Bungalow Brown

Posted on June 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

New top, new paint


Bungalow Brown. That’s the color I used when I recently repainted the picnic table K’s dad made for us about 20 years ago. He died in 1994, but I think if he were still around he would be happy with the job. Sporting a new cedar top and fresh paint (see photo), the old table is ready for the coming summer.
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Posted in Friends & Family, Other Local Places

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Scotch Broom Bloom

Posted on June 6, 2011 | 1 comment

Yellow hillside along Route 3 near Belfair


This time of year you really notice how prevalent Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) is along Western Washington’s county roads and rural highways (see photo). The invasive species is in full mustard-colored bloom everywhere and lines State Route 3 almost continuously from Bremerton to Belfair. The land bordering Route 3 has been logged extensively. Scotch broom thrives in the resulting sunny open areas.

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.

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Posted in Other Local Places

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Changes in Ten Years

Posted on May 30, 2011 | 1 comment

My census tract


Did your census tract change much in the first decade of the 21st century? I compared data from the 2000 and 2010 censuses for Kitsap County census tract 807 (see map) and found that in terms of overall population and number of housing units mine is about the same. What did change is the lineup of local businesses.
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Posted in Government

Mud Bays: No Big Three

Posted on May 26, 2011 | 1 comment

The best known “Big Three” comes from the automobile industry and refers to the three largest car makers in the United States: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. There are also Big Threes in sports (LeBron James, Duane Wade, and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat) and in World War II history (Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill at the Yalta Conference). But there is no Big Three when the category is Mud Bays in Washington.
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Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point

Are They Worth the Cost?

Posted on May 21, 2011 | 4 comments

Memorable sign?


Arnold’s (see photo) has a Translux, Reid Realty a Watchfire, Walgreen’s a Daktronics Galaxy. That’s three outdoor LED signs (or electronic message centers as the sign industry calls them) in the quarter-mile stretch of Kitsap Way near Rocky Point. All three have been installed in the last couple of years.
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Posted in Business Beat

Share Your Victories

Posted on May 18, 2011 | 2 comments

Snake at home plate


Like many outdoor cats the Mud Cat catches an assortment of birds and rodents. But his specialty is snakes (see photo). On a warm May afternoon this one—a small garter snake—was probably catching a few rays on the blacktop driveway when the Mud Cat spotted it. He carried it proudly to the concrete sidewalk at the corner of the garage, where he waited for me to share in his accomplishment. When the photo session was over, he soon lost interest. The snake toughed it out and got away a few minutes later.

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Posted in Home, Pi

Please ID This Cat

Posted on May 14, 2011 | 9 comments

Kitty mug shots: Viking Epic (left), UNSUB (right)

I know almost nothing about collectible glassware. So I was easily duped when I bought what I thought was a Viking Epic glass cat last month for my sister’s collection of feline figurines. In the photo her cat is the one on the right. She likes the latest addition to her cat family, but I’m left wondering what I did buy.
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Posted in Friends & Family

Buoy Collection Envy—Take Two

Posted on May 13, 2011 | 1 comment

A local fishing buoy collection


A previous post about fishing buoys compared my small collection with a colorful display mounted on the side of a shed on Cape Cod. Turns out I don’t need to go that far to find a collection to aspire to. The owner of the buoys shown in the photo lives on North Bay across from Allyn.

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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Posted in Other Local Places

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The Port Responds

Posted on May 12, 2011 | 2 comments

How would you interpret this sign?


Airport Way is a new road built by the Port of Bremerton to connect the soon-to-be-developed South Kitsap Industrial Area with SR 3. It looks like a great place for weekend bike riding or power walking with views of the Olympic Mountains and the back side of the Kitsap Regional Airport runway. So I was surprised to see a “no bicycles” sign (see photo) posted at the road’s entrance. When I asked why the sign is there, it turns out that “no bicycles” isn’t exactly what it means.
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Posted in Biking, Government

Today’s Resting Classic

Posted on May 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

Can it tow the boat?


In the short stretch of Old Belfair Highway between Kitsap Muffler and Sam Christopherson Avenue, there’s a large level lot full of old cars, trucks, boats, and heavy equipment. I have driven past it hundreds of times without paying much attention. This afternoon, a 1959 DeSoto parked in the lot’s east entrance caused me to take notice. DeSotos haven’t been made for 50 years so I had to stop for a photo.
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Posted in Cars