LIVING on the peninsula
SUMMER 2018
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summer 2018
Table of Contents
13
17
26
30
06 | peninsula events calendar
Check out what’s happening on the Peninsula during June, July and August
07 | arts, culture and entertainment
Art Jam 2018 aims to bring local artists and the community together in a relaxing atmosphere
10 | outdoor recreation
Our summertime roundup will give you plenty of ideas for the warmer days on the Peninsula
12 | a pinch of peninsula
A family’s recipe for homemade strawberry sorbet is the perfect summertime treat
13 | in the chips
Forks middle and high schools heated by woody biomass burner, the first in Washington
17 | building their future
Peninsula College composite students learn to design and construct at CRTC
20 | electrify your summer road trip
Electric vehicles are amping up all over the Olympic Peninsula — with major benefits
22 | what is WWOOFing?
For those seeking agricultural work, online technology provides a global path to farms
26 | students blossoming out of STEM
School districts are empowering their students with skills they need for their future careers
30 | the daytripper
Spend a day out on Sequim Bay, followed by some much-needed marina downtime
ON THE COVER Sequim High School Robotics student Liam Byrne works on a component of a robotic chassis. He is assisted by, from left, Brenton Barnes, Riley Scott and Riley Chase. Photo courtesy of Patsene Dashiell
LIVING ON THE PENINSULA Vol. 14, No. 2
Produced and published by PENINSULA DAILY NEWS and SEQUIM GAZETTE Advertising Department 305 W. First St., Port Angeles, WA 98362 • 360-452-2345 • peninsuladailynews.com 147 W. Washington St., Sequim, WA 98382 • 360-683-3311 • sequimgazette.com Terry R. Ward, vice president | Steve Perry, general manager Editorial & Production: Brenda Hanrahan & Laura Lofgren, special sections editors Advertising Sales: 360-683-3311 • 360-452-2345 ©2018 Peninsula Daily News | ©2018 Sequim Gazette
33 | the living end
Technological advancements weave a web of spiritual connectivity between us all Summer 2018 Living on the Peninsula
5
CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE, JULY, AUGUST 2018
JUNE
FORKS/WEST END • Every Wednesday through Sept. 5 (closed July 4): Forks Logging and Mill Tours, 8:45 a.m. to noon, Forks Visitor Information Center. • June 15-17: Raincon, various times, Rainforest Arts Center. • June 23-24: West End Thunder Drag Races, 8:30 a.m. gates open, Forks Municipal Airport. • June 30-July 8: Forks Old Fashioned Fourth of July, downtown, schedule of events TBA. PORT ANGELES • June 23: Petals and Pathways Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., various locations. • June 27: Concerts on the Pier with Sweet and Justice, City Pier, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. SEQUIM • Morning Bird Walks, Wednesdays throughout the year, Dungeness River Audubon Center in Railroad Bridge Park, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. • First Friday Art Walks, every month, art venues throughout Sequim, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. • June 15-July 1: “Leaving Iowa,” (Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.), Olympic Theatre Arts. • June 26: Music in the Park with Blue Rhinos, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., James Center for the Performing Arts. PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY • June 13-June 30: “Daddy Long Legs,” Key City Public Theatre. • June 15: Race to Alaska, Port Townsend to Ketchikan. • June 16: Secret Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., local gardens. • June 23: Rat Island Regatta, 8 a.m., Port Townsend Marine Science Center. • June 24: Port Townsend Summer Band, Chetzemoka Park, 3 p.m.
JULY
FORKS/WEST END • July 4: Fourth of July celebration in Neah Bay. • July 7: Moonlight Madness, 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Forks. • July 13-15: Clallam Bay-Sekiu Fun Days. Music all day Saturday, July 14, at Clallam Bay Spit Community Beach County Park. • July 20-22: Quileute Days, various times, La Push. • July 21-22: West End Thunder Drag Races, 8:30 a.m. gates open, Forks Municipal Airport. PORT ANGELES • Concerts on the Pier, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to
6 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
8 p.m., City Pier: July 11: Three Too Many; July 18: Robin Bessier and the Full Circle Band; July 25: FarmStrong. • July 4: Fourth of July Celebration, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., downtown and City Pier. • July 20-Aug. 5: Shakespeare in the Woods featuring “As You Like It,” every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 6 p.m., Webster’s Woods Art Park.
SEQUIM • Music in the Park, Tuesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., James Center for the Performing Arts: July 3: Old Sidekicks; July 10: Craig Buhler Quartet; July 17: Locos Only; July 24: Caribe Steel Band; July 31: Black Door Alley. • July 4: Sequim City Band, 3 p.m., James Center for the Performing Arts. • July 20-22: Sequim Lavender Weekend, various times, Carrie Blake Park and Dungeness Valley. • July 20-22: Art Jam 2018, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rock Hollow Farm. • July 27-29: Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club All Breed Show, various times, Sequim High School sports fields. PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY • Concerts in the Woods, Laurel B. Johnson Community Center in Coyle. All concerts at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: July 1: Square Dance on the Grass (2 p.m.); July 7: Caribe Steel Band; July 15: Cello Mania (3 p.m.); July 21: Andre Feriante. • Port Townsend Summer Band, Chetzemoka Park: July 4, 7:30 p.m.; July 29, 3 p.m. • Port Townsend Main Street’s Concerts on the Dock, Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Pope Marine Plaza: July 12: Locust Street Taxi; July 19: Uncle Funk and the Dope Six; July 26: Three For Silver. • July 7: Port Townsend Art Walk, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., various locations. • July 8: Solar Home Tour, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Power Trip Energy.
AUGUST
FORKS/WEST END • Aug. 11-12: West End Thunder Drag Races, 8:30 a.m. gates open, Forks Municipal Airport. • Aug. 24-26: 94th annual Makah Days Celebration, various times, Neah Bay. • Aug. 25: Hot Thunder Nite Cruise-In, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., downtown Forks. PORT ANGELES • Concerts on the Pier, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., City Pier: Aug. 1: The Fabulous Murphtones; Aug. 8: Alma y Azúcar; Aug. 15: The
Olson Bros Band; Aug. 22: Daring Greatly; Aug. 29: Joy in Mudville; Sept. 5: The Blue Rhinos. • Aug. 4: Joyce Daze Blackberry Festival. • Aug. 5: Ride the Hurricane, 7 a.m. to noon, Hurricane Ridge Road. • Aug. 16-19: Clallam County Fair, various times, Clallam County Fairgrounds. • Aug. 19-26: Paint the Peninsula, various times, Port Angeles Fine Arts Center.
SEQUIM • Performers on the Plaza, Fridays, noon to 2 p.m., Civic Center Plaza: Aug. 3: Tony Flaggs Trio; Aug. 10: Lukas Rose Duo; Aug. 17: Mike Klinger B3; Aug. 24: Black Rock; Aug. 31: Ridgerunner. • Music in the Park, Tuesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., James Center for the Performing Arts: Aug. 7: Stardust Big Band; Aug. 14: TBA; Aug. 21: Ranger and the Re-Arrangers; Aug. 28: FarmStrong. • Aug. 4: Tour de Lavender cycling event, various locations and prices. • Aug. 4: Sequim City Band (Night with the Band), 7 p.m., James Center for the Performing Arts. • Aug. 9-12: Northwest Colonial Festival, various times, George Washington Inn. • Aug. 11: Strait Stamp Show, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Masonic Lodge. • Aug. 25-26: Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire & Sequim Valley Fly-In, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sequim Valley Airport. • Aug. 25: Valley of the Trolls Run/Walk, 8 a.m., Troll Haven-Bandy Farms. PORT TOWNSEND/JEFFERSON COUNTY • Aug. 4: Port Townsend Art Walk, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., various locations. • Concerts in the Woods, Laurel B. Johnson Community Center in Coyle. All concerts at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Aug. 4: Missy Andersen; Aug. 18: Sister Speak; Sept. 1: Mark Pearson. • Port Townsend Main Street’s Concerts on the Dock, Thursdays, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Pope Marine Plaza: Aug. 2: Global Heat; Aug. 9: Toolshed Trio Grande; Aug. 16: 4-3-2 Retro; Aug. 23: Daring Greatly; Aug. 30: Kevin Mason and the PT All Stars. • Port Townsend Summer Band, Chetzemoka Park: Aug. 18 (11 a.m.); Aug. 26 (3 p.m.). • Aug. 3-26: Key City Public Theatre presents “Hamlet: Shakespeare in the Park,” Chetzemoka Park. • Aug. 10-12: Jefferson County Fair, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Jefferson County Fairgrounds. • Aug. 18-19: Art Port Townsend Studio Tour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., various locations. • Aug. 18: Uptown Street Fair & Parade, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
ARTS & LAUGHS
The restored barn of Rock Hollow Farm houses Art Jam each year.
Art Jam event to be a real barn burner Story and photos by Laura Lofgren The summertime in Sequim is buzzing with tourists and plenty of lavender lovers. Though all are a welcomed sight on the Peninsula, the crowds of Sequim’s Lavender Weekend might be too overwhelming for some. Enter Susan Ganzert Shaw, Rock Hollow Farms and a group of easy-going, eclectic artists hosting the three-day Art Jam on the grounds. Located just outside Sequim on Silberhorn Road, the bucolic Rock Hollow Farm is a once-a-year home to a gathering of artists and community members sharing their artistic creativity and
enthusiasm. Shaw owns Rock Hollow Farm with her husband, Mike. They will be celebrating the fifth year of Art Jam. “We have fun here,” Shaw said in the renovated barn. “There are nine of us, plus two guest artists” who will be set up in the barn July 20-22. Shaw’s own story has its start in upstate New York, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Syracuse University. Fast-forward to Shaw finding herself flourishing in the art scene in Forks, where she lived for 29 years. She worked with her husband at his rock crushing company and was an art instructor,
lecturer and judge. She played an active role in founding the West Olympic Council for the Arts, an arts advocacy organization, among many other artistic endeavors. “I had a studio downtown, and we lived (in Forks) until about 12 years ago,” she said. She and her husband eventually made the move to their fixer-upper farm in Sequim, making the transition from “the rain forest to the desert.”
THE BARN
The property, purchased in May 1998, was in decent shape, but the barn ... not so much.
Susan Ganzert Shaw Summer 2018 Living on the Peninsula
7
ART JAM 2018 SHOW AND SALE
• July 20, 21, 22 • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. • 505 E. Silberhorn Road, Sequim Built in the early 1930s, the barn has been a dairy farm barn, a horse barn, a storage building and was even home to revival meetings in the 1960s. During the barn rehab, Shaw and her husband fixed the leaky roof and stabilized the structure. Plenty of recycled materials were used in the rehabilitation. They spent about four years working on the barn while living in a trailer on the property before working on the main house. Around the time of pouring the barn’s foundation, they decided to add Shaw’s studio on the west side. The studio is home to Shaw’s “White Woman Susu Sticks” work, specialty cards and plenty of pastels and paints to play with if anyone feels so inclined. “Come in and I’ll teach you to draw. Anybody can draw,” Shaw said. The studio is open year-round, “by appointment or by luck.”
FOR THE LOVE OF ART
Shaw participated in the Sequim Studio Tours from 2009 to 2013, sharing the barn with the Barn Sisterhood (with Mary Franchini and Lynne Armstrong) in 2010-11. In 2012-13, they morphed into the “Fabulous Five.” “We acquired Ed Crumley and Brian Buntain,” she said. “So we’re five years into this and they cancel the tour. Ed says, ‘We’re gonna do something. People have been coming to this barn for five years.’ That’s when we started Art Jam. “I haven’t been off this property in 10
Susan Ganzert Shaw’s studio at Rock Hollow Farm. years during Lavender Festival!” Shaw laughed. These nine artists have a unique connection in their love of art. They all are different, but the one thing they have in common is they like to have fun. Through their art and through their individual personalities, they create a welcoming atmosphere to those new to art and to those who are familiar with a specific craft. Art Jam 2018, Shaw said, has the theme of “The Fifth Element.” “We started with ‘Fire, Earth, Wind and Water’,” Shaw said with a smile. “Last year we were kind of doing ravens, so we’ll see how this is interpreted.” This event provides artists, or “the barn people,” an opportunity to show a variety of artwork, including driftwood sculpture,
Everyone is invited to stroll the grounds of Rock Hollow Farm and explore the labyrinth.
8 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
contemporary jewelry, landscapes, found art and furniture. The show features the work of Shaw, Lynne Armstrong, Brian Buntain, Mary Franchini, Tammy Hall, Barb Boerigter, Ed Crumley, Terry Grasteit, Stephen Portner and guest artists Linda Collins Chapman and Gray Lucier. Collins Chapman specializes in ceramics and flatwork, and Lucier focuses on outdoor metal sculptures. Art Jam 2018 also gives guests the opportunity to see new artwork, watch live demonstrations and bring out their inner artist by adding to the chalkboard graffiti wall or two community murals. Speaking on the latter, Shaw said, “We have a piece if plywood or masonite. We put it out there, and sometimes I do a very loose sketch of something on it, and it depends what age is there when I do that because sometimes they’ll just pick up and start and go with it and nobody touches it again. Sometimes we have somebody hanging out by the mural to encourage it.” Previous graffiti walls and murals will be set up behind the barn around a SaniCan. This area is called the “Garden Urinarium,” Shaw said with a hearty chuckle. In addition to the art on display and for sale, there will be music under the apple tree on the property. (Shaw said she’s still looking for musicians to play during the event. Anyone with an acoustic inclination is invited to contact her at rockhollow farm@olypen.com or 360-460-6563.) If you catch Shaw at the right time during Art Jam, she’ll give you a quick tour of the main house, which features her own artwork as well as her friends’ work.
Those visiting are encourage to bring a light lunch and explore the 10-acre property that includes a labyrinth of walking trails, picnic tables and beautiful views. Parking is below the barn, but those who are handicapped can be dropped off and picked up at the main driveway to the barn. Just follow the signs! This is a family-friendly event. So why do Shaw and the crew of artists put on Art Jam year after year? Shaw chalks it up to the fact that it’s fun and it builds connections. “I think through art, we can understand each other. It’s about sharing what we do.” For more information about Art Jam 2018, visit rockhollowarts.com. For more information about Shaw and her work, visit susangansertshaw.com. Laura Lofgren is a special sections editor at Peninsula Daily News. Reach her at llofgren@peninsuladailynews.com.
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OUTDOOR RECREATION
SUMMERTIME ROUNDUP With endless rec options on the Peninsula, you’ll have a hard time picking just a few Story and photos by Michael Dashiell On the trail, on the water or on the courts, there are plenty of summertime activities for the sporty types here on the Olympic Peninsula. The North Olympic Discovery Marathon weekend is over, but there are plenty of races to be run this summer. Don’t forget about the Valley of the Trolls half-marathon and 10K on Aug. 25 (aasportsltd.com/event/valley-of-the-trolls); the Great Olympic Adventure Trail’s marathon, half-marathon and 50K runs (oatrun.org) on Sept. 8; or the Quilcene Oyster half-marathon, 10K and 5K races (runsignup.com/Race/WA/Quilcene/ QuilceneOysterRaces) on Sept. 16. On wheels, get your fix with the Tour de Lavender, set for Aug. 4. There’s a 62.5-mile Metric Century for those cyclists looking for a challenge, and a Fun Ride of up to 35 miles for families and those looking for a more casual, relaxed day of riding. Each ride has its own registration fee. Visit tourdelavender.com/ tour-de-lavender-ride-2018. The next day (Aug. 5) is the popular Ride the Hurricane event that sees bicyclists make their way to the top of Hurricane Ridge — about a 40-mile round trip. This year’s event sees an added optional ride for cyclists to continue to an expanded, 100-mile route, combining a mile-high alpine ascent to the Hurricane Hill trail head (past the summit visitor center on Hurricane Ridge) with a route on the Olympic Discovery Trail that also goes 1 mile out to sea on Ediz Hook. Visit portangeles.org/pages/RideThe Hurricane for more information. Any time is a perfect time to hit the public golf courses on the Peninsula, from the Peninsula Golf Club in Port Angeles (golfinportangeles.com), to The Cedars at Dungeness (7cedarsresort.com/golf) and SkyRidge Golf Course (skyridgegolf course.com) in Sequim, with open play and a slew of summertime tournaments to meet your links likes.
10 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
The Sequim Bay Yacht Club hosts adult rowing, Duck Dodge races and more this summer.
Carrie Blake Community Park hosts senior softball Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Get out on a trail this summer on any number of Olympic National Forest or Olympic National Park routes.
Batters up! Senior softball is in full swing already with the Sequim Senior Grey Wolves. Open to men ages 55 and older and women 50 and older, this group brings together interested players from all over the area to gather at Carrie Blake Community Park in Sequim on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Warm-up is at 8:30 a.m., and batting practice is at 9 a.m. Games begin at about 9:45-10 a.m. Call 360-670-6774 or email greywolves.senior. softball@gmail.com for more information. Break out the rackets for some community tennis. Pick up a singles or doubles game at Erickson Park in Port Angeles or on the Sequim High School grounds. The Peninsula Tennis Club hosts annual tournaments at the Sequim High courts. Visit peninsulatennisclub.org. Port Townsend has several spots to play, including Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend High School, Mountain View Elementary School and near the Jefferson County Courthouse. Chimacum High also has four tennis courts. Or you can join the rising tide of pickleball players on the Peninsula. New courts are being built in Sequim, and the first tournament on those courts, the 2018 Blue Whole Bash, is set for Sept. 21-23. Sign up at tinyurl.com/BlueWholeBashSU. Regular pickleball play is adjacent to the Sequim Community School on Alder Street and at the Vern Burton Community Center in Port Angeles. Port Townsend has a pickleball blog (pttennis.blogspot.com) for local play at various venues, including Mountain View Elementary. Frisbee golf. Frolf. Whatever. Just call it fun. The Rainshadow Disc Golf Park just north/northeast of Blyn has 18 holes of frisbee action open to all. Boasting between 4,800 and about 5,000 feet in length, this par-58 course offers a mix of open and wooded, long and short holes, and elevation drops and gains. The park officially opened July 26, 2017, and is at 1395 Thompson Road. See clallam.net/ Parks/rainshadowgolf.html for a printable map and scorecard. For team frisbee fun, check out Ultimate Frisbee on Thursday nights at the Albert Haller Playfields, just north of Carrie Blake Community Park in Sequim. The Sequim Bay Yacht Club has for more than 40 years organized boating programs that today include daily rowing workouts and learn-to-sail programs, as well as sailing and crew races, cruises and educational events. The club’s educational monthly programs are open to the public at no charge. Boat ownership is not a requirement for membership, however, and many skippers welcome volunteers as crew. For those who want a more vigorous workout, check out the club’s adult rowing
Check out some Ultimate Frisbee at the Albert Haller Playfields this summer. program, a group that has now grown to more than two dozen scullers. The club’s sailboat races offer challenges for both hardcore and recreational competitors. Weekly Duck Dodge sailboat races are hosted through September on Thursdays starting at 5:30 p.m. Throughout the year, club members also race on alternate Saturdays. Check out sequimbayyachtclub.org. And, of course, the myriad day hikes and overnight treks through a 922,000acre Olympic National Park. See nps.gov/ olym/planyourvisit to plan your next excursion into one of the most popular parks in the nation. Or stay off the beaten paths with adventures in the Olympic National Forest (fs.usda.gov/recmain/olympic/recreation) or at one of the Peninsula’s state (parks. wa.gov), county (clallam.net/Parks/) or city parks (cityofpa.us).
FOR THE KIDS
After a one-year break, the Dungeness Cup is back. Dozens of youth soccer teams and their supporters from across the region descend on the Albert Haller Playfields in Sequim in early August. This year’s event is set for Aug. 3-5, with spots for teams in U9-U19 age groups. See dungenesscup.com. Local tennis pro Don Thomas and a host of volunteers put on an annual tennis camp for youngsters of varying levels, from the brand new beginner to the younger aces. Email masterdgt@aol.com for more information. This one is for the adults, too, but youths make up the majority of participants at the Lincoln Park BMX facility. Adjacent to the Clallam County Fairgrounds, this track features racing on Tuesdays (7 p.m.) and Sundays (1 p.m.), with practices on Thursday evenings (5:307:30 p.m.). Visit usabmx.com/tracks/1251 for course information, sign-up times and more about the sport in general.
The Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association offers training and competition experience for youngsters set out of the organization’s Port Angeles base. See facebook.com/OPRA4YRowing. Sequim Youth Basketball hosts a summer camp, traditionally in mid-August. Call 360-477-0928 or email sequimyouth basketball@gmail.com. Port Townsend-area youths can get some hoops lessons in July via the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation’s basketball camp. Register by July 2 by emailing cmacklin@countyrec.com or calling 360-385-2221 for more information.
HIT THE ODT
Want to experience a bit of the entire Olympic Peninsula? Consider a bike trip on the Olympic Discovery Trail. The Peninsula Trails Coalition maintains a great website (olympicdiscoverytrail.org) as a go-to guide for maps, trail geography, photos, amenities, news, trail alerts, FAQs and more. Trail advocates are working to complete this 130-mile connection between Port Townsend to the east and La Push to the west. There is still some work to do to connect Port Townsend’s Larry Scott Trail and the ODT — and steer clear of some sketchy bike travel along Highway 20 — but much of the rest to the Pacific Ocean is a dedicated multi-use trail. Keep in mind, however, that the ODT/ Spruce Railroad Trail is closed and will remain so through late July for bank stabilization, culvert installation and trail improvements. This closure is on the north side of Lake Crescent from the Daley Rankin Tunnel to the Camp David Jr. Road Trailhead. See facebook.com/OlympicDiscoveryTrail for updates.
JEFFCO-, WEST END-CENTRIC ACTIVITIES Make a splash in Port Townsend with the Rat Island Rowing & Sculling Club
(ratislandrowing.com), a nonprofit organization helping neighbors of all ages get out on the water on a variety of wood and fiberglass shells. Enjoy cruises, seminars, socials and meetings through the Port Townsend Yacht Club (ptyc.net), or pick up some boating expertise from the folks with the Point Wilson Sail and Power Squadron (pointwilson.org). Go for some four-legged fun on more than 365 miles of horse-friendly trails in Olympic National Park, plus various Olympic National Forest trails. Check out the Jefferson Equestrian Association (jeffersonequestrian.org) and the Backcountry Horseman of Washington’s Jefferson County/Buckhorn Range Chapter (facebook.com/BuckhornRange). The East Jefferson County Senior Coed Softball group plays at H.J. Carroll Park in Chimacum and is open to men 50 and older and women 45 and older. Call 360-437-5053, 360-437-2672 or 360379-5443 for information. There are plenty of West End outdoor adventures to be had this summer as well. The Chamber of Commerce’s website (forkswa.com/business-directory/outdooradventures/ and forkswa.com/businessdirectory/fishing-guides-and-charters/) is a good launching point for everything from guided fishing experiences and recreational camping to raft/kayak/bike/hike treks.
FROM THE STANDS
Looking for a more passive approach to your sports fix? There’s plenty for the armchair quarterback/left fielder/gear head on the Olympic Peninsula, too. Get into the swing of some West Coast League baseball with the Port Angeles Lefties. After a strong inaugural season, the Lefties are back for a summer of diamond action that kicked off May 30 and runs through mid-August, taking on teams from Wenatchee, Yakima, Oregon and Victoria, B.C. Home games are at Port Angeles’ Civic Field. Get tickets, view the team roster and check out the team schedule at leftiesbaseball.com. After a brief hiatus, sprint boat racing is back on the Peninsula. Earlier this year, ASB Racing purchased property just west of Port Angeles that Extreme Sports Park sits on. Races are scheduled for July 28 and Sept. 29 this summer — and with a little maintenance work, owners say, the track will be ready for annual sprint boat races again. Visit asbracing.com. Whether you want to pursue a highenergy activity or decide to watch from the stands, our Peninsula has something for everybody this summer. Michael Dashiell is the editor of the Sequim Gazette. Reach him at mdashiell@ sequimgazette.com.
Summer 2018 Living on the Peninsula
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A PINCH OF PENINSULA SUMMERTIME STRAWBERRY SORBET Story and photo by Brenda Hanrahan Nothing announces the unofficial arrival of summer like the first fresh-from-the-garden strawberry. These sweet symbols of summer are readily available on the Olympic Peninsula starting sometime in June. The height of our strawberry season depends on the weather. If you don’t have a strawberry patch at home, you can find delicious berries at roadside farm stands, U-pick fields or area grocery stores. One of my family’s favorite summer treats is homemade strawberry sorbet. This simple recipe requires only five ingredients: strawberries, water, sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. The secret to making smooth and creamy sorbet is patience. While the ingredient list is short, cooling the recipe’s simple syrup properly, and sieving or straining seeds is required. Ingredients 2½ pounds (about three pints) of fresh, whole strawberries 1¾ cups of sugar 1¼ cups water ¼ cup lemon juice (juice from 1 large lemon) Pinch of salt Mint leaves, for garnish if desired Directions 1. Wash strawberries and let them dry. 2. In a medium saucepan over a medium heat, combine water and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Do not leave the pan unattended. Continue stirring slowly so the sugar does not burn or adhere to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture begins to bubble consistently (not boil), remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. I place the bowl in the refrigerator to cool while I prepare the strawberries. This process creates a simple syrup that can be used when making an array of other fruit-based sorbets. 3. Angle a sharp paring knife and cut, in a circular motion, around the green leafy top of the strawberry
Strawberry sorbet makes for a refreshing summertime treat. and into the pale flesh underneath. Remove the strawberry’s hull, or calyx (the leafy top of the strawberry), and discard. 4. Place hulled strawberries in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Place a fine mesh strainer/sieve over a large bowl or measuring cup. Use the back of a silicone or wooden spoon and press mixture against the strainer to remove a majority of the seeds. This is where patience is required. This process takes a while, but the results are worth the effort. Removing berry seeds helps creates a smooth sorbet. You should end up with 2½ to 3 cups of strawberry puree. Discard the seedy pulp. Cool the puree in the refrigerator. 5. Juice a large lemon by squeezing it over the fine mesh strainer to measure ¼ cup of lemon juice. 6. Once the simple syrup has cooled completely, add the lemon juice and pinch of salt to the mixture and stir slightly.
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Place back in the refrigerator to cool. 7. Once everything has cooled, stir the two mixtures together by hand or give it a slight whirl in a blender, taking care not to over mix. You do not want to create a froth while blending. 8. Place mixture in an ice cream maker and process until it resembles a soft-serve ice cream. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm. If you do not have an ice cream maker, mix the cooled ingredients well and place in a container to freeze until firm. The mixture might not be as smooth, but it will still be tasty. 7. Once firmly frozen, leave at room temperature for a few minutes. Use an ice cream scoop to spoon out the sorbet into dishes. Garnish with mint leaves, if desired. 8. If you have leftover sorbet, place a piece of parchment paper on the surface of the sorbet to help prevent ice crystals from forming on the surface during refreezing. Brenda Hanrahan is a special sections editor at Peninsula Daily News. Reach her at bhanrahan@peninsuladailynews.com.
IN THE CHIPS Forks schools heated by woody biomass boiler Story and photos by Christi Baron In the 1970s, dozens of shake and shingle mills called the West End home. For decades, it was common for mills to burn unused wood waste, such as sawdust, chips and shavings, in a structure called a teepee or wigwam burner, named for its resemblance to the conical dwellings. However, in 2009, a new federal air quality regulatory requirement called for an end to this practice, and these burners disappeared from the landscape. Today, a structure that pays tribute to this bit of timber industry history sits on the grounds of Quillayute Valley School District (QVSD). This new-age “burner”
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is state of the art and one of a kind. In 2007 the Quillayute Valley School District was having trouble keeping the students warm. Forks High School and Forks Middle School, serving about 600 students, were heated by a 50-year-old diesel boiler on its last legs. School Superintendent Diana Reaume recalls walking into certain areas of the middle school and seeing students wrapped in blankets. QVSD Maintenance and Facilities Supervisor Bill Henderson was on call 24/7 should the old boiler have a problem. The old boiler had to start and stop at odd hours, and it took as much as six
Looking up, two stacks exit the top of the teepee — one for the wood burner and one for the diesel unit. hours to fully heat up. Many classrooms didn’t warm up until the afternoon; blankets, coats and seeing your breath were common on many cold days. At this same time, diesel prices were skyrocketing, and the thousands of dollars consumed by the old boiler each year was a huge loss to the small school district. It was also at this time that the district was pursuing construction of a new high school to be funded by bond dollars. With construction imminent and with the need to replace the boiler at the middle and high schools, a timely opportunity emerged to install a new heating system that could serve both facilities. A $1 million state grant was transferred
to the school district to explore installation of a woody biomass boiler that would meet the required heating needs and achieve Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) air quality goals. The standard for this air quality was created using Forks as a model. In 2007, former state Rep. Lynn Kessler agreed to evaluate a school woody biomass boiler facility for possible state funding as a pilot project. After being on the job just a short time, Reaume, hired as school superintendent in March 2007, recalls thinking, “I was looking at a new school, passing a bond and this new biomass project. How was it going to work?”
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In 2008, Kessler, along with state Rep. Kevin Van De Wege and Sen. Jim Hargrove, secured funding for the QVSD’s pilot grant as part of Washington’s Energy Freedom Initiative. The project was to use wood mill waste material for its operations. Reaume also remembers at this time during one of several public meetings on the project someone saying, “But what if all the mills shut down?” and the response being, “That will never happen.” But it did happen — when Interfor closed its Beaver-Forks mills completely in 2014 and Allen’s Mill closed in 2015. Thankfully, the mill closures have not been too much of an issue with a reliable supply of wood chips now coming from Herman Brothers in Port Angeles. In 2009 a citizens committee of 20 West End residents worked with architects from BLRB Architects of Tacoma to design the structure. The additional funding needed was included in a school bond vote that passed, and JH Kelly and the Olympic Associates Company became part of the project team. Like any major construction project, unseen obstacles became clear. The district turned to boiler manufacturer Messersmith, whose expertise paid off as they surveyed the facilities and realized that more than just the diesel boiler needed to be replaced. The schools’ heating and ventilation
system was outdated, and to connect the new boiler to both the middle school and high school would require an overhaul. Engineers staged plans to build the boiler and its surrounding facility before construction on the new school was complete. A new, small backup diesel boiler was also installed for heating at the start of the school year during mild months. The school would then transition to wood heat for the remainder of the year. Project costs rose from $1.6 million to $2.6 million because of this overhaul. The project wrapped up in 2010. The exterior of the boiler facility is unique, resembling a teepee burner with a tall, pointed roof. The teepee burner design reflects the community’s logging traditions, but also has a practical purpose of covering the 50-foot stacks, which is necessary to control emissions. Particulate matter and additional pollutants are filtered out, and with strong and advanced pollution controls in place, little escapes the chimney but steam. One stack is for the biomass boiler and one for the back-up diesel boiler. Today the wood boiler runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week from November to May, heating the school facilities and providing hot water. Clean chips arrive from Herman Brothers via truck about every two weeks. They are unloaded into a building connected to the teepee structure.
Though not visible against the common West End gray sky, a small amount of white steam exits the stack from the burner. The windows in front — covered by letters spelling out SPARTANS,” had been intended to provide a view of the boiler at work, but when finished the back-up diesel unit was placed in the way.
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Above: Bill Henderson explains some of the more intricate workings of the biomass boiler. When choosing the unit the district turned to boiler manufacturer Messersmith, who has strong experience with woody biomass systems and had completed similar projects in rural communities across the country. Left: Wood chips burn extremely hot.
Here, the drying begins. An auger under the chips stirs them, and a conveyer moves them on to the next room. The system is so smart it “calls” for chips as the system needs them. As the clean chips dry, they are pulled onto another drying conveyor. The moisture is vented out through an exhaust vent run by an electric motor. The computerized unit then calls for the needed amount of chips to enter the boiler room. To maintain system reliability and prevent buildup of hardened debris — aka “clinkers” — from combustion, an advanced metals cyclone was installed. To meet stringent ORCAA air quality standards, the system has a baghouse to remove particulate matter and additional pollutants. The boiler is cleaned prior to each new load of chips, and Henderson said less than half a wheelbarrow of ash is produced per load of chips. Henderson added, “It has been a pretty trouble-free system.” Reaume said, “We really did our research. We learned the ins and outs. Bill has done a fantastic job. He knows the system well.”
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Pressure meters and a sprinkler system were installed for safety, and once a year the system is inspected by the Department of Labor and Industries. The new system generates less stress for Henderson and the school’s maintenance staff, and Henderson can now get a full nights sleep. (No more getting up to check on the old boiler!) Energy savings for the first three years were $50,000 to $60,000 per year, meeting the district’s goal of saving one full-time teacher salary annually. The system now provides comfort to students and teachers. With improved overall facility efficiency, it is a more comfortable environment for teaching and learning. After eight years of operation, the boiler is now part of the unique history of Forks; tours regularly bring in interested parties from as far away as China and the East Coast of the United States. The facility is also open for viewing by the general public. “As I look at the building today, I am so glad we went with this teepee burner design, and the funny thing is … most of the students don’t even know what a teepee burner is,” Reaume said. If most students don’t know what a
As the clean chips dry, they are pulled onto a conveyor. The moisture is vented out through an exhaust vent run by an electric motor. The computerized unit then calls for the needed amount of chips to enter the boiler room. teepee burner is, many in the community still do and it’s a great way to remem-
ber the past while using the technology of the future.
Christi Baron is the editor of the Forks Forum. Reach her at cbaron@forksforum.com.
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Peninsula College student Paulo Silva-Alberto shows off a carbon fiber longboard he built.
BUILDING THEIR FUTURE Peninsula College composite students learn to design, construct at CRTC By Kari Desser Photos by Peninsula College Whether it’s rebuilding the hull on a damaged scull for the Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association or constructing and testing I-beam prototypes for an international bridge-building competition, Peninsula College Advanced Manufacturing and Composites students are engaged in real-world manufacturing every day while earning their composite materials recycling certification. The program space, adjacent to the Composites Recycling Technology Center (CRTC), on the Port of Port Angeles’ Composite Manufacturing Campus, was created to address a growing need for skilled workers and to stimulate job
growth in the region. For program coordinator and instructor James Russell, designing an engaging curriculum that gives students focused and practical workplace experience is critical. “I want students to know that there is a bigger world out there,” he said. “I want to give them the training and exposure to go farther.” This can mean learning from engineers and production people at the neighboring Angeles Composite Technologies Inc. (ACTI), which manufactures aircraft parts across the parking lot, or competing head-to-head with 27 four-year engineering schools at this year’s SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering) bridge-building competition in Long Beach, Calif.
On May 21, Russell and seven students flew to California, tasked with making the lightest 4 inch by 4 inch by 24 inch carbon fiber I-beam that would support 9,000 pounds of force applied to the middle of the structure. The students represented three teams with three bridges in Long Beach. One of them, Team Scallywags, defeated 32 other entrants from the United States, Mexico, China, Japan and Brazil to place third in the SAMPE Student Bridge Competition. The 1,003-gram (2.21-pound) model bridge withstood 10,973 pounds before failing, leaving Chengdu Aeronautic Polytechnic of China in first place, and Montana Tech of the University of Montana in second. Team Scallywags, led by Derek
Adamich, built their Class A entry using carbon fiber supplied by CRTC. Team members included Cole Murcavitch, Nikki Bowery, Emerson Stipes and Chris Gaylord. Peninsula College had two other teams: C2, with Trevor Breland (lead), Colin Kahler and Charles Posey, and Galloping Gertie, with Adam Jordan (lead), David Holmes and Andrea McMaster. C2’s entry failed at 6,258 pounds, while Galloping Gertie’s bridge broke at 115 pounds below the minimum, dropping them out of second place. The students, whose experience in the industry began about nine months ago, competed against some of the brightest engineering students from around the world.
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This past spring, the students began working with new CAD software to design the bridges, design ply schedules and cut files for aerospace-grade preimpregnated carbon fiber on an Eastman Static Table Cutting System, then shaped them. They engineered the beams to provide even pressure in all directions. In addition to an exchange of ideas and innovation among students, partnerships are helpful in terms of equipment and materials. Peninsula College works with carbon fiber material it receives from ACTI and CRTC, which gets their material from Toray Industries. SAMPE competitors have been using equipment at both companies to prepare
for the event. The college’s program includes a first of its kind Composites Recycling Certification, and the learning space features classrooms, offices and a handson composites manufacturing lab where students receive training in advanced materials recycling and remanufacturing techniques. The co-location with the CRTC provides students with opportunities for internships, hands-on manufacturing and research and development experience, plus exposure to production operations. Graduates are equipped with skills necessary for employment in aerospace, marine and recreational equipment industries, as well as many others that use composite materials.
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Adam Jordan, a Peninsula College student and Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) intern at CRTC, moved to Port Angeles from Raleigh, N.C., a year ago and was looking for a hands-on career. Research led him to the composites industry in Clallam County. He had already taken a composites workshop with the Experimental Aircraft Association the summer prior and was drawn to Peninsula College’s program. He attended an open house at the site, met with instructors and staff, and signed up in fall 2017. He said the faculty and staff have worked hard to ensure students are exposed to as much of the industry as possible.
“We have taken a number of field trips to visit local composite industry players, (including) the USCG station on Ediz Hook, in order to tour the shop where they maintain their small fleet of Dolphin helicopters,” he said. “The folks working in the field are always excited to meet us, and I’ve been struck by the generosity shown in answering our questions and willingness to talk career opportunities.” A few months into the program, Jordan said he and his cohorts were encouraged to apply for a temporary ground-floor position at the CRTC with flexible hours that worked with their school schedules. He applied and was hired soon after. Jordan said he has learned as much on the floor of the CRTC as he does in the school’s labs.
“It is a very collaborative work environment where everyone is encouraged to help everyone else, and the result is the opportunity to learn as much as you’re willing to.” — Adam Jordan, Peninsula College student and IACMI intern at CRTC “If I wanted to operate a big, intimidating piece of specialized equipment, CRTC folks would drop what they were doing and show me how,” he said. “It is a very collaborative work environment where everyone is encouraged to help everyone else, and the result is the opportunity to learn as much as you’re willing to.” Jordan went from his initial temporary position to part-time and now holds a paid IACMI internship, which brings with it a whole new set of career options, including opportunities to work and learn at Oakridge Associated Universities at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the nation’s premier research and development labs. According to the January 2018 Composites Manufacturing State of the Industry Report, the future of the global composites market is strong, with
increased demand for materials across market segments. The site reports that demand for carbon fiber has grown “by 10 to 15 percent per year, and this same growth rate is expected to continue for the coming years.” The CRTC is currently one of only nine facilities in the world transforming uncured carbon fiber composite scraps previously bound for landfills into new products. David Walter, chief executive officer for the CRTC, describes the company’s partnership with Peninsula College as critical to the success of his organization as the CRTC pioneers the usage of recycled aerospace-grade carbon fiber in a clean-tech environment. The company is on the short list of potential partners with ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd., a global leader in the trading, processing and recycling of raw and high-
performance materials such as carbon fiber. ELG is considering Port Angeles for its North American headquarters, which would bring over 100 jobs to the area. “We are already seeing strong traction for other companies that are interested in coming to the Olympic Peninsula to partner with us to develop and expand the many applications for carbon fiber,” Walter said. “It is a dynamic time in innovation as several new products are being launched, and we remain excited about the future as potential product applications are numerous. The CRTC, Walters said, has more than 20 team members now and provides family wages and benefits across the organization. “Peninsula College plays a key role in this success, and we look forward to our continued collaboration,” he said.
Above left: Peninsula College students Trevor Breland and David Holmes kit out prepreg carbon fiber to build their first SAMPE Student Bridge Competition entry for testing. Right: David Holmes and Trevor Breland, Peninsula College students, sand down a damaged deck to build the mold to repair an Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association 40-foot racing shell.
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Terri Tyler of Sequim drives quietly past gas stations in her all-electric 2015 Nissan Leaf.
ELECTRIFYING the summer road trip Story and photos by Diane Urbani de la Paz Let’s set out on an epic summer trip: driving the glorious West Coast from the top corner to the sunny south. We’ll start naturally at Neah Bay, where we have our first fill-up of a different kind of fuel. Then it’s across the Olympic Peninsula, with the blue Strait of Juan de Fuca stretching out to our left. Eighty miles on, we pull the rig into Port Angeles, where more of that juice awaits on the waterfront Esplanade. Next stop: Port Townsend, for a quick sip at The Food Co-op’s fast charger. As we continue to
20 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
Olympia, South Bend and Long Beach, we behold the fluctuating gas prices. We smile, and drive on to Astoria, Ore., where we recharge the car and ourselves with dinner and a hotel. Our trip unfurls all the way down the Oregon coast and into California, where we marvel at the price of one gallon of gas, which has hit summer’s peak of around $4. We need not purchase any of it. Instead we use a smartphone app, Plugshare, to locate electric vehicle, or EV, charging stations along our route. Numerous chargers await us outside stores, restaurants and inns. Cruising through the Napa Valley, we find the chargers are almost as plentiful as the vineyards.
Then come the bays of San Francisco and Monterey, where we cut over to curvaceous U.S. Highway 1. Big Sur, jaw-dropping views of Ventura’s Rincon, the glide past Malibu and Venice beaches and finally San Diego Bay — all of this exhilaration and not a drop of gas. Such is the life of an electric-car family in summer 2018. While hybrids like the Toyota Prius have been popular for years, plug-in vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt are becoming more viable on the Olympic Peninsula and beyond. Charging stations, many of them free, have sprung up like sunflowers, with many more on the horizon.
Terri Tyler of Sequim is in love with her Leaf. It’s Nissan’s all-electric sedan, a 2015 model she and her husband, Michael Chase, bought at Wilder Auto Center in Port Angeles. They plug it in to their home charger, which connects to the solar panels on their house. What we have here is a couple and a car powered by Sequim sunshine. On a recent day outside the Sequim Goodwill store, a young man approached Tyler. The stranger’s words surprised her. “Thank you,” he said, “for driving an electric car.” Tyler and Chase opted to buy their Leaf around the time they hired Power Trip Energy to put the solar panels on their roof. As a bonus, the company gave them the EV charging station. So Tyler typically tops up the Leaf’s electricity supply at night. Fully charged, the car has a range of about 84 miles. Jeff Randall, a Jefferson County Public Utilities District commissioner, worked on solar energy systems at Power Trip for nine years. And to provide information to “people who are trying to get off gas,” he and a group of fellow advocates formed the Jefferson County Electric Vehicle Association (JeffCoEVA.org). Randall reels off EV charger locations: Wild Birds Unlimited on U.S. Highway 101 in Gardiner; the Port Townsend Laundromat and Car Wash and Greenpod Development on Sims Way; the Windermere real estate office and the Northwest Maritime Center down on Water Street. Power Trip installed these chargers, Randall said, because, “It’s simple. It’s an extension cord off of the business.” Of course, merchants, hoteliers and restaurateurs welcome the drivers who come in to shop, dine or stay while their cars drink at the electricity trough. Randall, for his part, drives a 2012 Nissan Leaf. He paid just $5,800 for it last summer, and notes that the car’s battery is still at 80 percent of its storage capacity. Recharging it completely at his home outlet adds about $3 to his electricity bill. This means he’s paying 2.5 cents per mile of Leaf travel. For comparison, if a motorist drives a gasoline-fueled car that gets 25 miles per gallon, and gas is running $3.40 per gallon, that driver is paying 13.6 cents for every mile. If both the Leaf driver and the gas-engine driver travel 8,000 miles in a year, the latter spends $888 more on fuel.
An electric car charger from Canada has alighted at Wild Birds Unlimited in Gardiner.
The EV motor is a far less complex animal than an internal combustion engine. “It simplifies your life,” Randall said, since it needs less maintenance. While the virtues of electric vehicle technology are well known to those wanting to reduce their carbon footprints and commuting costs, not as well known is the good, clean fun factor. With an electrified motor, “You step on the throttle, and you just go,” said Randall. Tyler appreciates this, too; she used to drive a Prius, and prefers the Leaf. With more balanced weight distribution, “It’s not as squirrely.” A used Nissan Leaf works just fine for these drivers, but there is a higher-end option out there. The Tesla, an all-electric automobile with its own nationwide network of supercharging stations, can run north of $100,000. A brand-new Leaf, by contrast, sells for $25,000 to $38,000. The 2018 model found at Wilder Auto just east of Port Angeles has a 151-mile range. The Peninsula has its Tesla attractors. The first superstation, of eight chargers open 24/7, opened last year at Sequim’s Holiday Inn Express. Owner Bret Wirta reported that during the winter, the Tesla harbor gives about 150 charges per month, while summer sees 400 per month. Those who aren’t quite ready to buy might rent a Tesla Model S at SeaTac’s Enterprise lot. This type of “exotic car,” as the agency describes it, goes for $301.06 per day including taxes and fees. Luxury rides aside, other local advocates want to see all types of electric vehicles and all levels of chargers. Former Clallam County Commissioner — now candidate for the same post — Mike Doherty talks about “electrifying” the Peninsula’s highways, nourishing the environment and the tourist economy along the way. As a member of the Port Townsend-based Local 20/20, a group promoting sustainability and community resilience, he encouraged installment of chargers at Lake Crescent, Kalaloch and Lake Quinault lodges. And he’s not stopping there. Doherty and his cohorts hope to persuade the region’s tribes — especially the Lower Elwha Klallam and Jamestown S’Klallam, which have casinos — to install chargers. With these stations dotting the map, “The North
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You’re still in for a workout. That’s a point Troy Treaccar wants to get across to those who might turn away from an electric bicycle. He sees this a lot at his shop, Sound Bikes & Kayaks in downtown Port Angeles. Like Ben’s Bikes in Sequim, the Broken Spoke in Port Townsend and the Bike Garage in Port Angeles, Sound sells e-bikes: two-wheelers with streamlined motors. Conversion kits are also an option. “There’s no throttle,” Treaccar said, so you’re still pedaling. These rides are pedal-assist, which means they add big power to your legs as you take on hills and mountains. Rent an e-bike and you can run over to Sequim on the Olympic Discovery Trail, and if you want more, climb the road to Hurricane Ridge. E-bike technology puts the Olympic Peninsula’s best vistas within reach, and Treaccar has seen the proof. When e-bike owners bring their steeds in for maintenance, their odometers have as much as 800 miles on them. A new electric bicycle ranges from $1,400 to more than $3,000, so renting can work as an introduction. At shops on the Olympic Peninsula, e-bikes cost from $20 an hour, $40 for a half day to $70 to $80 for the whole day. “We don’t want people blasting around,” Treaccar added, so his rental e-bikes have speed limiters that keep them at 20 mph or less. This means they’re Class 1 bicycles legal on multi-use trails. For Treaccar, an e-bike doesn’t mean slacking in the saddle. Instead it opens up a wider world of pedalpowered travel. “You’re going to ride your bike a ton more,” he said. — Diane Urbani de la Paz Olympic Peninsula, by summer, would have a much more dependable charging network,” he said. There could be more good news for EVs in the Evergreen State. In the wake of the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal — the company was found guilty of using illegal software to fool emissions tests and flout the Clean Air Act — a nationwide settlement of $14.7 billion will be paid out. The Washington Department of Ecology has drafted a plan for using this state’s $112.7 million share of the settlement. Ecology spokeswoman Camille St. Onge said as much as 15 percent of that, a powerful $16.91 million, could be allocated for electric vehicle chargers. The funds are being disbursed in phases, she added, so a time frame for installations has yet to be set. Another large chunk of Volkswagen settlement money is to be spent, St. Onge said, on electrifying vehicles in the state fleet and upgrading school and public transit buses. “The electrification of transit is one area where we can improve air quality … in heavy transportation corridors,” while upgrading school buses, meaning young people can breathe easier in their neighborhoods. When it comes to reducing air pollution, she said, the nearly $113 million in funding gives Washington state “the opportunity to leapfrog forward.”
Summer 2018 Living on the Peninsula
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WWOOFing: Technology provides a global path to local farms If you’re running a small organic farm on the remote Olympic Peninsula, you may be hard-pressed to find workers. This place is a long way from everywhere; no major airlines fly in. Job seekers must navigate many miles over water and land, working a puzzle of ferries, rails and wheels. Then there is the United States’ troubled relationship with immigration; farm workers with the needed skills and documents can be scarce. And since the jobs you offer are largely seasonal, you can keep your people employed for only part of the year before they must restart their search. Enter a thing called WWOOF: the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms network. It’s a kind of computerized matchmaking service, a technological boon for farmers and volunteers. This online network has host farms from Australia to Poland to Cameroon — and in the United States, WWOOF lists more than 2,300 destinations, with about a dozen on the Olympic Peninsula. WWOOF has been connecting workers with organic farmers across the globe for 47 years. It has evolved, naturally, into a variety of programs operating independently in 132 nations. With the advent of the Internet and WWOOF.net, it became much easier for hosts and travelers to find one another.
Back in 1998, Karyn Williams of rural Jefferson County went WWOOFing. She began volunteering on a farm in Spain, and from there traveled to Morocco, Portugal and England. Ironically, high technology led to her love affair with the land. Williams owns and operates Chimacum’s 23-acre Red Dog Farm, where she and her crew grow 150 varieties of fruits, vegetables and flowers. In this country, WWOOF-USA launched a verification program in winter 2017 to ensure that host farms use organic or sustainable growing practices. Volunteers, whether they stay for two weeks or two months, can expect verified farms to provide them with room and board: clean accommodations and enough food for three square meals a day. This is the only payment; no money changes hands. Verified farmers ask their WWOOFers to work up to four to six hours a day and a maximum of five and a half days a week. That’s on all manner of operations: orchards, vegetable gardens and greenhouses, dairies, livestock ranches and vineyards are all out there. On the Peninsula, we have farmers who produce a little bit of a lot of things, from eggs to rabbits to herbal teas. A quick search on the WWOOF-USA “Our Farms” page shows such properties in Port Townsend, Forks,
Story and photos by Diane Urbani de la Paz
Chimacum, Quilcene and Port Angeles. Would-be WWOOFers must sign up for membership on the website, though, before they can see names of host farms. Registration costs $40 for one person or $65 for a couple who want to WWOOF together. This opens up the directory of farms in all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. WWOOFers must be at least 18 years old and are strongly advised to carry their own health insurance. WWOOF-USA provides accident insurance covering members age 18 to 70 for most accidents that can occur on a host farm. Last year, 17,000 people signed up to WWOOF in the states, according to WWOOF-USA staff member Tori Degen. She said the organization doesn’t keep track of how many used their membership to visit farms. There is a forum, however, where WWOOFers leave feedback about their experiences. Kit Kirby, a 23-year-old restaurant cook from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, became a WWOOF-USA member at the beginning of this year. As she roamed around the continent via her computer, she wondered about the Pacific Northwest. Then Kirby found a farm called SpringRain in Chimacum, a place named after the little-known Chemakum tribe.
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On March 15, having quit her job at a Mexican restaurant, she boarded a jet that flew her some 1,800 miles to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She stepped off the plane and took the long walkway to the airport’s Link light rail station, where she boarded the train to ride 13 miles into Seattle. From there, Kirby made her way to Colman Dock, where a Washington State Ferry carried her 9 miles across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. Kitsap Transit bus No. 90 whisked her to Poulsbo; minutes later she caught the Jefferson Transit bus bound for Port Hadlock, which brought her within walking distance of SpringRain Farm & Orchard. So began Kirby’s month of WWOOFing, doing jobs she’d never done in a place she had never seen before. “I had no expectations on the way here,” she said one sunny afternoon near the end of her stay. “I just had an open mind ... I don’t have a farming background, so it was a big learning curve,” caring for the chickens, ducks, rabbits, turkeys and dozens of crops in the fields and greenhouses. So, how was it? Without hesitation: “It’s been awesome.” You see, much of the farming in Kirby’s home state of Iowa is about corn, soy and mass production. Here at SpringRain, the work is hands-on, which suits Kirby fine. Her morning chores include giving fresh water to the birds and making sure the chicken coop door is wide open so the residents can live free-range. On this day, the younger chickens were a little tentative as they stepped out into the world. They figured it out, though. While Kirby explains this, a rooster and a couple of hens stroll on the grass nearby.
With help from the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) network, Iowan Kit Kirby came to work at SpringRain Farm & Orchard in Chimacum.
THERE’S MORE TO IT
This WWOOFing thing isn’t just about farming. It’s all about growth. “We typically have a dozen to 20 people per season” from WWOOF networks around the world, said John Bellow, who runs SpringRain with his wife, Roxanne Hudson. These workers are spread out over the spring and summer, with up to four WWOOFers on the farm at one time. “We ask for a minimum three-week commitment; most stay three to six weeks,” Bellow said. “It’s a cultural and educational exchange,” attracting people from the Midwest, the Northwest, Florida, California, Sweden, Germany, France and Australia.
SpringRain is known for its organic chicken, vegetables, herbs and eggs, sold at its on-site farm stand and at farmers markets in Port Townsend, Poulsbo and Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Jams and pestos are also in the repertoire. When the work day is done, Bellow seeks to help WWOOFers connect with the larger community: Chimacum and Port Townsend’s artists, growers, boat builders and sailors. Shopping in Port Hadlock isn’t far away, and the Jefferson Transit bus can get you to the grocery stores and public library. Not everybody who arrives here digs in, though.
“Out of 80, 90, 100 people, I maybe had two people whom I very kindly asked where they were going to go next. It wasn’t a particularly good fit for them or us,” Bellow said. “A woman from Russia decided to go visit friends in Seattle,” before her planned departure date. When asked what’s most challenging about all of this, Bellow deadpans with a simple answer. “Just working … We start at the crack of 8:30. “We’re outside when it’s nice. We’re outside when it’s not nice,” and if, say, you just finished your spring semester at college, you won’t be used to all that exposure.
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Traveler Page Mykelkay started out as a volunteer at Mountain Spirit Herbal Co. of Port Townsend. Now she’s a farming apprentice there. “It’s always a little bit of a social experiment,” Bellow added. “We invite people into our little community without knowing anything about them. Not everybody totally hits it off with each other all of the time. But we’ve got a lot of space,” for people to take a break from one another. A few WWOOFers have stayed on to become employees, working the land and staffing SpringRain’s farmers market tables. Kirby, for her part, said the time here has flown by.
She’s gotten dirtier than she previously thought possible. And this Iowan has found a new community and a new life in the West. Colorado might be her next frontier, as WWOOFUSA has 80 host farms there, including 25 with immediate availability this spring.
ELSEWHERE ON THE PENINSULA
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Jefferson County, Denise Joy of Mountain Spirit Herbal Co. welcomes WWOOFers
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— with a caveat. Since both recreational and medical cannabis have become legal in Washington state, there have been travelers who come here for the weed. So Joy, who takes WWOOFers from April through October, asks a question during the introductory phone conversation. “Are you the wake-and-bake type?,” as in “Do you indulge in marijuana first thing in the morning?” “I don’t care what they do in the evening,” Joy said. It’s the work day she’s concerned about. “I can’t have you operating equipment, even a shovel, if you’re stoned.” Just as she doesn’t want workers taking a pot break, she wouldn’t give them a beer in the middle of the day. That said, Joy turns down more applicants than she accepts. But when a good worker joins in the operation — an herb farm flourishing amidst the cedar forest bordering Port Townsend — she treats him or her like family. Page Mykelkay came to work at Mountain Spirit last year. She brought her dog, Banjo, whom she found abandoned outside St. Louis, Mo., about five years ago. They live in a modest cabin on the farm. Mykelkay, 28, has WWOOFed at a few farms in the Pacific Northwest, so she’s seen a variety of methods and practices. She decided to stay at Mountain Spirit, where she’s now an apprentice farmer. The operation produces dozens of herbal products — balms, teas, tinctures — and sells them at the Port Townsend Food Co-op as well as other shops around the world.
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about 75 miles east of here, and chose Two Bears because she wanted a farm she could reach by bicycle. This took all of one sunny day at the start of May. So she was given an introduction to one hazard of farming. “I got a sunburn. It was beautiful, and I was too excited to stop and put on sunscreen,” as she pedaled across county after county. “I wanted to learn how to grow things, how to live a simple life, and learn how to take care of this land,” Fayden, 23, said. In her month among the crops, she has learned a lot. Her favorite task is harvesting, not only because it means garden-fresh salads, but also because she gets to see the full potential of seeds planted just weeks ago. After Two Bears, Fayden has “some pretty awesome backpacking trips planned” before she returns to college in the fall. She plans to attend Cascadia College to study computer engineering. To the WWOOFers of the future, she has a bit of advice: “Be ready to help out,” and look for ways to give back to your host farm. “Just come with an open and happy attitude,” she said. “Be open for new experiences and different lifestyles.”
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Across the Peninsula in Port Angeles, yet another small farm hosts WWOOFers: Two Bears Gardens, just down Benson Road from Camaraderie Cellars. Farmers AJ and Tammy Ratliff grow tomatoes, kale, Swiss chard, lovage, onions and sweet cicely, a fernlike herb. This is their fourth year working with WWOOFers, who have come to her from across the United States, Australia, France and Switzerland. “The people who come here and really want to learn,” said Tammy, are the ones who work hardest. WWOOFers live at the farm and eat their meals with Ratliff and her husband. “The girls always outwork the guys,” Tammy said, adding that the female WWOOFers tend to be highly engaged and inclined to ask good questions. Two Bears Gardens is only about 3 acres with a farm stand out on Benson Road, but there is prodigious work to do these days. The weather presents the biggest challenge; the winters have changed, said Tammy. “We get more rain than snowfall. So the fields are soaked. “And we’re organic, so pests are a big problem.” WWOOFer Bridget Fayden welcomes such challenges. She’s from Kenmore,
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Students blossoming
out of STEM Opportunities for youth abound on Olympic Peninsula Story by Erin Hawkins Whether it’s tinkering with robotic parts, solving mock crimes scenes or learning code, there are a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opportunities in the works for youths across the Olympic Peninsula. Some educators attribute an increase in STEM opportunities to a shift in national and statewide educational science standards, while others say STEM fields are just the way the world is growing. Steve Mahitka, an agriculture science teacher and career and technical education director at Sequim High School, said there has been a shift in standards toward teaching science that students can relate to in a career setting. “The next generation of science standards are the Common Core of the science world — basing science on phenomena,” he said. Sequim High School human body systems teacher Isaac Rapelje agrees with Mahitka, saying he’s witnessed this shift in science standards, too. But he believes this shift is more of a nod to how society is evolving and putting more of an emphasis on career and college readiness and STEM fields. “It’s more a global emphasis on STEM and getting teachers and students on the same page and showing (students) STEM is important and going to be an emphasis in the future,” Rapelje said. At Port Angeles High School, environmental science and integrated science teacher Adam Logan said while there is not a specific STEM focus in his classes, he tries to teach in a way that caters to his students’ interests and futures.
26 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
Sequim High School students Eli Gish, left, and Jaden Rego work with a DNA model. Submitted photo
“STEM is a group of disciplines together to power the future,” Logan said. “As a science teacher, I try to make my lessons and what we study relevant to what (my students’) futures are going to be.”
EARLY APPLICATION
Across the Peninsula, youths are already being exposed to STEM at a young age, both in traditional brick-and-mortar schools and in experiential education models. In Port Townsend, the Northwest Discovery Lab is a nonprofit that offers a variety of hands-on science and arts classes and programs for youths on the Olympic Peninsula. Danell Swim-Mackey, the nonprofit’s executive director and founder, said she and her husband, Aric Mackey, developed the NW Discovery Lab to create more STEM pathways for her children. “We have three boys into STEM, and we wanted more opportunities for them on the Peninsula,” she said. The NW Discovery Lab’s Windward School, an experiential education program partnered with Washington State University 4-H, offers quarterly hands-on science and art classes to youths ages 5 to 12 in Port Townsend and in Sequim. The nonprofit also provides afterschool workshops, such as summer robotics, summer girl-powered robotics and FIRST LEGO league teams that allow children to practice engineering, programming and design skills, among many others. In Sequim, Helen Haller Elementary School and Greywolf Elementary School students have had opportunities to learn and practice coding techniques. Both elementary schools offer STEAM Powered Saturdays, where students participate in a variety of handson activities. Some of these activities in the past have included teaching students how to fill a cavity, constructing a RoBo wheel and learning how to build paper tables.
STEM IN HIGH SCHOOL
At Sequim High School this year, the district adopted a new science curriculum under Project Lead the Way, a national program that helps high school students develop strong backgrounds in engineering and science fields. This program allowed the high school to offer students an Introduction to Engineering course, a Principles in Biomedical Science course and a Human Body Systems course. Sequim Schools superintendent Gary Neal said the school is moving away from traditional biology and life science classes and looking into more career and technical education and STEM classes. “It’s the idea of trying to provide high school students an opportunity to be prepared or find passion in areas they’re not being exposed to,” Neal said. On the first day of Principles of Biomedical Science, some students walked into a mock crime scene. They would spend the rest of the semester applying what they learned in class to determine what caused the fictional person’s death. “I would say, overall, especially in Principles of Biomedical Science, the freshmen are really engaged,” Rapelje said. “There was a buzz around campus about seeing the staged dead body on the floor.” With these new science courses, the district’s goal is to create more engagement among students and introduce
Sequim High School Introduction to Engineering teacher and Robotics Club faculty adviser Brad Moore shows components of one of the robots the club constructed for last year’s FIRST Robotics Competition. Photo by Erin Hawkins. them to careers in health, medicine, engineering and more at earlier grade levels rather than waiting until undergraduate or graduate study. In the principles of biomedical science and human body system classes, students are able to gain experience in laboratory and clinical skills, plus equipment and software proficiency. “There’s a career component to all the things they’re doing,” Mahitka said. The district also hopes to add more of these science pathways to its curriculum in the next few years, including a possible third-year biomedical science course called Medical Interventions and courses in aerospace and maritime engineering. Sequim School District also offers a robotics club, where students learn to design, build and program robots with mentors. These students also are eligible to participate in competitions where the club’s robots face off against other student-built robots around the state.
Brad Moore, Sequim High School’s Introduction to Engineering teacher and Robotics Club adviser, said one of the goals in his class is to get his students thinking critically. “There’s a lot of instant challenges we present to the classroom,” Moore said. “We’re really trying to make the kids think and see how to solve problems and come up with different solutions.” Moore said from Day 1 in the Robotics Club, his students dive into all the aspects of creating a working robot, from deciding on a strategy to building a robot to meet that strategy. “For me, personally, the kids get to go through a real engineering process,” Moore said. Even with his least experienced freshmen, Moore tries to encourage them to jump into the designing, programming and building process that mirrors many aspects of life outside the classroom. “I want (students) to not be afraid to make a mistake; that’s part of life,” he said.
Summer 2018 Living on the Peninsula
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“There’s a career component to all the things they’re doing.” — Steve Mahitka, agriculture science teacher and career and technical education director at Sequim High School
Areya and Tristen WinstonWebb see how many pennies Tristen’s boat can hold at a STEAM Powered Saturday event. Made of just Saran wrap, drinking straws and a bit of duct tape, Tristen’s watercraft held nearly 50 pennies. Photo by Michael Dashiell.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Many school districts, health care agencies and local workforce industries are coming together to continue creating STEM opportunities for students on the Olympic Peninsula to help meet the needs of its rural communities. Peninsula Daily News reported that the state Department of Health has designated Clallam and Jefferson counties as “medically under-served areas” based on a number of factors, such as infant mortality, poverty rate, percentage of elderly and the ratio of primary care physicians to the population, which was found in the agency’s eight-page report on the workforce initiative. Neal said Sequim High School is trying to align with Peninsula College and Olympic Medical Center so graduating students can take the skills they learn from some of the science and engineering courses to further his or her education or to go into the workforce. “Peninsula College has a very robust nursing program,” Neal said. “So (Peninsula College) is aligning with us and trying to find ways we can get kids interested in that pathway.” Mahitka also said from a career and technical educa-
tion perspective, there is a need on the Peninsula for students to go into medical or engineering fields. “From our side, we see the need in our area,” he said. “It’s hard to recruit doctors here, and there’s 130 jobs that are unfilled. That’s a big impact in our county.” Sequim High School recently received a grant of $115,550 from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction that matched private donations from Battelle, the operator of Sequim’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Sequim Education Foundation and Sequim Sunrise Rotary, to improve access to computer science and related educational programs. This grant will provide the funds for the high school to offer an advanced placement computer science class next school year, acquire curriculum to create a K-12 computer science pathway and to deliver professional
development for all certificated staff in the school district. In the school’s press release about the grant, Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory director Charlie Brandt said, “Batelle and PNNL understand the importance of increasing the STEM workforce pipeline overall with an increased emphasis on computing sciences and cybersecurity as the demand for skilled workers in those fields is growing rapidly.” With a multitude of these programs and opportunities out there for students on the Olympic Peninsula, STEM could be the key ingredient in helping students grow toward the career of their dreams, as well as providing the local workforce with competent and well-prepared employees. Erin Hawkins is a reporter for the Sequim Gazette. Reach her at ehawkins@sequimgazette.com.
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THE DAYTRIPPER
LAKE SUTHERLAND Public dock good access point for summertime fun Story and photos by Laura Lofgren Summer is finally upon us here on the Olympic Peninsula, and with it comes warmer weather, longer days and plenty of outdoor opportunities. If you’ve been living here long enough, chances are you’ve found your recreational hobbies and have already made summertime plans with friends and family. But if you’re looking for a new activity to try or a new place to visit, let me recommend kayaking from the public access point on Lake Sutherland. Off South Shore Road (turn left from U.S. Highway 101), there is a public parking area with restrooms, a fishing dock and a boat launch. This well-maintained spot is perfect for beginner kayakers to test out their vessel. My husband and I recently purchased two new kayaks after years of procrastinating on the purchase. Plans for a trip on Lake Crescent were canceled due to windy conditions, but we found Lake Sutherland to be much calmer and more easily accessible. Now, we are no kayaking experts. We watched plenty of YouTube videos and read many kayaking safety blogs before heading out on our maiden voyage. And, of course, we overpacked like we always do. And by “we,” I mean me. Since many unfortunate things can occur on the water, I was sure to have an emergency first aid kit. Safety first! In a separate dry bag, I packed lots of snacks, a small towel, socks, a compass, a head lamp and a waterproof notebook and pen. Oh, and a water bottle.
30 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
As previously mentioned, I’m an “over-packer,” and the only thing we actually used out on the water was the water bottle. Who needs socks in a kayak? Apparently, I thought I did. My husband, on the other hand, was more economical in his packing. One dry bag and one fishing pole.
ENTERING THE LAKE
Once we got our kayaks off the roof and packed to the gills with our dry bags, we suited up in our obnoxious neon yellow and orange life vests and brought the kayaks down to the easily accessed boat launch, which made for an easy entry into our kayaks. Of note, my kayak is a sitin while my husband’s is an open-top angler kayak. Safely seated, we scooted and pushed off the shore and out into the water. We were finally kayaking! That initial thrill was short-lived as I tried to figure out the best paddling motion without getting soaked too much. We practiced some turns and going backward once we were safely past the boat launch, all the while still trying to not get water in our boats. Acknowledging we had the general gist of kayaking, we took off along the shore, passing by a plethora of lake houses with summertime occupants. There were plenty of motorized boats out, towing screaming kids on oversized tubes or blasting by with a water skier barely hanging on. We stayed in the “no wake” zone, hugging the shoreline and staying a safe distance from the screaming kids. Jet Skis flew past, and we jokingly decided to invest in one of those in the future.
Kayaking on Lake Sutherland is a healthy way to spend a summer afternoon. Heading east into the Snug Harbor neighborhood, my husband tossed out his line in hopes of a chance meeting with a native kokanee sockeye salmon, a landlocked form of Pacific salmon. Finally finding our groove, we headed toward Indian Creek, where, in March 2016, Lake Sutherland residents worked together to clear a logjam that causing flooding. Lakeside residents reported their docks were under water and water was approaching some cabins and homes, as well as flooding the basements of others, after a combination of excessive rainfall and a logjam in the creek caused the lake to rise an estimated 2 feet above the normal level. Here, we paused to take in the distance we had covered and laugh at how astounding this experience was. While kayaking might be just another hobby for some, this had been on our bucket list since we moved to the Pacific Northwest five years ago. To finally be out on the water, seeing Lake Sutherland from this new perspective, was an awesome experience to say the least. We decided to head back the way we came, picking up more speed to fight the mild wind gusts. When you finally find a rhythm in your kayak and get some speed, it feels like you’re flying on the water. Boaters and their kids waved at us as we cruised by. More speed boats whizzed around us, creating some fun wakes for us to ride. After rounding a point, we paused to shake out our aching arms when my husband pointed out our wedding spot. Across the lake was where we were married just last year. Let’s just add another layer of wonderful to this trip, shall we?
ESTABLISHED 2009 862130904
832071613
3 Soups Daily - Home Baked Goods Large Variety of Hot & Cold Sandwiches Hot Comfort Food Meals Served All Day Local Seafood Lots of Gluten Free & Vegan Options 300 E Washington St, Sequim (NE corner of Co-Op parking lot)
50530 Hwy 112, West Joyce, WA
360-928-0141
11am–6pm, Mon–Sat • 360.681.5124 www.Robins-Place.com or for our full menu
9 Years
360-681-8598
126 E. Washington St., Sequim www.JosesFamousSalsa.com
10 miles west of Sequim Across from Deer Park Cinema www.CestSiBon-FrenchCuisine.com
861879117
As seen in
Sunset Magazine
Voted Best Seafood
Northwest Waterfront Dining at John Wayne Marina
FRESH LOCAL SEAFOOD, STEAKS & MORE LUNCH SERVED 11:30AM - 3PM DINNER SERVED 4PM - 9PM OPEN WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY CLOSED MON & TUES
862130875
Experience the 1,000s of pieces of memorabilia on our walls & see our electric train travel 150’ around the room.
(360) 452 8888
862127605
862069924
Old Mill CAFE
A Local Treasure with Down Home Cookin’
Seafood available at every meal. Something for everyone!
“Dine with us here at Galare Thai and travel to my hometown of Chiang Mai without ever having to leave the country.” Suree Chommuang
Breakfast, Lunch, Early-Bird, Dinner, Cocktails, Kid’s Menu
“May we never lose touch with the simple joy of sharing a meal...”
Proprietor and Chef
Open Tues- Sat 8am-7:30, Summer 8am-8pm Sunday Brunch - 8am ‘til Close • Closed Mondays
(360) 582-1583
862132094
www.Old-MillCafe.com 721 Carlsborg Rd, Carlsborg, WA
Catering • Dine in • Take Out Parties • Gift Certificates 120 West Bell St. • Sequim 360-683-8069 26050 Illinois Ave NE • Kingston 360-297-4022 Lunch • 11-2:30 • Mon.-Fri. Dinner • 4-8 • Mon.-Sat. www.galarethai.com
862131000
831880388
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 6:30AM – 2:00PM 612 S. LINCOLN, PORT ANGELES
Check with us first!
Full Salsa Bar Tacos • Tamales • Burritos
COCKTAILS • WINE LOCAL MICRO BREWS Winter Hours begin Nov 1, close 8 pm 360-683-7510 2577 West Sequim Bay Rd. Sequim
Home Cooking • Friendly Service
Class Reunions | Fund Raising | Weddings
862070317
Dine Local in Port Angeles & Sequim!
French Cuisine never gets old...it only gets better!
TO GO DINE IN
TEDESCO’S IN SEQUIM
Casual Italian Dining in a Contemporary Atmosphere Fresh Pizza Dough, Fresh Sauces, Fresh Pasta Family Owned & Operated 2 1 0 W. W a s h i n g t o n S t . # 1 , S e q u i m ( 3 6 0 ) 5 0 4 - 3 8 2 1 w w w. t e d e s c o s f re s h . c o m
SAFETY TIPS FOR KAYAKERS
The Lake Sutherland public access boat launch is a great spot to try kayaking for the first time. All sappiness aside, we finally got our true bearings on the lake. “I think it’s a lot smaller than we originally thought,” my husband said. Agreed. We could probably circumnavigate all of Sutherland in an afternoon if we wanted.
EXITING THE LAKE
After planning for the future and reminiscing over the recent past, we made for the boat launch. Rounding the corner, the access point was abuzz with people fishing off the docks, launching boats or just hanging out on the grass. We pulled in and awkwardly got out of our kayaks and life vests, hauling the boats back up to our truck. Success! We had safely returned from our first kayaking trip on Lake Sutherland. The way the public boat launch parking area is set up, we overlooked the dock and the lake and all the activity happening, giving us a chance to revel in our triumphs before loading the kayaks and heading out to lunch. We decided to treat ourselves to some Granny’s Cafe fare (235471 U.S. Highway 101, grannyscafe.net). If you want to indulge in their popular soft serve ice cream or grab a bite to eat, plan your outing accordingly. Granny’s is open Thursdays-Mondays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Visit their website to check hours during the Highway 101 construction.
WHAT WE LEARNED
A few things we learned during our first kayaking trip: • Socks are wholly unnecessary in a kayak, because your feet will more or less be constantly wet. • It is legally required for kayakers to wear life jackets while on the water.
Ruger Precision
• Our kayaks will require some modifications, such as a new cup holder, a new net tie-down and extra handles. • Fishing off the angling kayak is easy ... so far. With the next trip, we’ll probably focus more on fishing and deciding what the best method is. • We need to practice getting in and out of our kayaks. After watching videos, the angler will be easier to re-enter than the sit-in. Lake Sutherland will be a good place to practice this summer. Thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, we now know we need a sound-producing device, such as a whistle, and a visual signal, such as pocket mirror or flashlight, when out on the water. They also advise taking a boating safety class and filing a float plan with a friend or family member before heading out. Let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to be back.
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE
The summertime on the Peninsula is filled with so many options for fun outdoor activities. Each year, we try something new and do our best to study it inside and out so we have the best time possible. Not to overanalyze kayaking or any other activity, but we want to make sure we’re getting the most out of our investments. While being kayak owners is a small investment, it’s proven to be a good one. With summer just getting started, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to really get out feet wet and explore the Peninsula in a whole new way. If you think you’d like to try lake kayaking but aren’t ready to throw down all that dough, the Peninsula has plenty of rental options. Out at Lake Crescent Lodge, you can rent kayaks
One of the best things about kayaking is that it can be a remarkably safe and user-friendly activity. But it’s important to understand things can and do go wrong. Understanding the risks and hazards of this water activity will lead to a safe, enjoyable experience. Avoiding dangerous situations while on the water is easy if you follow these simple rules: • Don’t drink alcohol and paddle. The two just don’t mix. • Always wear a life jacket on the water. One of the biggest reasons people take their life jacket off is because they find it uncomfortable to kayak with it on. It’s worth investing in a kayakingspecific life jacket, as they are designed to be as nonrestrictive as possible. • Dress for the conditions. Cold water represents the biggest hazard because immersion can quickly lead to hypothermia. If you are paddling in cold or cooler water, be more conservative with all your decisions. Paddle in calm conditions, close to shore and never alone. • Choose an appropriate paddling location for your skill level. The ideal kayaking environment has protection from wind and waves, a good access point for launching and landing, lots of places to go ashore and minimal motorized boat traffic. Look for calm bays or quiet lakes and river ways without noticeable current. • Practice re-entering your kayak from the water before you ever need to do it for real. If you can’t confidently re-enter your kayak from the water then it only makes sense to stay close enough to shore that you can comfortably swim if need be. (plus canoes and stand-up paddleboards) daily through mid-October, 7 a.m. to one hour before dusk, weather permitting. The Fairholme Store also offers rentals. They’re open through Labor Day, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/ONPrentals. Laura Lofgren is a special sections editor at Peninsula Daily News. Reach her at llofgren@peninsuladailynews.com.
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862115549
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32 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
862130901
Family Locally &ned Ow
THE LIVING END
COSMOS &
TECHNOLOGY By Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith “We are in the cosmos, and the cosmos is in us.” (Matthew Fox) The Olympic Peninsula is home to an ever-evolving, amazingly adaptive world of minerals, plants, animals and humans. In the depths of the Hoh Rain Forest, ancient trees grow high into the sky and send their roots deep into the earth. They create tender space in which many birds and creatures live. When they complete their life cycle, they fall to the ground and become nurse logs under the protection of which new seedlings are nourished and then grow into their own fullness. Constant advancements and new life may manifest and find its way into full expression all around us and within us. “The cosmic sense must have been born as soon as man found himself facing the forest, the sea and the stars.” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) We, as humans, are ever-evolving and amazingly adaptive as well. We advance in technology and in the consciousness of creativity out of which it emerges. Just reflect on how technology has developed over the centuries and how things that would have seemed impossible a short time ago are now commonplace. Nothing reminds one more of this than having a young person ask what a cassette or VCR tape is. Phones that were once shared party lines with only a few numbers to dial are now 10 digits long and are carried in our pockets. We’ve gone through immense changes in medicine, computers and science, among many other fields.
It is always fascinating that we often feel we are completely and fully evolved, but one needs just review history to know that life is an ever-unfolding, advancing, creative energy. Life circles and spirals and interconnects into a great web of connection and communion. One life touches another. One inventor sparks an idea that another carries forward into fullness of its expression. We are so interconnected now that similar new patents are simultaneously filed by scientists all over the world. We live in great universe born of and nourished by creative energy. “Humanity is still advancing; and it will probably continue to advance for hundreds of thousands of years more, always on condition that we know how to keep the same line of advance as our ancestors towards ever greater consciousness and complexity.” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) In the ancient traditions, the image of the interwoven web of creation was deeply incorporated into the cosmic world view. Spirit and science were once intimately woven together, and in our time they are reuniting with the discoveries of quantum physics. In spiritual stories, Indra’s Web is the matrix of the night sky holding all of creation in its star-linked threads amid the heavens. But now on earth, lightlinked threads encircle the globe, uniting us as well. How perfect that the modern creation that connects us across time and space is called the world wide web. This amazing technology allows us to seemingly transcend time and space as we connect immediately with others all over the planet. It’s a living web of energy, connection and possibility. It is our manifesting on earth a piece of heaven’s energies. For it is reflective of Indra’s Web that holds our cosmos in its embrace through
the strands that link star to star in the night sky above us. Upon the earth, now we have created strands that link soul to soul as we abide together upon Gaia ... a cosmic linking of us like that between the stars in the sky. “Evolution is a light illuminating all facts, a curve that all lines must follow.” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) We are fascinated by the technology of Star Wars, and yet the heart of it lies in the human stories impacted by it. Amid our technology, quantum physics and modern developments, it is essential to remember that we are living beings and that our creations emerge from a field of deeper energy. When we focus on the created tool rather than the universal consciousness from which it emerged, we can become slaves to our technology. We become trapped by it rather than having it gift us with evolving wisdom and deepening compassion for all life. John O’Donohue writes about the importance of spiritual nourishment within the process of advancement in our lives. In his classic book “Anam Cara,” he shares the following:
“There is an unprecedented spiritual hunger in our times. More and more people are awakening to the inner world. A thirst and hunger for the eternal is coming alive in their souls; this is a new form of consciousness ... “The light of modern consciousness is not gentle or reverent; it lacks graciousness in the presence of mystery; it wants to unriddle and control the unknown.” Our times call for a rediscovery of graciousness, an embrace of the mysteries and an honoring of soul consciousness. In this lies “peace that passes all understanding.” In our world of bright electric lighting, we find ourselves renewed by going outdoors to watch the night sky. When the Olympic winds blow strong off the Pacific Ocean, our power grid frequently goes out. It leaves us in our homes nestled in by our glowing hearths and reading by candlelight. Let’s remember this blessing of gentler light so we can encounter the deeper magic of our world and ourselves. Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith is the minister at the Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center in Port Townsend who leads international spiritual pilgrimages. Contact her at revpam@unitypt.org.
Summer 2018 Living on the Peninsula
33
Jefferson Solar Home Tour & EV Round-Up
PLAY WITH PASSION. RELAX IN STYLE. THAT’S THE POINT!
Congratulations to Finnriver for installing the LARGEST solar array in Jefferson County.
Saturday July 7th ‐ Finnriver Farm and Cidery 124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA 98325
10am‐11am Orientation 11am –2pm Solar Homes open for touring
852131049
All Your Favorite Games 700+ Slots & Non- Smoking Area • Blackjack • Craps Live Music & Entertainment Center Bar • Cutter Cigar Club • The Boom Room Lounge • Event Center Dining Market Fresh Buffet • Little Boston Bistro • Point Julia Cafe
862129766
Kingston, Washington www.the-point-casino.com 360.297.0070 The Point Casino & Hotel is proudly owned and operated by The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. You must be at least 21 years old to participate in gaming activities, attend entertainment events and to enter lounge/bar areas. Knowing your limit is your best bet—get help at (800) 547-6133. TPC-6833-1 LOTP 4.67x5.25.indd 1
Come at 10am to acquire maps and review current products and incentives available for solar. Visit local installations and enter to win a “Emergency Preparedness Basket”. Jefferson County EV Association will also be showcasing a variety of electric vehicles.
www.powertripenergy.com (360)643-3080
5/17/18 4:46 PM
What other bank on the What other bank on the Olympic Peninsula can Olympic Peninsula can say say their President & CEO was their President & CEO was born and raised in Sequim? born and raised in Sequim? Now that’s local. Now that’s local. That’s community. That’s community. Laurie (Teitzel) Stewart Laurie (Teitzel) Stewart President & CEO
President & CEO
Member FDIC
34 Living on the Peninsula Summer 2018
Port Angeles Port Ludlow SequimSequim | Port Angeles | Port Ludlow soundcb.com | 800.458.5585 soundcb.com 800.458.5585
862116103
Laurie &Sister Sister Laurie & Irrigation Festival 1956 Irrigation Festival 1956
Member FDIC
Graysmarsh Farm JUNE STRAWBERRIES SWEET ONIONS
Graysmarsh IM QU SE
ND
A
SEQUIM
LL
CARLSBORG
You Pick or We Pick Berries and Lavender
TO PORT ANGELES
KITCHEN-DICK
RASPBERRIES LOGANBERRIES BOYSENBERRIES BLUEBERRIES BLACKBERRIES
HO
JULY
- DUNGENESS WAY
WOODCOCK
OLD OLYMPIC HIGHWAY
RD .
WASHINGTON ST.
TO SEATTLE
AUGUST BLACKBERRIES
JUNE-SEPTEMBER FRESH LAVENDER, BUDS, OIL & PLANTS
861865426
Be sure to visit the farm during Lavender Festival in July
6187 Woodcock Road, Sequim • 360-683-5563 • www.graysmarsh.com
San J Juan Villa
A Community Designed Uniquely for Memory Care
Memory Care Community
Ÿ Secure and homelike environment
Ÿ Daily group activities
Ÿ Unique life stations designed for Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
Located in Port Townsend, WA Call 360-344-3114 Visit CaringPlaces.com
862131067
Drop in for a tour and see if this Caring Place feels like home.
residents with memory loss Two beautiful outdoor areas Raised flower beds for gardening Spa room with jetted spa tub Individualized service plans Licensed nurses Dementia-trained caregivers Respite services available
A Caring Places Management Community Summer 2018 Living on the Peninsula
35
Your journey to beating cancer just got shorter. You don’t have to leave the North Olympic Peninsula to get exceptional cancer care. Located in Sequim, Olympic Medical Cancer Center delivers world-class cancer care close to home. Our affiliation with Seattle Cancer Care Alliance gives our patients full access to the world-renowned therapies developed at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s. If you’re dealing with cancer, Olympic Medical Cancer Center can help. Visit olympicmedical.org or call (360) 683-9895.
Published on Jun 5, 2018
i20180605154051421.pdf
Published on Jun 5, 2018
i20180605154051421.pdf