Encouraged by projections from signal-locator tools available at several web sites, I have been trying to get free local TV at our Treasure Island vacation place in rural Mason County. That’s right, tvfool.com and antennaweb.org tell you how to receive high-def digital TV signals without paying a monthly cable or satellite bill. Take that, WaveCable! Buzz off, Dish Network! So far, the actual results are disappointing as there’s a large gap between them and what’s theoretically possible.
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Category Archives: Other Local Places
Free TV
Ghosts in Port Gamble?
I like visiting Port Gamble, the restored lumber mill town on Port Gamble Bay in North Kitsap. I drove my old Chevy there today—a gorgeous Sunday in May. There are acres of open space, a couple dozen historic homes, stunning views of Hood Canal, an old post office and general store, antique shops, a summer car show, and an annual Civil War reenactment. If that’s not enough the town’s promoters have scheduled several ghost-related events for the coming October.
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Hibernating in Plain Sight
Little brown bat
Despite unusually mild temperature since December the bats on Treasure Island are hibernating for the winter. For whatever reason they didn’t tell one little guy (or gal) where the big slumber party was going to be. Forced to improvise this bat chose a dry, relatively warm, and very public spot to bed down—the upper wall of my neighbor’s covered porch (see picture). So far, it hasn’t complained about the porch light, which is only a few feet away and is always on.
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Why Write About the Belfair Bypass?
There’s an excellent letter in yesterday’s Kitsap Sun by first-term state representative Fred Finn (D-35th District) in which he urges that the Belfair Bypass be taken off the shelf (link at end of post). The idea of a bypass has been around since the 1980’s, and currently there is almost no local opposition. Nor is there much disagreement on when we need it: now. Yet budget woes have delayed the project until at least 2019. In the interim, it has little chance of competing successfully for funds against the state’s mega transportation projects. So I was curious why Rep. Finn wrote the letter. To find out why, I asked him.
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Blue Mailboxes
How many locations are there for blue mailboxes in your zip code? Officially known as USPS collection stations, these sturdy steel containers, bolted to the sidewalk, do yeoman duty collecting mail and seemingly used to be everywhere. There’s a link at the end of this post to a web site that will tell you how many are near you. Before you click it, take a guess. Hint: The number is probably less than you think.
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River View
Skokomish River
Before I left home this morning I already knew that the National Weather Service had canceled its flood warning for the Skokomish River. Yesterday’s storm, which dumped more than 2.5 inches of rain on the Skokomish River watershed, caused the river to rise but left it just under the 16-foot flood stage. While I didn’t see any flooding—except for a few spots where the high-water signs on the Skokomish Valley Road are permanently posted—my day trip took me past one of my favorite spots along the river.
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Evidence of Fall
Leaves on roof
By the calendar fall is at its midpoint, and the maples in Western Washington have shed most, but not all, of their leaves. The photo shows what happens when a gently pitched roof is nearby. Ironically, the building in the picture is a maintenance shed at Belfair State Park. There are several improvement projects going on at the park, including work on the campsites that border Hood Canal and construction of a path along Big Mission Creek. The shed’s roof will probably need to wait until more of the leaves are down before it gets any attention.
Did You Hear Any Salmon Today?
Chico Creek at the Taylor Road Bridge
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Game Birds
Staging pen for pheasants
In the rural Belfair Valley near the Union River, almost at the base of Gold Mountain, a man keeps pheasants in a pen that is easily seen from Wilkinson Road. Until yesterday, I thought he raised them there. That’s when I rode by on my bike to see this year’s flock, something I do every fall, along with checking out the salmon runs in local creeks.
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This Should Get People’s Attention
Please Conserve Water
Today Long Painting (Kent, Washington) began sandblasting the inside of the 150,000-gallon water tank at Treasure Island in preparation for repainting it with a Bar-Rust 233H coating. To reduce wear on the three well pumps, the water distribution team has been telling islanders they can help by using less water during the three weeks the tank will be offline. The vinyl banner I attached to the tank ladder this morning (see photo) is intended as a daily reminder. Certainly people will see it. As you drive up the hill from the bridge your eye is drawn to the dark green water tank—perhaps because it is the tallest structure on Treasure Island at 65 feet in height.
I have never put up a sign or banner in an attempt to get the public’s attention. Nor have I ever tagged a building or railroad crossing (well, not as an adult). Originally I thought we needed a conservation banner to use during hot late summer droughts. But in the last few years summer water usage has gone down, partly due to weather and partly due to fewer visits to the island by family members and guests. So I didn’t get approval for the banner until a couple of weeks ago when we were planning the tank job. I had it made at Signtown, taking advantage of their fall special. The price was reasonable. I just hope the banner gets its message across.
