A sense of community

Today, Bill and I went to Bainbridge Gardens to celebrate their 50 year anniversary. We had the opportunity to talk with a number of people, as well as view pictures and articles related to the history of the gardens.  Junkoh and Chris Harui opened Town and Country Florist in 1958.  Later, they opened what is now known as Bainbridge Gardens.  It was an amazing testimony to two wonderful people, and the heritage and culture that makes Bainbridge Island what it is today.  

I wrote the above a couple of months ago, and just realized today (October 22nd) that I didn't ever publish it.

Sadly, Junkoh died this last week after a brief battle with cancer.  While we only met him a few times,  he touched our lives.  In a way that was quiet and respectful, in his presence, one felt a sense of peace that transcended the moment, and spoke of generations past, present, and future.

When you come to visit us, we will take you to this special place...show you the grounds and buy you a cookie.

SIlver Medal for a Bainbridge Islander

Emily Silver who qualified to swim the Women's Medley Relay last night, was one of two swimmers replaced by Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin. Because she qualified in the preliminaries, she will also receive a silver medal. According to the newspaper article, she has yet to receive her medal, but Dara let her hold hers.

Goin' Green and Dirty Dishes

As many of you know, Bill and I have an ongoing desire to be as "green" as possible. The other night, we took an online quiz related to this. We scored 9/10 (only because one was definitely a trick question, and neither of the choices was obviously correct. Alas, we chose the lesser of two evils, after which the question admitted it was a trick one, and showed the correct answer as ours..HA!).

Anyway, one particular question had to do with whether a dishwasher uses less water than washing by hand. We chose correctly--the dishwasher uses less water. The helpful hint to this was that it is unnecessary to rinse off your dishes, as the newer models do this for you. Bill said (to the air around him ) "Hmmmm....you'll have to take that one up with my wife." Okay I admit I use a dishwasher more for sterilizing than cleaning, as my dishes are pretty darn clean going in. So, as I stretch and learn on my journey toward "greenhood," I decided to put the suggestion to the test. That very evening, I put all those nasty, dirty dishes into the dishwasher, let them sit overnight, added some more the next day, let that baby do its magic, and WA-LA! I do believe they glistened in their cleanliness. Simply Amazing!

We are here we are here we are HEREEEEE!

Does this sound familiar? I believe it's from Horton Hears a Who. I haven't seen the latest version, but this is stuck in my head from when I was a wee one (yes folks, I too was once wee).

Anyway, I have plans to post someday soon. Our lives are blessed, and at the moment and for the past many moments, busy busy busy. We have begun demolition on our house. This is pretty exciting to us, because it means that in about 6-8 months, we will be moving back into our lovely house in its new form.

Meanwhile, we are living in a condo. I have never lived in an apt/condo, so it's a new experience for me. The windchimes that greet us, are not ours...the dogs that bark, are not ours...the voices outside our window, are not familiar. It is all new.

This morning, I went to feed the dogs at our house, and out from the brush flew a ring-necked pheasant. Then, I stood on the bank enjoying the movement of the water and the birds (crows and seagulls mostly) enjoying their morning hunt. I heard a familiar sound, and turned to see a hummingbird also in search of breakfast (guess I need to fill their feeder). All beautiful sights and sounds to behold.

This weekend, we celebrated Alani's 2nd birthday. Two weekends before that, we celebrated Haley's college graduation. These grander moments are wonderful reminders that God blesses us each and every moment of our lives. We strive to appreciate the grand and small in all that He has given us.

Bainbridge Island a Bicycle Friendly Community

Bainbridge A Bicycle Friendly Community

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, May 1, 2008 – Bainbridge Island is one of eleven communities across the country recognized today as a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. The competitive award process recognizes communities that have made “impressive, measurable efforts to integrate bicyclists into the community.”

“I have to say this is a huge accomplishment. The designation is one with real meaning – it is a very competitive process,” said Don Willott, chair of the City’s Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Committee. Communities are judged on their support of cycling in five key areas: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation/planning .

“This is a great opportunity to celebrate our Island’s commitment to alternative transportation,” said Mayor Darlene Kordonowy, noting that adding and maintaining bike lanes and walking paths along major roads received high priority in the City’s recently completed Community Priorities Survey.

“We’re fortunate to have a cycling community which is committed not only to riding their own bikes, but to educating the rest of us about the needs of bicyclists and the benefits of alternative transportation,” the Mayor added. “Completion of the application was truly a grassroots effort. Cyclist Joel Levin deserves special appreciation for his leadership on this project.”

The new winners bring the number of Bicycle Friendly Communities nationwide to 84, spread across 31 states. There are four levels — Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. Bainbridge received recognition at the Bronze level, as did Port Townsend, WA. "This is some really good news, it is something we can build on as we work for continued improvements, and for now, it is an acknowledgment of our efforts and our potential," said Levin.

“The Bicycle Friendly Community program is revolutionizing the way communities evaluate their quality of life and transportation network,” said League President Andy Clark. “Today’s awards bring into focus both the geographic and demographic diversity of communities that are realizing the potential of bicycling to address the challenges of climate change, traffic congestion, rising obesity rates, and soaring fuel prices.”

Other communities receiving recognition included, at the Silver level, Colorado Springs and Durango, CO and Minneapolis, MN, and at the Bronze level, Arcata, CA, Charlotte, N.C., Charlottesville, VA, Coeur d'Alene, ID, Oxford, MI, and Sitka, AK.

A walk on the beach

Today, I took Chip and Luke to the beach near our house. It's a bit precarious getting them both up and down the rock wall, but we did it! They loved tromping around in the mucky sand and sea grass. Luke enjoyed stalking the seagulls and chasing a few into the water. While we were there, we were treated to a bald eagle hunting for an afternoon snack. I could tell he had his "eagle eyes" on us, as each time we got closer to him, he would fly a bit further out over the water.

Our Friend Brad

A dear friend in Christ, Brad Morris died a couple of days ago. He suffered from Multiple Sclerosis. His sister asked for thoughts about Brad to be read at his memorial service tomorrow. We'll miss Brad, yet we know he is in a better place now.

Brad's health was in significant decline for most of the time we knew him. He was in a wheelchair, and required constant attention and care.

Brad was a force to be reckoned with when it came to tending to our spiritual lives. His constant challenge of our interpretation of the word, caused me to take pause, ponder my own beliefs, and often re-read and study the scriptures we were discussing. I didn't always agree with his perspective, but I don't think that Brad's purpose was to get us to see things his way, rather it was to see things God's way.

I remember thinking about Brad one day when I was stopping off at the church building to drop something off. I was thinking how I wished there was an opportunity to get to know him better. Lo and behold there he was, getting out of the van just returning from the dentist. Though his mouth was numb from dental work, he seemed happy to spend a few minutes chatting with me. The conversation took an almost immediate turn from a pleasant superficial chat to something much deeper. He challenged my current spiritual walk, in a way that was frank and honest, not critical. His attitude was one of why wait, do the thing now I had been toiling over. Now, when a challenge is before me, and I find myself procrastinating, I often reflect back on that moment, and the way Brad spoke to me, as a brother in Christ who knew the value of taking care of things today, in this moment, for the opportunity may not come along again.

"Stay with it. That is what's required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry, you'll be saved." Mark 13:13 (The Message)

Thanks Brad!