This year the speed at which late 20th-century events are disappearing in the rear view mirror seems to be accelerating. That might be because of the ease of calculating the elapsed number of years between them and 2010. The calculation was also simple for the first couple of years of the new century, but back then the 20th century was only, like, you know, a couple of years ago. Now it’s been 10 years since we were worried about the millennium meltdown.
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2010: The Year of Easy Subtraction
Posted in Uncategorized
Mud Bay and the SMP Draft Report
SMP is an abbreviation for Shoreline Master Program, a comprehensive shoreline land-use plan that includes policies and regulations for the use and development of the shoreline. The Shoreline Management Act, passed by the Washington legislature in 1971 and adopted by referendum in 1972, directs local governments to periodically update their SMPs, which are the basis for implementing the state law. A task force recently issued a draft update to Kitsap County’s SMP. A section in it describes the Mud Bay shoreline.
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Posted in Government, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Walking to SeaTac
People walk to subway stations, bus stops, ferry terminals, and train stations. Why not walk to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport? I don’t mean from home. For me that would be more than 50 miles. I mean walking from the satellite parking lots along International Boulevard (SR 99) to the airport, or the other way around if you are returning from a trip out of town. There’s no good reason to do this, of course, other than exercise and the possible benefit provided by a good walk just before or after a lengthy airline flight.
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“Quarterly” Payments
I have been paying quarterly estimated tax for years. Today as I made out a check for the 2nd quarter of 2010 (due June 15th), I wondered for the umpteenth why the IRS Department of the Treasury doesn’t divide the year into 3-month quarters and make the payment due on the 15th of the month after each quarter ends. While looking for the answer, I came across a blog post on the subject that was so thorough further research was unnecessary.
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Posted in Economy, Government
Horn Rings
Ford, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, De Soto, Buick horn rings (clockwise from upper left)
Automobile horn rings date back to the days of heavy exterior chrome, glitzy dashboards, and designers who were more concerned with looks than safety. The rings were functional as well as eye catching—press anywhere on the ring or its center emblem and the slowpoke in front of you instantly knew it was time to get moving. My small collection of horn rings has been in storage since I moved a couple of years ago. Recently I mounted them on a pegboard panel in the garage (see photo).
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Wild Rhododendrons
Rhododendrons along Gold Creek Road
It’s the end of May and coast rhododendrons, Washington’s state flower (Rhododendron macrophyllum), are in full bloom, showing off their attractive pink blossoms (see photo). Perhaps I should refer to them as “native” instead of “wild” rhododendrons, although one web site I consulted said they were imported from California rather than originating in the Evergreen State. Whichever modifier is used, they do quite well without any help from man. No one fertilizes them, prunes the old blossoms, or waters them during our hot dry summers.
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.
A New Truck
A nicely equipped Tacoma
My neighbor finally did it. Today he took delivery of a new 2010 Toyota Tacoma 4 x 4 pickup. I’m almost as excited as he is. ;) The new truck is gorgeous (see photo). He chose the Access cab and got it in super white (by far the best color) with the TRD sport package, an upgraded sound system, and a towing package. TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development. Our local Toyota franchise never seems to get any white trucks, so they had to make an interdealer swap with an outfit in Bellingham. This was key to the deal my neighbor signed last night.
After months of research, the negotiations were surprisingly quick and simple. The salesman showed him a printout with their invoice cost and offered a price $400 above it. My neighbor countered with the invoice amount and that’s about where the deal closed, although the out-the-door cost was roughly $3 grand higher, mostly because of sales tax (ouch). Obviously the dealer makes money when selling near the invoice price. The clincher was that Tacomas continue to sell well despite the lingering recession, their uninspiring gas mileage, and the bad PR other models suffered during Toyota’s recent recalls. This convinced my neighbor that Toyota is not going to offer a general cash incentive on them. Overall, he’s satisfied with the deal and happy with the truck. That’s what matters.
Posted in Cars
Wolfram|Alpha Coincidence
My sister forwarded me a link to the overview video for Wolfram|Alpha, a web site that bills itself as a computational knowledge engine. Both of us are always looking for sites that make doing research on the Internet easier. As a very simple example for using Wolfram|Alpha, you can enter any date and get back a wealth of information on it. When I tried that feature, a factoid popped up that coincided exactly with something unrelated I read yesterday.
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Posted in Books & Movies
Reinforcing the Flag
Would a side strip extend Old Glory's life?
The previous owner of my house erected a 30-foot flagpole at the end of the driveway right on Mud Bay. There’s a benefit from having your own flagpole—the opportunity to proudly fly our flag. But there’s responsibility too—the flag needs to be displayed properly and replaced when it gets tattered, fades, or wears out. That happens more often than you might think.
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Ask a Professional
A miracle product
Early this morning a cat-caused stain bomb exploded in my garage, effectively, I thought, ruining the finish on my Toyota Tacoma (see photo). Fortunately I know a professional auto body man who recommended a product for dealing with the mess. Not only did it easily clean the splotches of stain from my truck’s hood, fenders, and passenger door, it also removed numerous stubborn sap and tar spots.
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