Bellingham, WA

Maybe you have to be on an island to find this kind of trust. I have not seen anything like this since I was a kid back in the 1950's and early 1960's. My wife and I were visiting Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. It is an easy drive and ferry ride from Bellingham. We were going to the "cheese" factories on the island.

We found this one, on the map, that was called Moonstruck Cheese. We followed the winding country road and, before long, we were there. It was an attractive storefront.

As we got out of the car, to partake in the cheeses, this sign was on the door.

Honest to goodness. They trusted you to select your own cheeses and to actually pay for them and make change. There was a cash box there, with money inside, so we selected the items we wanted from their delicious products.

Then we wrote down our purchase, opened the cash box, paid, and drove away.

Bellingham, where I come from, is not a big place, but you sure do not see things like that around here anymore. In fact, I thought that this way of doing business was extinct in the year 2009. In so many places there are people who would ruin it for everyone -- steal the cheese and the money too.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith

Sometimes it is funny how the mind works. As part of the home inspection training class at Bellingham Technical College, I maintain some online practice tests that help students prepare for various inspection related state or national exams. Here is the scoop.

I was at an inspection today and one sprinkler head was buried down in the soil.

Whatcom Museum's latest addition The Lightcatcher has just opened this week.With the buildings architectural design and it's exhibits, the museum will be bridging the gap between art and nature, showing the beautiful simplicity of nature's form and function.

The building's name comes from the Lightcatcher wall. Designed in an arc, the 37-foot-high and 180-foot translucent wall surrounds the courtyard capturing, filtering and translating the light of the sun. The building has an interesting shape but I find it's dull sand color exterior a little boring, some vibrant color or a mural would make it a lot more interesting.

The Lightcatcher is the first museum in Washington State built to LEED Silver standards and it includes a green roof and rainwater harvesting strategies that will be used for public education.The roof manages stormwater, their is a natural ventilation systems in the Lightcatcher wall, and a cistern for harvesting rainwater, as well as a rain garden in the courtyard,

One of the premier exhibits is John Grade's architectural installation of sculptures that he calls "Bloom: The Elephant Bed," 10 bell-shaped sculptures hanging from the 26-foot high ceiling. A type of organism called coccolithophores that forms algal blooms, was Grade's inspiration for the sculpture. After millions of years of decay and deposit, their calciferous skeletons have became the basis of England's chalky white cliffs of Dover. The "elephant bed" is a layer in the chalk deposit that holds the fossilized bones of ox, deer and even mammoth. The sculptures are made of water-soluble materials and over the course of the exhibit, a few will be lowered into a pool of inky-black water where they will slowly dissolve. On Saturday, April 10, 2010 the remaining pieces will be cast into Bellingham Bay after a public procession where they will dissolve and spend eternity.

Grade's exhibit honors the natural world's state of impermanence, death and renewal; the cycle of birth and decay is nature's way of creating a sustainable habitat.

The museum's art gallery, has works that explore political, social and gender issues and show how ordinary materials and ideas can be transformed into art. The Lightcatcher building's inaugural exhibition "Out of Bounds" features more than 80 compelling works in all media - painting, sculpture, drawing, Out of Bounds is the collection of Driek and Michael Zirinsky.

The Family Interactive Gallery (FIG), formerly the Children's Museum is the Pacific Northwest's newest family attraction. Art-based activities in a dramatic setting connect visitors to our region's history and environment, the FIG promises to be a fun and engaging experience for the whole family.

The Whatcom Museum Lightcatcher is a welcome addition to the city of Bellingham.

The old passenger railway cars departed Fairhaven via the flatbed trailer of a semi truck.

After 34 years of residing around the old Bob's service station at the intersection of 12th & Harris Avenues the cars were loaded on to awaiting trucks with a huge Sickelsteel Crane. It was quite the site watching all the activity from my condo windows. Many people gathered around the site to watch as the crane hooked up to the cars, lifted them overhead and dropped them down on to the trailers.

This end of an era change in Historic Fairhaven goes right along with all the other changes that have been happening the past few years. To include renovation of 1890 buildings, construction of new mixed used commercial buildings, which increased the residential density in the district core. The future plans for this site is the possible creation of a modern replica of the Historic Fairhaven Hotel.

This morning in Bellingham the wind is howling. I have an inspection on Lake Samish. I really wonder if I will be able to get on the roof. This is turning out to be a bad year as far as losing our power in Bellingham. That is usually wind related. It has happened twice at my house so far. Back in early October I was writing a report one night -- it gets dark early -- and "poof" the power went out. Can you say dark?

The power came back on later and I thought nothing more about it. We had a class starting the following Monday at Bellingham Technical College. That first day was a royal pain. We had no internet access due to damage caused by the preceding power outage.

A young fellow, who helps around the yard, told me later that the cause of the power outage had been filmed and the show was playing at youtube. I had not had a chance to watch the video till today. It is quite the show. A tree gradually led to a fire and explosion.

If you are sensitive, turn the sound down because the events that unfold led to a few shocked expletives by those watching the fireworks. This really gives an amazing example of the awesome power of electricity and how vulnerable the power grid is to wind when big trees are all around.

Thanks for stopping by,

Steven L. Smith