I felt a certain degree of safety when the old Westgate Fire Station operated out of the building at 1550 Rocky Point Road. The photo shows the cinder-block structure as it looked before the new tenant, Olympic Mountain Rescue, painted and reroofed it last summer. Although I have never made a 9-1-1 call in my life, living a mile from a fire station was reassuring, even one staffed by volunteers.
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Category Archives: Mud Bay & Rocky Point
The Closest Fire Station
Posted in Government, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Found on Road—Useful
A number of choices could replace the fourth word in this post’s title and still make sense. For example, missing, lost, broken, trashed, injured, and dead (if the item was a Ford). Useful seems to fit best in the case of an item (see photo) I found while on a bike ride last month, although that raises the question of why someone would leave it on the road. I mean, who doesn’t need a pair of scissors?
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Posted in Biking, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Battling a Rat Part II
This is Part II of the battle, which took place in January 2017 and ended in a draw.
When you fail to think things through, to consider various possibilities, things don’t always go as planned. That’s obvious, I know, but it’s my best explanation for the outcome of the rat battle.
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Posted in Home, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Battling a Rat Part I
This is Part I of the battle, which took place in January 2017 and ended in a draw.
You got a rat problem, you get a cat, right? In my case, I already had Trek, a Bengal cat, on retainer (see photo), so I figured the problem was solved. But I wasn’t battling just any rat, and Trek apparently thought of the rat more as a housemate than an enemy.
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Posted in Home, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Escaping from Mud Bay
Last night’s storm dumped seven inches of snow on my driveway, which, in an S-curve, snakes down a steep hill to reach my house (see photo). I’m snowed in. Trapped—at least as far as motor vehicle access. But I might not be marooned.
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Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point, Weather
Will 50 Be the New 40?
Note: This post is about temperature not age.
The historical average daily temperature in Bremerton in February is 42 degrees. Many scientists tell us that our planet is gradually warming. Whether Bremerton’s average daily temperature for February will reach 50 degrees in our lifetimes isn’t known. I don’t have the ability to analyze reams of weather data in an effort to predict the future. It’s easier to relate a temperature anecdote instead.
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Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point, Weather
Demolition Happens
As mentioned in the last two posts, I visited Kalaloch on the Washington Coast this week. While I was out of town, a nearby house on Mud Bay was demolished and removed (see photo). Although I used to see it every day, I had to scramble to remember exactly what it looked like.
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Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Bumper Blows, Bumper Woes
What costs $500, looks like a quality item, and provides about as much protection as President Trump’s border wall? The answer, shown in the photo, is the rear bumper on my 1999 Toyota Tacoma. In a previous blog post, I wrote that the bumper came out second best when the truck was rear ended on Wheaton Way a few years ago, but at least it protected the underlying sheet metal. This time it didn’t even do that.
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Posted in Cars, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Speed Limit 20 When Flashing
I’m asking for forgiveness from neighborhood drivers if it takes me awhile to get used to the new rules for the school zone at the south end of Rocky Point Road. For years I have been creeping through there at 20 mph ever mindful that the area is frequently patrolled by the Bremerton Police Department. The speed limit in the school zone is still 20 mph, but now you only need to slow down (from 25) when the spiffy new solar-powered signs are flashing (see photo).
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Posted in Government, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Rocky Point Pond 2014
Rocky Point Pond has looked more impressive in photos I have posted in previous years than it does today. Even so, it rates a picture for 2014. The pond has its largest accumulation of rainfall so far this year due to a series of storms that have hit Western Washington this month. Will it get even bigger in the next few days? Probably as more rain is forecast.
To clarify, it’s not really a pond—just a low spot between two driveways that fills with water after a few days of all-day rain. The address of this informal neighborhood rain gauge is 2609 Rocky Point Road. The pond’s record size—at least in pictures I have posted—was in March 2011.







