A week from tomorrow the WA State Liquor Control Board will issue the first licenses to retail stores selling marijuana. Those stores with their act together will be able open on July 8. I expect the media to respond similarly to the January openings in Colorado: lame jokes, shots of long lines outside of stores, and reports of product shortages. Hopefully, the fluff stuff will die down fairly quickly (the stories have been done before) and...
I replaced the winch on my boat trailer the other day, a job made much easier having the auto/machine shop here in the park. No idea where the tools are stored, but I'll learn, I'm sure. Of course, with so many hands into the tools, stuff floats around a lot. Took me a while to find a 1/2 drive deep 12-point 9/16 socket, for instance. But it was there. Likewise the wood shop, which is very impressively equipped. And no matter what you are doing,...
I spent yesterday's "work day" helping trim tree limbs, a never-ending job at this park. So we started by trimming the lower branches over my new boat parking place in the storage yard. Today I moved it over from the nearby commercial storage and put it away, so it's easier to work on now, and I don't pay a storage fee. First priority is the trailer, and I've now got the parts in hand. I made a decision not to let this thing run my life, so...
I was driving down the road to Port Townsend when a fire truck with lights and siren came towards me. As is done here, everyone pulled off to the side and stopped. As the firetruck approached, a fawn dashed out of the undergrowth and was hit by the firetruck, which kept going. The fawn's rear legs were broken and we sat in horror watching the poor thing try to crawl off the highway. Several people were on their cellphones, I presume calling for...
A farmer here in Chimacum is making waves about a marijuana growing operation next door to her place, without notifying her. No license to grow has been issued to anyone in the Beaver Valley where she lives, and as is custom throughout the country notification to neighbor farmers is not needed. She's pissed because the county officials refuse to talk to her , complains of the water use , is concerned by the "waste" output , worries about the...
Thursday mornings are work days here. It's volunteer, and I've been otherwise occupied until now. I got assigned to tearing down a shed, and had a great time. I hate the sheds at this place. They're ugly and take up far too much space. My shed, though, is coming in quite handy, looks great, and is wonderful. For a while it was allowed to add to your shed, something like a lean-to or carport. Those have proven to not be very good and we're...
As my name rose quickly to the top of the waiting list here at Chimacum, I knew that something dramatic was happening. That something was a big increase in the annual fees, due to some major septic tank failures and rumored mishandling of the situation. As a rule, I ignore rumors around here, and I regard absolutely all information as rumor until it's on paper, but I set aside twice the expected fee until I got the right number. The bill I got...
I needed to repair a teak railing for my boat and lacked a good wood glue and clamps. So I went down to the shops and looked around. There are three shops: auto/mechanic, wood, and landscaping. Any tool of any kind you saw in high school shops (do they do that anymore?) is there, help yourself. Nice. I found some glue and clamps and got my railing fixed in no time. After an excellent week of sun and warm, unsettled air moved in today, likely...
A few years ago I was confused when there was a steampunk gathering in PT. I'll leave it to you to google steampunk so I don't have to try to explain it. I can't anyway. The first gathering was tiny, just a few individuals. This weekend is bringing out quite a crowd, with several venues for activities. The odd thing is why Port Townsend? It has a literary angle, think Jules Verne, so maybe that's it. The colors are brass and bronze and brown,...
Colorado's retail business is slowly growing, though not as fast as advocates predicted. They have a thriving "gray market" which has to be dismantled eventually, which makes it impossible to tell the extant the retail sales are biting into the black market. One problem being exposed in Colorado is the lack of quality, consistency, and consumer awareness when it comes to edibles. Magic brownies if you will. In alcohol terms, you drink a glass of...
My traveling friends have made good progress to Alaska in their motorhomes and trailers. Meanwhile, it's time for those with boats to do the same, and they are coming through the area right now. Most obvious are the super-yachts, mindlessly large vessels owned by the richest human beings on the planet. How large? In RV terms I "measured" one today at 12 motorhomes. That's how many would fit into it. Only one or two of those will fit in Port...
70's and sunny, and that's the outlook for the next week at least. Very unusual around here this time of year. I took the boat to the nearby storage place today because I'm on the waiting list for storage here in the park, and I'm tired of working on it right now. I know what needs to be done, I just don't feel like doing it right now. Getting accustomed to my new community is an interesting process. Chimacum is thick with politics, in-fighting,...