Mud Bay Blog

Frozen Solid

Posted on January 3, 2011 | 4 comments

Fir and Ice

The weather has been clear and cold for the past week with lows in the twenties at night and highs barely above freezing during the day. Prior to the cold snap Western Washington endured more typical December weather—rain, followed by more rain. The photo shows the predictable result of leaving a wheelbarrow outside in the ready position for the duration. Nature filled it with water, which then froze all the way to the bottom. Previously I tossed in the fir branches while cleaning up at Treasure Island from the pre-Thanksgiving windstorm.

The forecast calls for higher temperatures and rain showers by the end of the week. Back to normal. Let it be so.

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Posted in Weather

A New Personal Biking Record

Posted on December 31, 2010 | 3 comments

In 2010 I rode my bike more miles than in any previous year since I began keeping track of my annual mileage in 1996. The final total was 2472 miles—170 more miles than the old mark of 2302 set in 2008. That’s not impressive if you are a serious cyclist like my nephew Eric, who trains for road races and entered (and finished!) the Hot 100 in Dallas last year. But for me averaging more than 200 miles per month was a major milestone.
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Posted in Biking

Clear, Cold, and Windy

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 1 comment

December Inlet

It’s clear, 38 degrees F, and windy. It’s also December 30th so perhaps the latter two should be expected. The photo, taken from my deck, looks north across Dyes Inlet toward ~~Alaska~~ Silverdale. It doesn’t show the whitecaps as well as I hoped or any windsurfers, a species seldom found this far north in winter. Come to think about it, paddleboard man hasn’t been out for a few days either, although I haven’t been looking for him. I was gone over Christmas visiting family in Del Mar, CA, where it rained about as much as it did here.

For the record this post is the first written with a used replacement keyboard I got this morning at Northwest Computer for $5. The old one died yesterday after being swamped by a serious coffee spill. Who knows what inspiring prose the replacement keyboard’s previous owner wrote with it. Hopefully it will inspire me to do more writing in 2011.

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Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point, Weather

Buy Four, Get One Free

Posted on December 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of loyalty punch cards. There may be a better name for them, but I’m referring to paper cards that you get punched or stamped each time you buy a product or service. When the card is full, your next purchase is free. I have cards from sandwich shops, North Mason Fibre, the Lyon’s Pride (my barber), and numerous espresso stands. Today I got a card for the unlikeliest of products and one that will take years to fill up.
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Paddleboards on Mud Bay

Posted on December 19, 2010 | 2 comments

A lot colder sport than winter biking

For several weeks now I have been trying to take a picture of paddleboard man. Although he’s out exploring on his paddleboard often despite the cold, wet December weather, I haven’t had any luck until this morning (see photo). We had a brief chat, and it turns out there are two hardy guys doing this. But they aren’t related and apparently don’t know each other.
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Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point

How About Naming It Duck Point?

Posted on November 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Quack quack

The Zillow map control outlines waterfront neighborhoods with a distinct yellow line when you zoom in to get property values (see illustration). This makes the north end of Marine Drive—the point of land across Mud Bay from my house—appear to resemble the head of a slightly bewildered duck. My view is of the back of the duck’s head. The bill, made by a small spit of land that pokes out into Ostrich Bay, points west toward Naval Hospital Bremerton.

To my knowledge, the peninsula accessed by Marine Drive has never been given a geographic name. Roughly a mile long, it’s a good-size chunk of land to be unnamed. On maps and charts, cartographers either label it as Marine Drive or just draw in the distinct shape and let it go at that. Area residents have gotten by for years by calling their neighborhood Marine Drive and likely don’t need any help from me. But if they do decide to name it (and Marine Point isn’t the overwhelming favorite), my suggestion is Duck Point. That’s appropriate, I think, given the number and variety of waterfowl paddling around in the local waters. And the Zillow outline.

How Strong Were the Winds?

Posted on November 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

What's wrong with this picture?

Coverage of yesterday’s arctic blast on the Kitsap Sun web site has attracted hundreds of reader comments. Most describe problems encountered while commuting over the county’s icy roads or how people coped when the power went out last night. No one mentioned the hardship I will remember longest about the storm: more than 12 hours of frigid almost-continuous gale-force winds from the north. The photo shows one casualty of the gale.
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Snowed In Again

Posted on November 22, 2010 | 2 comments

The steepest part isn't shown

Winter is apparently here, roughly a month early if you go by the calendar. It has been snowing lightly off and on all day, and the forecast calls for below-freezing temperatures tonight and tomorrow. Plus high winds. I’m already snowed in (see photo). The conditions aren’t as bad as they were two years ago, but are notable enough for a blog entry.
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Posted in Home, Weather

“Hippos” Provides an Insight

Posted on November 17, 2010 | 1 comment

Saying I don’t like poetry would be too strong a statement. A better way to put things is that generally I avoid it, especially modern free-form verse that doesn’t rhyme. So yesterday when my sister called to read “Hippos on Holiday” to me while I was waiting for the ferry to Seattle (poetry by cell phone), I was pleasantly surprised. I also had an insight and wondered if I have been missing something by only reading prose.
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Posted in Books & Movies, Friends & Family

A Wake for Cars & Parts

Posted on November 10, 2010 | 20 comments

There was no warning, not even a hint. Cars & Parts, the best all-around magazine covering the collector-car hobby, is dead. I learned this on Monday, when Auto Enthusiast, accompanied by a brief letter from Amos Publishing, arrived in my mailbox.
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20 Comments

Posted in Cars