david helm: My Book Meme with thanks to Deborah Pearce
- 12/07/07 05:51 AM
How does an avid reader talk about his five favorite books? I don't think I can choose five favorites. I'v been reading for 60 years and may have thousands of favorites. What I'll do, I think, is choose some recently read and some I think are notable. Last night we had our monthly Book Group meeting. This is a small private group. Our first read was Dante Allighieri's Inferno. We went on to read Purgatorio and will soon be going into Paradiso to complete the Divine Comedy. Last night we talked a bit about the completion of our most recent book, The … (10 comments)
david helm: Sand In The City
- 08/04/07 03:05 PM
This weekend, Bellingham,Washington hosted a sand sculpture contest. It covered the three days of Friday through Sunday. I happened upon it quite by accident, but since I did have my camera with me, I thought I would check it out. All the entries had an architect as a sponsor, and they all were interestingly creative. This one is in progress, and it is being done by a professional sand sculpture team. Chess game
Pirate shipwreck Mice and cheese
And finally, the organizers didn't forget the kids. There were two very large sand boxes for the kids to play in. Any local cats would have been in … (16 comments)
david helm: Noxious Weeds
- 08/04/07 02:46 PM
Most exotic garden plants are not particularly problematic. The majority of garden plants do come from elsewhere in the world. Some of them, because of their invasive nature, become a serious problem for the well being of native plants when the spread to wild areas. One of the main ways they escape gardens is as seeds in the belly of birds. Some of these invasive, noxious plants in the state of Washington are as follows. Gardeners may be surprised by the inclusion of some of these plants. Common Fennel, a non-bulbing type that has tall feathery licorice smelling foliage. Escapees inhabit and … (15 comments)
david helm: My Backyard Mountains
- 08/04/07 02:22 PM
Since I mentioned Mountaineering/climbing in my recent MEME I thought I would show a few peaks that appear just East of Bellingham, Washington. They are all part of the range known as the North Cascades. I call these my backyard because they are relatively easy to access. There are a number of trailheads that take off from the Mt. Baker Highway, which deadends at Artists Point (called Huntoon Point on the USGS maps) which is at the Mt. Baker Ski Area. I have climbed the majority of the peaks shown, and I can say that the degree of difficulty from one to the … (5 comments)
david helm: Nooksack Falls
- 08/03/07 07:43 PM
East of Bellingham, Washington there is a not very well known set of falls on the North Fork of the Nooksack River (A fork that is solely glacier melt water) at about mile 46 on the Mt. Baker Highway on the way up to Heather Meadows. This fall, which is two pronged, plunges about 100 feet into the gorge below. It is exceedingly beautiful, and scary. A few years ago a fence was built to prevent people from climbing out on the rocks. This was done in response to a young woman falling to her death at the falls. Here are … (6 comments)
david helm: Summer Food
- 08/03/07 07:41 PM
As the summer progresses, this Bellingham, Washington vegetable garden gets more out of control. The pumkins and squashes leap out of their beds and fill the pathways. The fourth succession planting of brocolli is ready to harvest. The corn is producing tassles. Eggplants have started producing fruit. Tomato plants and pepper plants are loaded. I ate my first pole beans today. The first planting of bush beans is not far behind. It gets harder to find the time to weed, but I try to do a little each day. It is truly wonderful to go out to the garden and pick the … (21 comments)
david helm: Ajo Harvest
- 08/03/07 07:19 PM
Last week I harvested my garlic (Ajo in Spanish). I grow both hardneck (rocambole) and soft neck garlics. I grow several varieties of hardneck because I like their flavor and ease of peeling. I grow the soft neck because they keep longer. Hardnecks will lusually last till December and soft necks will go into March or April. In both cases, they have to be properly dried. Here in Bellingham, Washington the garlic is usually planted in November. It puts down roots and grows to about six inches high before any frost. It then goes dormant till it warms up a little, … (2 comments)
david helm: Tour de France. Uh, Bellingham
- 08/03/07 07:10 PM
The road I live on is very rural and thus has very little traffic. The local (Bellingham, Washington) cycling club uses it for practices and on Tuesday evenings, races. There are usually 60 to 70 bicycles involved in these races. The do a number of laps on a large loop that is several miles long. It's pretty fun to watch them go by every ten or so minutes. With that large of a group the sound of their passing is amazing, and they create their own wind. This past Tuesday I tried to get a few pictures of them. They happened … (6 comments)
david helm: Riparian Repair
- 07/28/07 06:35 AM
This is a quick look at an intergovernmental/private money project to restore the riparian area along sections of the Nooksack River just outside Bellingham, Washington. This area, which is prime wetland habitat, had been poorly used for many years. It is home to many species of duck, overwintering area for Trumpeter Swans and Snow Geese, and had badly trashed small streams. The streams have been repaired, with current interrupting log jams, and many riparian trees have been planted. A good sign is that the beavers have returned. You can see the number of agencies involved in this project. This is an overall view … (9 comments)
david helm: Commercial Fishing
- 07/28/07 06:27 AM
Bellingham, Washington has a long and active history of commercial fishing. In its heyday there were a number of very large Salmon Canneries around Bellingham Bay. Today, with the decline of Salmon runs and the major control of fishing grounds to keep the worlds oceans from becoming a desert, local fishers have to have licenses and nets for many different species, and have to travel far afield to keep their way of life. The following photos are acknowledging their commitment and honoring their profession. This is the original fishermen's memorial at Zuanich Pt. Park. The plaque on the left names those who … (13 comments)
david helm: Coffee Boxes
- 07/18/07 08:50 AM
Back when our youngest was going to College, to get summer money she worked at a drive through espresso stand. She derogatorily called them "coffee boxes" because little boxes is what they looked like. Since that time, the drive throughs have gotten a little more creative in their design. Here, without any editorializing about the design or the quality of the coffee (I prefer to go inside the places I buy my coffee. I already spend way too much time in a vehicle.) are some photos of a few that I've come across over the course of a business week. … (15 comments)
david helm: Nice House, Bad Bugs
- 07/16/07 08:00 AM
When I arrived at this house to inspect it, a nice young couple buying their first house, I thought that this one would be easy. 70s rambler that appears to have been kept in nice condition. New roof, new siding, sweet. As I looked around I found a few things that made me suspicious. Soil against the siding; crawl space vents at or below grade with inadequate wells.
When I went into the crawl space this is what I found. The outside conditions were a clue to this space. Severe Anobiid damage to beam, note the rust on the hanger. This beam is damaged … (12 comments)
david helm: Unique Home, Is It a Hobbit?
- 06/25/07 03:31 AM
Went to a party Saturday evening at an old friends home. He lives on the side of Blanchard Mountain in the most interesting home I think I've ever seen. The pictures I am showing are only of the outdoors of the home. The inside is every bit as interesting as the outside. The builder is an old hippy who truly shows his roots in his work. As you can see, much of the home is done in materials that reflect the site.
This pond is what you see out the front of the house. There are several streams and numerous small waterfalls that … (16 comments)
david helm: Is It a Prince? or What?
- 06/19/07 12:08 PM
Took a break this afternoon and sat out by the pond for a few minutes. I happened to look over at the water lilies and this is what I saw. This has to be the classic prince pose.
I've heard that one has to kiss a lot of frogs before finding the prince. This guy looked regal enough to be a prince, but I'm not going to kiss him. Just another crummy day in the paradise of Bellingham, Washington. Thanks for looking. David Helm www.helmhomeinspections.com … (8 comments)
david helm: Time Warp
- 06/19/07 06:44 AM
Went this morning to the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. This is the place that the Alaska Ferry (Bellingham is the southern terminus for the Alaska Marine Highway) loads and unloads twice a week during the summer (once a week during the winter). Today, docked at the terminal were two very different eras of overwater conveyance. One one side was the massive Alaska ferry Malaspina. On the other side was the 130 foot long wooden schooner Zodiac. Zodiac was built around the turn of the century (19th to 20th) and, I believe, is the largest wooden schooner on the west coast. She was … (2 comments)
david helm: Realtorspeak, a Dictionary
- 06/18/07 05:27 AM
First a disclaimer. This is all in jest and is not meant to offend anyone. I spend a lot of time looking at listings, because I am a very small time RE investor. I always get a kick out of the adjectives used to describe homes in these listings. The following are some of my definitions. ELEGANT You can't afford it! FABULOUS See ELEGANT DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL Bring a bulldozer! CHARMER Old and in the way! LUXURIOUS See ELEGANT PRIVATE LOCATION You can't get there from here! REMODELED A few upgrades done twenty years ago! FIXER or FIXER UPPER See DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL HISTORIC See ELEGANT CUTE Your family won't fit in this … (15 comments)
david helm: Urban Trails in Bellingham, Washington
- 06/14/07 11:38 AM
There are a number of magnificent trails in and around Bellingham, Washington. They are all a part of the city's Greenways program. Here is a list of five that Bellinghamsters use regularly. 1. Interurban Trail - This trail, for much of its distance, follows the old interurban rail line road bed that connected communities in Whatcom County to communities in Skagit County. The trail starts on the Old Fairhaven Parkway, makes its way through some residential areas, old forest, Arroyo Park, open areas and ends up at Larrabee State Park. It is seven miles one way and is well worth the effort. 2. Lake … (2 comments)
david helm: Washington Wood Destroying Organisms (WDOs)
- 03/20/07 11:04 AM
By far the most common wood destroying insect in Western Washington is the Anobiid Beetle(sometimes called the Western Death Watch Beetle) Hemicoelus Gibbicollis. Often misinformed people call this the "powder post beetle". True powder post beetles(Lictyds) infect hardwoods and appear in Washington primarily in furniture. The Anobiid infects softwoods; important because it infects structural lumber. They are common in crawl spaces and thrive in a moisture level of 13 to 18%. The larvae spend as much as five years eating wood before exiting to breed and continue the cycle. Control includes removal and replacement of any severely damaged wood (There could … (2 comments)
david helm: Ask the local inspector
- 03/11/07 10:39 AM
If you have any questions regarding inspections, problems with homes, the inspection process, please post them here and I will answer them to the best of my ability. … (8 comments)
My blogs offer a wide range of topics, from home inspection to cooking to woodworking to gardening to local area information and photos. I love talking about Bellingham, Washington and its surrounding area. Home inspection is my work; life is my passion.
How does an avid reader talk about his five favorite books? I don't think I can choose five favorites. I'v been reading for 60 years and may have thousands of favorites. What I'll do, I think, is choose some recently read and some I think are notable.
;)
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