Miriam Villiard's blog

One of the reasons I love living and working on the Olympic Peninsula is the bounty of things to do. Any given day, during the week or weekend, you will find something for young or old alike. Even small communities have what seems to be an endless supply of things to do.

What to do on the weekend of the 4th? Living in Port Ludlow gives you a ton of choices for the 3rd & 4th of July activities. If you like live music in the day and fireworks at night you can always check out Tacoma’s Freedom Fair, which is in its 31st year this year. It is located on Commencement Bay next to the Ruston Way waterfront.  http://www.freedomfair.com

We are excited to announce our Westharbor Homes Facebook page! You might be wondering why a custom home builder would have a Facebook page. We think this is a perfect way to visit with our community and share our projects. No advertising or requests, just us having fun. Along with our business news we’ll share industry insights, project photos and tips. Perhaps even some “How to” scenarios, stories and local news.

So is it, or is it not? The early season apple trees are blooming. My crocuses, have come and gone. The daffodils and hyacinths are waving their leaves in the breeze. The weeds are coming in droves. The birds are ravenously pecking at the bird suet we just made. Our dog has an extra bounce in his step. And I have the inexplicable urge to dig out every cottin-pickin’ weed in my garden.

How many of you can say that you live 25 miles from work, and can get to work in 30 minutes? Well one of the beauties of living on the Kitsap Peninsula, and “commuting” to the Olympic Peninsula, is that when you get in your car, truck, bike, motorcycle, to drive somewhere, the majority of the time, you can get there without encountering congestion, accidents, and delays. My drive to work consists of 2 stoplights, and 2 stop signs, and 30 minutes of roads lined with trees, panoramic views of the Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains, and best of all traffic that moves!

Tell me where else you can catch a salmon, shrimp, crab, halibut, lingcod, an assortment of rock fish, comb for shellfish, meanwhile, watch an eagle swoop down into the water and catch its next meal…all this within only a short drive of pretty much anywhere on the Olympic or Kitsap Peninsula.

I’m counting down the days to Saturday, February 13, when my husband, two children and I will be celebrating retiring from the Navy after 20 years of service to our country. Did I mention that I signed up to cook for the party? In fact, I’ll be cooking for 110+ people and counting! Though I’ve been married to the Navy for almost 14 years (you truly are married to the Navy, not your spouse), I didn’t truly realize the camaraderie and how tight the bonds are that are formed when you serve 20 years as a submarine sailor (it is a really small world in the submarine world).

I’ve got to say that living in Washington truly is the best of all worlds. This dawned on me as I was driving to work this morning, crossing the Hood Canal Bridge, and getting a sneak peak at the snow capped tips of the Olympic Mountains. Where else can you live where every day you see green trees, water, and mountains? And though this area is known for rain and gloom, it’s nothing in comparison to say Minnesota where I spent 15 years of my life, or Washington DC where they’ve got 55” of snow! I’ll take the rainy days, which surrounds us with greenery and wonderful flowers, any day.