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Sunday, February 14, 2016

POST 1520; BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON; 02/14/16


 Hello all of Bruce's followers!  My name is Niki and I am Bruce's nurse.  Bruce asked me to write a short message to all of you.  Bruce had a stroke about a week ago.  He is at St. Joshephs hospital in Bellingham in the Rehab unit.  Bruce is recovering very well. He is walking independently around the unit and many of us wouldn't guess that he is a patient.  He has aphagia and has diffuculty finding the words to express himself.  This has been very frustrating for him. 
Bruce has been very concerned about all of you not knowing why he hasn't updated his blog.  So I am helping him a bit. 
It has been an extreme pleasure to get to know Bruce and an inspiration!  I'm sure he would love to hear from any of you.







Saturday, February 6, 2016

POST 1519; BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON; 02-06-16

Near BELLINGHAM, Washington are a number of Native American Villages.  Virtually on Bellingham's doorstep are Villages of The LUMMI NATION.

At once, the villages are prosperous energetic ... and sometimes having lost residents and once thriving businesses, where time has shown it's handiwork.

The following images are of the once thriving village of MARIETTA, Washington;  ...today nearly overtaken by dense growth bordering Marine Drive.

The main village of LUMMI is a couple miles distant ... LUMMI Village ... a populated thriving home to a major CASINO, a Car Ferry to nearby LUMMI Island, and many lovely homes; ... a subject for another day.






Hand - Carved TOTEM POLE, an historic feature of the Village Park of MARIETTA.



Only one mile from the City of BELLINGHAM, nearly all the land in the above image belongs to The LUMMI NATION, including the estuary of the NOOKSACK River which flows through MARIETTA which borders the trees visible top right.




MARIETTA has the above view of Bellingham Bay, looking South toward SEATTLE, some 100 miles distant.




 ... and looking South East, MARIETTA residents look on neighboring BELLINGHAM.




Better days visited this, the center of the village of MARIETTA, Washington.  The Post Office once stood here.




Across the street from the Post Office is the current home of Grandma MAGGIE.

Standing in the front yard of Grandma's gaily painted home is a decorated horse drawn Carriage looking very much like a GYPSY Mobile Home right out of Eastern Europe.




Mother Nature has hidden this home from Marine Drive.




ARIES is a yacht on blocks awaiting some TLC ( TLC = Tender Loving Care).




A well kept home next to ARIES, the yacht.

Please note the pile of recently chopped fire wood.

On another distant place and time, once was heard Indigenous Americans (Indians) quip that severity of the coming Winter could be judged by seeing how much fire wood the White Man chopped.




This trail is the MARIETTA Access ROAD to the NOOKSACK River ...




...leading to the "Beach" on the other side of the Berm.

At High Tide, Fishing Boats are launched and beached at this spot.

The waterway is one of two arms of the NOOKSACK River as it flows into Bellingham Bay only a few Meters to the left of this view.




The NOOKSACK River as it flows into Bellingham Bay.

Ed. note: ... in another nearby river I have seen such a river packed so full of Salmon returning to spawn, that NO WATER WAS VISIBLE ... so thick with Salmon as to be able to WALK across them.




The access road (Trail) pictured in above pics, is only ten feet behind this children's playground equipment.

The land, equipment and labor has been gifted by local residents and companies.



... such as this Gentleman, who lives next door to the playground / park.





Village Park TOTEM POLES are accompanied by a number of art pieces carved by MARIETTA Residents.




Recently planted tree Seedlings are located and protected by the blue markers.




Engraved Stone Monument honors MARIETTA Residents.




LUMMI NATION School Bus bringing Children home from School.




Marine Drive (FORT BELLINGHAM) DELI a couple hundred feet from MARIETTA.

This business is VERY old, once including a Gas Station.   Named after the Pre-Civil War "Fort BELLINGHAM"

FORT BELLINGHAM will be the subject of a later Blog Update, giving details of the PIG WAR, an historic WAR between the United States and Great Britain which resulted in the current International Border between the USA and CANADA








* * * * * * * * * *

On Monday, we will recerive a CT (Cat SCAN) to establish injury - if any - from my two recent falls which may have resulted in a CONCUSSION.

While waiting for this bit of medical magic, I have been volunteering my assistance to RICCI, a 62 year old handicapped lady, to move from her 3-story Victorian Home into an Assisted Living Apartment Complex.

We ( SPIA, SAM, and ME ) should be back on the road shortly !

With "Slight of Hand", VERIZON has eliminated my computer access to VERIZON SIGNAL TOWERS.. Must now use WI-FI service from the likes of Libraries, MAC D, etc.. ...not easy to find in the American Out-Back.

NO, I AM NOT PLEASED