Model Tested: 2018 Toyota Avalon 4-Door Touring Engine: 3.5-liter V-6, 268 horsepower, 248 lb-ft torque Transmission: 6-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel-drive EPA Rating: 21-mpg city, 30-mpg highway, 24-mpg combined Base Price: $37,900 As Tested: $39,939 Performance: Great highway cruiser Quiet riding experience Strong V-6 Paddle … read more

United Way of Kitsap County is rallying hundreds of volunteers to join the 25th Annual Day of Caring that takes place beginning at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 22. Check-in, which includes breakfast, a to-go lunch, T-shirt, water and other giveaways, will be at … read more

If your next big excursion is on hold until you can make arrangements for your four-legged friend, a solution may be closer than you think. Pet-friendly accommodations can be easier to find than ever, making it possible to simply take your pet along … read more

This year’s Gig Harbor Garden Tour is going to tell some enticing stories about gardens and how they came to be. Each garden, no matter how small or large, simple or exquisite, has a story to tell. Now in its 21st year, the … read more

As we gear up for sun, surf, barbecues and all the other fun activities that represent summer, many of us are also concerned with how to keep ourselves and our homes comfortably cool this season. Of course, there are also concerns about controlling … read more

The orchard mason bee, also known as the blue orchard bee, is the Western native pollinator that appears each year in late winter and early spring to pollinate the early-blooming fruit trees and flowers. Its scientific name, Osmia lignaria propinqua Cresson, describes the … read more

Last month, my husband and I visited a small public garden in Southwest Washington called the Wildlife Botanical Gardens. The garden is a project of the NatureScaping organization, devoted to showing homeowners ways to attract birds and other wildlife to their yards by … read more

All plants have stories. Perhaps the plant was Grandma’s favorite cut flower. Or it was that green bean variety passed down through generations of family gardeners. Or that pretty veronica whose name you learned on that hike at Mount Rainier. Every kind of … read more

Namibia. Where, you say? You’re not alone. Few American tourists have heard of it, let alone ventured here. But this vast and undiscovered country in southwest Africa is the new safari destination for Africa, as well as so very much more. The scenery … read more