"Undressing Bellingham, WA that is what we do! We take pride in showing you the nooks and crannies from all around Bellingham. People, places and things that will make you say, "Wow I didn't know that about Bellingham!" We boasts incredible walking trails, parks, (several for dogs!), a downtown district, lakes...lots of lakes, festivals and fun, museums, theaters, WWUniversity, a great marina, fine dining, dancing, music from the garage to the stage, big homes and little homes, apartments and condos, antique car shows, the farmers market and of course Ski to Sea! We welcome input from other sources about Bellingham, so just click on comments and let us know if you would like to post an article."

May is Ski to Sea Month in Whatcom County

May 13th, 2009
Posted by Kerry Graham 2 Comments »

April showers bring May flowers… and the largest community event in Whatcom County.  For years, folks from all over the Northwest have come to Whatcom County during the Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Ski to Sea, a legendary festival of races, parades and events. 

This month long celebration kicks off early in May with one of the region’s first golf tournaments, The Ski to Sea Classic, and culminates with what has become a internationally acclaimed relay race, Ski to Sea. (More about the history of the race in just a moment.)  In between these are parades, races, car shows, art displays and a bunch of other events. For a complete list of events, days and times visit their website.

According to the organizers, the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Ski to Sea festival helps create a positive financial impact of more than 8 million dollars into our local economy.  From area hotels and restaurants to local grocery stores and retail outlets, few businesses are excluded from the economic gain of this event.

Another great reason Ski to Sea is such a wonderful community event; it’s all family friendly. 

Seeing a need to involve our local youth, about 10 years ago organizers created a weekend just for kids. Now, the Ski to Sea Jr. parade and Jr. race happen the week prior to the “big” race and grand parade.  The Jr. parade is free and always a gas.  Local youth groups, schools, churches and even middle school marching bands walk a smaller version of the grand parade route. Rain or shine, this brings out the kid in all of us. The following day, Lake Padden Park is crawling with teams of kids from all over Whatcom County to participate in the Jr. Ski to Sea Race, the little sibling of the big race. Running, biking, a three-legged race, soccer skills and an obstacle course are set up around this beautiful local park. What fun for these kids… a great day is had by all!

Then it happens.  Noon Saturday of Memorial Day weekend kicks off the two-day celebration with the Ski to Sea Grand Parade. This event has become a thing of family tradition and legends.  As the sun rises, so do the folks who come early to stake out their parade route viewing area. One thing is for certain…blue tarps and lawn chairs are a must, regardless of the weather. Floats from neighboring communities and local clubs, Nile Shriners with their little cars and scooters, local businesses, elected officials and marching bands galore pass before seas of people who have lined Cornwall Avenue to catch a glimpse of the action.

Sunday is race day.  This is no ordinary race. The Ski to Sea Race covers lots of ground (and water) in Whatcom County. Over all, it’s about 90 miles.  What begins at 8:00am at Mt. Baker Ski area, ends at Memorial Park on the Bellingham waterfront some 6 hours later. More than 450 teams, each consisting of eight racers will attempt to finish this seven-leg realy race. It starts with a cross-country  ski run then the timing chip is passed to downhillskier.  Once they have completed the route, runners take the gruling trek down the mountain and hand off to the road bikes, who pass their band to a canoe team.  After navigating the Nooksack, mountain bikers get the next leg and travel from to meet kyakers, who get to cross the finish line and ring the bell.  

And the party at the finish line is a big as you would expect. It All Ends in Fairhaven is another community celebration worth attending. Vendors all over the place, live music, great food, arts & crafts and a community coming together to celebrate the beauty of it’s surroundings and inhabitants.  A great festival… Ski to Sea.  Truly a do not miss event.

NW Gardening is a Sport!

May 6th, 2009
Posted by Elaine A Cook 2 Comments »

While you read this, I will be in a hot bath with a couple of advil thrown down my throat!!!

I recently read an article about gardening.  It declared gardening as a sport!  I agree!  We do all kinds of exercise for planting and pulling weeds.  The squats, knee bends, the ‘got to get that weed…can’t step on the flowers…please don’t let me fall’ stretches, and the ‘I can get it all in one load’ wheel barrel exercise!  And finally we sweat…over every weed, slug, deer and drought that may harm our garden. Note I didn’t mention the lawn mower…my husband David is in charge of that!!!

I know I spend quite a bit of time and money  in my attempts to make my garden grow and create my own personal park!  So threats are not taken lightly!  So far so good, with one exception. The slug farm has got to go!

I have tried it all, and honestly the safest and most effective method is the ol’ beer in a pie tin trick!  Just pour a beer in a pie tin, and set it out around the garden.  Those little creatures head right for it.  There are a few stubborn exceptions.  The smarter ones still prefer my lettuce patch.  Quite disturbing actually.  I did have a conversation with them, “Get out of my garden or you will die.”  They were slow to respond, as one would suspect.  Fortunately, most have taken me seriously.  Those that didn’t now live in the forest!

Another aspect of the gardening is a sport analogy is the shopping!  With so many beautiful yards, and happy gardeners in our area, one must be quick!  I swear one Saturday I was the last to show up at EVERY nursery in the Bellingham!  White candy tuff was not to be found, sold out!  It was quite frustrating as I had my vision in my head, and I needed those plant to make it a reality!  I did find them, at Rite Aid!  Who knew?

There are several places that sell their “almost dead, but we can still make a buck” plants at great savings to you.  I love shopping for those bargains.  My yard is full of those bargain plants.  Shop for perennials only.  They will do what they can for you this year, but next year they will bloom with appreciation of their new home, water and love. Remember though, you have to be persistent, dedicated to the mission, and quick…cause there are people like me out there shopping too! So wear your running shoes!

And finally, why do we sign up for this seasonal sport?  To win of course!  No, most of us don’t win ribbons, or featured articles about our yards.  Yet we all gain a sense of accomplishment, awe at beauty of it, enjoy eating a salad that came from your own garden, the fresh flower arrangements, appreciate the complements from our neighbors, but mostly it is the joy.  The sense of winning comes from flicking one of the slugs into the forest!

Go plant something!  Watch it grow!  And yes, these pictures are from my yard!

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