To row single-handedly from Poulsbo to Seattle in a small rowboat requires propelling some 16 nautical miles through a major transportation waterway teeming with ferries, Alaska-bound cruise ships, container vessels and recreational boaters. It also demands navigation of the Ballard Locks, two gates that connect fresh and salt water and even out the 20- foot […]
people
Posted inPeople & Places
Blue Heron Takes Jewelry Personally
Tanzanites blue as deep water. Opals encasing ethereal galaxies. Pearls with the sheen of a satin negligee, and diamonds that twinkle like the look in a lover’s eye. Yes, indeed. There’s something about jewels that lights up a happy place in the human brain. Born out of the furnaces of the Earth, crushed and blasted […]
Posted inHome
An Artist’s Christmas
Lisa Stirrett’s eyes light with excitement when she talks about the holiday season. “I love Christmas. I love when my boys come home,” she says. As long as she can remember, Stirrett helped her mother decorate their home. Even as a small child, those times are some of her fondest memories. “Every year, (my husband) […]
Posted inPeople & Places
The Lost Quill Keeps an Old Skill Alive
Long, long before word processors, computers, cellphones and inkjet printers were invented, all writing was done by hand. History was recorded by hand. Official documents and books — especially religious texts — were written with handheld pens and often beautifully embellished with richly colored drawings. Not so long ago, people sent each other handwritten letters […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Unsung Hero — Deborah Horn
In 2018, Meals on Wheels will mark 45 years of service to Kitsap County seniors. The nonprofit has 10 community-dining meal sites throughout Kitsap County where seniors can receive a hot, nutritious meal and social interacting, paying a $3 suggested donation. Volunteers also deliver meals to home-bound seniors. Last year, Meals on Wheels Kitsap served […]
Posted inHome
Professionally Deck the Halls this Year with ‘Christmas Carol’
An extraordinary love for Christmas was perhaps written in the stars for local Carol Burk, better known as “Christmas Carol,” as even her own December birthday happens during the Christmas season. “Christmas Carol” is also the name of her residential and business tree-decorating company, which she began 25 years ago. “One of my favorite parts […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Neighborhood Raises $92,000 to Improve its Park
When the city of Bremerton parks department decided it was time to upgrade the old Manette neighborhood park, it went to the Manette Neighborhood Coalition and asked for help. The city wanted to hear from the neighborhood about what to include in the new design. City staff told the coalition that if the neighborhood could […]
Posted inThe Outdoors
Song Sleuth with Sibley
Wildlife Acoustics, maker of the Song Sleuth bird-identifying app, has announced the launch of a birding sweepstakes. It is presented by L.L. Bean Co., maker of outdoor wear and gear. David Sibley, renowned artist and author of “Sibley’s Guide to Birds,” is the prize. The winner of the sweepstakes will have the opportunity to enjoy […]
Posted inGarden
Winter in the Garden at Bloedel Reserve
Winter in the Northwest may not be the time of year when some people think of visiting a garden, but Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island embraces nature during every season of the year. History Prentice Bloedel, an innovator of the timber industry, and his wife, Virginia, purchased 150 acres with a residence in 1951 and […]