Strange news this morning. It seems that there is a black blob developing in the Pacific Ocean in Northern Alaska...and It is on the move. "There was only one thing officials knew for sure -- it wasn't an oil slick. "It's certainly biological," Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Terry Hasenauer told the newspaper earlier this week. "It has no characteristics of an oil, or a hazardous substance, for that matter." Hasenauer sent samples to the State Environmental Health Laboratory in Anchorage, which discovered the goop "primarily contained marine algae," according to a brief report issued Thursday by Analytical Chemistry Manager Emanuel Hignutt Jr. There's still a mystery surrounding the blobs. No one along the North Slope has ever encountered the stuff in the ocean before, and scienti... 07/18/2009

  Running the length of the Allyn dock above the cool North Bay waters the Girls find summer. Shadows stretched where they had been only moments before. Is it a thought, a moment, or a feeling? The splashes of sunshine spill across the rippled waters. The seagull rests on the weathered rail. The jelly fish bob and dip. A crab pinches the sides of a pail, as the purple starfish stretches out from Sarah's hand to find his salty wet pier again. Welcome home to Allyn by the Bay. 07/16/2009

My house payment is due. I used to make my payment to Countywide and now it is Bank Of America. Like most people the payments these days are not as easy as they once were to come up with. I decided to make my payment in person. Then I know that they have it. Last month I tried to make it on line and they would not post it the day I requested and then charged me a $111.00 late fee. So this month I was happy to go in and hand them the payment directly... In person. This could not be done. I needed a payment coupon. I am not getting the coupons because I had made 3 or more payments online and they would not send me statements in the mail anymore.  So I tried to use my last mailed statement. This would not work because it was not the latest statement. I could not print it off online because... 07/16/2009

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore 2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. 3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles 4. Cleveland Clinic 5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 6. New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell 7. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center 8. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania 9. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis10. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (tie) 10. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. (tie) 11. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle 12. UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 13. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor 14. Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, Calif. 15. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville 16. NYU ... 07/16/2009

I had a thought. If you were my husband you would get excited and say wow...I knew you could! With all of the people I have given my e-mail to, advertised to have people use it, and promoted it as the way to find me....It has grown out of control. I am bombarded every day. I am dependent on it to function, and now I am concerned about who may have it. We have all heard of spam but have you ever thought how easy it would be for someone to hack their way in and know everything about you? I didn't think about it until I needed help one day with an issue and the guy on the other end took me to another site where as a third party he was able to get control of everything in my in box, sent and drafts. I have now opened a new account for everything but clients. It has a new password and I do n... 07/14/2009

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal Yes, we are in challenging times. We have been for a while now. Is it time to just give up or is it time to shine? It seems that everytime we have welcomed a great new idea or invention it was born out of necessity. How many of us who work day in and day out-do not have ideas on how we could do it better? Why not make today the day that you do it. After all if it were not for forward thinkers we would not have Active Rain, the Internet, the computer, or the keyboard I am typing on-Dinah Lee 07/13/2009

From one side to the other. They Feel and Think -they Love and Remember. From one side to the other they Hurt and Cry- they Loose and Fall. From one side to the other They Hope without fail, they Push On through Battle, They have a purpose and they have a Goal. They are Americans and they fought for their Country.They saw their lives through their own eyes and not one anothers. In the end the battle was won because we are one. Though we may be different if we focus on what we have in common we will see one other as neighbors instead of adversaries. 07/12/2009

We are very impressionable people - and it is at times hard to not pass our fears and worries along to our children or others. Mostly our children... It's thundering and lightening today here in Allyn, WA.  Unusual for us. Our summers generally bring comfortable heat with marine breezes and low humidity (yes believe it or not fairly low humidity.I know what you're thinking we're the rain capital of the world).   I am from the East Coast - Portsmouth, NH to be exact and there we were prone to drenching humidity along with intense heat with many, many thunder and lightning storms. I have to say though, I will probably NEVER get used to thunder and lightning storms although I am better with them now.... Which brings me to my point, as I am sitting here listening to the thunder in the backg... 07/12/2009

CLEVELAND -- A small Cleveland company may be on the verge of a huge medical breakthrough - artificial human blood. Arteriocyte Medical Systems is housed in the BioEnterprise complex in Cleveland's University Circle area. The research going on inside its laboratory is groundbreaking. "We think we can grow fresh blood faster that what the human body would naturally grow fresh blood," says Donald Brown, CEO. He is referring to a project in which Arteriocyte has developed a machine that produces actual human blood. The technique is known as blood pharming and relies upon the creation of an artificial replacement for human bone marrow. "You want to be able to grow blood faster, more efficiently, more effectively than what the human body would do," Brown explained, adding that by linking 10 ... 07/10/2009

Lets go outside and have some fun! This has been my response to the "I'M BOOOOARD" comment from my kids. They are older now and I usually say "wake up" or "get out of bed" first. I am including a link to a great site with a lot of outdoor ideas. Most of them absolutely free! What could be better- and the fun you have will make lasting memories. Don't forget to grab your camera. The next rainy inside day you could spend scrap-booking all of todays fun with the kids! 07/09/2009

  Mason County is 967 sq. mi. in size, and is located at the southwestern tip of Puget Sound. Mount Rainier and the Cascade Mountains are nearby to the east, while Washington's Pacific Ocean coast is just an hour west. The county was created (from Thurston County) on 13 March 1854 under the Indian name of Sawamish County. It was renamed on 3 January 1864 to honor Charles H. Mason, first secretary of Washington Territory and acting governor during the Indian Wars. The first county seat was Oakland on Oakland Bay. The county seat was later moved to Shelton. These are a few facts that were new to me ,and I thought you might find interesting. Being that we are a rural county, there is not a lot to be found on the web about the history of our beautiful area. I for one, like Mason County muc... 07/07/2009

Have you been to Yelp? What do you think? In case you did not know Yelp is another site that you can use to give reviews on businesses in your area. Or just ones that you have used or visited. You can even place your own business on the site. From what I can see it is easy to use and is kind of fun too. I have already found places I have been and would like to review. It is becoming a challenge however to keep up with all of the new sites that are emerging. lately it has been Bing and Yelp that have caught my attention as well as Sqidoo. It seems that if you can think of a weird name "they will come." What sites have caught your attention and for how long? I wonder who we will be talking about next year at this time? 07/06/2009

Around the track they come. The Survivors. Dressed in passionate Purple they wave and smile for all to see that... we can beat cancer. Years of progress and dedication to eradicate this silent killer have given them THIS moment. A moment that will lead to many more moments for many others Some, yet to know they they too are going to be fighting this battle. The reason I called this post Motivational Monday is because of their attitudes. Not one survivor feels sorry for themselves or complains. They are grateful for the day, the hour, and the minute that they have been given. They know that time is a gift and they will not let another minute pass without taking advantage of every second!  If we all could see the day for all that it could be instead of all that it is not~ we could really ... 07/06/2009

I thought I would share with you a few quotes from our late presidents. I find it fascinating to peak into their thoughts at such a poignant time in history. Three of our presidents actually died on the 4th of July. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Adams and Jefferson were close yet far apart on some of their ideas on how we should establish our nation. Reading through letters that they shared it is amazing to read the respectful disagreements that they had over key issues.  I believe that we are fortunate that these men were able to see the common ground they had and work out their differences for the sake of our nation. I hope that those makeing tough choices today would look back on these great men and strive to do the same... for the sake of us all.              My God... 07/04/2009

      LAKELAND VILLAGE ALLYN, WA MARKET REPORT FOR JUNE Summertime in LakeLand Village.... whether you live here full time or part time there is something here for everyone!  The market has started to heat up just as the weather has!  Now is a perfect time to take advantage of the fantastic homes and fantastic prices in LakeLand Village. Let's take a look at the LakeLand Village Real Estate Market numbers and see what has been going on in June.... There are currently 31 homes for sale in LakeLand Village. Inventory increased slightly from last month but that is expected this time of year. Looking at the pending sales, there has been quite a bit of activity during the month of June with buyers making offers. They realize this market is a GREAT time to take the plunge into home ownership... 07/03/2009

Tomorrow night the fight will be on. From one side of North Bay, to the other- Allyn and Victor will be alive with color and explosions. The 4th of July brings out the best in our neighbors as they compete with one another from across the shimmering waters. First a splash of green in the night sky echoed by blue from one side of the water to red again on the other.Over the hillside Tacoma wakes up and throws color bursts high into the ebony tuning out the stars. It is a sight I will never forget and every year just seems to out do the last. All are welcome to Allyn. Bring your fireworks and together we can show Victor just what we are made of! Have a Bright 4th of July. And If you have served our county or are currently serving- Thank you for making this day possible!     07/03/2009

Labyrinth in the Works in Allyn ALLYN - St. Hugh Episcopal Church, at the end of South Wheelwright Street in Allyn, has begun the construction of a labyrinth overlooking North Bay. This labyrinth will be open for use by all in the community. A labyrinth is a solid surface that has a walking path that winds in a circuitous way to its center. It is an ancient pattern found in many cultures around the world. Labyrinth walking is among the simplest forms of focused walking meditation, and the demonstrated body and mind health benefits have led hundreds of hospitals, health care facilities, and churches to install labyrinths in recent years. The labyrinth provides a spiritual walk, a time to think, a time to pray. Some people view the labyrinth as a metaphor for life's journey. As a person c... 07/03/2009

Washed by the seas of time and caressed until bleached by the sun... The Sand Dollar is found. Not alone but with many of her kind. Each one unique, and desired by all on the sandy beach. Children squeal and run to be first to hold her.As the others pile up in the pail. If not quick, the waves will reclaim her and a chance will be left behind.  Oh, to be... 07/02/2009

How do you like to go up in a swing,              Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing              Ever a child can do! Up in the air and over the wall,              Till I can see so wide, River and trees and cattle and all              Over the countryside-- Till I look down on the garden green,               Down on the roof so brown-- Up in the air I go flying again,               Up in the air and down! I am sharing with you one of my favorite poems. Although Sarah may not be swinging she is flying. She is free of the worries of yesterday and tomorrow. She is in her own moment alone with the sea and the sky and her smile. I love Sarah.-Mom 06/30/2009

How far would you go to get the house sold? I have had an interesting week. So far I have picked up a dead bird (handful of feathers) weeding on Windermere Service day last Friday. Then I moved onto dead opossum removal from a listing that was to be shown the next morning, (can't have buyers finding that) It turned that the buyers ended up skipping that house anyway. To this last Sunday I was to find a headless squirrel on the porch of the home I was holding open. This one was the worst of the three. I emboldened myself took a deep breath and tossed the carcass off to the side below the deck. Finished. Or was I? You know I wasn't because I am still typing. My cell rang and I stepped outside for better reception. Then I heard a crunch... crunch. The cat was back. We fought over the dead ... 06/30/2009