1. If you didn't check the site over the weekend, be sure to scroll down and read Saturday's special fizz item about Susan Hutchison . Here's the story: The former KIRO-TV anchor-turned-King County Executive-candidate with the Republican resume took the 43rd District Democrats up on their invite and came to the group's Gas Works Park picnic on Saturday afternoon.

Startled? Well, so were most of the folks at the picnic.

Going on here: Hutchison is doing what every smart candidate does. She's trying to turn her opponent's strength into a weakness. Her opponent is King County Council Member Dow Constantine, a popular Democrat. By reaching out to Democrats, Hutchison is creating a narrative that she's open minded and looking for a conversation while her opponent is locked into the partisan battles of the past.

2. Speaking of the King County Executive, former K.C. Executive Ron Sims—now the No. 2 at HUD—was featured in the Sunday NYT Week in Review yesterday as his agency moves to integrate the upscale suburbs, like Westchester County New York.

Sims got the lead quote (and his picture in the paper):

“This is consistent with the president’s desire to see a fully integrated society,” said Ron Sims, the deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development , which supported and helped broker the agreement. “Until now, we tended to lay dormant. This is historic, because we are going to hold people’s feet to the fire.”

3. The Sounders got a tie in Houston yesterday. SoundersNerd thinks we won .

4. Both the Mallahan camp and the McGinn camp split town this weekend for retreats—McGinn to a house in a Cle Elum-area resort and golfing community called Suncadia, and Mallahan at a still-undisclosed location (we have a call in to spokeswoman Charla Neuman.)

The campaigns spent the weekend brainstorming on message and strategy. Expect lots of roll outs and press releases in the next few weeks.