Marrowstone Island Briefs
The Marrowstone Island Briefs offer a glimpse of island life. They are an ongoing dialogue about life on Marrowstone Island from the viewpoint of its resident historian, Karen Russell. While the Briefs were authored between 1999 and 2004, they still reflect the "flavor" of Marrowstone Island.
Topics range from a history of the road naming on the
island to various happenings like Christmas and spring time
flowers. There's lots to learn from these pages and it will
help you learn about this special place.
Enjoy!
Brief 1 - School's Out, Summer Issue Go to Brief 1
Brief 2 - Marrowstone's Musical Island Go to Brief 2
Brief 3 - Neighborhood Happenings Go to Brief 3
Brief 4 - Marrowstone's Retired Librarians Go to Brief 4
Brief 5 - Christmas Gift Ideas Go to Brief 5
Brief 6 - Road Genesis on Marrowstone Island Go to Brief 6
Brief 7 - Falling off Marrowstone's Cliffs Go to Brief 7
Brief 8 - Mystery Yacht Club, Canine Olympics, and Y2K Go to Brief 8
Brief 9 - Fort Flagler State Park and Indian Island Go to Brief 9
Brief 10 - Marrowstone's Galleries and Artists Go to Brief 10
Brief 1 - School's Out, Summer Issue
School's out. Summer's here.
Where are all the children? Many of us raised children on
the island, or hired a neighbor's child to cut the lawn, or
bought a candy bar from a Little Leaguer. Children have the
habit of growing up and moving on. So where are some of them
now? Amy Goetz is visiting parents Shirley & Jerry Goetz
of Mumby Road. She has returned from Guatemala with 9 month
old daughter Camilla, and husband Roberto Costa Ribiero.
They will be attending brother Eric's wedding in July. Eric
lives in Kirkland and works for Verio NW.
Dean and Darlene Sanders' daughter Julie taught English at
the University in St. Petersburg, Russia three years ago. On
her return trip she stopped in Askim, Norway to marry
Marshall Keymer in the same church her great, great
grandmother was married. They live in Walla where Julie
works for Coffey Communications, and the Walla Union
Bulletin writing feature stories. Julie's sister Holly is a
senior at San Jose State majoring in art and photography.
Cee and Gary Rowe's son Andrew is home on Griffiths Point
Road. He completed the sophomore year at the American
University in Washington D.C., and is working at Fort Worden
for the summer. He will be attending the Frei University in
Berlin in the fall for one semester studying German. Andy
was a Rotary exchange student to Japan in '95 and speaks
fluent Japanese. Andy's brother Gabe will be a senior at
Chimacum High School, and sister Abby will be a junior.
Marcie and Steve Van Cleave's daughter Brie was
valedictorian of Chimacum High School's class of '97. She
spent the past year living three months in Belgium studying
French, travelled throughout the Mediteranean and Aegean
side of Turkey for six weeks, visited Eygpt for two weeks,
and trekked Ireland with friend Shelby Smith. She returned
to Skelleftea, Sweden visiting her host families when she
was a Rotary exchange student there in 1996. Brie is working
at Swan Farms for the summer, and will attend Smith College
in Massachucettes in the fall.
Teri and Steve Grace of Robbins Road have two sons, Brian,
and Brendan, who were schooled in the off campus program
called Pi. Teri and son Brian, 15, will be going to the
largest youth soccer tournament in the world held in
Stockholm, Sweden in August. There will be 52 countries
represented and Brian will be one of 20,000 soccer players.
Brendan, 14, has been apprentice instructor for the Wooden
Boat Foundation sailing program this summer.
What do island residents Pearl Thompson, Ray Thompson,
Natalie Wyman, Clara Lybeck, Katy Johnson, Roberta "Bootsie"
Hendrix, Marsha Wiechert, Helen Constantine, Carl Johnson,
Elmer Stevens, and Aubrey Redling have in common? They were
students of either the Nordland or the Adventist schools on
Marrowstone Island. The Nordland School, in operation since
1893, closed in 1944-45, after which the kids were bussed to
Chimacum. The Adventist School ended its operation in
1985-86, moved to Hadlock, and is named the Cedarbrook
Adventist Christian School on Kennedy Road. An early
Adventist School pupil, Pearl Thompson, 86, arrived on
Marrowstone in 1916 at the age of four and is the longest
lived island resident. Pearl's daughter Natalie Wyman
remembers sitting on the fence that fronted the Nordland
school yard when the soldiers from Fort Flagler marched by.
They would sometime toss gum or candy to the kids. She also
remembers when the two holer outside toilets were replaced
by flushing ones in 1943.
An early Nordland School pupil, Clara Lybeck arrived in 1924
and remembers when the children were asked to bring the
ingredients for the soup that was served for lunch. A pot
belly stove was used as a space heater and a cooktop for the
soup. Katy Johnson, who owns the Beach Comber's Beauty Shop
on the island attended the 2nd grade at the Nordland School
in 1942. When the Nordland School closed in 1945 the name of
the last teacher was Miss Severance.
LOFT Learning Opportunity for Thinking People, rented the
vacated Adventist school house in 1990. Julie Marston is
teacher/facilitator of the school. It is an approved
Washington State private school for grades 4-12. The tenet
of the curriculum is for a multi-age group of students to
delve into one subject. Through the instructor's guidance
the students learn the subject from a math/science,
language, social studies, and art perspective. LOFT is not
having a summer program this year. Julie and her staff are
working on next year's curriculum which will include a 10
day trip to the Olympic Coast. Information: 385-5284.
MICA is out for the summer after a celebration of it's
annual Strawberry Festival on June 27th. There were 113
people enjoying the free strawberry shortcake and turkey
served under a brilliant blue sky. Many thanks to those who
volunteered to make it another successful event. President
Carrie Rice's MICA project for the next year will be to get
island residents to replace faded house numbers. In an
emergency the reflective numbers on the post boxes need to
be visible from the road. New signs can be purchased for a
nominal fee. There will be a notice sent out in the fall
informing residents of where and when the new signs will be
available.
Brief 2 - Marrowstone's Musical Island
The Marrowstone Music Festival
had its beginning back in the late 40's when a summer camp
for young musicians was started in North Bend called the
Pacific Northwest Music Camp. In 1952 the organization under
the directorship of Villem Sokol moved to Fort Flagler State
Park and was called the Marrowstone Music Festival. Mr.
Sokol conducted and directed the youth symphony for more
than 25 summers with concerts held in the Chimacum High
School auditorium. The Marrowstone Music Festival was world
reknown, with students coming from across the country,
Europe and Japan, and attracting guest instructors from the
New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and the Julliard
School of Music.
When Mr. Sokol retired in 1989, the Marrowstone Music
Festival moved to Fort Worden. It is presently co-sponsored
and produced by Centrum and the Seattle Youth Symphony. The
Marrowstone Music Festival offers fine classical music
played by talented young musicians, and is a premier concert
to attend this summer. Call 385-5320 for tickets.
Turtle Bluff Orchestra was founded in June, 1994 by Gwen
Moore with Roth Mason doing the organizational paper work.
It is a non-profit organization benefiting young musicians,
ages 12 - 19 who come from Auburn, Bainbridge Island,
Ollala, Port Angeles and Port Townsend. During concerts,
professionals who make up two thirds of the orchestra, play
along with young musicians on scholarships. The present
orchestra's conductor, Dominic Johnson, 24, is from Port
Townsend. Nico Snel, conductor of the Port Angeles Symphony
Orchestra is artistic advisor. Now in its 5th season, the
Turtle Bluff Orchestra performs three concerts a year.
Gwen's coffee concerts on Mondays and Tuesday mornings at
9:30 (admission $6), are a major supporter of the orchestra.
With other supporters there were $9200 raised for
scholarships last year.
What's the origin of the name Turtle Bluff? It was a
birthday joke on Gwen's friend, Pat Britt who also resides
at Turtle Bluff. Pat's nickname is Turtle, and when she was
enroute from California to Marrowstone Gwen had a gateway
built by Greg Lalish with the name emblazoned in the cross
piece. The turtle which ponders upon the peak of the roof
was the architect's idea when the conservatory was being
designed. Kurt Steinback of East Marrowstone was
commissioned to create the turtle for the roof four years
ago.
Other professional musicians live on Marrowstone. Alice
McAdoo is a bundle of energy and loaded with musical talent.
She is the only child of Forrest & Mary Shumaker who
lived on Beach Drive for 30 years. Both are deceased. After
her mother died three years ago, she moved from Florida into
their house. She plays alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax,
oboe, clarinet, and the Appalachian bones. She joined the
Stardust Band in Sequim, Take Five of Port Angeles, the Will
Mack Band of Sequim, and the Chetzemoka Summer Band. She
volunteered once to tutor band students at Chimacum High
School for one semester, played in the Port Angeles Symphony
for 5 years, and went to China on a cultural exchange tour
15 years ago.
Twice a month at the Public House Owen Mulkey meets with a
cadre of two other musicians for the improvisation clinic
helping budding musicians improve their skills. Between the
hours of 5-7 on the first and third Sundays Owen is there to
help students from ages 13 to 60. Owen and wife Nan live on
Flagler Road. He is a retired Boeing electrical engineer but
has been involved in dance bands since 1943. Primarily a
drummer, Owen occasionally plays the guitar. Dixieland,
jazz, and swing are his favorites, and is part of the
Stardust Band, Take Five, and sometimes stands in as drummer
for the Dukes of Dabob. Owen is also a member of the
Duwamish and Emerald Jazz Band, both of Seattle. 385 -5374.
The Marrowstone Jazz Quartet was organized by Rex Rice. Rex
has a repertoire of 6 to 7 thousand tunes from which he can
recall when playing in 12 or more festivals throughout the
year from Canada to California. He is a man on the go.
Besides the festivals he plays swing music in Snohomish
twice a month at the Oxford Saloon, occasionally joins the
band playing at the New Orleans Cafe in Pioneer Square, and
once in a while plays old style Dixieland tunes in a
Sacramento County festival with 110 bands. Music was not
Rex's affinity as a child. He joined the Air Force's big
dance band and was forced to perfect his musical skill. The
harder he worked at music the more fun he was having. After
the Air Force, he worked at Boeing in between his music
stints. He is retired today with wife Carrie on E. Beach
Road and music is his advocation. 379-0593
The Fort Flagler Folk Harp Festival was founded by Paula
Lalish twelve years ago. Paula started as the cook for the
festival and a friend agreed to be the treasurer. From such
humble beginnings, harpists from western Washington, the
Greater Puget Sound area, and Canada began meeting in
January on Super Bowl weekend. A sister festival was started
by one of the participants of the Fort Flagler Folk Harp
Festival, and meets in June at Crystal Mountain. Paula
started playing the harp 17 years ago, but her interest in
it began when she was ten. As a child, "I had a gun to my
head to learn to play the piano. I really wanted to learn
how to play the harp after watching a Marx brothers movie,"
said Paula. Today, she plays the Celtic harp, a gothic
(reproduction 17th century) harp, and a Paraguayan harp (the
national instrument of Paraguay.) Her Gothic harp was made
in Port Townsend by Cathy Campbell. Paula plays for weddings
and other special occasions. 385-4265.
A multi-talented young musician is Christine Pisarcik of
Flagler Road. Her side jobs at Hadlock Building Supply, a
gardener for hire, and flower arranger are occupations
during her free time from music. Her passion is music. She
is one of a 5 person band called Pay Day Daddy. The group
has been together for 3 years playing classic rock and roll.
Christine is the singer/entertainer for the group. They will
be playing at the Hilltop Tavern on August 7th & 8th,
and on opening night at the Kitsap County Fair on August
25th. 385-7321.
If music is an abiding interest a person can learn it at any
age. After retirement from United Airlines, pilot Dick
Savold began clarinet lessons then took up the guitar. He
interested friend Joe Lovato into taking up the clarinet. On
a warm summer evening, when clear notes emanate from
somewhere on Marrowstone Island, music evokes the primal
souls of the coyotes, and a cantata begins.
Brief 3 - Neighborhood Happenings
Hello, neighbors, welcome to
Marrowstone Island. When many of us are on a daily walk on
East Marrowstone Road, we meet new neighbors as well as the
long timers.
Stephanie & Stephen Gale and daughter Cecilia moved into
their Salt Box house in September of '96 after purchasing it
from the Andres who had moved to England after residing in
it for only four months. Clyde and Grace Newman had owned
the land for years, and the four aromatic cedar trees Grace
planted many years ago were part of the perimeter of trees
left standing after the Andres completely cleared a large
section of the five acres and built the two storey New
England style house. Last February, the Gales planted 80
seedling firs and a few other variety trees and plan to
landscape their five acres at their leisure.
Just a squirrel's hop, skip, and jump from the Gales lives
Joe Schaefer, boat captain. He moved into the former Bill
and Helen Pittis's house. His attraction to the property was
the large garage which came with the house. Joe plans to
build an even larger building to store the cars he loves to
work on.
Now take a brisk jog further north from Joe and meet John
Adam and Gary MacMillan. John works at the Nordland General
Store, and Gary is a retired librarian from the University
of Hawaii. The house they bought two years ago was built by
Dr. and Mrs Ralph Pearson in 1970. John and Gary are
landscaping their front yard with rockery, and hired Duane
Hagerty to build raised beds for gardening.
Across from John and Gary live Lorraine Limardi and Doug
Darrock who moved two years ago into the house Earl Woods
had built in the '60's. Lorraine is doing extended studies
at WSU and Doug works part time at Willow Creek Windows.
For at least twenty five years now, Carl and Harriet
Larson's rhodies, azaleas, pieris, lilacs and heather have
exalted passersby on East Marrowstone at spring time. Carl
is the gardener. When past windstorms blew down large trees
on his place Carl had them pushed to the side and personally
dug out the rootwads. The root systems were sometimes as
large as a small sized car but Carl is Atlas himself. He
looks like a man in his seventies, not someone who is a
score more. His bones are the trellis for strong muscles.
The garden which wraps around his house is only a hint of
the larger one behind. The blooms are in vibrant colors and
in good health.
The Nordland Garden Club held its biannual flower show on
May 23 with displays of spring flowers, foliage, and weeds.
Liz Hazen won the most blue ribbons for horticulture and
design. In the horticulture department Liz Hazen, Alma
Taylor, Billie Fitch, and Joan Buhr won awards. In the
design section Joan Buhr walked off with the Sweepstakes,
and Tricolor awards, and the Designer's Choice award went to
Liz Hazen. If you missed the show you have deprived yourself
of seeing artistry and creativity with flowers, and an
excellent wildflower educational display. You missed show
chairman, Gisela Mathisen's silver tea with the best cookies
and sandwiches ever made. And, you missed the opportunity to
meet Clara Lybeck, the only charter member left in the club
(which was organized back in 1938). She won the most blue
ribbons in the horticulture department.
Mona Lisa is smiling because she is the mother of six
females and six males. German Shepard pups, that is. Mona
Lisa is one of the Hagerty's two German Shepard dogs. She
was sired from a champion working Shepard brought from
Germany, and bred to a champion who won in both the Canadian
and American kennel competitions.
The females are coming! The females are coming! As the words
to a familiar song goes, there'll be a fun time in the old
town tonight. The female Rufous Hummingbirds, Black-headed
Grosbeak, and Brown headed Cowbirds have arrived to join the
males at the watering holes. To regale the females'
arrivals, there were the primal cries from a fly by of 36
Canadian Geese heading north. These sightings were reported
by Billie Fitch.
Welcome back Nels & Mary Johnson. When two of their 12
children moved to Kansas with their families, Nels and Mary
decided to move to Kansas last August '96 to help with two
newly born grandchildren. This also gave Nels an opportunity
to do volunteer work at St. Mary's Academy Land College. St.
Mary's is the largest Catholic school in the country with
students from Europe, Mexico, and everywhere. It is located
30 miles from Topeka. The Academy started as an Indian
missionary school run by the Jesuits, and was built on the
Oregon Trail. When the Indians were moving away and using it
less the mission was turned into a college, and during the
depression it became a Jesuit seminary.
Nels and Mary returned in March to take up residence on
Garden Club Road. Everybody knows Nels. He is Peter and
Mark's dad, and grandfather to all his grandkids, and
friends to every one in the community. Who can resist Nels'
warm smile and strong handshake.
There are other fine citizens on the island. Frank and Miyo
Yoshitake have a grand place on Garden Club road. From raw
land with towering maple and evergreen trees, dense
underbrush and weeds they cleared and cultivated the land
into an immaculate garden with a large irrigation pond &
putting green. Their garden requires high maintenance,
especially the putting green yet they find the time to work
the triangle where the welcome sign sits. They can often be
seen weeding and nurturing the plants they donated there.
Another fine person who works the triangle is Bill Anliker
who lives on Scwartz Road. He keeps the horse tails at bay.
With the combined efforts of the Yoshitakes, and Bill
Anliker plus the labor of the Nordland Garden Club members
we have a lovely setting for the sign. To our friends, and
family who come to visit the island, and for us who drive
back home every day, the warm greeting says, Welcome to
Marrowstone.
Brief 4 - Marrowstone's Retired Librarians
In Marrowstone's microcosm there
are seven retired librarians who all enjoy the peculiar
quality of island living. A brief background reveals a
nonstereotypical librarian, and answers to the question, "If
you have only one book to recommend which would it be?"
Marian Richey of E. Marrowstone Road, graduated from the
University of Washington with an English degree, married a
gentleman named Ed Richey in 1937, and shared life together
until retirement brought them to Marrowstone in 1966. During
Captain Richey's career in the Coast Guard, Marian worked
part time in the public libraries of Alameda, California,
and Falls Church, Virginia. Most of the time was spent in
raising their three daughters. Marian's recommendation for a
good book on a rainy Northwest day is Ken Follet's "Pillars
of the Earth".
Kay and Bill Goodhue moved from Kailua, Oahu/Hawaii to
Marrowstone in July, 1981. Ten years was spent building
their timber frame house, interspersed with trips,
volunteering, and helping to better the island community
which resulted in being selected Marrowstone's Citizens of
the Year in 1987. Kay graduated from the University of
Hawaii with a library degree, and worked in Kailua for 16
years at a branch of the Library of Hawaii. She recommends
"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. "It was the most influential
book which opened my eyes to the undercurrent of my idyllic
life. I was raised in a strict religious home, and ATLAS
SHRUGGED got me thinking of other people's idea of their
community."
Marty Van Etten grew up in upper New York State. She
attended Wheaton College where she received a BA in English
Literature. In 1947, she received a Masters degree in
Library Science from Syracuse University Library School. A
library career tracked her through Maryland, Maine, North
Carolina, Michigan, and California; she was in charge of
running the city and county libraries where she lived in the
latter three states. During the 70's a push was begun
helping mothers get into the mainstream of the labor force.
Marty held workshops in California helping women with
Ccollege degrees re-enter the professional field since many
stopped midstream to marry and raise children. In 1953,
while working in Munising, Michigan, she met and married
biologist Bob Van Etten. Their three children were born
there. Bob and Marty retired in '82 to Marrowstone Island.
She recommends a series of books by Ray Stanard Baker, pen
name, David Grayson. His books are philosophical essays
about people, nature, and life.
Rose Ellen and Joel Leonard had been visiting the island
since 1970 and residing at Smitty's for 10 years before
buying property on Griffiths Point Road. They retired in
June, 1995, moved to Marrowstone and are in the process of
building a house. Rose Ellen was a law librarian. She worked
as director for the Butte County, California law library
until her retirement. As a law librarian she needed to get
information ASAP for the judges, court staff, lawyers, the
public, and other county departments who made requests for
legal information, often while trials were in process. The
knack of knowing where to find the answers had to be at
hand. Joel was the Business and Law librarian at California
State University, Chico, for 26 years. He also taught
library research and writing in geography and business
departments. His choice for recommended reading is "Atlas
Shrugged" because "It's the greatest philosophical novel
I've ever read. Ayn Rand is one of the great novelists of
the 20th century. Her book is still a best seller." Rose
Ellen's choice is "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. "Now that I'm
retired, it's a book I can spend time on reading and perhaps
get the answers to all the questions I've accumulated about
the world, and life in general."
Gary MacMillan spent 15 years as Associate Director of the
library at the University of Hawaii where he and his staff
successfully automated the two University libraries in
Honolulu and Hilo as well as all the community colleges in
the state. He also specialized in creating historical
Hawaiian databases for both the Hawaiian Collection and
Bishop Museum. He retired in 1994, moved to E. Marrowstone
Road in May of 1996. In 1965, he was one of 200 young
librarians to be chosen to work in the New York World Fair's
"Library of Tomorrow". During the two months' stint he
performed a speil introducing people to a library that ran
on computors. Although the concept of extracting information
from a computor was ahead of the time, the actual devise was
primitive in comparison to that available today. After the
World's Fair Gary was hired by Cornell University to
organize the library at the University of Liberia in Africa.
Unfortunately, the library and the University as well as
most of the city of Monrovia were destroyed in a recent
civil war. Gary subscribes to 40 magazines and is only now
perusing the spring issues. "I listen to music written in
the 30ies and 40ies, keep in touch with friends via e-mail,
work in the garden, and like to cook. I don't have time to
read books other than an occasional mystery." "Cooks Bible"
by Christopher Kimball is Gary's recommended reading.
Carolyn Mueller of Flagler Road was librarian at the K-12
Library in Chimacum from 1968 to 1995. She had the unique
experience of working for her Bachelor of Arts degree while
substitute teaching at Chimacum. She attained her Master of
Arts degree in 1975 concurrently acquiring a certification
in library science. Carolyn's preference was to teach and
since Chimacum needed a librarian, she worked in a position
of teacher/librarian providing her with the opportunity to
work with the young people of the community, an opportunity
she misses in retirement. While in the position of
librarian, Carolyn took inventory of both the print and
non-print materials in the library, creating card catalogs
for both and preparing the tapes, records and other
instructional materials for transer to a MAC computer system
with computerized CLAN catalog, a system which is shared by
several area school libraries and the city and county
library systems. Since Carolyn's preference is for children
and young adult books, her favoites are those which deal
with folklore and YA authors such as Susan Cooper, Cynthia
Voight, Katherine Patterson. The one picture book which she
recommends is RUN AWAY BUNNY by Margaret Wise Brown. For
adult reading Carolyn recommends FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
"..because it makes the reader evaluate who they are, and
questions why they believe what they believe." Libraries
have evolved from the quiet, book lined sanctuaries to
sedate gathering places with machines capable of connecting
people to information from various sources. For the mobile
people who spend hours driving, reading can be done verbally
through books on tape. The libraries are stocking them. To
quote Chuck Russell about books, "I don't read anything I
can't hear." What a brave, new world!
Brief 5 - Christmas Gift Ideas
Christmas comes but once a year
and now it's fast upon our heels. For those at a loss for
gift ideas look no farther than the shoreline of
Marrowstone. There are unusual, practical, and the
consummate gifts only a phone call away, or less than six
miles distant from your door.
Denise Justus of Robbins Road operates a travel agency from
her home. She is affiliated with Edmonds Travel and has
experience with the Princess Cruise Line. Her fluency in
Spanish helps in preparing a latin vacation. This holiday
season follow the sun, and for all other travel needs call
her at 385-7364, or isldtrl@olypen.com.
For a sharp, smart gift, think of Denny's Saw Sharpening
service. For a gardener friend or relative who possesses
every tool in the book, buy a Christmas gift certificate
from Denny's and have the tools sharpened anytime during the
year. He caters to home craftsmen, gardeners and
contractors, and will "sharpen anything but your wits." He
has a drop box on the deck by his shop in Nolton's Addition
at 172 Nolton Road, or call 385-5536.
Darlene Good of E. Marrowstone Road has the Victorian
Quilting. She will finish your handwork on her commercial
quilting machine with batting and backing by Christmas. Or,
if you wish to present your quilt to someone for a birthday,
or any other special occasion, Darlene can be reached at
385-5933.
Why not pamper the cook on your Christmas list with quality
kitchen tools? The Pampered Chef product line and Pampered
Pantry Specialty Foods feature exclusive products designed
to meet the needs of the chef. Order by December 8th for
guaranteed delivery by Christmas. To request a free catalog,
or to place an order call Valerie Reardon of Meade Road;
385- 2820. She is an Independent Sales Director for the
Pampered Chef.
Mike Hann, the "Stone Man", does sand cut art and etching on
stone, be it river rock, polished marble, or granite. He
does pet memorials, garden stones, candle holders, door
stops, backsplash and fireplace borders, signs, and carvings
on boulders for landscape accents. Other services include
sandblasting glass, and computer cut vinyl graphics and
,lettering. Mike can be reached at 379-1958.
Thinking of wallpapering a large area? Consider a mural
instead, or as the French call it, trompe l'oeil. Branan
Ward of Griffiths Point Road can change your stupid walls
into interesting facades. Call him and he will respond with
alacrity: 385-4748.
Mary Tenn Brick of E. Beach Road is a massage therapist. She
does deep tissue, and therapeutic massages in the comfort of
your home. A relaxing massage would be a gift from heaven.
Mary offers gift certificates and she can be reached at
379-0593.
Jo Beachy's jewelry creations can be seen at the Open Studio
in Port Townsend. For shoppers on Marrowstone she has silver
earrings, bracelets and other lovely accessories available
just a phone call away at 379J-5309. Opening a gift with one
of her beautiful design pieces would be a delight on
Christmas day.
A treasure to own is Gwen Moore's book, DESTINATION
GALAPAGOS. It is about her trip to the Galapagos Islands
with Pat Britt and three other friends. Read about their
adventures beginning in a single engine Cherokee E6 and
finding themselves in places where they were not permitted.
It relates the interaction of five people who organized
their own tour to visit the unique islands first by
acquiring permits to land on air strips in various countries
between L.A. and Quito, Ecuador. The funny moments, fears,
and personalities of each member of the group are related in
Gwen's own style.
Also, Gwen and Pat's triannual publication of The Pangolin
Papers, is another book for good reading on a wintery
Northwest day. It has a selection of literary short stories
by authors from around the world. Both the PANGOLIN PAPERS,
and DESTINATION GALAPAGOS are available at Turtle Bluff ll.
Call them at 385-3626.
Marrowstone's history written by Karen Russell and Jeanne
Bean called MARROWSTONE is another book to put on your gift
list. The Nordland General Store has them for sale and there
are less than a case left of the books. Better get them
while they are available. The PANGOLIN PAPERS is also sold
at the Nordland General Store.
For that traditional Christmas oyster stew call Carolyn and
Bernie Mueller for fresh oysters. They also sell clams and
mussels. Call ahead for orders at the Scow Bay Oyster and
Clam Farm, 385-4312.A The Beach Comber
Hair Styling is Katie Johnson's beauty shop on LipLip Lane
at the end of Moen Road. Buy a gift certificate for a
stocking stuffer, and it'll be a gift guaranteed to please
the recipient. For appointments call 385-7004.
Duane Hagerty of E. Marrowstone has won awards for his
furniture designs. He was also selected to adjudicate in the
Northwest Craft Fair in Bellevue. Although Duane favors
working with pine wood, he will design Hand custom build
anything for your home with the wood of your choice. Call
him at 385-7294.
For your holiday eggnog, buy farm fresh eggs from Brianne
Hagerty. She is Duane's 10 year old daughter and can be
reached at the same number. Think big this season and
consider surprising your spouse with removing that pesky
tree that's been crying its leaves on your car all these
years, or have those spine jarring pot holes grated flat
with one call to Jake Johnson, man with the muscle machines.
Jake and his cat driver John Hoffstater can waltz those
graters and back hoes and get a job done to perfection. Call
them at Johnson Trucking and Excavating 379-9709.
Tom and Sue Rose have contacted Santa for a visit to the
Nordland General Store on December 5th Saturday at 12 noon.
The TOWNSEND, a 26 foot traditional wooden long boat
(courtesy of the Wooden Boat Foundation) will be the means
of delivering Santa with his elves at the oars. A
photographer will be on hand to take pictures of loved ones
with Santa ($5.00) while wishes are being made. Everyone is
invited to be on hand at the pier to welcome Santa.
There will also be a host of chorus "angels" singing
Christmas carols, and the Nordland General Store's warehouse
will once again be opened to local craftsmen and artists to
accommodate Christmas shoppers. Everyone is invited to come
and join Tom, Sue, John, Carrie and Joanne in celebrating
Christmas, 1998 at Marrowstone's happy meeting place, the
Nordland General Store. Merry Christmas!
Brief 6 - Road Genesis on Marrowstone Island
ROAD GENESIS: In the 1860's
Marrowstone Island was sparsely populated by bachelors,
fishermen, tenants hired by land speculators, and
homesteaders. They arrived by boat, and cleared land within
sight of the water. Along the meandering shoreline of
Marrowstone and Indian Islands were niches of occupancy.
These sparse hovels were tenuously connected by a foot trail
that ran from the sand spit at the northern tip of
Marrowstone (where a colony of fishermen lived near a fish
house).
It continued down along the shores lapped by the waters of
Kilisut Harbor, past Mystery Bay and over the slough where
the tide action severed Marrowstone from Indian Island, and
across the natural land bridge K(passable at low tide) to
the mainland. This was the rudiments of Flagler Road. It's
name would originate thirty years later after Congress
enacted the Puget Sound Defense System in 1896 and purchased
the north end of Marrowstone Island for the construction of
one of three forts. It was named after Brigadier General
Daniel Webster Flagler who earned fame for %his gallantry
during the Civil War.
When rumors of Port Townsend becoming a major port city
spread wide, T. J. Nolton layed out Nolton's Addition on
Marrowstone in 1889. Nolton's 10 acre development was on the
hillside above his Puget Sound Fish Preserving Company.
Fishermen came to sell their catch at Nolton's cannery.
Among them were Norwegian fishermen who saw the wisdom of
living near the cannery, and moved their families to the
island. Nannie and Robert Johnson made their move to
Nolton's Addition and other families soon followed. The
white cabin on Nolton Road is the oldest structure on the
island and it was the first house the Johnsons lived in.
An arm of land which hugs Mystery Bay, called Griffiths
Point, was purchased in 1855 by an astute young man of 15
from Wales named James Griffiths. He sent for his mother and
stepfather, Frank Knight, to live on his land although he
never lived on it himself. Frank Knight died in the @1870's
and his grave site can be seen from Griffiths Point Road.
During the 1930's Flagler Road was re-routed in several
places and is the existing highway route today. It veered up
the hill, away from the shoreline as more people moved on
the island and pushed back the wilderness. The wooden
bridges which connected Indian and Marrowstone Islands were
replaced with a culvert and fill, and a similar bridge
across the mud flats of Mystery Bay was removed and fill
dirt used to build a wider roadway into the bay. The natural
land bridge which was the sole connection for the islanders
to the mainland was dredged out in 1915, and a replacement
bridge was not built until 1952.
Tinius and Paul Sole were born and raised on the island
after their parents Tollef and Pauline moved to Marrowstone
in 1890. They logged the south end of the island in 1927,
and each had built a house at the end of their logging road
called Sole Road. Eventually it was connected with the road
to Bob and Grace Robbins' residence on the southeast end of
the island and called Robbins Road.
E.U. "Bob" Robbins was a soldier at Fort Flagler when he met
Grace Disney in 1911. Although Grace's father did not look
upon the couple's marriage with delight they lived with Tex
and Mary Disney on their 35 acre farm. The property was
later sold to Gustav Johnson who in turn sold Fit to
Frederick and Ruth Baldwin in 1955. The Baldwins purchased
the property with the agreement that Mary Disney would live
out her life on the farm till her death which came in 1956.
In Ruth Baldwin's eyes, Mary Disney was a "grand lady."
Baldwin Road is less than a quarter mile long Hand dead ends
at the driveway to the house where the Robbins once lived.
In 1970, fire numbers were allocated to each residence in
the county Gin an effort to help the fire department
pinpoint residences during an emergency call. At the same
time, islanders Ed Richey and Bill Jansen 'worked to set up
official road names. F Merle and Nancy
Turner's property on Indian Island was exchanged for
Eproperty on east Marrowstone when the Navy bought out all
the Indian Island land owners in 1938. Their easement ran
along the north line of the Disney 's acreage and was an
extension of Robbins Road. When Baldwin Road was officially
named in 1970, Ruth Baldwin asked to have the easement on
the north side of her 35 acre property named Disney Road. It
remains a private road.
The roadway at the end of Disney Road (which followed the
old trail where the illegal Chinese used to seek refuge) was
also used by the turners for their driveway and it was
called Turner Road. Katy Johnson, I(daughter of the Turners)
named it Lip Lip Lane. It was named after Lip Lip Point the
site of Katy and husband Ray Johnson's residence and Katy's
business The Beach Comber Beauty Salon. Lip Lip Lane
connects to Moen Road named after Al & Thelma Moen who
lived on the island between 1965-75.
Merry Road is not a county road. It was previously referred
to as Springer Road after Otto Springer who lived there and
was a mail carrier in 1936. The road was named after William
Merry who bought property off Springer Road in 1960.
Beveridge Lane is a 16 foot wide county easement which
extends up the hill behind the Nordland General Store to
David and Debbie Abercrombie's house. David's stepfather,
Tom Beveridge, was a road construction worker in Oregon, and
had read an ad about a 10 acre property with a house for
sale on Marrowstone. He bought it from Grace Johnson in 1957
and rented the house to tenants for $25 a month then
returned to Oregon. In Salem, he met Margaret Abercrombie,
owner/operator of three restaurants. They were married in
1962 and in 1966, he brought her to the island with
Margaret's son David. At the time of Tom's death in 1989,
the original ad for the property was still in his wallet.
Al and Mary Hoyt bought 40 acres from A.M. Hoidale in 1944.
They built a house on the jut called Nodule Point. Hoyt Road
is a private driveway and is maintained by the Hoyts and
other residents of the road.
John P. and Nina Heinzinger purchased 16 acres in 1936 near
the Mystery Bay Marina. Next to them lived Helmer and Emily
Johnson who bought 10 acres in 1918 from A.M. Hoidale. In
1987, the access road shared by both the Johnson and
Heinzinger families was deeded to the County and named Blue
Heron Road. It is a short county road which becomes a
private driveway called Heinzinger Road.
The right of way to Cemetery Road was donated by Anna
Nordby, and Jit crossed the island from Flagler Road to the
Sound View Cemetery on the east side. Since it traversed the
wetlands called China Pond it was a chronically muddy road.
When East Beach Road was paved Cemetery Road was closed.
Up to 1960, East Marrowstone Road stopped a half mile north
from Meade Road. In 1962-63, work had begun to extend it
north to meet with East Beach Road which was also being
paved. The right of way on East Beach Road was donated by
Jacob Johnson and Carl Jensen in the '30's. It was a narrow
dirt road used by islanders to reach East Beach Park. A well
and hand pump existed on Bill and Betty Grace's property
fronting E Beach Road. The Thorniley's property was the site
of the Community Club Hall. The foundation was started but
the building was never completed. When East Beach Road was
paved the well was covered to widen the road.
The jog in East Marrowstone Road near East Beach was made
after Ralph Johnson appealed to the road workers to pave
around the maple tree which held his grandson's tree house
rather than cut it down. A history of more
road names can be found in Jeanne Bean's "Marrowstone
Memories", sold at the Nordland General Store. It is a
compilation of other island road histories.
CALLING ALL POLAR BEARS! The Nordland General Store's 5th
annual Polar Bear Dip is on New Year's Day at NOON! The goal
is to reach a hundred participants from a previous goal of
97. COME AND GET IN!
GARDEN CLUB meeting on Jan. 6, 10 AM, Wednesday. The program
will be a demo on creating hypertufa planters. All members
are asked to bring their own molds (not fungus but
disposable pots and pans, etc., plastic bags and decorative
rocks. Hostess chairman is Gladys Heinzinger. For more info
call Billie Fitch, program chairman, at 379-9242.
Brief 7 - Falling off Marrowstone's Cliffs
FREE FALLS OFF MARROWSTONE'S
CLIFFS. Throughout the years, the high banks of Marrowstone
have captured victims unmindful of where the land ends, and
have dropped like falling stars. At the turn of the century
when The Stump Saloon stood adjacent to Fort Flagler,
soldiers leaving the saloon sometimes missed the beaten path
and fell off the bank. They were the lucky ones who were
seen falling. Skulls have been occasionally found on the
beach below but it had not been determined whether or not
they were of the soldiers', or from preceding victims of
once warring Indians.
Sometime in the '30's, Merritt Duncan age 10, fell 60 feet
to the beach while playing near the cemetery and sustained
long lasting injuries. Finis Stevens (who moved on the
island in 1927), wrote in his autobiography of hiring Dana
Packard, a farmer from Chimacum, to bale the hayfield behind
his house on the east side of the island near the cemetery.
Dana disappeared over the bank with his Farmall tractor
pulling a super 8 baler. Major Stanley Kolwalski, a resident
of the island stationed at Fort Flagler in 1950, arrived
with the Army's crane and barge to pull the tractor and
baler off the beach. Although Dana survived the fall, the
machinery was totalled.
Willian Schwartz, known formally as "Mr. Schwartz" was a
Sunday school teacher who was frequently seen walking as he
recited psalms and Lbible proverbs. In the 50's he lived on
the road named after him, Schwartz Road. He, too, was
surprised by a fall when he edged too close to the bank to
cast out a pan of dirty dishwater.
A trail leading down to the beach from the cemetery grounds
in bygone times still remain in the memories of a few long
time residents. The powerful winter tide action possibly
washed it out as many residents with access to the beaches
soon discovers.
Marrowstone Island is basically made up of two soil types,
according to Bob Simmonds, resident geologist. When the
glacial cover began to melt and recede to colder climes it
deposited a mix of odd size rocks called glacial till. The
other type is sand which settled from the melt water. Both
of these types can be seen in the bluffs south of East Beach
Park where the sandy layers are at the base of the bluff,
and the till forming the top 15-20 feet. The sandy layers
show "cross-bedding" which are tilted layers caused by the
currents which deposited the sand. From East Beach Park,
facing south, there is a corridor across the water clear to
Edmonds through which the southern winter winds, and wave
action slam into the vulnerable sand bluffs of Marrowstone.
It undercuts the soft soil and causes frequent landslides.
It was from this changing edgeline, in 1976, where June and
John Anderson fell one winter night watching the mesmerizing
display of the northern lights. A neighbor's call sent them
out into their yard to view Ithe rapture of the heavens. To
escape the bright light pouring out from their house, (which
dimmed the view), they looked skyward walking backward into
the darker recesses of their yard. Then June disappeared
over the bank, and John anxiously ran after her only to fall
off himself. They miraculously survived the 70 foot drop to
the beach suffering a few broken bones, and stoically made
the half mile trek to East Beach Park where June waited at
the shelter while John walked back home to get the car.
Other residents have suffered similar fates. In the bright
spring sunshine, Bill Jansen was mowing the lawn with his
self-propelled mower when his knees buckled. The power mower
pulled him over the edge. His bank was at a 45 degree angle
to the beach where the vegetation thrived in the lee of
Nodule Point. It was the buffer he needed to survive the
60-70 foot fall. When Bill appeared back at his house with
scratches and scrapes his wife Frankie called their
neighbor, Joe Lovato, to help retreive the mower. Joe found
the machine hanging on sapling trees with the throttle
running on full. Olof Ford was a lucky man who also survived
the same fate a mile south of Bill Jansen. He, too, was
mowing the lawn on a tractor with a 24 Finch swath. Turning
in a narrow space near the bank, Olof backed the machine to
where one of the rear wheels slipped over the edge. His wife
Zelma was close enough to attempt grabbing him but failed.
Olof and the tractor parted on their fall down the bank, he
landed on a jut and the tractor continued to the water's
edge.
In April of 1979, eighteen month old Bo Russell escaped his
dad's vigilance and walked to the bank to watch the waves
lapping the beaches 70 feet below. A young dog with a
nervous habit of jumping on people pushed Bo over the edge.
He fell half way down the bank where the cliff's gentle
incline was softened with vegetation. Bo clutched the sides
with tiny fingers, calling out, "Come, come, daddy!" Chuck
Russell does not remember how he slipped down the sheer
first half of the bank without shoes, but it was a slow walk
over rocks for a couple hundred feet to the nearest trail up
the bank.
The west side of Marrowstone lapped by the waters of Kilisut
Harbor and Scow Bay are mostly low waterfront. The land is
mainly rocky as evident along the low bank of Indian Island
when crossing the bridge.
In 1987, Gunner Scholar, who lived on Griffiths Point Road
was learning to operate his new lawn mower. As he was
acquainting himself with the machinery, during a moment's
inattention, he drove over the 13 foot embankment. He lay on
the beach unable to move, and his calls for help were
absorbed by the distance of his neighbors. His wife June was
gone helping at the Jefferson County Fair, but since she was
expected back in a short time he waited for her return. In
the meantime, their dog, Fred, ran to neighbor Chuck
Sample's house and alternately offered up his paw, and
licked Chuck's hand. Chuck did not detect anything awry
although he thought it unusual for Fred to dally from his
own yard. Meanwhile, the tide was lapping closer to where
Gunner lay, unable to move because of a broken back. The
incoming tide became a teasing threat but June returned in
time to find him on the beach and called for help.
BLUE MOON OVER MARROWSTONE: Folks living on the east side of
Marrowstone have been witnesses to a spectacular monthly
event: The rising of a gigantic orange orb over the
silhouette of Whidbey Island. Whether it's an orange moon,
silver moon, honey moon, or pumpkin moon, a rare moon
happening called the blue moon will occur on January 31st
and March 31st. There will be two full moons in each of the
months, the second rising being referred to as the blue moon
(although the color of the moon is not blue). What makes
this occurance rare is that it will happen twice in one year
and the last time this happened was in 1915. Be a witness,
you'll never see it happening in your life time again.
WSU LEARNING EXCHANGE. Bob Simmonds of E. Beach Road has
been a volunteer instructor for the Learning Exchange
program since it's inception. He has taught geology,
astronomy, and tides and currents. For anyone who is
interested in the program as a volunteer instructor or
student call the WSU extension office: 379-5610.
Brief 8 - Mystery Yacht Club, Canine Olympics, and Y2K
Wild Clovers, where do you grow?
We grow on Marrowstone, seven in a row. Wild Clovers, Wild
Clovers, what do you know? There's an important meeting on
February 4! 4-H leaders Betty Grace, Linda Gately, Sue Rowe
and Laura Johnson are anxious to gather their group, the
Wild Clovers, to a regular monthly meeting on the 4th of
February at Betty Grace's house on E. Beach Rd. at 6PM. The
Wild Clovers of Marrowstone are Josh Johnson, Simon Rowe,
Rachel Koschnick, Heather Gately, Monty Grace, Michael
Grace, and Marisa Grace.
MYSTERY BAY YACHT CLUB is a loose organization sprung from
the camaraderie evolved while building the canoes for last
year's July Fourth races. Jerry Rowe ordered a book from a
sporting magazine which gave directions for building a canoe
which teens could easily build in six hours with the
supervision of someone experienced in woodworking. Jerry, a
builder, helped his son Simon build one for his 4-H project.
Jerry's daughter, Randi, helped with the painting. Jerry's
friends Greg York and Pat McNerthney of Griffiths Point Road
were also building the canoes, later joined by Tom Rose. The
July Fourth launching of the six canoes was also the
coalescing of the Mystery Bay Yacht Club. Members are, Jerry
Rowe, Greg York, Pat McNerthney, Tom Rose, Simon Rowe, Randi
Rowe and Breanna York (who helped paint the canoes). There
is interest from others on the island to join the club. The
initiation is to build a canoe. For further information call
Jerry Rowe at 385-2073, (who was appointed president while I
was interviewing Tom Rose), or Tom Rose 379-5471, (ex
officio when Jerry is unavailable.)
CANINE OLYMPICS. Tess, a year and a half old Border Terrier
belonging to Dick and Kay Savold recently placed first and
second in the Portland trials for the AKC Novice Agility
title twelve inch division. This, added to a previous title,
earned Tess three "legs" to qualify her for the Open
category. If Tess aces the Open she will go for the
Excellent category and ...well, folks, we have a canine
olympian candidate on the Kisland. Close to Tess's heels is
Corey, a Wheaten Terrier, who is showing superb ability in
his agility trials. Dick and Kay have both Corey and Tess,
two well loved canines who respond to anything their mom and
dad are willing to do with them. For more information on
agility trials write to Dick and Kay: dickay@waypt.com.
Y2K is an acronym that is as haunting to some of us as it
was to Chicken Little when he thought the sky was falling.
To some who have heard half truths with extrapolations of
computor meltdown effecting power companies to airborne
planes, the scenario is that of Armageddon. So I have taken
a survey of a few people around the island. While in the
Nordland General Store I asked the question of Tom Rose and
Lil Lovato. Tom gave a desperate look and said, "I'd get a
gun!" Then he grinned to show he was only joking, and added,
"because I've got the food!"
Lil Lovato doesn't anticipate anything dire but had heard
there may be a shortage of champagne. Since many more people
are planning on a new year's bash to welcome in the next
century buying a supply of -champagne early in the year was
advised.
People who fear the possibility of power outages when
computor controlled systems fail, have begun buying
generators for back up. Thus generators were rumored to be
in short supply. It brings to mind when in the early 70's, a
similar panic accounted for a shortage of canning lids.
There wasn't a logical reason for the panic but rumor sent
folks hoarding. The lid companies were puzzled over the
shortage but were glad for the windfall. However, Patty
Fiedler has good grounds for looking ahead and buying a
generator. Should there be a prolonged blackout she is
assured her respirator will continue working at night to
alleviate her apnea.
Some people are buying up essential items to the extent they
are running out of storage space in their homes. Others are
fatalists doing nothing and hoping to ride out the crisis
should there be one. Others feel the Y2K bug is a hoax
perpetrated by the THEY's to start a panic. To quell the
wondering hoards the Y2K question was posed to Pat Britt, a
woman well heeled in computor experience and knowledge.
Despite Pat's new year wish of..."hope there will be a few
days in 1999 in which no one mentions the Y2K bug", she has
kindly shared the following opinion: "Although there will
doubtless be some problems, there is a tremendous amount of
hype about the Y2K bug. Like any sky-is-falling story, it
makes good copy. Some computer programmers are making a good
living helping people sort out old systems that would have
problems. Certifying current systems is also a big business:
but this consists mainly of making sure that relatively
minor problems do not occur.
"There are a vast number of computer applications for which
the Jdate is irrelevant. The fact that some piece of
equipment keeps track of the date doesn't matter if the date
isn't used for anything. For example, many people with older
systems that may not handle four digit years properly are
just using them for word processing or spread sheets. In
fact, if the battery in the computer goes bad, it doesn't
stop working, it just stops reporting the correct date.
Anyone who wants to know what will happen to a personal
computer need only set the date forward to 2000 and try it.
"So far as the country's infrastructure is concerned, the
electric utilities are well along in testing, the stock
market systems have been tested, and social security seems
to be OK. The IRS system has been a mess for years, but who
cares. I would worry a little about the FAA. Their system is
also antiquated. I wouldn't plan to fly anywhere for the
first few days of 2000. And then there are the banks: many
are well along in testing, but it might be a good idea to
have a reasonable supply of cash on January 1, 2000. On the
other hand, the nation's burglers may be counting on this.
Major companies are extremely concerned about possible legal
problems resulting from using a system that is not "Y2K
compliant", and have a strong incentive to do careful
testing. Fixing a problem is not hard, except in the case of
software that is many years old and not well documented.
"As for advance planning, normal winter storm preparedness
is Iprobably sufficient: food, water, wood, flashlights,
candles, whatever. Some people always hoard if they think
there may be some kind of disaster, but that doesn't make it
either sensible or civic minded. On the other hand, some
degree of self-sufficiency is a good rule for us all.
"My prediction for January 1, 2000? Either it will be a
tremendous anti-climax, or people will be so focused on the
relatively minor problems that do occur that it will seem
like something happened. I don't expect any disasters.
Nate Rowe, 17 year old son of Jerry and Sue Rowe, attends
Olympic College in Bremerton studying computer science. He
doesn't have a strong opinion about the Y2K bug because he
says, "...I don't think too much will happen, if anything at
all." He feels that if chaos occurs it'll come from people
believing it will happen and their reactions will
precipitate it. Others with opinions prefer to remain
anonymous but one who doesn't mind being quoted says, "I'll
just wait till the panic settles, then I might pick up a
generator cheap!"
Brief 9 - Fort Flagler State Park and Indian Island
Two extensive greenbelt areas in
the Marrowstone community are Fort Flagler and Indian
Island. Once an Army base, Fort Flagler was purchased by the
Washington State Department of Parks and Recreation in
April, 1954 from the General Services Administration. Indian
Island was purchased by the Navy in 1940 from individual
land owners. Today, the keepers of the gate at Fort Flagler
State Park, and the Naval Ordnance Center, are Mike
Zimmerman, park manager, and Cdr. John Paul Johnston Officer
in Charge of the Hadlock Detachment on Indian Island.
Mike and Hope Zimmerman have planted their hearts in Fort
Flagler State Park. They moved in June, 1998, into a former
Army Officer's house with their two sons Clayton, 11 and
Reid, 10. The house faces the panoramic view of Admiralty
Inlet with the rim of the Cascades framing the outline of
Whidbey Island. Prior to their move they lived a year in
Port Elliot, 40 miles south of Adelaide, south Australia.
Mike took a job exchange for a year with a ranger from one
of Australia's National Parks. A unique experience from
living in a different culture for the Zimmermans was the
abundance of "chooks" or chickens of every variety. Rather
than the ubiquitous dogs and cats running about in an
American neighborhood, chooks were everywhere in their
Australian neighborhood. The chooks were mostly Bantam or
other small species. Having become accustomed to chickens
Clayton and Reid began raising them after moving to Fort
Flagler. Their efforts have grown into a small egg business.
Since there are a variety of chickens the eggs come in
different colors. Clayton and Reid ride their bikes to
deliver the eggs to customers. Often their delivery is
accompanied with a small homemade gift. It may be a flower
picked along the way to their customer's house, or an oyster
shell filled with suet for the birds. For a delivery of farm
fresh eggs call them at 385-1259.
Mike Zimmerman harbors a special feeling for Fort Flagler
State Park. He and wife Hope feel a kinship to it that
extends beyond the bounds Iof the park and into the Nordland
community. They have both joined MICA and want to encourage
the islanders to share the same concern they have for the
park.
Presently, Fort Flagler State Park is closed four months out
of the year to campers. The museum is open 11-4 on weekends
during the winter. The park's potential for operating year
round with multi-purpose facilities open to the public is
recognized by Mike. As park manager he plans to keep the
island community informed of future plans for the park and
would encourage everyone to become involved.
April will be the month when a team of planners arrives to
do a study on how to improve the visitors' and tourists'
facilities, and services. In addition there will be an open
house for the public to participate in the planning. The
barracks, a theatre, miles of beaches, and a fishing pier
are some places on the list for improvements to be made.
Everyone is invited to come and offer an opinion to which
direction the fort should take in making these changes.
The park's budget allows for physical improvements and
maintenance, however, as any entreperneur knows, the cost of
labor takes a chunk out of any budget. The park needs
volunteers from the community to man the museum during open
hours, and for other sundry chores.
Bob and Marybelle Brown of Fort Gate Road walk the trails
daily. They have volunteered their time to help keep the
trails clear of debris. Like any other community, it's as
good as it's people make it. The Browns help to keep the
park clean and enjoyable for everyone. Volunteers like the
Browns are needed.
The park's large officers' housing have recently been
improved and they are available to rent. They are ideal for
anyone looking for housing during a family reunion or to
house guests coming from out of state to a wedding. For more
information call the office of Fort Flagler State Park at
385-3701.
Mike would also like to remind everyone that the campground
reopens on February 26th; the museum will be open seven days
a week beginning the first of May.
Indian Island has always been part of the Marrowstone
community. After World War II Navy ships were mothballed in
Kilisut Harbor and islanders were hired as watchmen or civil
servants on the base. During the Cold War years it stood
separate as a Navy entity and its seclusion was looked upon
as a barrier between the Navy and the Nordland community.
After the Cold War was won, the barrier was down. The Navy
has participated in the Hadlock Days celebration by running
tours around Indian Island and opening the roadways for the
Fourth of July Deer Run. After the demise of Hadlock Days,
the Navy has been a major participant in the Jefferson Days
Celebration in conjunction with the members of the Tri-Area
Chamber of Commerce.
On the 4th of July, the Navy has opened its gate to
civilians welcoming them to join in the Deer Run, Duck Egg
Contest, old fashioned games for adults and children held at
Crane Point, tours around the island; and an evening
fireworks display from a Navy barge is the Fourth of July
finale.
Commander John Paul Johnston and his wife Brenda moved to
Indian Island a year ago. He began his career as a Navy
diver and is the last co-holder of the Navy's deep diver
record who is still on active duty. In December, 1979, Cdr.
Johnston volunteered to participate in the Navy's
Experimental Diving Unit's largest hyperbaric activity held
in Panama City, Florida. They were the guinea pigs locked in
a pressure chamber at 1800 feet for 37 days. Cdr. Johnston
did not suffer adverse effects other than cummilative aches
and pains from his diving career.
Since becoming the Officer in Charge of the Indian Island
Idetachment, Cdr. Johnston has not done any diving however,
in four weeks he will be assisting in an under water survey
of the longest Navy pier on the West Coast which was built
20 years ago at Indian Island. There is an Jettringite
intrusion on the concrete pilings caused by a reaction of
saltwater to cement. The pilings will eventually be
replaced.
After 28 and a half years in the Navy this is Commander
Johnston's twilight tour of duty. His orders to the Naval
Ordnance Center at Indian Island have been extended another
year, adding two years before his retirement when he and
Brenda plan to settle in the area.
John Doney and Chuck Russell of East Marrowstone Road are
Rotarians who recently returned from a 10 day visit to North
Vietnam. Both men are veterans of the Vietnam war of 30
years ago. Their aim was to help establish a Rotary club in
Hanoi from which monetary funds could be channeled to help
the orphanages and handicapped children. Unfortunately, they
could not accomplish this since there was a Tet celebration
in progress and all businesses were closed for the holiday.
Chuck's tour of the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" prison camp
built by the French for Vietnamese dissidents, and later
used for American prisoners of war was a chilling
experience. Ironically, a new Hilton Hotel now exists next
to the prison camp museum. An interesting discovery for
Chuck happened in the Ho Chi Minh museum where he saw 10
American squadron or unit patches on display under a glass
case. Of all the thousands of different patches worn by the
men and women in the military, one of the ten picked for
display in the museum was Chuck's "squadron, HC-7's three
headed dog.
Valentine Day's Massacre. Pet owners beware of the coyotes.
They are brazen creatures who pick off little pets right
from your front door. My mixed breed Chihuahua/terrier
Minnie was masscared on Valentine's Day. At another time
Darlene Good lost her Pomeranian to the wiley predators.
Beware.
Brief 10 - Marrowstone's Galleries and Artists
Artist: Marjorie Illman
Marjorie Illman will be the feature artist at the Bruskin
Gallery in Port Townsend for the month of March. On
Marrowstone, Marjorie has the Little Island Gallery, where
she markets her works in acrylic, watercolor, sumi-e,
scratchboard, colored pencil, pen and ink, pastels, and
combinations of these. Her gallery was started five years
ago after her neighbor, Kay Savold, gave her the suggestion.
Since there was a space in the Illman's former trailer port
they build a little gallery.
Marjorie's interest in art evolved with drawing lessons at
the age of nine. Her career began after graduating from the
University of Washington with a degree in Fine Arts. A short
course in commercial art at Edison Vocational School landed
her a job in the advertising department of Shoenfield's
Department store in Seattle doing layouts, and art work. A
notable accomplishment was her completion of over 100
scientific drawings for a book on Puget Sound fishes her
father, Professor Trevor Kincaid, intended publishing. These
drawings were later given to the Burke Museum.
After her marriage to John Illman in 1943, they moved to
California where her experience secured a job doing
advertising art for a chain of furniture stores based in
Oakland. At this time, she illustrated a children's book for
a Seattle author. While busy raising their three children,
Marjorie sought other art fields, studying mosaics. pottery,
photography, copper enameling, and silk screening.
Eventually, she returned to painting and was often the
single featured artist in several shows in the San Francisco
Bay area.
Marjorie and John Illman settled on Marrowstone in 1977.
Retirement is never in the realm of an artist, and Marjorie
soon helped organize the Marrowstone Art Guild which is
active today. Her creative hands have also produced jewelry,
quilts, quilted garments, various embroidered items, note
cards, calendars and calligraphy. her art has been used in
posters, signs, logos, brochures, program covers, year book
covers, etc. for the Nordland Garden Club, Marrowstone
Emergency Medical Services, Marrowstone Island Community
Association and the Friends of Fort Flagler.
The Bruskin Gallery, located above the Imprint Bookstore,
will have an openhouse for Marjorie Illman on March 4 from
5-8 PM. For information call 385-4561.
Gaia's Garden
GAIA'S GARDEN on Strawberry Lane opened for business in
November, 1999, and is operated by Gaye Veenhuizen. Jerry
and Gaye moved from Enumclaw to Marrowstone Island in 1995
after buying the property from Barbara Wilson.
In 1985, Barbara bought a small cabin from Randy Cherrier,
then moved it from Eaglemount to Marrowstone. When Gaye saw
the cabin, she thought it a perfect setting for a gift shop.
She envisions selling locally handcrafted items, herbs and
plants in the spring and summer, and seasonal items during
the rest of the year. Presently Gaye sells her own
hand-poured scented candles, beeswax candles by Rosita of
Hadlock, interior decorations, sun catchers, and a large
selection of Gaye's own brand of shampoos, and body lotions.
She also carries an assortment od aromatherapy and massage
oils.
Local artists and crafters are invited to bring in their
products on consignment, and a few collectible items are
accepted. For more information, contact Gaye at
debbi@olypen.com.
Artist: Branan Ward
AN ARTIST who has lived Walter Mitty's dreams of adventure
is Branan Ward. The needle of his life's compass has always
pointed to art and the sea. In 1946-47 he attended the
American Academy of Art in Chicago, but by then he was
already an experienced sailor taking small parties of people
on fishing boats in the Chesapeake Bay after having passed
his safety and navigational tests at the age of 18. During
World War II he served as an electrician aboard Navy
submarines. After the war he skippered a tugboat in the
Bering Strait from Nome to Kotzebue. In 1949-50 he lived in
Thule, Northwest Greenland, for 15 months working for the
weather bureau, and even endured one winter at Point Barrow.
During all of his bounding about Branan decided he needed to
focus on getting a higher education and in 1951, he enrolled
at Los Angeles City College as a year round student. In 1955
he acquired his masters degree from California State
University at Los Angeles. With credentials in hand, Branan
trekked to Alaska and eventually to the Artic where he made
adventure-documentary films of Eskimo life which were
televised. In 1965 he repeated a 2000 mile trip down the
Mackenzie River in a canoe which took ten weeks. He started
in Edmonton, Canada, crossed Great Slave Lake, rounded Lake
Athabaska, and finished at Inuvik in the Beaufort Sea of the
Artic Ocean. The same trip was first accomplished in 1947.
In 1979 he joined a party of ten people who charted a Twin
Otter to fly to the North Pole. In doing so, Branan joined
the ranks of only 70 people to have reached the North Pole
(albeit, not b y dog sled). A member of the party was a
philatelist who stamped envelopes as certification that the
ten were present at the top of the world.
In the interstices of his adventures he painted. Branan
researched details of tall sailing ships of the 19th century
and painted them to exact detail. He has had showings in the
Biltmore in Los Angeles, the Jones Gallery of La Jolla, the
Saddleback of Santa Ana, and the Village Gallery of Lahaina,
Maui. One of his ship paintings was hung in the Western
White House. During his adventures to Alaska and the Artic,
Branan painted the faces of the Eskimo. Portraits of people,
animals, and ships are his forte. He has recently expanded
to doing murals.
Before his retirement, Branan accumulated thirty years of
teaching experience at several high schools, and a period at
Mt. Saint Mary's College in his major of anthropology and
geography. He is a member of the Royal Geographical Society
of London, the Explorers' Club of New York, and the
Adventures' Club of Los Angeles. Today he is sharing his
accrued knowledge and experience with 5th graders in the
Chimacum Choice Program every Friday for four weeks. The
phenomena of Sun Dogs, the reason ivory won't fossilize, the
people of the Artic, and the ice around the North Pole are
all described by Branan, backed by maps not commonly seen in
classrooms. Branan welcomes guests to his studio/greenhouse.
For information on his experiences, or to have a portrait
painted by Branan Ward call: 385-4748.
Artist: Suzan Tipton
SUZAN TIPTON zigzagged across the United States before
settling on Marrowstone Island with her husband, Bob. Their
son, Austin, was born soon after their move in September
1988. Their daughter, Hannah, arrived in 1992. Suzan herself
was born and raised on an island; Oahu, Hawaii, but left to
attend the University of Kansas in 1974. There she met her
husband, Bob.
After graduating from U of K, a severe recession in the
mid-west forced the couple to move to southern California
where Suzan established herself as a graphic designer, and
Bob found a teaching job. At Maranatha! Music Suzan designed
record album covers. Then a move to Bright and Company had
her designing corporate images, and doing diverse
advertising for companies such as Toshiba, Fluorocarbon, and
Beckman Technologies. The company she liked best to design
for was Disneyland doing their special event campaigns.
The Tiptons began a wide search for places with a rural
quality since they had planned having a family. They
happened upon Marrowstone when visiting a friend in the
area.
Suzan works for Storm Productions in Port Townsend as a
designer/illustrator for silkscreen and embroidery machines.
Where does she get her inspirations? Suzan answers"...the
beautiful Northwest landscapes and weather feed my
designee/illustrator's soul."