Always a monster, never otherwise — huge, intrusive and unexpectedly frightening. “OK, Google, define the word frightening.” “Frighten, alarm, scare, terrify, appall, to arouse fear in people. To frighten is to shock with sudden, startling, but short-lived fear.” Suppose it would apply here, to this particular boiler, installed by Burlington in 1922 in the Thomas […]
retro
Posted inPeople & Places
The Art Beginning
After dealing with the how and why of buying a building in a vacant, dank-smelling city, I moved in and art in Bremerton sprang like a million destined rockets to the moon. On May 1, 1991, the Amy Burnett Gallery and several other art-related businesses opened their doors in the 14,000-square-foot building at the corner […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
Slippery Pig Brewery — Proud of Being Different
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 […]
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 inHome
Grandma’s Pyrex Bowls
The subject of product analysis is a slow page-turner, but mention grandma’s mixing bowls, and eyes widen. Today, mention Pyrex and eyes get even wider, as recent articles have stunned people with the announcement that old Pyrex is like gold. Yes, Pyrex has increased in value — but let’s talk. I have seen enough old […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Art in Bremerton, The Beginning
A long time ago, a quarter of a century has sped by as fast as humming birds in a summer flower field. The Amy Burnett Art Gallery has closed its retail operation in downtown Bremerton. From the beginning, a question was always asked, the most asked question in fact, “Why Bremerton?” I was stunned in […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Living with Treasures
Come with me for an adventure beyond the heights of the moon, a journey where time and space captivate the airways of imagination. I can’t give a name or a specific place but the story is true. Come with me as I take you where color is a sparkling porcelain rabbit and small rooms accept […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
A Garden’s Memory
My time in the garden is often solitary, but as I focus on a task, my head is filled with whispers. The conversation comes, unbidden — triggered by a sound, a scent or a flower. The garden is where I reconnect with people dear to me and sometimes long gone. Whenever I see the grapes […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Bremerton’s Art Deco Buildings a Nod to a Different Era
At first glance, it’s their exterior colors that make them distinct: the cobalt blue of Bremerton’s Pacific Planetarium, Admiral Theatre’s color scheme of empire gold and rockwood red, and pale yellows of the city’s downtown library. Then it’s their lines — curves, sculptured reliefs and geometric forms. If you are lucky enough to go inside, […]