New top, new paint
Yellow hillside along Route 3 near Belfair
For a plant with no friends, it’s probably not the best strategy to be so easy to spot. Not that the aggressive shrub is worried—once the roots are established it can be as tough to eradicate as kudzu. I’m just glad I’m not prone to pollen-borne allergies.
A local fishing buoy collection
I wonder if most of the buoys on the shed came from local waters. If so that might explain why I never find any strays when I’m boating around Treasure Island. Clearly I’m up against a pro.
There’s one more photo after the jump.
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For the past few weeks I have been calling and sending email to get permission to use an old Bob Seger song as the soundtrack for a video tribute for the Treasure Island bridge. Today permission was granted. Although I almost gave up several times, now I can move on to the hard part—finishing up a slideshow that honors the bridge and respects Mr. Seger, not that he will ever see it.
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North Shore ice
The family who lives there usually decorates the trees along the road at Christmas time with lights and hanging snowflakes (a few are visible under the ice). For this late February display they seem to be going for the spiky frozen look. I don’t know if they sprayed the tree with a hose or perhaps a sprinkler head broke and supplied the water. Either way the icicles are real (brr) but probably not natural. The green layer under the frozen branches is a mixture of rhododendrons and sword ferns, leaves heavily encased in ice.
One of two ghostly stores in Silverdale
Best of luck
The waterfront project is located on the northwest side of Dyes Inlet, just before Chico Way dead ends into Newberry Hill Road, about a half-mile south of Silverdale. It’s a high-rent area due to the view and location. The home just to the north of the project is valued at more than $760,000 on the county tax rolls. I will miss the heavily wooded lot that’s been clear cut to make room for the cottages. But it will be interesting to see if the project can live up to its own marketing: “Once in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a new, legacy waterfront home in Kitsap’s first ‘pocket neighborhood’ cottage community!” More important whether the long-delayed construction start means local real estate professionals think Central Kitsap is emerging from the housing slump.
It’s the first of September, the first day of the fall school term in Bremerton. That’s one more reason to be careful when driving around town. The safety of kids is of course paramount, but that’s not what I’m writing about. With red-light cameras at major intersections and a citywide emphasis on traffic enforcement, drivers already need to be especially vigilant when driving in Bremerton. The all-day 20-mph speed limit in school zones just ups the chances of getting a traffic citation.
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Sculptures in 2010
Rhododendrons along Gold Creek Road
Coast rhododendrons are found west of the Cascade Mountains growing naturally along the edges of forests and in clear-cuts and natural clearings. They thrive at sea level but can survive at elevations up to 4000 feet. Woodland areas near the Hood Canal are a particularly good place to see them. At maturity the plants are 6 to 8 feet high, but they can reach heights of 20 feet. With hundreds of varieties of rhododendrons available at nurseries, landscapers seldom use coast rhododendrons to decorate homes and commercial property. That’s fine with me, as I prefer to see them in their natural setting.
