Thad Lyman and Katie Doherty continue to amaze and delight Gig Harbor diners with their innovative, fresh and seasonal Northwest cuisine at Brix 25°. The menu is updated as frequently as when new food products are available, or when standbys are in short supply. Lyman — the creative chef — and his staff juggle their […]
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Posted inGarden
Unmasking the ‘Watchful Butcher’ Bird
Imagine walking a West Sound trail through an open, wooded area on a crisp day in late fall or winter. A charming black, white and gray bird, slightly smaller than a robin, is perched in a bare tree. Its endearing black-eye mask gives the impression that it’s pretending to be a villain. It appears almost […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
10 New Plants to Create a Multi-Season Hummingbird Haven
Is there anything more entertaining than watching the aerobatic antics of hummingbirds? Whether they’re visiting for a sip of sugar water at the feeder, zooming through the garden (where you’ll often hear their whirring wings before you see them) or engaging in an aggressive chase with a rival, hummingbirds provide hours of enjoyment. (Who needs […]
Posted inGarden
An Overlooked Songbird in Plain Sight
Songbirds come in many varieties. Some, like bushtits, are tiny, while others, like meadowlarks, are large. Some have distinctive sounds, like the onomatopoeia call of the black-capped chickadee. And others have unmistakable plumage, like the male western tanager. But not all songbirds make such a lasting impression. Numerous subtle species are often overlooked by everyone […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
The Busy Season Arrives at Fletcher Bay Winery
Fall is the time of year when all the winemaking happens. It’s “go time” from mid-August (for some wineries harvesting early-ripening grapes like sauvignon blanc) until early November. For most of the wineries in Western Washington, harvest season means multiple trips back and forth to Eastern Washington to pick up grapes. There is mind-blowing planning […]
Posted inThe Outdoors
10 Things ‘Master Backyarders’ Do (That All of Us Should Emulate)
Over the last couple of years, we’ve had a lot of practice backyarding. This is the act of doing indoor things — think dining, working, entertaining, exercising and even vacationing — outdoors, like in our own backyards. According to the TurfMutt Foundation, which advocates for the care and use of all green space, many Americans […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
How to Create a Successful Apple Orchard
There is a difference between planting an orchard that survives and one that thrives. To create an orchard that grows well and produces quality apples, a number of considerations should be addressed before any trees are planted. Chose the Right Site The site you chose for your orchard can mean the difference between a crop […]
Posted inHome
Two Became One
For Stan and Jane Rein, the joining of their lives five years ago led to a second momentous union: that of the duplex Jane had called home for the previous seven years. The two-unit building at Bainbridge Island’s Yeomalt Point sat at the top of a ridge with a commanding view of Puget Sound, running […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
A Dream with Petals
When Carolyn Thompson worked in an office nearly a decade ago, doing data entry day after day was tedious. She yearned for something different — and found inspiration in a magazine article about two women who grew flowers in England. This inspired Thompson. Flowers were something she loved. “I’d always been a gardener,” she says. […]