“Listen” (41 by 33 inches) is a painting that took center stage during an awkward period of 2020 when COVID restrictions blanked downtown Bremerton. This was the last year I owned the Amy Burnett Building. The 14,000-square-foot building has display windows that span 100 feet down Pacific Avenue and 60 feet down 4th Street, probably […]
décor
Posted inHome
Reinventing the Formal Living Room
You may have noticed a popular trend in new home architecture and designs — grand open concepts. An “open concept” consists of a family room with little or no separation from the kitchen and dining areas. It’s a united space to gather, entertain, watch TV and dine. This concept has greatly appealed to consumers and […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Ideas for Expanding Your Planting Space
When your plant list is longer than the available gardening space, it’s time to expand your planting options. Create new gardening space by adding raised bed gardens, elevated planters and containers wherever space allows. Convert the end of the drive or edge of the patio into raised bed gardens. Just use a raised bed liner […]
Posted inGarden
Artists in the Garden
Gardens have been a favorite subject for artists since the beginning of time. Where else can such perfect subjects be found — subjects that flaunt their beauty and just beg to be painted? They don’t charge a modeling fee, need no special costumes or make-up; sit still and pose for as long as the artist […]
Posted inAt Home
Pet-Proofing Your Home Before Your Cat or Dog Arrives
Bringing a new pet home is an exciting time. During those first few months, while the new member of your family gets used to their new home, there are a lot of things that need to be done. The training, the gaining of trust, the playtime — becoming a pet parent takes a lot of […]
Posted inHome
A Welcoming Home of Security and Comfort
This story starts like an Indiana Jones movie. Before they could build their dream home, Kate and David Beal had to find their property. Find is the operative word here. Arriving at the location marked on the map, they faced a 25-foot-high wall of blackberry vines. Kate remembers they hacked tunnels through the vines and […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Rising from the Ashes
In the wee hours of a summer morning in 2009, three teenagers broke into Arnold’s Home Furnishings on Kitsap Way in Bremerton and set the landmark store ablaze. The devastating fire dashed the dreams of Betty Arnold, who started the store with her late husband, Wendell, in 1951, along with longtime general manager Ralph Erickson, […]
Posted inPeople & Places
The Curious Workshop Beneath the Cedars
Stepping into Diane Haddon’s studio is a tumble down a rabbit hole. The walls, countertops and dozens of small and large drawers spill over with vintage bits of this and that: an assortment of sieves and strainers, metal stamped hands, suns and moons, Japanese umbrellas, rusted roller skates, wooden cobbler’s lasts, baby dolls and their […]
Posted inHome
Malibu Vibe
Wetsuits and wakeboards. Swimsuits and sandy feet. Christmas dinners for 18 and a child’s artwork on the walls. Throw in a million-dollar view and a passel of personal touches — and you have arrived at the home of Kelle Kitchel-Cooper and her husband, Eric Cooper, who know the difference between a mere house and a […]