Month: February 2018

Happy Valentine’s Day!

If you’ve been out and about lately it’s hard to miss: Valentine’s Day. Safeway was all decked out and ready to go yesterday. Kristi, the floral manager, has outdone herself. She’s got your sweetie covered if you’re looking for a little something.

If flowers don’t do it, there are balloons and more balloons. And candy. And even little stuffed animals.

And if romance is not in the picture, head over to the produce department. Buy yourself an apple and congratulate yourself that you’re not overdoing it on chocolate.

The new bridge

One of our main thoroughfares, Old Olympic Highway, has been closed to traffic for months. An old, narrow bridge over a creek was removed, the roadway was widened, and a new bridge is going in. Those of us who regularly use Old Olympic have to reroute, impatiently awaiting completion of the work.

After rain delays the first cement pour of the new bridge went in last week. There’s clearly work to be done but there’s talk of completion next month. It’s looking good.

Rest in peace, Sunnfjord

I posted photos of the fishing vessel Sunnfjord twice last summer. I happened upon her in the boatyard in Port Townsend as she was getting spruced up. I posted the above shot in August.

This is how she looked last June.

Our local Peninsula Daily News reported early this month that Sunnfjord sank on January 31st in the Pacific Ocean, off Cape Alava. She was reported taking on water. Her very lucky crew of five fishermen were rescued by the Coast Guard.

The rescue effort sounded dramatic as three good Samaritan vessels, two Coast Guard cutters, two Coast Guard Motor Life Boat crews, and a Coast Guard MH-65 dolphin helicopter stood by while the Sunnfjord crew attempted to dewater using pumps provided by the Coast Guard. In the end Sunnfjord lost its main engine, water continued to rise, and the crew had to abandon ship. Sunnfjord sank in an estimated 300 feet of water.

Ships and boats sink for myriad of reasons. We don’t always get to know the story and welcome the mariners back to land.

Two white goats

There is a pair of beautiful goats living in an enclosure on the way to Sunny Farms Market. I’ve planned for months to get a picture of them; last week they were sweetly posed, perched on a pair of boxes. I pulled the car over. As I headed toward them so did a woman walking down the street with a handful of grasses she’d picked just for them. They saw her coming. There went the pose.

One of them gave me a consolation profile and told me to try again another time. Will do.