Eric

In Seattle we visited the fishmarkets, that was awesome, then there was the farmers markets. I realy enjoyed myself, It was July, but you werent sweating, the temps were so mild, nightime was kinda chilly, but pleasant. Folks said the winters were nice also, dont know that first hand, but they said there on the coast the ocean moderated the weather. Id say for retirement forget Florida, head to Seattle.
josh

Logging, that was probably Weyerhaeuser at work. Selective clear cutting is probably like strip farming. My father was a accountant for Weyerhaeuser for 25 years. Then opened his own business for almost 20 more. Seattle started as a logging town. If you drive I-5 today you don't see a fir tree for miles.

Seattle's Pike Place Market is a place to see. The fish mongers throwing fish around. Crafts, produce, music. My brother sold leather goods there years ago, in his hippie days. Then he drove a Metro bus for 20 years.

The Islands get about 25 inches of rain anually. Seattle 35 inches.

Eric

What do you call a pissed off German? Sauerkraut.

Maybe this will get people talking. :~)

Eric

A very small place in comparison to yours. 6.5 acres on the 49th parallel. Half is woodland, mixed firs, pines,alders,willows and dogwoods. The rest is / was spirea,oceanspray,and nootka rose. The whole Island years ago was logged off to feed the lime kilns. John McMillan made lime and shipped it to Portland. Portland Cement. My property and my brother's 14 acres next door, were probably grazed open pasture. It's hard to see that today. Without interference, nature comes roaring back.

I have relatives that live on the same 49th parallel but in North Dakota. They farm some 3000 to 4000 acres.

Rabbits, New Zealand x Californian cross. I have 17 of these, which 7 are ready for the freezer.

Khaki Campbell ducks, Down to 8 had 16 originaly. Great egg producers.

Muscovy duck, These are new for me this year. I have 2 females and 1 drake. April, I should have the first clutch of eggs. They can lay up to 30 eggs per clutch, average 12-15, three times a year. They are also for the freezer.

Two days ago, I ordered 14 White Layer ducks. All female. Egg production breed. I also ordered 6 Cayuga ducks, straight run. Mostly because they look cool.

And last but not least two black labrador retrievers. Jacob and Peppercorn.

Speaking of Whidbey Island. It's only a stones throw away. They must be doing maneuvers. Been hearing alot of jet engine noise lately. A couple of mornings ago, I was watching the news. The Directv reception was parcially scrambled at the sametime a heard load jet noise. Could it be just coincidence?

Eric

Power Information
Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) distributes power generated by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). OPALCO’s fuel mix is 96% greenhouse gas free and predominately generated by hydro-electric dams. In addition to the power purchased from BPA, OPALCO has net metering agreements with more than 30 members who generate their own electricity with small renewable solar and wind projects.

Submarine power and communication cables. Under Puget Sound from the mainland.

Sorry about being a smart ass. hehe

Eric

What you don't see in the map above, are the 100 plus small islands.

Josh, you can buy one of those and of coarse you'll need a boat.

Eric

Speaking of drought, looks like this will be one of the driest January on record.

See link below

Eric

Jack

Text generator

Good thing you sailed on pass. We have our own form of Home Land Security. he he LOL

Eric

In 1862, 23 young men here organized themselves as the Woodville Sharpshooters and rode east to hook-up with the Confederates. They only had 11 rifles among them, since not everyone owned two - one gun had to be left home for the family. Half were killed in battle and the rest wound-up in a Union prison camp at DeWitt, ARK, where they died from starvation and exposure. Only two of them returned home to Woodville. My grandfather knew them both personally and they shared their first-hand accounts with him. They had bitter feelings - mostly about their unbelievable treatment in the yankee prison camp, which made the Bataan Death March look humane!. My father recorded some of that oral history on an old reel to reel tape recorder in the late forties. The tapes had deteriorated by the time I decided to have them re-recorded. Too late - all lost!

Texas never should have seceded. This wasn't plantation country. Some people had one or two slaves, which were mostly treated as family members, but slavery wasn't of any economic importance here. Nothing changed with emancipation. All the freemen here stayed right where they were. Lots of great oral history in our black community about all that and, surprisingly, never much hard feelings about their treatment by local landowners. Most were freely given large tracts of land after the war as belatd compensation for their years of unpaid work. Their descendants still live on that land - in fact, they own the best land in the county. I have acidic sand and they plant in dark "gumbo" bottom soil! Half (well, many:-) of them have the same last name - Hadnot, a major cotton grower in the 19th century.

Sam Houston, then Governor, fought hard to keep Texas in the Union - and died a heart-broken and destitute man as a result. But he was not disloyal to TX - Lincoln asked him if they could send federal troops to "maintain order", and Gov Houston declined, saying "I totally disagree with Texas's decision to secede, but I will not raise one finger against her."

Jack

Eric ,was Washington state involved in the War Between the States?
josh

Jack

Jack, "Hadnot" had-not but now they do. :~)

It's a shame about the tapes. Gone forever.

My neighbor, who twisted my arm to join the NPS volunteers, buys FFFF black powder off the Internet. He usually buys 10 or maybe 20 one pound cans at a time.

( This will probably pop up on the Home Security's Radar )
Big brother eye in the sky

Josh,

Captian George Pickett was here before the war. Went home to join C.S.A General Pickett - Pickett's charge.

The Islands had their own little dispute going on, from 1859-1872 Pig War. San Juan Island had Americans on one end and the British on the other. See link below if you want a little history.
Should know more about Washington State history, but I don't.

8 degrees is cold, windchill or not, but I still would not move to Florida. You are way ahead of me on starting veggies. Way to go!

Eric

josh

Eric

We do get snow on occasion. Here are two photo in Dec. 2008

Eric

Josh, I was within 1 hr of you earlier today, Monrovia, at a farm equipment auction. I was wondering if you might have been there. Since I don't know what you look like and the amount of people there, it would have been like looking for a needle in a hay stack.

Eric

Sorry if I offended, I'm just a small town country girl that can't handle 'town/city' living. And that covers most areas, not just the south. I just enjoy the southern weather better than the MidWest.

Now I know someone who lives on an island off the west coast, I met a person who lives on Newfoundland Island on the east coast.

Cool!

Jay

That is cool. I have to tell you though, my relatives discovered the New Found Land. The Vikings discovered America long before Columbus did.

Eric

Eric

Actually those traits are Indian also, except the red hair.

The Camp, British Barracks 1859-1872 is known as English Camp today. Many of the soldiers were Irish not English. It's just one of those Politically correct things.

Eric

I need to tell you that after being stuck in the house for 2 days now, I really appreciate your pictures of things NOT SNOWY. My camera is in the vehicle, or I would post some pictures.

I need to make a list of GW members names.

If you like, I can help with posting photos.

Eric

E R I C

MARLA, yep I can do it.

Eric