Anacortes coin hits Seattle news

This community's "Anacortes coin" drew the attention of Seattle's King5 television station recently, resulting in the kind of holiday shopping exposure most local merchants can only dream about. A great promotion, and a great "lead" (opening) by reporter Rob Piercy! See video clip (look for local stars including Heather Miller, Anne Smith, Ria and Robin Kilburn) at http://www.king5.com/news/consumer/Merchants-find-way-to-keep-customers-in-Anacortes-NEW-73091537.html

PBY returns to Whidbey

Son-in-law Brian Tyhuis shot this video while I captured "stills" of the September 18, 2009 return of a PBY Catalina aircraft to Oak Harbor. The U.S. Navy flew such patrol aircraft out of NAS Whidbey in Oak Harbor during World War II. According to James Vannice (USN, retired), the amphibious aircraft played a critical role in the South Pacific and in turning the tide in the Battle of Midway. In a 2006 article Vannice said PBY crews "flew endless missions to the Aleutians, hunting for enemy ships and submarines." Like many PBY's, this aircraft was converted to use as a fire suppression plane. The crew flew in and out of the Seaplane Base near downtown Oak Harbor.

Whidbey Scenic Isle Way

A new sign went up this week at the edge of Pass Lake on Highway 20, on the Fidalgo Island side of Deception Pass State Park. Fellow photographer/blogger Ryan Mahoney reports that there is also a sign on the road to the Port Townsend ferry in Coupeville. A great tourism marketing idea. I'm thinking we need a Fidalgo Scenic Isle Way sign on the Whidbey side of the park! Check out the details at http://www.whidbeycamanoislands.com/parks_scenery/byway/g>

Note to U.S. senators

In regard to the tentative plan for a Saturday night Senate vote on health care legislation I respectively submit: Too much (too expen$ive), too fast (have you REALLY read this bill and answered to your satisfaction any questions you might have?). P.S. Please pass this note on to your peers on the House side of Congress.

Downtown arch retrospective

It seems like only yesterday that I was grabbing my camera for a July 4 photo op at the "new" arch erected on Commercial Avenue to welcome guests to downtown Anacortes (note copper columns, shining in the sun BEFORE the elements toned them down). Last weekend the arch was "completed" with a "Thank You" panel on the north side of the arch. The panel, with an estimated cost of $10,000, was made possible by a donation from an anonymous source. A generous community.

Wise Abe

We have all heard of President Abraham Lincoln's "Honest Abe" moniker, but I have read several quotes recently to remind me he was a wise man as well. The following observations are timeless: "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”

Web cam at Ship Harbor

Watch regularly-refreshed web cam images of the terminal at Ship Harbor in Anacortes, thanks to the Washington State Ferries (WSF) division of the state Department of Transportation:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/cameras/index.cfm

Underground weather forecast

Interested in weather? Get the LOCAL news about currrent weather conditions as well as an "underground" forecast from the following link, provided courtesy of Vince Streano and friends: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=98221

Veterans Day tribute

Anacortes resident Scott Thomson, pictured above, spent the early morning hours of Veterans Day 2009 composing the following tribute:
I'm just a regular guy livin' here in the Northwest
Leadin' a pretty regular life, trying to do my best
I'm just a regular guy trying to express
What's goin' on inside my heart
I'll let my song say the rest
I've been thinkin' about this special day
We honor those who have served
Given a big part of themselves so we could rest assured
That this country we live in
Is still free and the home of the brave
I want to thank every one of you, today is Veterans Day
Some of you served on the front lines, some never fired a shot
Some of you went willingly, some of you did not
None of that really matters to me, I said it from the start
I want to thank every one of you, from the bottom of my heart
I've been thinkin' about this special day
We honor those who have served
Who've given a big part of themselves so that we could rest assured
That this country that we live in
Is still free and the home of the brave
I want to thank every one of you, today is Veterans Day
To those who served on the home front, and to those who traveled abroad
To those who served just a short time, and to those who served so long
And especially to the families of those who never made it back
Thank you, every one of you, today is Veterans Day
There's one last thing I would like to say
Every day should be Veterans Day
By Scott Thomson
November 2009
Scott presented his tribute at Causland Memorial Park in downtown Anacortes.

Booshoot draws Martha's attention

Jackie Heinricher of Lake Campbell recently drew national attention as the winner of a small business award from Martha Stewart. Heinricher launched a business called "Booshoot" in 1998. In 2004, she and Booshoot senior scientist Randy Burr, “cracked the code” on bamboo tissue culture, enabling Booshoot to supply wholesalers with more than one million plants annually along with already established horticultural offerings. Her accomplishments led to recognition in Stewart's 2009 “Dreamers Into Doers” program. See Booshoot's web site (created by How It Works of Anacortes) at http://www.booshootgardens.com/. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia will award Heinricher with $10,000 to continue pursuing her dream. See video clip at http://www.marthastewart.com/article/clip-of-the-day-dreamers-into-doers-winner-jackie-heinricher

Recalling the Wall

International news on November 9 recalled the anniversary of the "fall" of the Berlin Wall. The names Gorbachev and Reagan come to mind, as does the fact that the wall was "pushed" into that pages of history. "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" His State Department officials were opposed to his words, but it is obvious President Reagan's timing was perfect. Two years after his Berlin Wall speech, the wall was toppled. Shortly thereafter, the Soviet Union broke into nationalist pieces. I was surprised earlier this year on a visit to an aviation museum (Evergreen) in McMinnville, Oregon, to find this small section of the wall on display. It's awesome to know Berlin is now open ... but Mr. Putin is no Gorbachev. Will he soon be "president for life?" If you like aircraft and space exploration, check out this site: http://www.sprucegoose.org/

Train blast from the past

This photograph from my archives captured a moment during an early Eighties "experiment" that placed Tommy Thompson's narrow gauge train on Commercial Avenue. Thompson (center, in conductor's hat) dreamed of a railroad route leading from downtown Anacortes (the historic Depot) to the state ferry terminal. Ultimately Thompson's dreams were not realized, and the train was moved out of the area, but traces of the narrow gauge line still remain between the waterfront and Commercial Avenue.

Up and away

This brief video clip represents an experiment on my part following a recent adventure on the shoreline of Fidalgo Bay. Noise in the background is traffic on nearby Highway 20. Next step is to successfully eliminate unwanted tree frames at tail end of video. Fun to learn on the fly (no pun intended).