Port Townsend steam-punks and zombies

Steam-punks were told to leave their guns
behind during the first round.

PORT TOWNSEND -- On June 10, the last day of the steam-punk festival in Port Townsend, young "steam-punks" had the quest of getting zombie brains.
According to event organizers, steam-punks needed to politely ask for zombie brains - in the first round. 
In the second round, steam-punks were allowed to shoot the zombies.
Event organizers said that zombies didn't their brains they were undead.
It was in fact the steam-punks that needed the brains. 
The steam-punk that had the best story on how they got zombie brains was the winner.

A steam-punk inquires about Nerf guns that were being lent out  for the Zombie Hunt.

Zombies being released. Steam-punks had to ask zombies for their brains in first round. In the second round they were allowed to shoot them with Nef guns

Peninsula College students profit off mini-home-work

Peninsula College student carpenters work on the exterior of the mini-home they are building at the Lincoln Center in Port Angeles.

PORT ANGELES — Student carpenters in the green building program at Peninsula College are working on their first mini-home.

The students, who began work in February on the structure at the Lincoln Center in Port Angeles, are finishing its exterior this month and expect to complete the interior in the fall.

They hope to sell the mini-home when it is completed and use the profits to fund similar projects next year — and already have about eight people who are interested in purchasing it, they said.

The mini-home is 256 square feet and has a 48-square-foot deck.

“It's big for a mini-home,” said student Erik Fullingim.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. sells plans for mini-homes as small as 65 square feet.
Kitchen, bathroom, two lofts

The Peninsula College version features a kitchen, bathroom, living area and two sleeping lofts. To keep costs low, students installed a used toilet.

The green building program teaches both green construction and basic carpentry, encouraging energy-conscious construction.

This means they are caulking all the seams, which is something most contractors wouldn't do, Fullingim said.

This allows the building to be airtight and prevents energy waste.

The carpenters are using green materials where possible, Fullingim said. For example, they use Earth-friendly stains, finishes and caulk.

They also are using advanced framing techniques that, they say, use less lumber but provide the same strength as other methods.

They also avoided using chemicals that can be harmful to people who are sensitive to chemicals, making the mini-home hypo-allergenic, said Mitch Breece, who helps instructor Patrick Nickerson.

This is a realistic housing option for those who are sensitive to chemicals, Breece said.

Some $5,500 has been invested into the mini-home so far, Nickerson said. 

A mini-home typically costs between $30,000 and $50,000.

The costs were kept low by the free labor of the students and the donations they received, said Nickerson.

He described mini-homes as an affordable-housing option, saying they are a great alternative to housing projects.

The concept of the mini-home may seem radical or unusual, but it is one of the hottest new trends in housing, Breece said.

Nickerson said there recently has been a mini-home movement in the United States and Canada.


One promoter and builder of mini-homes is in Port Townsend.

GreenPod Development, owned by Ann Raab, had a home featured at the Seattle Green Home Tour on Earth Day weekend, April 21-22.


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Published in Peninsula Daily News - www.peninsuladailynews.com

Wild carrot prompts concern from Sequim farmer

A flowering plant known as Queen Anne’s lace that can cross-pollinate with carrots has had an increasing presence in the Dungeness Valley.

Nash Huber, owner of Nash’s Organic Produce, approached the Noxious Weed Control Board of Clalallam County with concerns about the weed, Cathy Lucero of the control board said.

If the weed known as wild carrot cross-pollinates with Huber’s carrot, which is Nash’s trademark crop, it can make it tasteless, Lucero said.

The cross-pollination renders the seeds unusable as well, according to Bruce Pape of the Washington State University Clallam County Master Gardeners.

Huber has worked for years to develop his seeds, so hybridization is a concern, Lucero said.

The wild carrot has been spreading across an increasingly wide area in the Sequim area over the past half-dozen years, Huber said.

It is seen primarily on country roadsides and land that is marginally managed, he said.

Nash’s Organic Produce maintains isolation of its seed crops from the wild relative, Huber said.

The produce company has managed to control the problem so far, but it could become unmanageable, Huber fears.

He has attributed the presence of the wild carrot to a decrease in county roadside maintenance and also mentioned private owners who are not maintaining their properties. 

Growing organic carrot seeds is “becoming more of an important business because of the growth of organic produce,” Huber said.

“We also grow carrot seeds commercially as an income crop,” he said. 

“We sell it to other growers in the United States and internationally.

“It is important to maintain genetic purity,” he said.

Wild carrot isn’t cause for as much concern in Jefferson County, said the Noxious Weed Control coordinator there, Eve Dixon.

“Infestations here are believed to be at the level they were in Clallam County five years ago,” she said.

“They could increase, but because we do not have a large volume of carrot seed production, they are not viewed as a serious threat,” Dixon said.

The wild carrot is originally from Europe but is now found almost everywhere in the United States, said Pape of the WSU Master Gardeners.

The weed is considered noxious in Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Washington state, he said.

Wild carrot is a Class B noxious weed in Washington.

In regions where a Class B species is abundant, control is decided at the local level, according to the Washington state Noxious Weed Control Board’s websitewww.nwcb.wa.gov/. 

Clallam County Master Gardeners are working with the Clallam County Road Department and the Noxious Weed Control Board to find out where the weeds grow.

Master Gardeners began seeking the weed while walking along public roadsides in the area east of Kitchen-Dick Road and north of Hendrickson Road this month and will continue through early July.

The Master Gardeners proposed to walk the roadsides because the carrot is hard to see since it wasn’t flowering at the beginning of the month, Lucero said.

But according to Pape, they are becoming more visible this week.

The field data collected will be entered into a geographic information system to provide information on the seriousness of the infestation.

The GIS allows spacial information to be entered and viewed on a map, Lucero said.

The Master Gardeners have not determined how to reduce the infestation.

They are looking for methods used by other organizations that were successful in reducing the infestation.

“We are not going to reinvent the wheel,” Pape said. 

“We are trying to be proactive and head that off so it doesn’t keep us from having a viable carrot seed business,” Huber said.

Those who see the weed can contact Muriel Nesbitt, Master Gardener coordinator, at 360-417-2679 or MNesbit@co.clallam.wa.us.


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Published in Peninsula Daily News - www.peninsuladailynews.com

Port Angeles coffee/clothing shop holds farewell concert

Trinity Avenue performs Friday at the last show to
be held at the Caffeinated Clothier in Port Angeles. 

PORT ANGELES — The downtown coffee shop and clothing store Caffeinated Clothier is on the verge of closing after a little more than one year in business.

While saying they didn't know when the shop would close, owners Ayita and Anami Cloud hosted a farewell concert Friday that drew about 40 people to the resale clothing store and coffee shop at 133 E. First St. that opened June 1, 2011.

Both the Estafets and Trinity Avenue performed at the free show at the store — which not only sells coffee, but also locally designed fashions, jewelry, unique gifts and recycled attire.

The Caffeinated Clothier posted a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference on Facebook: “So long and thanks for all the fish!” 

Ayita Cloud reminisced on the late-night open-mic nights they used to have as well as the people they have met and the relationships that have blossomed.

Open-mic nights 

At the open-mic nights, teens would perform comedy, music and various other acts to entertain each other.

“You almost feel like a failure when you put all your time and energy in a project and it just flops,” she said.

“We tried to offer something for the younger community, but we don't feel supported by the Port Angeles community,” she added.

“We have the added factor of kinda freaky, and people judge us, but our coffee is way better,” Ayita Cloud said.

Jeremy Blanchard, 18, said the Caffeinated Clothier is a place for people to come hang out.

“There's not a lot of places for punks to hang out around town,” he said.

Anami Cloud said it is really neat to have seen friendships begin at the Caffeinated Clothier.

It's like an urban family, she said, describing the relationship between customers and employees.

Ayita Cloud said it is so comfortable there that sometimes, she forgets she is working.

Hired teens 

Not only does the Caffeinated Clothier allow teens to hang out, but it also hired teens.

“The teenagers I've had working for me are some of the best employees I've had,” Ayita Cloud said.

The Caffeinated Clothier also participated in a volunteer program with Work Source to give teens work training.

“I have a lot of memories from here,” said employee Annie La Fritz, 16.

“There have been so many times that people have came up and said the CC was great for the community.

“It felt good to know it was making a difference.”

But business has been slow, owners said.

Sometimes Ayita Cloud can sit in the Caffeinated Clothier and not get a customer until 2 p.m., she said.

“The economy is so bad, and nobody is downtown shopping,” she said.

“We generally need $170 a day, and it's not happening.”

The shop is making about a sixth of what is needed to keep it going, Anami Cloud said.

“We spent a small fortune on advertising and don't know what else to do,” she said.

“We can't pour money into it if we're not getting it back.”

With the Caffeinated Clothier closing, Ayita Cloud is going to work on her circus group, Cirque de Boheme.

“Hopefully, we'll make enough money to pay bills,” Ayita Cloud said.

People need to “support local businesses, or they go away,” Anami Cloud said.

There is no definite end date for the Caffeinated Clothier.

We're going to hold on as long as we can,” Ayita Cloud said. 


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Published in Peninsula Daily News - www.peninsuladailynews.com

Never Met A Dead Man to play at Mayhem Fest - Peninsula Daily News

Never Met a Dead Man practices on June 12

in preparation for Mayhem Fest in July. 

SEQUIM — Metal band Never Met a Dead Man has been selected to play at this year's Rockstar Mayhem Festival in July after winning a battle of the bands at Studio 7 in Seattle earlier this month.

All of the band's members live in Sequim and write their own music. 

They describe their genre as death metal, hard-core and metal-core. 

They also said they try to blend a lot of genres into one.

The high-energy Sequim band defeated 11 other bands June 10 and earned its right to play on the Sumerian Records stage at Mayhem.

The Rockstar Mayhem Festival is July 3 at Auburn's White River Amphitheater, which seats 20,000.

There, Never Met a Dead Man will open for Slayer, Slipknot, Motorhead, As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Alexandria and other popular heavy metal bands.

“Awesome,” was the only word vocalist James Finnon, 21, used to describe the opportunity to play at Mayhem.

“I can't believe we get to play with The Devil Wears Prada,” said Finnon, who is joined in the band by guitarists Kevin Weaver, 21, and Evan Watkins, 18; bassist Colin Kahler, 21; keyboardist Kody Leonard, 21; and Jared Forshaw, 18, on drums.

The members of Never Met a Dead Man had taken a yearlong break from performing.

The hiatus was due to the fact that their vocalist left and also because of financial issues, Leonard said.

Everyone still played music, though, Finnon said.

But now, Never Met a Dead Man is solid and back into it, he added.

The band acquired two new members — Watkins and Forshaw — and decided to keep the same name.

In the previous lineup, Finnon played drums.

Finnon said he went to vocals because the band had gone through four vocalists until he took over.

Finnon said everything the band members had going for them before was unfinished, and Never Met a Dead Man is ready to finish what it started.

The band members noticed that most of their fans actually weren't in Washington state.

When they checked the demographics of their “likes” on their Facebook page, they noticed a large number of their fans were from South America and Quebec.

The band wants to “close the gaps and move forward,” Finnon said.

On Friday, the band is scheduled to play at the North West Knock Out Festival, which will continue through Sunday at Hell's Kitchen, 928 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma, with 24 other bands.

The band also is planning a West Coast tour this fall. 

Since getting the band together, Finnon said the musicians have progressed into more diverse music and clean vocals, meaning they aren't only screaming but are singing as well.

The band plans to record a new EP album this fall, and members hope to release it late this year.

Once their Facebook page gets up to 2,000 likes, band members plan to release their new song “Retribution.”

They have a little more than 300 likes to go to reach 2,000.

This summer, Never Met a Dead Man plans to book at least two shows in the Port Angeles and Sequim areas, and said one of them will be only for those 21 or older.



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Published in Peninsula Daily News - www.peninsuladailynews.com

My Previous Photography

Here's a little bit of the photography I've done over the last couple years. 

Panorama of PC campus from Maier Hall before it was finished

Dump truck dropped its load in front of PAHS

Miguel Gonzolaz of Peninsula College scores with a bicycle kick.

Pike Place market worker takes a break

Times Square

Musicians play on nearly every corner at the Pike Place Market

It's a bench covered with snow.

PC soccer field just days after being laid down.

I-5 from Madison Street overpass in Seattle

Plant with water on it.

Students had to walk a few blocks to campus after renovations to the parking lot.

Droplet of water.

PC Ambassador Program to merge with ASC

PORT ANGELES -- Peninsula College is looking into merging the Ambassador Program with the Associated Student Council.

The ASC discussed the merging of the two programs next year at their meeting on May 8. After much discussion, the ASC decided there was not enough information to go through with the merge.

According to Director of Athletics and Student Programs Rick Ross, with the elections and budget, it was too late to merge the programs this year.

With a merger, the ambassadors would become members of the ASC, instead of being a separate program.

Vice President of Student Services Jack Huls, previous director of international services at Highline Community College, said Highline has a successful program similar to what to PCs’ merged program would look like.

Huls said the role of the ambassadors is to engage prospective students, host visitors to the campus and to do other public relations activities.

The ASC also represents the college, he said.

Since the two programs are so closely related, this is where collaboration can happen, Huls said.

With the programs merged, “Ambassadors would get leadership training and exposed to student government,” Ross said.

Ross said that right now, with the two programs separate, students might not see the ambassadors, but if they join the ASC, students are likely to see them more often.

According to Huls, they are not merging the programs in an effort to save money, but to make the two programs better.

Huls said this would be a “win-win.”

Merging the programs does allow student services to leverage resources.

Huls described this as students doing more campus tours, following up with prospective students and “supporting other general outreach events that bring the public to campus for various interests and activities.”

For two years, Ross said, there has been a discussion about merging the two programs.

The process of merging will begin by adding an Outreach position on the ASC which is meant to bridge the gap between the two programs.

Ross said the Outreach position will be a test and they will come to a decision this fall or winter as to whether or not to merge.

Once a decision is made, a plan will be developed in the winter.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to raise the awareness of PC to both the internal and external community to what we do,” Huls said.

Director of International Student and Faculty Services Sophia Iliakis Doherty said, “There has been no official meeting regarding merging,” and declined to comment.

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Published in The Buccaneer - Peninsulabuccaneer.com

Elwha Restoration seeks volunteers

The U.S. National Park Service is looking for volunteers to help with the Elwha Restoration Project.

Volunteers would be helping with plant propagation and revegetation monitoring in the de-watered reservoirs of Lake Aldwell and Lake Mills.

Students who volunteer will monitor 50 percent of the seed plots and the primary investigator will be monitoring the rest of the 50 percent.

Joshua Chenowetch of the National Park Service said they don’t have the manpower to do it themselves.

The volunteers can expect to work for a week in June, July and August.

Chenowetch said the volunteers need to be able to work all three months, they want the same set of eyes on every plot throughout the summer.

Chenowetch is currently working to get internships and credit for students through Peninsula College.

“The details have not yet been worked out,” said PC instructor Barbara Blackie.

“Credits and such will depend on the nature of the work, student’s interest, and departmental and administrative approval.”

Chenowetch also said that students could negotiate other internships.

Individuals interested in volunteering or applying for an internship should contact Joshua Chenowetch at (360) 565-3079.

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Published in The Buccaneer - Peninsulabuccaneer.com

Spider caused accident at PC

The driver of the car on the right attempted to swat a spider and hit three parked cars in the process. 

PORT ANGELES -- A spider was the primary contributor to a four car accident at the corner of Liberty and Lauridsen on Feb. 2. According to Marty Martinez, Peninsula College campus safety manager, the driver of a Pontiac tried to swat a spider from her dashboard – and hit three parked vehicles in the process.

As the driver swatted the spider from her dash, she sideswiped a parked Mazda 5 and rear-ended a Toyota 4Runner. The 4Runner was then forced into the back of a Chevrolet Cobalt.

There were no injuries in the accident – the other owners of the vehicles were all in class when their cars were hit.

Martinez said that he had to track down the owners of the parked cars on campus. One student was taking a test while the spider took a toll on her car.

Police closed Lauridsen to eastbound traffic in front of PC for nearly an hour while they cleaned the scene of debris.

The Cobalt had minor damages. The fender of the 4Runner had to be pried off of a tire with a crow bar before it was able to crawl away. The Mazda and the Pontiac were both towed away from the scene at approximately noon.

The spider was unable to be reached for questioning.