Place to Come Home to

Thanks Cate for the mention... I am laughing at how you describe me! (see near bottom of article)

Coast Chronicles: Best place to live in small-town America? - The Peninsula
By Cate Gable
Observer columnist
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Hoping something, sometime, will rub off on me, I wistfully opened my Money magazine this month and read about small-cap funds (recent winners over large-cap and growth); P/E ratios (stick with those below their five-year averages); dividends from solid performers (AT&T probably heads the list at 6.5 percent) and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (with inflation at 2.5 percent, TIPS yielding 1.84 percent aren't a bad investment right now).

It makes my eyes roll.

I close all the pages of charts, graphs and percentages and just sigh.

The one article I found relaxing was "100 Best Places to Live in America." It's an analysis that ranks small town living on five attributes that the magazine editors feel families care most about.

Their categories are jobs/economy, housing affordability, safety, education and leisure/arts. They consider the population of a 'small town' to be between 8,500 and 50,000.

Washington state comes off pretty well in this article, despite our small towns being hampered by an economy that's in the dumps.

Mukilteo, up north of Seattle and with a population of 20,500, made Money's top ranks coming in 10th. A typical Mukilteo single-family home costs $435,000; property taxes are $3,260; and the unemployment rate is 7.1 percent. Plus, they get high marks for "natural beauty and good schools."

In the top 100, Washington has four other winners: Sammamish (12); Newcastle (17); Richland (51) and Silverdale (92). Oregon didn't fare as well - making the rankings were only West Linn at 64th and Lake Oswego in 79th place.

But these numbers got me thinking about how our Peninsula would stack up against these towns. I wondered how we would fare given the criteria laid out by the Money editors.

So here are my own, mostly unscientific, guestimates about how our little corner of the world might have performed in their contest.

First, we definitely fit the "small town" criterion. Folks at the Long Beach Visitors Bureau indicate that we have a wildly fluctuating population. In the winter, full-time Peninsula residents clock in at around 10,000.

Summer folk, or maybe we should say "seasonal neighbors," balloon the Peninsula population to around 25,000 an increase of 250 percent. But that still puts us well within their 50,000 cut-off.

So, now we know - all of our small towns together are still 'small town.'

The next factor - jobs/economy - is probably our weakest area.

According to the most recent government figures for June, the unemployment rate for Pacific County is 12 percent. This is about three points higher than the national figure and it sounds pretty scary. But, believe it or not, that's an improvement over the past couple months.

Our all-time unemployment high for the county was 14.4 percent, registered in March of this year. For May it was 13 percent.

So we're trending into better territory, but we still have a lot of people out of work. As well, the kind of work we do have - low-paying jobs that support the tourism industry - aren't the kind that make it easy to keep a family afloat.

Add to that the fact that our year-round economy is natural-resource based - fisheries, timber, agriculture - and we happen to be living at a time on earth during the greatest environmental crisis mankind has ever faced.

(El Niño may deliver another hit to our failing salmon runs this year. Ocean acidification is taking a toll on oyster and crab. And on the phone with a fish expert the other day, I heard it unofficially stated "... the sturgeon are kaput." I'd like to see environmental and habitat restoration become our economic driver. Or how about pursuing alternative energy - wind and wave - and other light industry to get us back up on our financial feet?)

Affordable housing is a winning category for us. I figure a single-family home is three bedrooms, two bath, stick built. I spoke with Dennis Oman, broker and owner of Oman Realty, and DJ Bogue, broker/manager of Anchor Realty in Surfside, who both indicated that the price range for a 3BR/2BA on the Peninsula is between $160,000 to $240,000.

Part of affordable housing in the Money survey includes property taxes. Ours are in the middle range. According to the Pacific County Assessor's office, residential property taxes range between $9 and $11 per $1,000 of assessed value. This means property taxes on that single-family home price-range work out to between $1,440 and $2,640, which puts us near the top of the heap compared to the Money winners.

Only first place winner - Louisville, Colo., with typical home prices of $325,000 and property taxes of $1,590 - would score better.

I'm not sure how to rate safety and education. Money doesn't share their rationale on these factors, so I'll give us a neutral there.

But in the leisure and the arts category we would surely score well.

Scan through the Chinook Observer calendar section or check out events at funbeach.com to see the array of activities available to us - many of them free. Even if we can't get all the first run movies, we seem to be pretty clever at entertaining ourselves. We've got Lewis and Clark, multiple national and state parks, a top-notch museum, and lots of active community sponsors for music, drama, and arts events.

I give us high marks in the arts and leisure category.

And as for Mukilteo's "drop-dead gorgeous views of Puget Sound" - well, those Money editors should try Cape 'D' on a sunny day.

Overall, I'd say we've been cheated out of our top ranking in the best small town places to live. But, of course, this is a blessing in disguise and one that has brought us all here. We're not on the map - hurray.

And, anyway, living here isn't really about the numbers, is it?

I asked a few friends to answer the question "What is best about Peninsula living?" and here's what I heard:

From Sue Staples, an inveterate birder, "A whirlpool of swallows, eddies slowly overhead, one blue feather falls."

Mike Carmel, gardener extraordinaire and Tilth treasurer, "Old beauty, new friends, good air, gentle pace, caring community."

Rosemary Hallin, community volunteer for Camp Victory, "beautiful people - ocean, bay, forests together, living on the edge."

Nansen Malin, Twitter Queen and Republican kingpin, "Beach house memories, salt air dunes salmon, oysters, place to come home to."

Those sentiments just about say it all.

Peter G. Petersen, co-founder of the Blackstone Group and multi-billionaire, has decided to give away most of his fortune and his friends are asking why. As an answer, he tells a sweet little story in the June 8, Newsweek, which I picked up in the Nahcotta Post Office magazine exchange box. (Thank you, neighbor, whoever you are, and let me add this to my list of what's best about living on the Peninsula.)

The story: Kurt Vonnegut is at a lavish hedge-fund manager's party (probably BC, before the crash) with Joseph Heller and he says, "Hey Joe, doesn't it bug you that this guy makes more in a day than you ever made on Catch 22?"

Heller says, "Nope. I have something he doesn't have. I know the meaning of enough."

So, views of Long Island and the Willapa Hills, the old growth cedars at Ellsworth Creek, fresh spring salmon, delicious water, few traffic lights, honest friends, walks on the beach, community volunteers, stars at night, space for a garden, elk, coyote, hummingbirds, the chance to write for a great little weekly - sounds like enough to me.

By my calculations, we live in the number one, top of the list, all-around best 'small town' in America. But let's just keep this to ourselves.

Seaview Haiku

Beach House Memories

Salt Air Dunes Salmon Oysters

Place to come home to

Trying out mobile blogging

Now I can blog on the go! (via cell phone)

SandSations

Here are a few of the SandSations 2009 event this past Saturday. More to come....

Salmon Fishing in the Ocean

The girls went out Salmon fishing with our friend, James, and his friend, Joe. On Joe's boat- the Lucky Joe. It was a good day.

I won!

Here is the video of Seattle radio KTTH David Boze - picking MY name. I won 2 tickets to a VIP reception with Michael Steele. YAY! (but, haha, he does say my name badly)I don't care...as they say- just don't call me late for dinner!!

For those who wonder why I am so involved- A GREAT Quote from Michael Steele- 'You don't have to ask permission to lead the party. This isn't your Daddy's Republican Party."
I love that.

(if you aren't a member of FaceBook- here is the WSRP link)

Yikes! I hope those eagles aren't eating our deer friends!

Bald eagles becoming bold predators
By KEVIN HEIMBIGNER
Observer staff writer
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Photo: KEVIN HEIMBIGNER/Chinook Observer
An immature eagle dines on a fawn
on the beach. The deer’s tracks in the sand indicate that it was hunted down
from the air.


LONG BEACH - The morning of July 1 while driving south on the beach adjacent to the cablevision tower I spotted three bald eagles squabbling where the dry sand begins. They were actively feasting on what I thought was a seal. Approaching on foot I got the camera ready, but the eagles did not cooperate by staying together long enough for me to take a picture of all three.

Then I noticed their meal was a small deer of about 40 pounds. The eagles took turns eating and then retreating to the safety of the dunes. Driving off I saw tracks and stopped to check them out. The tracks were those of the fawn and they were deep in the hard sand and wide apart. The deer had been in full flight, throwing sand a couple of feet when it had violently changed directions numerous times.

I looked for other animal tracks to see what had chased and likely killed the fawn. There were none and no tire tracks to indicate someone may have accidentally struck the racing animal. The logical conclusion was that the three eagles, two young ones and one mature adult, had somehow killed their prey. Approaching the scene it was clear that the 40-pound buck had stopped where the eagles had evidently caught up to it in the soft sand.

A quarter-mile further south I spotted another mature eagle and after a minute it flew off in the direction of the deer. I turned back north and followed and sure enough he joined in the meal after a brief flutter of feathers. According to Wikepedia the bald eagle's main diet is fish, but they are known to prey on raccoons and deer fawns.

Ten or 15 years ago a bald eagle on the beach was rare as hen's teeth, a treat. The past few years a drive on the hard sand from Ocean Park to Long Beach more often than not reveals at least one eagle and sometimes as many as half a dozen on the beach or perched on the dunes.

I have seen at least three times when eagles have had rabbits in their clutches as the birds are doing what they are supposed to do, as predators they are controlling populations of fish, rodents and rabbits. Reports of a small dog being swept away in the talons, collar and all, and of domestic cats being snatched up from the beach grass are becoming more common.

As the population of bald eagles continues to increase on the Peninsula the vigilance one has for their pets must also increase. Keeping an eagle eye out for these beautiful and spectacular predators is becoming a must.

The bald eagle had been on the endangered species list, but was officially de-classified June 28, 2007. Restrictions on the pesticide DDT has allowed eagle populations to again increase nationwide. To shoot or willfully harm an eagle is a federal offense, however, and led to several years of incarceration.

The Morning After

We all love the fireworks, the bonfires, the family times. But what happens when tens of thousands of people descend on the beach for 20 miles?

Everyone loves the beach. But not everyone cares FOR the beach. They build huge raging fires and throw all sorts of debris into the heat. They leave everything from sofas to broken glass on the sand - thinking it will just wash away.

The next morning- tons and tons of spent firework parts, beer bottles, cans, metal, plastics, rope, clothes, furniture and other crazy non- bio-degradable foreign objects are left.

Shelly Pollock and the volunteer Grassroots Garbage Gang- get up early and pick up the yucky trash. It is hard work. It is disgusting work. Fires are still burning... and those are usually the fires with broken glass, melted hot wire, and cut up beer cans. It can be dangerous. It is also very rewarding.

Videos from the 4th

4th of July Surrey ride around Seaview

I'm calling it my Palin-tini.

and Kramer continues

We spent part of the day weeding the Seaview Beach approach garden. We were showing one of the (trespassed) property owners the damage, path and evidence... and Kramer shows up from out of the woods- (State Parks Land).

He yelled crazy talk at us. There is evidence he is proceeding with work... ignoring the 2nd STOP WORK order.

I heard he is asking other property owners to allow him to drive across their wetlands... to set up his housing unit. All without permits. (QUOTE- Because permits take too long.) This area is in 'critical area'....and believe me, it is called WETland for a reason.


He keeps claiming he did not know he couldn't build on this landlocked property. However, the real estate office was very clear about disclosure. (He bought it really cheap for that reason.)

Mr. Kramer continues to defy stop work order and ignores all regulations.

Remember Mr. Kramer? He hasn't gone away. Here is the post with the original stop work order. (Note: I believe in property rights. However the rules/regulations must be followed and this property is smack in the middle of really really WET wetlands. This is also on the accreted Duneland - that is already eroding.) I would also say that Kramer has a right to build- provided he does it legally.

This morning, after the neighbors called... exclaiming Kramer was trespassing over TWO properties and building illegally... I grabbed the little flip camera to do some citizen journalism in the Seaview Dunes.

By the way, he has no permits, has been told to stop, and yet is determined to continue. He purchased the land - knowing he was unable to build. He even had the honor of having the Corps of Engineers refuse his survey and wetland delineation... yet he persists. The County has not issued him permits.

The County Community Development Office had people on vacation today and originally told the neighbors that nothing could be done today. I made a few calls... and the county inspector arrived with the Sheriff...

Oh yeah... should also mention - it does seem that he is actually trying to build his housing foundation on State Parks Land. Sigh... need another survey.
(photo credit to my neighbor- John)