Long Generations

The author has a family connection.

This post is not a book review of Daniel J. Brown’s The Indifferent Stars Above (see screen capture). Instead, it’s about a family connection the author has to the book’s subject—the ill-fated Donner Party, a California-bound group of emigrants who were trapped by heavy snows in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846–47.

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Justice Delayed

A lot more correspondence than prosecution

Last week I received a letter from the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (see screen capture) scheduling yet another trial date for Alice L (a pseudonym). That makes five so far. I’m a witness in the forgery case against her, which involves check washing. While I would like to put this ongoing saga behind me, it will be mid-November before I’ll know if the trial will take place.

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Hocus-Focus Puzzle

Can you spot all six of the differences?

Today I worked through a Hocus-Focus puzzle (see screen capture), a cartoon game drawn by Henry Boltinoff that is low-tech, fun, and, for me, challenging. Should this post kindle or rekindle your interest in trying an old-fashioned brainteaser with absolutely zero electronics involved, hopefully Hocus-Focus is carried by a newspaper you regularly read.

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Local Rite-Aid Closure

Another Kitsap County Rite-Aid has closed.

The black plastic covering the word Pharmacy (see photo) confirms it: This Rite-Aid has closed. That and removal of “Rite-Aid” from the brick-front siding that flanks both sides of the front entrance. Black is for funerals, right? I was left pondering two questions: where will I get my flu and covid shots this fall and what’s next for the corner of National Ave & Kitsap Way in Bremerton?

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Easiest Dryer Repair Ever

Note the new white selector knob.

A few weeks ago my GE dryer died overnight. One day it worked; the next day it wouldn’t start. The resulting repair, professionally done, might approach record territory for its speed and simplicity. Although I’m out almost $200, I’m happy with the result.

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Wild Horse Closure

Wild Horse Visitor Center with wind turbines in the background

This isn’t a secret. The PSE Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility and Renewable Energy Center (see photo), located near Ellensburg, Washington, has been closed for at least month and perhaps longer. Recently, though, the message on their web page became more specific and made me realize that the visit I had been planning is a no-go—for 2025 anyway.

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Westside Pizza Lottery

Good logo, better pizza

I don’t mind promoting Westside Pizza in Belfair. Like the other Westside franchises, they make great pizza, and I’m a frequent customer. This week Westside held a pizza lottery. The prize: a free one-topping medium pizza. Let’s look at the odds of winning.

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ACL Separation

There’s no photo accompanying this post. No one was around to snap one when I fell off my bike yesterday in my own driveway at Treasure Island and landed hard on my right shoulder. The result: several ugly abrasions and a separated ACL. The latter means the ligaments that connect the top of the shoulder blade (acromion) and the clavicle (collarbone) are injured. Fortunately, no surgery is needed. But it still hurts like Hell.

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Almost an ADU

Technically, a DADU not an ADU
Accessory to what?

I like ADUs (accessory dwelling units). I like reading about them, touring them, thinking (OK, dreaming) about having one built. Especially entertaining are accounts of the wars that pit neighbor against neighbor when local governments relax ADU building codes to the point of absurdity in the interest of promoting density and creating additional affordable housing. Seattle and San Diego, are you listening?

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Bremerton’s Highest Point

Sylvan and Olympus

A high point that’s easy to find

This post is about elevation not cannabis stores.

The highest point in Bremerton is not actually in Bremerton—at least not in a part of the city where there are homes and parks and stores. In fact, it’s in an area that’s off limits to the general public. The photo shows the highest point you can go to. But that point is a lot lower than Bremerton’s highest point.
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