Summer Shakedown 2011

Here is an event we are holding this weekend. Should be fun!

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Special Event: Summer Shakedown 2011 When: July, 5pm-midnight
Where: Boundary Bay Brewery

Sustainable Bellingham and the Center for Local Self Reliance, two local non-profits focused on environmental education, will be hosting the Summer Shakedown Fundraising event on July 16 at 5 p.m. at Boundary Bay Brewery on Railroad Avenue. There is a cover charge of $8 for a full evening of entertainment. Food and drinks will be sold by Boundary Bay; burgers (including veggie and salmon) will be served in the beer garden until sundown. Boundary Bay beverages will be available for purchase all night in the bar.

Confirmed musical acts include Misty Flowers, Kit Nelson, Keaton Collective and The Endorfins. A fifth act will be added, but is not yet confirmed. The concert will be an all-ages show until 10 p.m., and 21+ thereafter. A Kona WorldBike will be raffled off around 10pm. You need not be present to win, just buy a ticket for a buck. Or five for five bucks. Or twenty for twenty bucks.

Schedule
5:00pm - Kit Nelson
6:30pm - Misty Flowers
7:45pm - Announcements
8:15pm - Keaton Collective
10:00pm - Raffle
10:15pm - The Endorfins

A portion of the proceeds will go towards the ongoing restoration of the Caretaker’s House in Fairhaven - a project led by the CLSR – into a community permaculture site. The CLSR has overcome many hurdles in transforming this once abandoned building into a facility that focuses on teaching sustainable agriculture and living practices and half the proceeds from the fundraiser will support this CLSR project. The other half of the proceeds will go towards funding various projects sponsored by Sustainable Bellingham, which concentrates on community building, living ecologically-sensitive lifestyles, urban gardening, permaculture, and alternative transportation.

About Sustainable Bellingham: Sustainable Bellingham is a 501(c)3 organization with a history of over six years in Bellingham. Its loose organizational hierarchy concentrates every effort into maximizing participation in action-oriented events in the community. It is 100% volunteer. Projects center around community building and low-impact lifestyles, including re-localization, urban gardening, permaculture, alternative transportation, social justice, etc.

About the Center for Local Self Reliance: The CLSR has undertaken the project of saving and restoring the Caretaker’s House in Fairhaven for transformation into an educational facility. So far, it has shown steady improvement, although many projects lie ahead. The Boundary Bay benefit will assist funding of its many capital improvements required for both aesthetics and to bring the building up to code. These include: building a retaining wall; an ADA accessible garden for harvesting of herbs, healing and scented plants; irrigation; a front gate for the main entrance; painting the house; remodeling the kitchen; and an ADA ramp for kitchen entry.

Sustainable Bellingham and CLSR thank our SPONSORS:

Whole Energy Fuels Corp. - Whole Energy has developed one of only economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable approaches to biofuel production and distribution. Whole Energy provides BIODIESEL and alternative fuels to a growing list of satisfied customers and partners on the Pacific Coast. Declining oil reserves, global warming, national security and the health of our local industry are issues of serious concern. Our company addresses these issues and contributes toward the goal of a more secure future. We are currently partnering to work towards an Alternative Fueling Station on Cornwall St. in Bellingham.

Kona USA - Headquartered in Ferndale, Kona is all about the freedom and empowerment of the bicycle. We're dedicated to sustainable practices and are avid recyclers. We're populated by a staff of keen, active, impassioned cyclists. We're not big, nor are we that small. Just a dedicated group of cyclists making bicycles for people who love bikes-no matter if that love is new or long established. We happily help promote bicycle ridership, infrastructure and policies.

The Markets LLC - The Markets, including The Market at Lakeway, Fairhaven, Birch Bay and Anacortes, are committed to great food for everyone! We feature Really Local foods that come from no more than 35 miles away, and also support our state's artisans and growers in our Taste Washington program. We have hundreds of fresh choices for your meals, including a big variety of vegetarian, wheat- and gluten-free and vegan choices every day. Our new store at Lakeway (open now!) is a store like no other! Come see for yourself!

Another Weekend...

We were lucky to have some nice June weekends. Another trip I took on my touring bike. I was lucky to scor a pair of lightly-used Schawlbe tire for a song. These proved to invaluable on my trips near and far. And I have access to a bike stand, so I regularly clean and tune this bike.

Here is a video of my next weekend trip up Mt. Baker Highway. It was wonderful trip and probably the lightest traffic and generally the most pleasant riding I've done all summer. Climbing and climbing and climbing up a forest road just past Glacier after forty or fifty miles of biking turned into a n effort in futility as I climbed three thousand feet and probably descended back down fifteen hundred to find a sloped campsite for the night.

Waking up freezing the next morning allowed a descent into Glacier (before the Wake-n-Bakery even opened) and then on to the Harvest Moon in Maple Falls. A great trip.

Return

I miss writing, but someone suggested that I post events up here. Go here for that information. I write more later.

But first, I want to tell you about the wonderful adventures over the past months. I took a straight job, and bought some toys. I splurged and picked up a vintage (c.1990) Schwinn Sierra along with a B.O.B. Trailer for four hundred bucks. So this rig took me far and wide across Whatcom and Skagit Counties.

My shakedown trip was to Birch Bay State Park. Camp for the night return the following day. It's funny when you don't need to spend money on fuel, you can eat a pretty nice meal in lieu of buying gas.

Holidays

It is wonderful to have warm friends in the chilly moist winter here in Bellingham when your nearest family member is a couple thousand miles away. But Christmas day was spent with the dog reading a Faulkner novel. Holy days of rest and are wondrous, although the rest of the evenings were filled with parties, camaraderie...and rest - something I woefully lack during most holidays, or life in Bellingham in general.

Not much more excitement. Other than jacking up on Vitamin D and realizing how much that can impact me, just another day in Bellingham. Glad to turn off the computer at five or six, come home, and enjoy the free time that the office job affords. So consequently, I'll probably be writing less and less and enjoying my free time more and more. I am fortunately right where I need to be in my life in Bellingham.

Life

So my eyes stayed glued to a computer screen most of the day. When I get home at night, I try to do other things, such as read, sew, play guitar, cook, or many other things. Tonight, we went to see a movie at the Pickford. I've been building a pile of free passes from volunteering there, so tonight we saw 127 Hours and then to Mallards to use a gift certificate. It's nice to spend $3.25 for a night on the town.

Although I finally have a reugular job and hours, I still have retained my frugal ways developed over my economically challenged days. Last night I did buy an Edith Piaf CD at the music store. And saw a friend working there that I met a few weeks earlier. It's amazing to see the dynamic people of Bellingham just doing their jobs and loving life. It's rare I hear anyone complain about Bellingham, and few inhabitants want to "get out," unlike all other cities or towns in which I've lived. Every place had had its element of people yearning for greener pastures.

But not Bellingham. (Well other than the weather that can deteriorate your demeanor and drive you stone mad) smiles abound.

The picture above is from my bike commute to wok. Fortunately, it's only five minutes or so, and one stop light. This is the route past city hall and the library.

Pete

One of my housemates back in the spring turned out to be a great friend also. Unfortunately, Pete is moving back east after his (and his wife's) efforts to earn a sustainable living in Bellingham proved futile. And this is too bad, as he is a great guy and had many, many stories to tell, including his living off the grid in Alaska and through hiking both the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. Bellingham seems to attract the nicest and most interesting people. You'll probaly never see this post, Pete, but I wish you Godspeed on your life's journey. You are a good man.

Oh well, off to a Christmas party tonight. Sort of. It's been going on for years and this is my third time atending. Fun, fun, fun.

Writing

Yes, the job has over the past week or two evolved from a "Holy crap, I'm stupid and I'll never learn anything" to "wow, it's all coming together and I really can add some value to this organization." Afer hearing the horror stories in the media, and living in a town where decent paying jobs are more scarce than sunshine, I am indeed a lucky person. And the CPA Exam that I arduously studied for years ago (and passed) many someday evolve into a valid license in this state.

I haven't been writing, as my evenings are spent doing other things like reading, playing music, and generally things that I find more appealing than the tie suckage of a computer. But tonight I need to get some pivot tables done, and that means sitting at the Public Market eating a piece of pizza being content.

The picture above is one I came across of an abandoned gas station we wanted to turn into a biodiesel facility. All indications were a "go," but to deal with getting this property rezoned to a retail facility from a residential mixed-use, even though it always was a gas station. I don't understand why the City of Bellingham so diligently discourages conducting business in their city. Personally, I like the abandoned buildings lining Cornwall Avenue anyway with derelict VWs parked in front. (There's another run-down property a block up the street with a '69 Beetle in front.) At any rate, we walked away from the deal for this year, as the permitting process in this town and county makes you want to consider a place like Anacortes.

And back to my personal situation, I am quite content to be back in the stable office world. As much as I lambasted the lifestyle in my past, a regular paycheck, benefits and not working horrible hours is quite welcome too, which is why I really haven't had much desire to be on this computer any more than I need to when in the sanctity of my peaceful home.

Back to the spreadsheet.