Dotted by net sheds and home to a small commercial fishing fleet, Gig Harbor’s downtown has preserved its designation as a working waterfront. This is where third- and fourth-generation Croatian families still continue their ancestors’ fishing trade that was once a booming part of the city’s economy. But fishing is not the only part of […]
northwest
Posted inGarden
The Water-Wise Garden
After an epic drought this year, many West Sound gardeners are thinking about water usage, as the wise use of water is a big concern in the region. Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought last spring, even before the rest of the growing season brought little to zero rainfall coupled with above-average temperatures. There […]
Posted inGarden
Time to Plant Your Fall and Winter Garden
Just when the summer drought begins and the early garden is being harvested, it is time to begin thinking about continuing the planting for harvest into fall and winter. If you wait too late in the year, new seedlings will not germinate but established plantings will continue their slow growth. Many gardeners in West Sound […]
Posted inGarden
Rain Garden Mentors
Rain gardens are not only a practical way to address rainwater runoff on a property but also a beautiful addition to the garden. Luckily for local gardeners, they don’t have to figure out the intricacies of a rain garden on their own — thanks to the Rain Garden Mentors program offered by Washington State University’s […]
Posted inGarden
A Garden for Refuge — and Time with Friends
When a couple lives in the oldest known surviving home in Gig Harbor and has a partnership in the creation of a garden together, great things come from it. When Cindy and Dave Storrar moved into their home on Pioneer Way overlooking the harbor in 1998, they began their garden immediately. Cindy Storrar reminisced about […]
Posted inPeople & Places
An Oasis in the Middle of an Urban Development
When people think of Silverdale, many immediately see it as a large shopping center, massive parking areas and lots and lots of traffic. It’s hard to believe that in 1841, Capt. Wilkes sailed into a bay from Puget Sound and named it Dyes Inlet. Emptying into that bay was a productive salmon stream we now […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
Olalla Bluegrass & Beyond Festival Turns 25
Every August since 1991, Olalla has brought together people of all ages from throughout West Sound — and as far away as Texas, Virginia and even Europe — to “Kick the City Off Their Shoes” at the Olalla Bluegrass & Beyond Festival. This year, the festival celebrates its 25th anniversary on Aug. 20 with what […]
Posted inGarden
Easy-Peasy Square-Foot Gardening
On Jan. 20, 1993, a memorably violent storm ripped through the Puget Sound region. As Mike Lasnier, then a young Tukwila police officer, headed for work along Southcenter Boulevard, the storm hurled a massive tree from a high cliff down onto the road just ahead of him. As it fell, the tree pulled down power […]
Posted inHome
A Little Piece of Heaven on Bainbridge Island
Liz and Gordon Evans had a dream — retire and move from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Bainbridge Island. Simple, right? But, when you live half a continent away, a collaborator who hears your dream and makes it her own is a necessary asset. In this case, planning, budgets and timelines fell into place under the on-site […]