Gustav

Unfortunately another hurricane bears down upon The Crescent City. Here is a funny picture I had on my computer from the a few years back. I think the president's on vacation again, but from what I understand, he takes an inordinate amount of time on for vacations. Okay, maybe they're working vacations. Whatever.

But unfortunately the warming oceans will probably be creating more of these hundred-year storms. And considering that the gulf coast is losing significant amounts of land every year to the forces of nature (due to many man-made activities), the gulf parishes, as well as the City of New Orleans, are fighting a losing battle against the elements of nature.

When do we give up the battle against nature for may of the cities in the US prone to flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and wildfires? Oddly enough, Gustav is predicted to come ashore near Houma, a town close to Thibodaux and Raceland near La. SR 1 where we did animal rescue for Katrina three years ago. My heartfelt hopes and wishes go out to the people of LaFourche Parish, who have grown accustomed to struggle and adversity over the centuries.

Cycles

Here is a picture taken a few weeks back high atop Mt. Constitution on Orcas from an old observation tower that was built in the 1930's (I think).

Today was a day of not much getting done, but tiring and tremendous fun. Yard work in the a.m. (chicken coop is almost done), then off on a jaunt down to Alger via Sudden Valley and back up to Bellingham - a bit chilly, as I forgot to put my liner back in my riding jacket. After burning my share of fossil fuels, I jumped on the cruiser for a sunset ride down to Fairhaven and then to some friends' house. Although I love the power and exhilaration of the BMW R60/6, I must say I enjoy the simplicity and freshness of the bicycle.

Fortunately, I do no need to choose between the two; I can have both. I hit one of those spots tonight on my ride (through roads, alleys and bike paths of Bellingham) where I realized that this is about as good as it gets. Even with the lumpy Labor Day tourists.

Canada

A day comprised of a luncheon meeting literally a stones throw into BC. But it still required sitting at the line-up for an hour getting back into the U.S. I can only imagine the traffic at customs when the Olympics come to Vancouver in 2010.

Another crummy day that turned into a beautiful evening. Here is a picture taken in an alley behind the Wild Buffalo on the way back from the video store. Alleys in Bellingham are neat. This is between Commercial and Bay, I believe.

I thought I had more to say, but I guess not. It's a holiday weekend, but doesn't really seem like it. Checking the weather to follow the projected path of Gustav and Hanna, I see that perfect summer weather will return for the ten-day forecast. Hmm, maybe a road bike or motorbike ride is in the works.

West

Here is another picture taken looking west towards the water. The church in the distance is the beautiful Assumption Church. I like churches and should visit it sometime, even though I am not catholic. (Or is it Catholic?)

Today the weather sucked all day - well until around sunset, where we managed to break out for a ride without rain gear to get a movie. Everyone commented on how today the weather was quite fall-like. My morning ride was in the light steady rain that accompanied me to the breakfast meeting, refreshed with fine drizzle on my brow.

We still have a month of beautiful weather (we'd better), so this was a fine reminder of what's in store six weeks out. But I look at the weather on Hanna and Gustav and realize that the Bellingham rain is a wondrous blessing.

South

Yesterday's picture was looking east. This picture is looking south towards the Chuckanuts (I believe). Towards the bottom of this picture (in front of the blue car) is the new food bank where we volunteer pretty much every Wednesday. It's actually some of the most laughs I have during the week, and I can see why some have volunteered there for decades. The ages of the volunteers range from ten to eighty years of age.

A cycling friend once told me "I don't always like bike riding, but I always like having ridden." Today was one such day - a brisk headwind all the way to work, but fortunately only three or four miles. And no rain. The wind held up, and a nice tailwind helped pushed me home.

Not much more happening here in the cloudy city of subdued excitement. My neighbor sarcastically commented to me this morning that "our two weeks of summer are over. " Models of climate change project that the Cascades will get more rain and clouds. God no.

Fall?

Today felt like another fall day. And the evening felt like a winter's day. Actually not that cold...yet. But a day spent (looking back on it) wondering what I did. Mostly work, some errands and later visitors and visiting. But the rains came and I think that I am learning how to read the weather. Thirty percent chance of showers must mean that it pours for thirty percent of the evening. Actually, the rain was beautiful although I was underdressed and overly optimistic regarding the warmth. Oddly enough, I should wear more clothes, but the bay breeze is always so refreshing and brisk - I guess I'd rather feel the breeze than be warm.

Not much more today. A blah day. But the picture was taken a few days ago looking toward my place, which is a block away. In the distance are the foothills to the Cascades. And depending on how good your imagination is, Mount Baker may be in the background (but it's probably just a cloud bank).

Valves

Note the similarities in the markings.

So the valves were adjusted and all the pieces went back together with no leftover parts. My confidence level escalates with every one of the tasks on the motorbike. So we went for a ride later, and she seemed to run great.

So there is a sequence of events in tuning this R60/6. So far I torqued the valve cover bolts (I think that's what they are called), gapped and cleaned the plugs, adjusted the valves, and now to set the points, adjust the timing, and synch the carbs. If I sound like I am mechanically inclined, I do not think that I am. But having the right tools helps.

Oops. Need to take the garbage out. We have one can that gets picked up once a month. So it is an important night not to miss - fourth Tuesday morning of every month; the recycling bins get picked up every week. And it still amazes (and appalls) me how so many parts of the US still eschew recycling. One big trash can. But maybe that's one of the reasons I like Bellingham.

Sunday, Sun(less)day

A day of waffles, reading a hundred pages of Zen/Motorcycle Maintenance and then the journey into the garage to learn how to adjust the valves. Now I should have done this many times in the past on the numerous air-cooled vee dubs that I've owned, but I never learned. So today I tried.

Now I wanted to get to the auto parts store for a feeler gauge (.1, .2 and .7mm), but the rain persisted, and I still am unable to cope with this rain and dreary weather so early. I never made it out of the house until well after five, so tomorrow is another day.

But it is wonderful to feel the heavy the heavy engine parts in your hands and the finesse of tightening things to a certain torque (totally new to me after three decades of tinkering). Of course, the Clymer manual confused me, and the above site made it a bit easier. So I will only get to learn by doing. More tomorrow.

Rewards

In spite of my hapless gardening efforts and its late planting, things are still flourishing. Zucchinis, cukes, spinach and a few types of lettuce will be feeding us for the foreseeable future. This was a good year to get things in line, but next year I will try to double or triple the plantings. But there's nothing like fresh food from your garden, including chives (which seem to be doing well too) on the potatoes. In the back are some hops and kale, and the chicken coop behind that.

Today a day of drying and warming in the sun after meeting a ten a.m. deadline. And the experiencing the joys of home ownership, like cleaning drains and scraping some paint on the weather (west) facing eaves of the house.

And today I started reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance again and oddly enough, one of the couples (John and Sylvia - the ones that don't know how to do anything on their own bikes) ride a BMW R60 - probably a slash five. And I also read about how to adjust valves and torque heads, so that will soon be another fun project.

Sunset

Here is a picture taken tonight. It seemed much brighter than the picture here looks. A fun ride down to Fairhaven for gelato, rent a movie, and a few other stops.

Oops - fell asleep. More later. Supposed to go to Edmonds today to work a famers' market, but I didn't.

Greenways

Bellinghamsters love Greenways. The city has a web of these trails and I still stumble upon new ones still that seem to be hidden within the neighborhoods. Here is a map of all the trails (it's a pretty large file) in the city. (The trail near my place is on page 13.)

But it would be great to my suggestion (among many others, evidently) to bisect this proposed cluster of homes. Although it will only be a block or two long, it is still another greenway in Bellingham. This iteration may never see daylight, as the process still has much opportunity to become a watered down piece of Generica, but I have a high degree of hope. I was quite impressed by the civility of this process - mainly because most people were like minded.

But I see people opposing the high density, increased traffic, etc., but it may be done tastefully with mixed housing and some smaller cottages or bungalows. The neighborhood involvement in Bellingham is pretty interesting. I really like the people I've met in the community here.

Charrette

So today I participated in my civic duty as a Sunnyland resident and offered my input at a Sunnyland Infill Housing Charette. What is a charette? I don't quite know. But you sort of luck out when you find yourself sitting directly across from the conceptual architect and she's actually listening to your ideas. Wow. Imagine if they actually put a greenway through the center of this new mixed-use, high(er) density development between Sunset and Illinois. The second part of this charette is tomorrow evening.

And upon sleeping on the idea of generating sufficient power to run my life, I realized that the task will be somewhat challenging on a budget less than five or ten grand. A hybrid wind/solar system is definitely worth pursuing.

And having a few extra bucks in my pocket, I bought the latest Home Power magazine, and sure enough one of the main articles was on a couple from Bellingham. I've been told that Germany - a country that gets 30% less sunlight than Bellingham (if you can believe that) - generates a substantial portion of electricity through solar power. I hope solar or wind is in my future. Time to sleep.

Rain

Last night it poured and today it drizzled. But it was a good day, and spent seemingly getting nothing done...a lot of waiting it seemed. And it seems the winds has gotten pretty strong over the past few days. Looking at my utility bill, it seems as though a rough average of usage is approximately 18kwh per day, or 750 watts per hour (if my logic is correct). To me this seems high as most of the day is nothing more than the 'fridge and water heater running. But I guess things add up, and then I have the hogs (ie, dryer and electric heat and occasional fan).

Simple windmills can be created for virtually nothing. Here is a neat version I came across tonight called the Chispito. Problem with this is that this generates DC and I will need alternating current to feed into the grid.

These are just my rambling thoughts pouring on to paper, as I hear the strong wind consistently blowing out of the southwest. I am sure you will (or may not) hear more about this as things evolve. I just think its odd that we have all this free energy out there, yet no one wants to offset there costs because of economics. I wonder why we don't take these ROI calculations into consideration on all the useless crap we buy and clutter our lives with?

Office

Here's a picture from where I spent a few hours working today. The Black Drop has some of the best coffee in Bellingham. I change my coffee shops around Bellingham like a nomadic or migratory being. Although it's only a few blocks from the other coffee shops, it seems much further away. Oddly enough, it's been a few years since I last frequented this place. Actually, my coffee shop rotation may be more akin to the rotation of the planets around the sun. The Drop (as I heard one girl yapping on her cell phone - one of the reasons I got turned off here a few years ago when I stopped coming - refer to it as) is on a two-year rotation: intimate and funky and they play good music at a nice volume and the impassioned baristas treat each drink they make as though it is a piece of art. And it is.

Chilly breezes. Clouds. Drizzle. I remember this Bellingham.

Annual

Here's a picture taken with TechniPan 25 ASA - a film that is no longer produced. My housemate took it over on Orcas when she was doing her photo shoot last weekend. Sort of a retro look.

And looking over my posts, it looks like this web log has been going on over a full year. Although I didn't post every day, I only missed ten days or so - writing about my wandering around the Pacific Northwest. A place I have grown to love. I wish everyone shared my sentiments, as I caught wind that a good friend (and wife) are looking to return to the Bay Area; although they love the area, they cannot handle another winter. I've heard many accounts of Californian transplants doing the reverse move after two winters (give or take), but this is the first time it's been a personal friend. Maybe it's not true. We'll see.

But tonight I type as the smells of the bay waft through the window, along with a chilly breeze. The heat is gone, and yikes, fall-like weather (showers or rain) is forecast for the next eight out of ten days.

Hot

A busy day today of gardening - both setting up a community garden down in Fairhaven and the continuing with the garden at home. I am glad to have a small manageable yard, although the t0-do list still never seems to end. But I do find it rewarding and enjoyable to see the yard evolve over the course of the summer.

And tonight we rode over to get ice cream at the Public Market, and again I kicked myself for not bringing a camera. Every summer sunset is spectacular and tonight was no exception. But tonight is the down night after a party last night and one tomorrow night. And working on a resume for my housemate who is applying for a fellowship next winter.

Oh, and on a move of spontaneity, I picked up a new mattress. I don't even want to think the age of the old one. On to Craigslist tonight it went. Or later Bellingham Freecycle or Fourth Corner too. But being quite sore, I look forward to a good night's rest.

Heat

As happens every summer, the temperature rises into the mid-eighties and the heat wave makes the headline news of the Bellingham Herald. Considering I strongly dislike air conditioning, I'll gladly take this conception of heat. One of the other benefits of no air conditioning is being able to sleep with the windows open and hearing the sounds of the gulls flying overhead, or the freight and passenger trains late at night. And since there is not the constant drone of air cooling machines (from my house or neighboring ones) it is surprising very quiet at night. Especially considering the the house is located quite near downtown.

But on the topic of real estate, it's good to see that the market is cooling off even here in Bellingham. On one hand, I heard (from a long-time realtor) that retirees moving here have dropped off significantly. But on the other hand, I heard that the 25-40 year-olds is moving here still in droves - and I read from other sources this is the largest demographic increase. (Year-over-year volume is off approximately 25% while prices are off roughly 5%.) It's good to live in a town that is considered hip and not turning into a retirement community. Not that I have anything against retirees (I've been semi-retired numerous times in my life, but I don't quite understand the blue-collar definition of retirement - and considering that I have slim chance of seeing either a pension or social security, I will probably never be able to retire in the fashion of current and past generations; I will probably do things requiring physical aptitude now and then put my brain to work when all the boomers finally retire and I can make a living wage), but people I know that live in retirement areas complain of their social inwardness and frugal spending habits (eg, order off the early bird menu, and be home by nine) thus creating a less than exciting social environment. Don't get me wrong, many older folks I know are very active in all facets of the community through volunteer efforts and outreach - I'm just repeating what friends have told me that live in these areas.

And I, at forty-two, am no spring chicken myself, but considering that 80% of the residents of Whatcom County make less than $18/hr, it is more of a place to live and enjoy life versus to build a fortune. And that's alright by me.

Off to the coffee shop to do some work.

Warmth

Another picture from high atop Orcas Island taken last Sunday. Today a beautiful day and I thought a bit warmer biking home from a 7am meeting the the current BLI temp says (around noon, as I write) at 74 degrees Fahrenheit.

This glorious day is evolving into a productive one of spreadsheets, budgets and valuations. But I will get out later to hopefully finish the chicken coop and do some gardening. I have a tendency to get sidetracked though, so kite flying at Boulevard Park might be a viable substitute.

One an economic note, the Consumer Price Index continues to jump while consumer spending continues to soften. Considering that over seventy percent of the economy (ie, GDP) is driven by consumer spending, interesting times will lie ahead. Maybe more Americans will realize that out-of-control consumer spending will not cure the dissatisfaction of our existence, in spite of what Madison Avenue tries to tell us. Personally, it's nice to downshift a bit and not have the nuisances of looming worldly goods cluttering every nook and cranny of my existence. And it is surprising to bike past these large homes with two- and three-car garages that are full of crap and cannot even fit a single vehicle. Not only do Americans have historically huge homes, but we still do not have enough room to store this garbage. Fortunately I have very little, and want even less.

Pertaining to this point, a friend earlier this week said "we buy stuff we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like."

Market

A busy night last night. By the time I'd realized it, it was midnight.

More will be written later, but here is a picture from the Farmers' Market - I believe I took it last Saturday. Green beans and leafy greens are in abundance right now, and I am getting a tad bit tired of eating them. But I am lucky to have such fresh produce grown at my doorstep.

I am amazed how people do not care where their food comes from. Spend hours researching the latest iPod, but don't question the practices applied to solids and liquids that you put in your body. And I increasingly read how chemicals long ago banned in the U.S. are abundantly applied to much of the produce in lesser developed countries that we import back into the U.S. Not surprisingly, the amount of these pesticides we ingest is significantly higher in the winter months when more of this food is imported from third-world counties. That's the benefit of globalization, I guess: Blueberries in January at any cost - to us and our children.

Airhead

Here is a picture of Bellingham taken from high atop Mount Constitution on Orcas Island. The big chunk of land in the center is Lummi Island, while the thin strip is the Lummi Nation, which is part of the mainland the curves around to encompass Bellingham Bay. I've read there are upwards of 175 islands in the San Juans - depending upon how you count them.

Island life must have been quite cool in the 70's and 80's. It was only in the recent decades that it become a tourist destination, and more recently a place for wealthy retirees (in general, not the most exciting or outgoing people). There are still many holdouts from the bygone era, including the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead. I will need to venture over there for a class some time (there is an introductory class this weekend that I do not think I will be able to attend), as they are so informative and the farm is supposedly wonderful.

But tonight was a continuation of the motorbike weekend, where a bunch of airhead owners (the R60/6 is considered an airhead - an older air-cooled BMW that is known for simplicity and reliability). It's like a half of a Volkswagen engine, and so far I've been able to do the work on it that it requires. But a bunch of airhead owners got together for a picnic over in the Lettered Streets neighborhood. From what I gather, my little motorbike is in pretty nice shape.

Orcas Island

It rained all night. It rained this morning. But we still rolled the dice and went to Orcas Island anyway. It turned out that we had very little rain and the afternoon actually turned out to somewhat warm. I am glad the my housemate persuaded me to go - it was very enjoyable.

But tonight I am tired and after riding 130 miles or so on the BMW motorbike. It did run quite well, although I think it will always be a work in progress tuning it, like adjusting the carburetors. Below is a video my housemate shot of me coming down off Mt. Constitution (where the picture to the right was taken). Although the elevation was only 2,500 feet, it offered a wonderful view of many of the islands and mainland and the peninsula. I am sure you will see many more of these.

The evening ride home was wonderful watching the sun set in a fiery red over the San Juans while cruising along the flats of Padilla Bay on the smooth running 33-year-old BMW. Once in a while I feel like the luckiest person alive. Driving north back to Bellingham on this farm-to-market road tonight with the smells of the bay and farms and spectacular crimson twilight was one such time.

Orcas

Today was a wet day and chilly. A day to get ready to take the motorbike over to Orcas (pronounced OR-kuss) Island. This is only a hundred mile round trip, but will be the longest trip I've taken so far on the BMW. We hope to catch the 10am ferry and return sometime in the afternoon or evening. My housemate wants to take pictures for a project she's doing, so we will be toting her photography gear in the saddlebags.

So today I got the bike ready for the road and adjusted the carbs, ran out of fuel (and learned how to use the reserve tank), and changed the plugs. (I also passed a mechanical milestone in my life by buying my first torque wrench.) I doubt there will be problems, so we'll see. Initially I was apprehensive about the trip, but now I am getting excited. I guess you need to start somewhere, and a trip like this is a good shakedown. I am sure you will hear more soon, along with more pictures.

Friday

Long day. But sometimes when the sun is falling, it cast its warm light into the living room. This is the mantle that has been sprouting pieces of glasswork over the last few months. (And the iron fist to the left.) And the rest of the house too.

Meetings at the Lummi Nation today, Mt. Vernon and then friends dropping by. Busy, but fun. And tomorrow getting the BMW ready for a motorbike trip to Orcas Island to take some pictures. More on that later. Time to sleep.

Ugly

I hate to judge others, but I find this house to be the ugliest one I've come across in Bellingham. It's nestled among cute (and some not so cute) turn-of-the century bungalows over in the Columbia neighborhood of Bellingham on Eldridge. I wanted to get a picture of this place many times, and last night I finally had the camera with me. I think this person places much more value in the vehicles in his or her life versus the neighbors and aesthetics. And although it has a nice view of the water, all the neighbors and passers-by get to look at the front yard parking lot. It may very well be an mechanic or garage after all. I wonder if he works on VW's?

But these are the days in Bellingham where the weather doesn't get much better. I was actually riding yesterday on the new bike lane on Cornwall and saw me and three other cyclists riding up the road and only three cars. This was a wondrous sight - more bikes than cars on the road. Bikes and bike lanes are a chicken-and-egg situation: Do the bike lanes precipitate more bikers? Or are increased cyclists be the precursor of the bike lanes? Either way, it is music to my ears.

Peaked

We live in interesting times. There is plenty of news discussing that we are living in a world of finite resources - oil included - and yet the mainstream media rarely talks about the scarcity of things like oil and water. Why do they interview economists and analysts instead of geologists (that are not funded by the oil industry)?

Tonight I attended a meeting with the City of Bellingham Peak Oil Task Force. I am not part of the official group, but attended anyway, as there will be splinter groups forming from this. We actual had a video conference with some city officials from Portland, a forward-thinking city that is making strides in the inevitable decline in the resource on which we base most of our existence. Whether two or fifty years out, oil will peak and could potentially wreak havoc in the world. Actually, the price spike is already creating severe problems in many places around the globe. It's nice to be in the second city in the US that is addressing the serious repercussions in our society and its economic and living models based upon this hypothetically infinite resource.

But call me an alarmist, but it's one reason I conduct the outreach in the community with the gardening. It's great to meet like-minded people, and even better to establish this network of friends to learn valuable gardening skills. Oh, and it's fun too.

And I increasingly like to know where my food is grown. It's great to get cheap food from faraway places, but I been reading how many of the horribly dangerous chemicals we banned in the U.S. decades ago are being applied to produce in foreign lands and then imported into this country. At one time corporate social responsibility meant something. But that's so last century. Why do people spend hours and hours researching the latest high-tech gadgets, but don't even care about the food the put in their bodies? Strange world.

Warmth

Today was the first time this year in Bellingham that I can say I was warmed to the bone. A beautiful day in the high seventies with nary a cloud in the sky. On a spontaneous move, I got my road bike out and went for a twenty-five (or so) mile ride down along Lake Padden and back through Lake Samish. The picture to the left is Lake Padden, although I did not take it. It is a great park complete with a dog park (where Magilla goes on occasion). But now it's back to the grind for a few more hours of work. Taking an hour or two out of your afternoon to go on a bike ride makes the late nights in front of the computer entirely worth it. I am lucky to have this flexibility, even though it does have its drawbacks.

One thing that did appall me was when I was passed by a Boxster and the occupants tossed some trash out of their convertible while driving past Lake Padden. I was shocked at the ignorance of those people still wantonly littering, but I guess even white trash can drive Porsches. (It was probably leased and they're probably up to their ears in home equity debt anyway.) I felt like the crying Indian from the seventies, and as I write this, I shake my head in dismay. Why do people come to a beautiful place to (literally) trash it?

But they'll probably go back to their condo or gated community, and I to my humble coal miner's home in Sunnyland. Fortunately, I only have to deal with those self-absorbed jackasses on a very limited basis.

Sorry about the rant. But when this is the greatest of my perturbments, I guess life is pretty good.

Sniffle

On the advice of my housemate's mom, I picked up some Zicam swabs at the local Rite Aid, a store that has its roots in Scranton - the town where I was born. Then to K-mart on my semi-annual pilgrimage. K-mart is where I began my illustrious corporate career working as a cashier back in the early eighties. Today was a day of nostalgic reminiscence. I wonder why K-marts all smell the same way, and have smelled that way as long as I can recall?

Not much more to say. A day of sun. Mondays are not so bad when it's sunny and summertime in Bellingham. And the next two days will be in the low eighties, so maybe I will take this opportunity to warm up and dry out. This may be the only chance for me to get warm this year.

The picture above is of the feed and garden store on Railroad Ave looking north. This is where we get the dog food and other pet and garden stuff.

Heralded

I sit here with a slice of garlic under my tongue. (My housemante told me it is good for colds.) Is it a cold or allergies? I haven't had allergies this bad since I moved to the West Coast. Come to think of it, I haven't been that sick either. So which is it? For now the garlic stays. And I took some Emergen-c. I dread going to the doctor, but I guess it's time to put some cash in the coffers of the ailing Big Pharma (yeah right). But naturopathy is big here and I would prefer someone along those lines, and my health care plan covers it also.

But I made the local paper again today. Pretty neat. I am excited to be part of this movement in a hip town. I hope I didn't come across too negative, but the reporter seemed to do a fine job on the reporting. (I'm the one in the article with the 1975 BMW.)

Today was working at friend's while working on a business plan. Then to see a movie, which was most entertaining. Another busy week lies ahead. Oh, and the picture was taken yesterday from Railroad Avenue downtown.

Staurday

A good Saturday of relaxing and helping my housemate at the Farmers' Market where she works a stand. I went over there for coffee and to let her take a break for a few minutes. And to pick up some fresh garlic. Lots of leafy veggies are in season now. This picture was taken this morning, just as the clouds were burning off.

Her mom came to visit, so it is noce to have another guest. And more a friend is coming out in September too. It's nice to have visitors.

On another note, an interesting wave of evidence continues to surface showing the potential danger from cell phones emitting RF frequencies so close to the brain. Why is this not surprising? I personally think we will eventually see long-term effects from this, as the only significant evidence refuting this harmful claim is from the industry-funded studies. Imagine that.

Fortunately I do not use my phone much, a basic Nokia 2610, although I do need to use the headset more. Also, it fortunately gives off lower radiation levels (.56 W/kg) relative to its peers. I only imagine the myriad radio, television, wifi, microwave, cell phone, EMF and other waves enveloping us as we live in this industrialized world.

Friday

Today was a trip to Everett for a meeting and then home to have another work meeting at my place. I always viewed Everett unfavorably, since all I ever experienced there (via I-5) was congestion and construction and malls. But today I had a meeting downtown and the city has a cool vibe to it. And so does Zippy's Coffee House. Any place named after a dog is alright by me.

Tonight back in Bellingham is a relief. Writing early. Relaxing. But I will need to go do some work on a bike for someone. (I participate in an alternative currency here, and bike repair is my trade.) Most bike just need some cleaning and adjusting and surprisingly, they - especially the older ones - fare quite well.

Oh, and I didn't take the picture, but after looking at the description of it, it's actually the intersection of Everett Street (sb) at Depot Street somewhere in North Carolina. Funny how some parts of this country really are not too different from others. I could change it, but I'll hit the 'Publish Post' instead.