How do they grow them this big?

At Stoney Ridge Farm in Everson, WA:

Blaine Harbor on a Beautiful Crisp Fall Morning

Took a walk out to the Marina  in Blaine.  The Blaine Harbor is looking more refreshed than the last time I saw it. It was a beautiful Sunday morning with clear views of  White Rock, the Georgia Strait, the Peace Arch, and  even Vancouver Island.

Mount Baker August 24, 2010

Mount Baker, Whatcom County WA

More Mount Baker pictures...

The 100th Anniversary of the Whatcom County Fair

 Any county fair that features a live birth of a calf,  dozens of rides for children, and the "Quichua Mashis" in one evening is all right by me.  Personally, all this city boy really wants to see each year is all those cows... 

 

Heaven....

Tonight is the night before the July 4th celebration on the Bellwether waterfront in Bellingham. As a warm up, a local band played tunes from the '70s, '80s, '90s  at Boulevard Park while the first of the "nights on the green" started in Fairhaven.  The summer sky at Boulevard Park was perfect tonight : clear, a little cool, some gentle breeze -  just like you would imagine a summer in heaven. You live for days like that here. When they happen, they are magical.  We are predicted to have rain for the Fourth; and then some 70 and even 80 degree weather next week.  Good idea to soak it up. Might be the warmest week of the year thus far.

The Tomato Shtick...

We are finally starting to get sunny weather in Whatcom County. Some beautiful days - light overcast in the morning, sunny in the afternoon (with some surprisingly strong wind at times) and long beautiful evenings and sunsets. Voila! My tomatoes, planted in early May, are finally taking off!:

Tomatoes will grow in Whatcom County. Like all other vegetables, you need to adapt to a short (but sunlight intense) growing season, wind and rain. Some do this with greenhouses. This year I have 12 different varieties that I am growing. One, a pear tomato named "Jolly Elf ", seems popular here in the Northwest.  It certainly has a distinctive shape:

Bellingham Bay on Father's Day 2010

You won't glimpse much marine mammal life in Bellingham Bay. Plenty of bird life, signs of fishing industry, etc.   But I am guessing that because of the long industrial history of the salmon canning facilities, gas plant, pulp plant, chloroform production, shipbuilding and repair, ttreated lumber operations, the landfill/dump etc. that there may not be enough of a healthy bay to sustain what marine mammals need to survive.  But there certainly is a lot of other activity going on.  Every now and then, however, I see this sea lion...

How is your vegetable garden surviving all this Spring rain?

We are paying now for the beautiful January and February we had.  It was a rough, but I think my tomatoes are going to make it.  Next year, I won't do this without a green house.  If you are in doubt about how your garden is supposed to look, you can visit the master gardeners at Hovander Park in Ferndale from 9:00 AM until Noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Their greenhouse is currently hosting some very healthy tomatoes.

The 2010 Ski to Sea

The Ski to Sea was pretty low key for us this year.  I thought it was less well attended than other years, but I did not stay for much of the afternoon. We had great fun anyway...

Prelude to the Ski to Sea

Bellingham's Memorial Day"Big Event" is on . Below are two pictures from last weeks Junior Ski to Sea Parade, one of the Bellingham High School Red Riders Band from today's Ski to Sea Parade, and one of all the Kayaks lined up tonight at Zuanich Park, awaiting tomorrow's final leg of the Ski to Sea:

A blustery spring time storm

Good Heavens, did a spring storm blow through last night:

A wonderful first day of Spring at the Woodland Zoo

Last Saturday was a beautiful day at the Woodland (Seattle) Zoo.  Take your children and lovers there and recover your own soul.

North Fork Stone Sculpture

In places of great beauty, artistic spirits cannot suppress their contributions:

Storm Surge MLK 2010

This is a picture of the storm surge at the northwest corner of Boulevard Park in Bellingham on Martin Luther King Day 2010. More pictures here :