Will I feel a bond toward Republican Dino Rossi if he upsets three-term incumbent Democrat Patty Murray when the votes are counted next week in Washington’s senatorial race? I might. I did shake the man’s hand today at a rally at the Silverdale community center. Moreover, I feel good about my vote, which I marked on the mail-in ballot last week and dropped off at the post office this morning.
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Connecting with Dino
Posted in Government
So Many Blackberries, So Few Goats
These two could use some kids
The owner of the Rocky Point Mobile and R.V. Park is using, if not a novel approach, at least a green one for controlling blackberries on the property. When I took the photo shown above, the two organic yard machines (aka goats) had already made good progress clearing the growth along the hillside. And that was after a single morning of work. But there’s a lot of brush and blackberries left to go, particularly on the property’s southern border.
For the record the nanny appeared to be a better worker than the billy. The latter was spending more time showing off his great set of horns than in chowing down. Perhaps he was the on-site supervisor. Unless he starts doing his share, the goats could be there for the rest of the week. To head off any danger that they’ll wander out onto Rocky Point Road, the goats are tethered to a rope.
Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Dennis and Eugene
My Texas brother has recently become interested in tracing family history. One of his first projects was to compile a list of the ancestors and descendants of my paternal grandmother, who died in 1928. When he shared it with me, there was an interesting side benefit. I had not realized how many times the descendants have honored my father when naming their male children.
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Posted in Friends & Family
So I Did
It was my turn
Flowers to Go, a florist with several stores in Kitsap County, hands out a free rose to anyone whose name is on their sign that day. Like the people who assign names to hurricanes, they alternate between girls and boys. This morning when I was in Silverdale buying paint I noticed that the sign on the local Flowers to Go said to come in for a rose if your name is Rod (see photo). So I did. A nice blonde lady named Julie gave me a pink long-stemmed rose. She didn’t even ask for an ID. Perhaps I should have done more shopping today. I had a great response if anyone had asked me how my day was going.
Posted in Business Beat
Halloween Stores
One of two ghostly stores in Silverdale
Americans are expected to spend $5.8 billion on Halloween this year. That’s a lot of retail. Until yesterday, however, I wasn’t aware that there are seasonal stores (see photo) dedicated solely to supplying us with the perfect costumes, accessories, and decorations for Halloween.
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The Big Pour
A dozen bags doesn't go far
A low spot near the edge of the steepest part of the driveway has steadily gotten worse in the three years I have owned my home. Although I don’t drive over it, chunks of concrete from a previous patch keep breaking off. Runoff from rain now flows freely under the patch leading to further erosion and settling. Today my neighbor and I filled the low spot with a dozen 60-pound bags of ready-mix QuikRete (see photo).
Our big pour took place right after one of nature’s big pours—last night it rained heavily. When my neighbor called this morning, the sky was overcast with more rain forecast. We decided to ignore the weatherman. After a quick trip to Lowe’s for materials, we got right to it. A couple of hours of sweaty work later (I mixed while he poured and troweled the concrete), the patch was in place. By late afternoon it was ready for the next rainy day.
Posted in Home
Still No Picture
One of the Mud Bay blog’s initial posts was about a 1958 Pontiac that is seen occasionally on Rocky Point Road. Recently I learned a bit more about the car, although I still don’t have a picture. But take my word for it, the black sport coupe is gorgeous.
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Posted in Cars, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Deck Scrub
One section at a time
It’s been a while since I last cleaned the mildew, algae, and bird droppings off the deck. I thought about trying one of the deck-wash products available at the home improvement stores. According to their directions you just spray on the cleaning solution, wait 10 minutes, and rinse with a hose. In the end out of concern for the environment and a suspicion that no job could be that easy unless the cleaner is mostly bleach, I decided to clean the deck the old-fashioned way—with a scrub brush (see photo).
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Coming in Spring 2010/11
Best of luck
The old sign announcing the Chico Beach Cottages said something like “Coming in Spring 2010” or “Available in Spring 2010.” Construction finally started a couple of weeks ago. The new sign (see photo) doesn’t mention the missed deadline, but a flyer available at the site states that completion is now targeted for Spring 2011. It also advises that only 5 of the 7 homes to be clustered on the roughly 1-acre site, which are priced from the mid-$500s, are left. I learned this on my bike ride today.
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.
Active People
A cool new ride
My cousin T.H. and his wife L.H. are fun active people. They surprised me with a visit late yesterday, ended up spending the night, and are gone again. That’s what’s neat about seeing family—get-togethers aren’t always planned. We don’t visit often enough, so there’s always something new (to me) in their lives. I was expecting the Camry or VW van, not a sporty convertible (see photo).
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Posted in Friends & Family
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