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 […]
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Posted inPeople & Places
50 Million Light-Years to Kitsap
The uniformed Transportation Security Administration officer at SeaTac airport stared at the thin, bald man standing in front of him and held up the passport he’d just been given, his eyes darting back and forth between the tiny photo and the man. After several tense seconds, he stared hard at the man and said, “Are […]
Posted inPeople & Places
When Art Meets Engineering Ingenuity — The Beautiful Metal Renditions of Tom Carmichael
When a renowned Hall of Fame martial artist wanted to capture the story of his life in a sculpture, he turned to Tom Carmichael. A Bremerton metal artist who’s known mostly through word of mouth (forget finding him online, for example), Carmichael created the most awesome piece, using bits and pieces of the customer’s life […]
Posted inGarden
Get The Dirt — On Home Gardening
Red Foxes In England, foxes are an integral part of an English garden, except if the garden includes chickens — and then foxes are definitely not wanted. Here in West Sound, we could go for years without glimpsing a fox, or we may see them several times a year. If you live in a region […]
Posted inPeople & Places
House Party — The Murphy Family’s Forever Home
Some houses are best observed in motion. Take, for instance, the home of Sean and Shelley Murphy in Gig Harbor. Sean, a dentist, and Shelley, a former English and Spanish teacher, have four children ranging in age from 5 to 12, so a certain amount of frenetic activity is expected on a daily basis. Then […]
Posted inHome
What Next? Pink Ponies?
That ever-charming, disarming pink — it is a color for all seasons and reasons that comes and goes, peeking around every corner to capture our attention. Pink is a cool color that easily teeters the prism from mauve to flamingo, 10 parts white and one part red, and a trillion deviations in between. Pink’s popularity […]
Posted inHome
Making an Entrance
For years now, the garage has occupied a predominant place in American home design. Many homeowners don’t even use their front doors, opting instead to drive into the garage and enter the house from there or use a side door, bypassing the formal entryway altogether. Consequently, many homeowners miss not only a chance to make […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
Aladdin’s Palace — The Many Earthly Delights of Authentic Lebanese Cuisine
Step inside the door at Aladdin’s Palace Restaurant in Silverdale and you are greeted with a picture of Rachaya, Lebanon, a small mountain town located below Mount Hermon, southeast of Beirut. That is where the Nakkour brothers Fayez and Kamal grew up and learned the secrets of their national cuisine. Fayez, who owns Aladdin’s, came […]