Builder Jim Collins saw a business need in Kitsap County and filled it. He laments how difficult it is to have a kitchen or bathroom remodel done — it’s a complex and convoluted process for clients, because everything is so disconnected. “I had an idea that I was going to do something a little different,” […]
poulsbo
Posted inPeople & Places
The Smithshyre — A Farm Full of Baby Goats
While farming is no longer the common occupation of America, it’s far from obsolete. Run by Roni and Erin Smith, The Smithshyre in Poulsbo is a farm whose presence brings attention to the traditional relationship between people and livestock. Erin Smith believes that every person, without even realizing it, has a deep and innate desire […]
Posted inHome
A Vinland Midcentury-Modern Home Spreads Its Wings
Three years ago, Jeff and Ann Granlee were looking for waterfront. Fortunately, word of mouth and a real estate agent who kept her ears open lead them to a pretty piece of Hood Canal shoreline just south of Vinland Bay in North Kitsap. The property included a home that had begun as a cabin in […]
Posted inPeople & Places
2022 Holiday Gift Guide
This season, the holidays seem to have me wrapped in the warmth and excitement of holiday magic and tradition. My only child left for her first year of college out of state this fall. Her arrival home for the holidays this year helps enunciate the simplest joys of preparing for and celebrating. We are so […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Poulsbo’s Historical Museums: The Past in the Present
Painted in traditional Scandinavian colors of red, white and blue, the two-story, craftsman building on Poulsbo’s main street is known by longtime residents as the Nilsen-Sonju house. Norwegian settler Einar Nilsen built the house in 1908, renting the upper rooms as apartments before selling to the Sonju family in 1919. Subsequently, the building had multiple […]
Posted inGarden
A Renovated Garden
Barbara and Graham Wilson of Poulsbo took their dismal, barren property and transformed it into a garden paradise. After moving to their current home eight years ago, the Wilsons came to a realization. Their property “was in bad shape,” Graham Wilson asserts. Barbara Wilson describes the lawn at the time as “just a piece of […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
Kitsap Fresh: Keeping Food Local
Preserving farmland is an indispensable part of Erin Smith’s life. “I want to save farmland,” he shares. “I believe the best way to prevent farmland from turning into developments is to incentivize its use as farmland. In other words, make it easy to sell food.” That is why he helped found Kitsap Fresh, as a […]
Posted inPeople & Places
‘Playable Art’
The Verksted Gallery in Poulsbo is home to many talented artists, including Bob Rau. He creates what he calls “playable art.” That is, he builds musical instruments out of beautiful cigar boxes. This artistic craft bloomed during his retirement. He worked as an engineer for a marine construction company, retiring in 2013. Then, Rau says, […]
Posted inGarden
There Were ‘Signs’
How do you recognize a truly inspired garden, one with humor and style and a joy that reflects the personality of its creators? Sometimes, there are signs. In the garden of Brian and Karen Rasmussen of Poulsbo, an extensive and carefully cultivated collection of vintage Americana overflows into the beds and borders. Among an old-fashioned […]