Fooled

So the whole rain thing may have been overblown, as today was generally beautiful. I think the weather people generally exaggerate the overly cloudy weather to keep the Californians at bay. But it is predicted to be rainy and cloudy for the foreseeable future.

But depending upon who you ask, the housing market is still strong here. And this really sucks, as more land is being stripped of 150 year-old firs and cedars to accommodate new retired couples needing 4,000 square-foot homes that want as much sun as possible in an otherwise gloomy climate. (Demographically, retirees are still moving here - they're the only ones that can afford live here, as there are few decent-paying jobs, especially considering the lack of affordable housing.) While sailing, you can see the newer trophy homes climbing the Chuckanuts like a painful, contagious rash. It's really too bad, but California and Seattle are basically trashed and overbuilt, so people are moving into Bellingham and transforming it into the congested, car-dominant areas they left behind. And I won't even start on the gated communities. But I guess that's progress.

Fortunately, my neighborhood (Sunnyland) has smaller homes that are a bit worn. The Bed, Bath & Beyond crowd is moving into the newer snout houses in the homogenized zones out where they never need to leave the safety of their vehicles and automatic garage door openers prevail.

Geeze, I really had a good day. I don't know what brought that on. Maybe it was this article in The Herald. I will try to remain more positive. It was indeed a wonderful evening...meeting a friend for coffee after work around eight.

At any rate, the picture was taken last week in the rain forest on the peninsula.