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...