Pentimento

Music From A Butchered Tree

Thieves Cut Down Maples In Search Of Rare Wood

The chain saw noise at 3 AM gave it all away....

I don't even know how to express my disgust at this act of butchery by two grown men. Greed and total disregard for nature, and the result is not only the loss of the trees, but the ecosystem has been impacted as well. No doubt, the court will slap them on the wrist and let them off with just a fine and jail time served. Too bad they outlawed the stocks and pillories. I'd be all for that!

Somewhere, an "Ent" is crying... 

Read the article, and if you can, plant a tree in remembrance. And, listen for chain saws in the middle of the night.

Medal of Honor - Major Bruce P. Crandall

Please read the brief profile I have included and then click on the link to read the whole story about our local Medal of Honor recipient. I am honored to have a man like this in my community. Thanks very much Major Crandall.

Link: Medal of Honor - Major Bruce P. Crandall.

Major Bruce P. Crandall

A Company, 1, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

MAJ Bruce P. Crandall will receive the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony February 26, 2007 for his heroic actions in the Battle of Ia Drang.

Spouse: Arlene Crandall of Kent, Washington
Children: R. Donovan; Steven; Michael
Hometown: Olympia, WA
Education: BA University of Nebraska, 1969; MPA Golden Gate
University, 1977

Drafted: U.S. Army, 1953
Commissioned: Engineer Officer Candidate School, Ft. Belvoir, VA, 1954
Deployments: Dominican Republic Expeditionary Force; two tours of Vietnam

Aircraft: U-1 Otter fixed wing; L-20 Beaver fixed wing; L-19 Birddog fixed wing; H-23 Raven "couldn't get off the ground on a hot day"; H-13; H-19; UH-1 Huey "best helicopter ever built"

Biography: LTC (Ret.) Crandall is a veteran Master Army Aviator in both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. He led over 900 combat missions during two tours in Vietnam.

Luncheon With A Friend

We have a charming little Victorian-type gift shop here in Port Orchard called Springhouse Dolls and Gifts, which also boasts a pleasant tea room called the Victorian Rose. Breakfast and lunch are served each day and it is a special place for ladies to meet for a celebration, or just a cup of tea and a scone.

Debbie Macomber and her daughter Jody Buckley

Fairly recently, one of the patrons fell in love with the place, and decided to buy it. Debbie Macomber is that owner, and her daughter Jody runs the shop for her mother because of Debbie's busy writing schedule. You may not be familiar with Debbie, but she is the author of hundreds of books, such as the Cedar Cove, WA series, a fictitious town not too dissimilar to Port Orchard. You can find a list of her other books on her website.

My neighbor Debbie (not to be confused with the author) and I had lunch at the Victorian Rose last week and it was her first visit to the establishment. I think she was surprised that such a nice little place had been essentially off her radar until recently. We got there about eleven in the morning and there were just a few people in the shop. Jody welcomed us as we came in the door, and when my friend Debbie was admiring one of the filmy shawls for sale on the entry table, she came over and explained its uses and who was wearing them these days.

Both of us were starving, so after a bit of looking around, we made our way towards the dining area and one of the waitresses escorted us to our table. It was a gorgeous sunny day and even though the waitress was going to seat us at a table in the direct sun, we opted for one just adjacent so that we didn't end up squinting at each other through our whole meal. Our waitress brought our tea and coffee and we were left to chat for the rest of the time there, only being interrupted when our food arrived.

We laughed about how snooty the waitress seemed to be, and chatted about the other patrons, and how nice it was to see a bus from one of the nursing homes in the parking lot. It was our guess that there was a special luncheon going on in the upstairs area for the nursing home patrons. The dining room began to fill with even more people as noon approached and the aroma of good food filled the air. Gently clattering cups and tinkling spoons mingled with the sounds of friends sharing a pleasing meal. It isn't just ladies in the tea room either. Men are welcomed, and in obvious attendance.

I did have to laugh at one point during our lunch, when Debbie said something to me about leaning my forearms on the table. At first, I was just surprised that she should say anything, but she told me she brought up table manners because when she was first married and her husband took her home to meet his family, she had almost made the terrible blunder of eating before the hostess took a bite. She went on to tell me that her future mother in law was one to hold forth for long periods of time, including when it was time to eat, and Debbie's (now) husband had elbowed her to keep her from taking that first bite. By the way, I explained that I do know the proper etiquette (left hand in lap, no elbows on the table, etc.) but that in order to keep my back and neck from hurting too much I have to at least lean my arms against the table for balance.

If you should ever get to Port Orchard, Washington, you might want to visit this Victorian gem and have a tasty lunch in the charming little tea room. Bring a friend and explore the shop before heading to the downtown area of Port Orchard to peruse the antique stores.

Springhouse Dolls & Gifts
1130 Bethel Avenue
Port Orchard, WA 98366

A taste of Victoriana in the middle of Port Orchard, Washington. It consists of a restaurant and gift shop all in a pink Victorian house.

Information about Dolls - dolls@springhousegifts.com
Information about Collectibles - collect@springhousegifts.com
Information about The Victorian Rose Tea Room - info@victorianrosetearoom.com

Or you can contact us with the following phone numbers:
Information on Tea Room - (360) 876-5695
Information on Springhouse - (360) 876-0529

Port Orchard, WA: The Little Town That Couldn't

Some people call Port Orchard, WA a "diamond in the rough". Personally, I think it is a town that is dying a slow death at the hands of the old geezers on the city council that can't see beyond the end of their noses. One of them is Robert Geiger. A nice enough fellow who happens to own the Geiger Rexall Drug Store on Bay Street.

The address is misleading though, since Geiger's store sits at the end of town and is not attached to the core downtown area, at least in my mind. And this week, Geiger added another death blow to any hope of making Port Orchard a destination by voting to keep that ugly eyesore, the much debated marquee that lines both sides of the street. We are talking about basically a two block area on both sides, where there could be shops with enticing storefronts and attractive signage. But instead, there is this covered walkway that acts as a deterrent instead. Yes, covered walkways are great, but the whole thing is rickety and shabby looking, not to mention dark.

It seems though that Mr. Geiger might have gotten himself in hot water just a wee bit though, since some of his fellow council members think that since he is a business owner in Port Orchard that he should have recused himself from voting. You will get a resounding "Yessiree Bob" from me on that! It remains to be seen if this will bring him to his senses, or if things will remain the same in Port Orchard. I suspect the latter.

So many Kitsap county residents would love to have a quaint little downtown to take our out-of-town guests to visit, much like Poulsbo used to be. I would love to see a nice tea and coffee shop on a larger scale than the Mariner's Mug used to have; A friendly book store where you could browse the latest novels and chat with friends would be welcome too. There is a Candy Shoppe in downtown Port Orchard, but if you get my gist, the stores that are there are great, but it has always been a problem to keep the good ones and to have enough of them to draw people in.

One of my friends that has since moved out of the state has suggested that they just level the whole downtown as it is right now and make it a parking lot. Then, develop the next street up instead where the current rebuilt Sidney Building is now sited. Yes, that does create a problem for those who can't climb hills, but I bet it wouldn't stop the majority of people. I mean, don't they climb hills to shop in downtown Seattle? This is not my first choice of how to rectify the situation, but it is something to consider.

One thought I will leave you with: It isn't quite so insane to suggest making the current downtown Port Orchard a parking lot. Why? Because most of those buildings are built right over the waterfront, and I know for a fact that during high tide* the water comes right up inside of the ones closest to the marina! Now imagine in 20-30 years if the planet continues to warm where will Port Orchard be then? And, are you aware that the sun has begun a new cycle? I don't think I will be buying waterfront property anywhere in the next 11 years. Unless the waterfront comes to me.

Addendum: I would like to add that Robert Geiger does own the downtown theater, and in doing so, had that reason as well to recuse himself from voting on the marquee, since it would have personally impacted him financially.

Greed Rears It’s Ugly Head in Kitsap County, WA

The Track-supporters are giddy with anticipation. The newspaper has sent reporter Steve Gardener on a road trip to seek out the opinions of residents who live near the NASCAR track in Fontana, CA. But to those of us who have already made up our minds about the track (we don’t need it here), it is just another go-round of silly things the people in this county will do for the almighty dollar.

I am not against progress, or even improving a community, but this latest pipe dream of having a NASCAR track in Kitsap county is ludicrous. Why? First and foremost, it is just another waste of money that could be spent more wisely. Second, we have enough noise and pollution in our lives, why would we want to sign on for more? What is it about “NO” that those in charge of this county don’t understand? We are going to barely get by with the new part of the Tacoma Narrows bridge handling the cars we already have, but this ridiculous idea of adding thousands more to the mix on race days will be more than it can handle, believe me.

You can liken the pro-track supporters to small children looking in the windows of the toy store at the big train set and exclaiming, “I want that!!” while their parents (us) scratch their heads and wonder where in the heck would they put such a monstrosity? The kids just “want”, they don’t care how it would affect anyone else.

Barring the noise, traffic, extra people and possibly more crime, what about the health of those of us who live here? We already know that asthma is on the increase in the United States. Do you think that adding all of the pollution from fumes, lead and the like is something we want here in Kitsap County? It will never be a sleepy little rural area ever again, but let’s not race into something that could have long-term detrimental consequences. My questions are:

 Will it increase the amount that we pay over time for health insurance, when as it is we already pay outrageous sums?

 Will our car insurance rates rise too if the racing mentality permeates our local society and we have more accidents because of it? Don’t we already have enough kids street racing?

 Will our taxes go even higher to pay for road upkeep and someone to clean up the inevitable litter tourists will spew out of their cars?

 I am afraid that IQ’s are going to lower too. Not because of the pollution, but because it seems they already have. At least in the people who want this stupid racetrack.

If you truly want economic prosperity in Kitsap county, court some industries that will not make us poorer or more sick. Maybe this list will give you some ideas.

Next in the barrel: Port Orchard, Washington: The Little Town that Couldn't