looks more post-apocalyptic than Buddy Foley’s compound at 1801 15th Avenue West. Buddy is a man of many talents—musician, artist, cybercologist, and a ladybug enthusiast. His hand-painted signs advertising "Ladybugs for Sale" first caught our attention, but we were sad to drive by recently and see that the signs had been taken down. Well, if you’re suffering from aphids, do not fret. Buddy says he will again be selling ladybugs in the next couple weeks—$5 for 100. He gets them from deep in the forests of Washington and they really do eat your aphids. For now, you can still stop in and buy Buddy’s favorite math books. He’s passionate about a series for young people written by Marilyn Burns. Be warned: if you stop in on a slow day (and days can be slow in the ladybug business), Buddy may take you back into his sprawling music studio/workshop and play you a couple original tunes on the keyboard. He’s a good tunesmith but expect to invest some time.

Visit his Web site at www.buddyfoley.com, which matches our feelings about 15 Ave. W. His opening page says: "Terra Incognita: An unknown land, an unexplored region: a vast and virtually final terra incognita left to terrestial explorers."