An estimated 4.2 million retirees downsized and moved to a smaller home in 2016. But for most of us, when it comes time to clean out the closets, downsize, move away or move on, the reality of making decisions about what to do with a lifetime of accumulated artifacts can seem overwhelming. Here are some […]
Featured
Featured Articles from the West Sound. These are the highlighted articles from WestSound Magazine.
Posted inHome
Color of the Year for 2017 — Shadow
Benjamin Moore announced its Color of the Year — Shadow 2117-30, a rich, royal amethyst. The company also unveiled Color Trends 2017, a palette of 23 sophisticated hues ranging from muted pales to saturated deeps. In curating the palette, the Color Studio lent significant consideration to the pairing of colors and relationships between color families, […]
Posted inThe Outdoors
Valentine’s Day is Time for Hummingbird Courtship
Female Anna’s hummingbirds begin building their nests in February. They will be searching through gardens in the West Sound region, looking for nesting materials. Portions of seed pods from last year’s clematis blossoms are popular. These are the feathery tufts still clinging to the old vines. The plants flower later in the summer. Waiting to […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Morrison Gravel — 70 Years of Success
In marking 70 years in business in 2016, Morrison Gravel is an example of a company that has evolved adroitly with the needs of Kitsap County. Through the years, it has diversified from a gravel pit to a full-service gardenscape supplier. The Morrison family moved to Port Orchard from Idaho in 1944. When World War […]
Posted inHome
A Sophisticated Farmhouse
This sleek, contemporary farmhouse challenges ideas of home and takes one on a journey of discovery. The owners are as unusual as their custom home — a corporate couple who traveled the world for business and pleasure and lived in several countries. Their exposure to international cultures and “hotels from $100 a night to $1,000” […]
Posted inPeople & Places
The Belfair Community Trail System
The Belfair community might soon be recognized as one of the best places in the state to take a nature hike. A trail system currently runs through the Theler Wetlands on a 5-mile loop connecting the wetlands to the Belfair State Park, and now there is a new plan to extend the trail. It would […]
Posted inGarden
Scents and Sensibilities of the Fragrant Winter Garden
“If our sense of smell is sluggish … we shall have missed more than half the ecstasy. We shall have missed, for instance, that winter day in January or February when we step out of the door and suddenly smell the spring.” ~ Louise Beebe Wilder Winter is a fickle old friend to gardeners. It’s […]
Posted inGarden
Winter is Birdhouse Time
Winter is the best time to think about birdhouses. The birds are starting to think about where they will nest once spring arrives. Where houses are already in place, it isn’t unusual to see chickadees exploring them in January and February. They may decide to nest in one or they may be checking on what […]
Posted inGarden
Community Gardens and P-Patches in West Sound
Washington state is an amazing place, and not simply because of its immeasurable beauty. The Master Gardener program saw its birth here, training volunteers who are passionate about gardening to offer science-based answers to community members’ gardening questions. This program has spread throughout the country and into Canada since its inception in 1973, and has […]