The Saturday Shopper: Mama Made

Mama Made   

Owned by Carissa Anderson, Established May 2009           

Online Store Only

www.mamamade.net 

www.etsy.com/shops/mamamadebows

www.facebook.com/mamamadebows

All About The Business: Mama Made is your place for handmade hair pretties, tutus and more. I offer a variety of bows and tutus from newborn sizes up to adults! Tutus and bows make great props for photos, fflower girl dresses for weddings, baby shower gifts or birthday presents. I also offer a great line of Halloween Costumes, All available on my website www.mamamade.net or I also do custom orders!

What Makes Your Business Unique? What makes my business unique is that there are no other places on the Harbor to get adorable handmade bows and tutus at affordable prices. FREE shipping on all US orders also! So you can shop from the comfort of your own home and not have to pay anything extra to get your gift to you!            

Advice for First Time Customers: Go to our website and look around. If you don't see what you are looking for email me and I will be happy to help you with anything you may be looking for.

Friday Five: Boom Boom Boom

Independance Day, The Fourth of July, is just around the corner.  If you go all out for the big booms and keep your neighbors up until all hours of the night, you have been planning for next wednesday for almost a year.  However, for those of us who prefer to keep the spending money in our pockets and refuse to take our an installment loan for fireworks ( i am not kidding), there are many options on the harbor to help you celebrate the 4th in style.

Have an Old Fashioned 4th in Westport this 4th of July.  The hub of the activity is at the Maritime Museum in Westport and the event is 'done up right' by the Westport-South Beach Historical Society.  The HUGE flag is in the spotlight during this wonderful celebration, and if you are one for picnics, pies and arts and crafts this is the place to be for Independence day.

Splash into the 4th at Morrison Riverfront in Aberdeen.  Along the Chehalis River Waterfront, Splash boasts event booths galore, food and blow up bouce houses.  A beautiful fireworks display that synchronizes to Bigfoot 93.7 radio as soon as dark hits.  This festival brings together the spirit of play and independence for the fourth of July.

Watch the Fire O'er the Water in Ocean city.  Billed as the best fireworks show on the washington coast, this extravaganza of sparklers is not to be missed and free!

Now for todays Friday Five... because what would a friday be with out our lists we are so found of?
1.Firecrackers

Cylinders filled with gunpowder. You light a fuse and stand back, and they explode

2.Rockets

Cylinders filled with gunpowder tied to a stick that shoot into the air after you light them

3.Fountains

Usually cylindrical and generally the bigger the package, the longer it will last and the higher it will go
they include a shower of colorful sparks with very little noise

4.Cakes

All include a single fuse which ignites a preset routine of shells, fountains, and rockets

5.Artillery

A reloadable tube with any number and variety of launchable of shells

Brighter Summer Business Opportunity

Summer is upon us and you know what that means – FESTIVAL SEASON! Pick any weekend from here until the end of September and you’ll find yet another chance to check out local vendors, artists and eat fried foods out of the back of trucks (not sketchy at all).

This summer, the Go Go Grays Harbor Team will be out promoting our blog at a variety of events. We’ll have some awesome new bright green t-shirts and also super fun wayfarer sunglasses to give away – to help you see the “bright side of Grays Harbor.”

At this point, we’re not getting paid to create this blog, but we love doing it and we want to continue to write so we are looking to partner with local businesses that have enjoyed our blog and have had a pleasant experience working with us in the past.

So, we’re looking for some local businesses who want to be an official Brighter Summer Business!

What do you get from this deal? Not only will we love you a lot (maybe too much?), but you’ll also get all of this rad stuff:

• Your logo/ad and link to your website on our blog for a whole month (you pick the dates)
• A feature article about your store/event/whatever – it’s your call. We’ll write something up about whatever you want or you can write a guest post. One dedicated post for each month of the summer.
• Your logo on any and all print material we hand out at Summer Festivals
• We’ll hand out any swag you’ve got to give us at the events this summer.

So, all of this – promoting your business for 3 solid months – is just $50 TOTAL! As a bonus level, we’ll put your logo on the back of our t-shirts for an additional $25. We’ll be wearing those shirts all year, so it’s a pretty good deal. Shoot, if you pay us enough we'll wear those t-shirts every day for the rest of our lives.

What events will we be participating in this summer? Glad you asked. We plan to have a presence at the following events:

• Aberdeen Art Walk : July 28
• Downtown Hoquiam First Thursday : August 2
• Pacific Beach Kelper’s Day Parade : September 1
• Logger’s PlayDay : September 8
• Pacific Beach Sand Castle Contest: September 15

We have a limited number of spots to fill with this awesome deal, so get in contact with us soon if you have any questions or want to get on board. Just email gogograysharbor@gmail.com by July 6^th to get started!

XOXO,

Go Go Grays Harbor Team

Bicycle Revolution

When I moved back to the harbor, one of my very first thoughts was "I want to start a bike gang." So, I may be in my late 20's but when I'm on my bike I feel like I'm seven again... and I love it. The only thing that makes it better is when you're joined by a group of super awesome friends!

The exciting part of this story is that we have actually started a bicycle "gang" of sorts! Our first ride was in May, where a group of about 11 adults and 6 kids joined together to ride their bikes from the old Breakwater Building on the Wishkah River in Aberdeen to the Public Market on the Hoquiam River in Hoquiam.

We had so much fun, we just did it again in June! And this time, we got a little bit creative and our good friend Ralph created this video of the entire ride from the Hoquiam Public Market to the Breakwater Building and back.

Sad you missed out yet? Well, you'll have your chance again in July, so don't you worry... also, we're printing up stickers and t-shirts to show your pride in the Go Go Grays Harbor Bicycle Revolution! Stop by Gray's General Store (520 Simpson Ave, Hoquiam) to place an order for your shirt. Just $15!

Julie Rajcich Designs: Rusty Scupper Pirate Daze

After nine months of studying photography in Spokane, WA I am happy to return to my hometown of Aberdeen for the summer months. Unfortunately I have to return to Spokane in the fall to finish up my photography classes in order to receive my degree next spring but I am taking full advantage of the current opportunity to soak up Grays Harbor for all it’s worth.

As a new local business owner I intend to make it to as many local events as I can this summer with my camera to showcase the many great things the harbor has to offer.  This past weekend I began my photography adventure by attending the 10th Annual Rusty Scupper’s Pirate Daze festival in Westport.   With my younger sister by my side we had a blast!  Although I was born and raised in Aberdeen, this was the first time attending the event for both of us. I was impressed with how many people went full out with their pirate costumes and how seriously they took their roles as performing pirates.  It was a great event for all ages and it was fun to see the smiles on all of the children’s faces.

I made it out to the event for a few hours on Friday afternoon and took in the boom pirates black powder demonstrations by the viewing tower and also wandered out onto the jetty to meet some of the fisherman.  Rain played a part in the event but the weather didn’t seem to hinder the attitudes of the vendors, performers, and event attendees which kept the spirit of the event light and fun. 

Saturday evening we returned to the event to take in the fire dancers and fireworks. The performance was fantastic and went far beyond any expectations I may have had. The show lasted for about an hour and we couldn’t have asked for a better night for such a performance. After a long day of rain the clouds parted just in time for a gorgeous sunset and the fire dancers were blessed with a starry sky and almost no wind!  It was an amazing night and I feel fortunate to have been there to experience it with all of the other spectators.  For those who missed the event, make sure to mark your calendars for next year. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss!

Pictures from the event can be found under the “Events” category on my website at http://www.julierajcichdesigns.com/

and are available for purchase by clicking“Client Albums” link. 

We can also be found on Facebook- Julie Rajcich Designs, http://www.facebook.com/JulieRajcichDesigns.

If you know of any special events coming up let us know at julierajcich@gmail.com

and we’ll try to fit it into our summer tour of Grays Harbor!

Guest Post provided by Julie Rajcich

Julie Rajcich Designs - Photography + Graphics

Web: http://www.julierajcichdesigns.com/

Email: julierajcich@gmail.com

"Like" us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/JulieRajcichDesigns

Hey There Harborite; Jen Regan

Name: Jen Regan

Where do you live: Pacific Beach Inn, Pacific Beach

Profession/Day job: Innkeeper at Pacific Beach Inn

Loyal to: Since I didn't grow up in the Harbor, I'll just plead Mariners fan. And hope for the best.

Best Harbor Moment: Having the wedding of my dreams with the most amazing friends and family all around to celebrate with us near the Pacific Beach State Park. It was the most beautiful drizzly day, and I will remember it forever.

Favorite Coffee Stand: Hi Flyers Kite Shop. The perfect place to grab a (leisurely) cup of coffee and hear about what the whole town is up to.

Favorite Local Business: I'm a huge fan of Hometown Feed's great service, and addicted to Grays General Store for all my craft addiction needs. Closer to home, I love Voss Acres, and the small beach town feel of the Seagate Lounge.

Grunge, Metal or Country: I'll have to plead grunge.

Beach, Forest or River: I live a stone's throw from the beach, but each time I visit the forest I want to go back for more!

Favorite outdoor adventure or day trip: My kids and I are slowly but surely exploring our way around Lake Quinalt. I love all the secret nooks we've found so far.

Best way to stay dry on rainy days: Invest in sturdy rain gear.

Define the Harbor in one word: Vast

If you could change one thing about the area, what would it be: More connections between local businesses. I feel like the Harbor is just moments away from becoming a real destination, not only for tourists passing through, but for the local community as well.

Grays Harbor's best kept secret: I know I'm a bit partial, but I think the town of Pacific Beach really has the best the Harbor has to offer. We are close to beaches for kites, the rivers for fishing, the forest for hiking and camping and less intrepid travelers usually get stopped up in Ocean Shores and keep our town a quiet place for those who know where to look

Where on the Harbor...

can you find this "killer" mural?

Music Monday: Cake- The Distance

Music Monday: Islands - Hallways

I love this song!!

The Saturday Shopper: Pacific Beach Inn

Pacific Beach Inn       

Managed by Jen and John Regan, Established 2001 

12 First St. South

Pacific Beach, WA    

360-276-4433 

www.pbinn.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pacific-Beach-Inn/134669909934823

Reservations Available Year Round  

Front Office Open Daily, 9am-9pm

All About the Business: We are a cozy motel located in the town of Pacific Beach. Our rooms range in size from studios with kitchenettes to larger units with 2 separate bedrooms and full kitchens. We strive to create a comfortable and clean space our guests can relax in after a long day of exploring all the wonders the Olympic Peninsula has to offer.           

What Makes Your Business Unique? Because The Pacific Beach Inn is a small hotel, we function a bit differently than chain hotels. My husband and I personally attend to each of our guests and have had the opportunity to make many new friends even after only our first year of living here. We live where we work, so we are essentially inviting our guests into our home.                   

Advice for First Time Customers: Book early! As soon as the sun comes out, everyone starts thinking about vacation. If you'd like to spend a big holiday or festival weekend in Pacific Beach with us, be sure to call as soon as your dates are solidified in order to have the best selection of rooms. It also doesn't hurt to pop out of the city during the winter and wander the beach to look for storm debris and sea creatures. There really is no bad time to visit the beach, as long as you dress accordingly!

Friday Five: Anatomy of a Sailor

The pirate of yesteryear is quite different from those modern pirates of today.  You may be surprised to find out that some of your co-workers are pirates.  They live a double life, and use the rules of modern piracy to balance and lead their lives.

A quick search for traits of a pirate comes up with many hits, my favorite being PiratesvsZombies.org.   Th' "New" Pirates: Traits and Characteristics post is by far one of the best (in my opinion) maps of this new generation of pirates.

In honor of the Rusty Scupper Pirate Daze this weekend (June 22-24) in Westport, I find it only mo'r th'n fittin to highlight the characteristics of the mo'drn pirate!

Do today's pirates keep a parrot? Have a peg leg? Bad teeth? An eye patch? Beards?  Where did these images come from? 

1. The image of today's pirate hark ens back to the old days.  The beard is a must not only for the rugged appearance but for the sheer reason that when working days on end on the Tall Ships, shaving is just not a priority!

2. Today's pirate is part of a community, much like a family.  The captain is in charge of his crew, much like he/she takes charge of their life.  A ship is a disciplined place and most pirates practice this discipline in their own lives.

3. Those who sail the tall ships do have their own language.  To see a glossary of terms click here.

4. Pirates and sailors be explorers! On the sea or in life, a pirate is adventurous.  They are often the forward thinkers in a company.  Shaking things up and moving a business toward the future.

5.Pirates and sailors of tall ships today are certainly not the scoundrels of the past, more like privateers who are commissioned by the government, pirates today are fun loving lighthearted women and men who have a true calling with the sea. 

Freedom Tails

Saving People...One Dog at a time

Freedom Tails is a non-profit organization that was started to support the local prison dog program at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) in Aberdeen, WA. This is an entirely volunteer organization, with all donations going directly to helping with necessary veterinary care, food/toys/crates/collars & leashes while the dogs are in residence 24/7 for 10-12 weeks.  

Stafford creek was the first male prison in Washington State to implement a shelter/rescue to prison to adopter dog program in the spring of 2009. Since the September 2009 class, this worthwhile program has saved and re-homed 137 dogs by April of 2012 and will have 151 by August of 2012. 

Stafford Creek's dogs have been adopted to families in Washington state, Canada, and Oregon.  This program is a big success due to offender handlers dedicating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 10-12 weeks, making the dogs more viable for adoption through teaching basic obedience skills, house training, and some socialization.  It has turned out to be so successful for the dogs, offenders, and communities that other prisons throughout the State have since begun their own program. 

Stafford Creek's dogs are normally adopted by the 3rd-4th week of class, however they remain in the prison until a very moving graduation ceremony at the end of class, when the dog handlers and their dogs demonstrate all of the dog's abilities for the adopters and the leash is ceremonially passed to the adopter, along with a daily journal kept by the handlers, the dog's vaccination and spay/neuter records.

Many of you might be wondering; how can I help or get involved, or would just like to know more about the program, well we have a website that can help you with most of your questions about the program. The website is Freedomtails.net and we are also on Facebook. 

We have a calendar of events tab on our home page, with one of the upcoming events on July 21st at the Westport Winery. We will be participating in a great HAVA (Harbor Association of Volunteers for Animals) adoption event, with an informational booth there, even if all of the current class dogs are adopted by then. We hope to see you at a future event or hear from you soon. 

Guest post provided by Ashlee Mitchell, board member for Freedom Tails and Deb Thomas-Blake, trainer.

Quinalt Cancer Fund Bike Ride

Cyclists of all ages are invited up to Lake Quinalt this weekend for fund raising bike ride!

 The ride is 30 miles and is non-competitive, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to stop and check out some beautiful scenery.

   

 Cost is only $10 for adults and $5 for children and all profits will go toward the Quinalt Cancer Fund. Email mgstamon(at)comcast.net to register!

Hey There Harborite: Miriam Groesse

Name/Age: Miriam Groesse

Where do you live: Pacific Beach

Profession/Day Job: Owner/Operator Beach Avenue Bed and Breakfast

Loyal to: Hyaks and tourism.

Best Harbor Moment: Chairing the sand castle and sculpture contest at Pacific Beach for the last 10 years.  Making donuts for the Kelper's parade on Labor Day weekend.  It's so great to see the same people year after year, coming to see and enjoy our wonderful beaches.

Favorite coffee stand: My own. I do lattes for guests, but if I go out it's Emily's on Main Street in Pacific Beach.

Favorite local business: Beach Avenue Bed and Breakfast.  The house belonged to Josiah Stearns and he used it as his beach house.  He built it in 1905.  Stearns was a partner in the Simpson Lumber Company and owned the water company in Hoquiam.  We have lived here since 1988 and have done work to keep the house in historical shape and yet livable in these modern times.

Grunge, Metal or Country: Classic rock on KXPB radio 89.1 in Pacific Beach, Moclips, Seabrook, Aloha and points beyond.

Beach, forest or river:  Pacific Beach to Moclips has the best beaches anywhere.  Quiet, peaceful, clean.

Favorite outdoor adventure or day trip: Long walks on the beaches and a trip to the Museum of the North Beach and a hike at Lake Quinault.

Define the Harbor in one word: Unforgettable

If you could change one thing about the area, what would it be: Better shopping in Aberdeen and Hoquiam.  It seems we lose great stores every year, the South Shore Mall is empty.

Grays Harbor's best kept secret: Our Northern Coast; Pacific Beach, Seabrook and Moclips.

Music Monday: Hoquiam - Zombies of the Sea

I think this band isn't playing together anymore, but you can still catch Damien Jurado playing live and releasing all kinds of new music.

Music Monday: Tony Rice and Mountain Heart- Me and My Guitar

Friday Five: Camping!

It's that time again! Yaaaay! Let's look at five different styles of camping. I am not a nature lover, and I can count the times I've camped on one hand, I have absolutely no business writing this. However, I am well trained in the art of gazing out car windows at vehicles in holiday traffic and also junior certified in tv episodes about camping. Let's do this!

1. TENT

Pro: Stealth- You can store a tent in a lot of places like the back of a Mini Cooper or a Motorcycle!
Pro: Convenience- You can tent camp just about anywhere.
Pro: Affordable- A trailer can be thousands of dollars. A tent might set you back $100.
Con: Weather- Tents are the lightweight jacket of camping. They block wind and rain but you might wake up flipped over and in a puddle.
Con: Set up- The set up of a tent can truly test the relationship you have with your fellow camper(s).
 Con: Security- A tent is pretty useless in bear country.
2. TEARDROP TRAILER
Pro: You look Awesome- So classic and stylish
 Pro: Lightweight- Can be towed by anything

Pro: Heat- If one body can fill up most of the cubic space in the trailer that makes it easy to stay warm.

Con: Tiny- You have to go outside to do everything except sleep- Let's face it, if you're camping in the Pacific Northwest, the only guaranteed nice summer days are the 5th of July and the first day of school. Chances are you're going to encounter some rain. Since the teardrop trailer's kitchen is in the back, you're cooking in the rain.
Con: Tiny- Can't store much in a teardrop trailer Con: Tiny- The teardrop trailer is not a family camper.
3. POP-UP TRAILER

Pro: Space saving design- Aerodynamic on the road, roomy in the campsite.
Pro: Easy hauler- (Again, I'm not a camper and I think the last time I was in a pop-up trailer was probably in grade school and the "camping" consisted of spending the night in the pop-up trailer in a buddy's driveway.) I see a lot of pop-up trailers on the road and their tow vehicles are not limited to trucks.

Pro: Keeps cool- The mesh "walls" keep the it cool.
Con: Stability- It is essentially a tent on wheels (see cons of tent above).
Con: Privacy- Don't forget about the mesh "walls." Even curtains can't block all noise and shadows.
If you can see out, we can see in

Con: Keeps cool- Pacific Northwest rain isn't really a warm rain.
 4. Fifth Wheel

Pro: Detachable- Once you're set up and camping you have a vehicle with which to travel about the area.

Pro: Self-contained- At this juncture we reach the point where we are now able to do everything indoors! Cooking, eating, bathing, and all the other things you can't do in a tent or a pop-up you can now do in your 5th wheel camper! Oh the convenience!!
 Pro: Lingo- Now you can get into deep conversations with your camping buddies and use words like "pop-outs," "dualies," and "awnings."
 Con: Towing- Lots of weight, fuel and traffic
Con: Location- Camping is limited to certain campsites that can accommodate such a monstrosity. Con: Is it really camping? Is it?! Is it REALLY camping?!
5. Class A RV

Pro: Convenience- It's a house on wheels and it's a tour bus c'mon! At this point, you're rollin' like a rock star

Pro: Towing- Again, you can tow a vehicle for day trips. Cool!

Pro: Socialization- There is an entire sub-culture of "rv-ers" that you will be surrounded by, meeting, getting to know, and who will happily embrace you into their fold.

 Con: Fuel- You very well may have to take out a loan to afford the fuel to go "camping" in this behemoth.

 

Con: Again, is it really camping or is it "second home-ing"? If I had to choose, this is about as close to camping as I'd get. I like camping with my own bathroom and shower, tv, fridge, stove and recliner.

Con: Socialization- There is an entire sub-culture of "rv-ers" that you will be surrounded by, meeting, getting to know, and who will happily embrace you into their fold.

 I feel we've just scratched the surface! I didn't get to the yurt, Airstream, truck camper or the semi camper...perhaps there will have to be a second installment...