A constricted waterfront lot. Complicated drain field regulations. Dreams of an elegant yet budget-conscious home. Hardly a job for the average architect. What the owners of this construction conundrum at the mouth of Fletcher Bay needed was a puzzle master, and they found him in Bainbridge Island’s Peter Brachvogel. Not only does this architect have […]
Wendy Tweten
Co-author of the how-to guide Gardening for the Homebrewer: Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More, Wendy Tweten's work has been featured in many national and regional publications including Organic Gardening. In addition to speaking and covering home and garden topics she pens a humor column for the Kingston Community News.
Posted inFeatured, Garden
The Voodoo Garden — Good Help is Hard to Find
Welcome to my garden. Open the gate and step in, but mind the brambles and thorns. Careful to not crush the bleeding heart. Don’t bump the spiny eccentricity of the Solanum pyracanthum unless you like a good blood-letting. And watch the vines; they sneak up on you in this murky light. I suppose I should […]
Posted inFeatured, Home
Achieving Zen
When Marc and Judy Williamson opened the door to the dated Bill Point rambler, they entered a house with a persistent identification crisis. Although the subtle Asian overtones of the architecture were good, the home’s previous owners had interpreted the interior with wall-to-wall carpet, crystal doorknobs and other Euro-centric details that denied the Eastern influence […]
Posted inHome
Bainbridge Island Sweet Spot
It’s the kind of place you’d book for your next vacation, if it took reservations. Steps from Bainbridge Island’s sandy Agate Pass shore is a grand and graceful realm that bridges the gap between Northwest resort and Bel Air backyard. Pool, hot tub, boat house and 200 feet of low-bank waterfront make this country club-esque […]
Posted inGarden
Growing Obsession — Dragonfly Farms Nursery
When it comes to plants, Heidi Kaster just can’t say no. Even though her Dragonfly Farms Nursery and attendant display gardens are full to bursting, she continues to bring in truckloads of cool new plants, old tried-and-trues and leafy-green deals throughout the growing season. Along the Dragonfly aisles, dark-leaved dahlias wink and wave, blue — […]
Posted inPeople & Places
A Love of Plants, Cars and Life Make Jerry McAuliffe A Driving Force
In 1960, Jerry McAuliffe was a young, married man living in Kirkland and looking for work as a landscaper. Although he had no formal training in the field, he was a hard and willing worker, confident and ready to learn. He also liked plants. So when a salesman friend from Yard Birds offered to pay […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Valley Nursery: A Poulsbo Destination
For nearly 40 years, Poulsbo’s Valley Nursery has been a fun and floriferous stop on the to-do list of those with a garden or gardener in the family. Homeowners, plantaholics and day trippers alike from around the Puget Sound area are drawn to the six-acre nursery like bees to bergamot, Stellar jays to sunflowers and […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Organic Chemistry
When a couple of empty-nesters trade the urban asphalt of Southern California for a leafy-green piece of Bainbridge Island, culture shock is guaranteed. Their first job, therefore, is to buy an umbrella, a pair of Birkenstocks and learn the meaning of “frog rock.” Their second job is to locate an architect and a decorator who […]
Posted inPeople & Places
American Heritage
By their hundredth year, houses, like humans, have a story to tell. However, while all old-timers have a personal perspective on the past, few have been touched by the history of a nation. On a rise overlooking Bainbridge Island’s magical Manzanita Bay, one such architectural time capsule brings the American experience home to Kitsap County. […]