Hours through June : Fridays from 4-6pm.

Can you find the wild rose Dipper…?

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Buckwheat Rye – –A levain is made the night before final mixing of the dough using a sourdough starter. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. The final dough is made with the levain, bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – – $5/loaf

Whole Grain Spelt Sweet Levain – – Similar to a bread I sampled in Latvia it is made with a levain, also known as sourdough, freshly milled whole wheat and whole spelt before mixing with bread flour as well as a nice combination of dried apricots, golden raisins, slivered almonds and both sunflower and flax seeds. Chock full of flavor!– $5/loaf.

and pastry this week…

Kouign Aman with Cream Cheese filling – Made with the same traditional laminated french pastry used for croissants. Has both a little levain for the sourdough flavor as well as some pre-fermented dough to help build strength. When rolling out however, instead of using flour to prevent sticking, sugar is used. The dough is cut into squares, placed in cupcake tins then filled with a cream cheese filling…sort of “ a cheese Danish and a Croissant walk into a bar…”– 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: la Roque Pic St. Loup Rouge ’18   France   $19

The “Pic” in the small French wine region of Pic St. Loup is a 640-meter (2000 ft.) “Tooth” of granite that dominates the view for miles in every direction– powerful, beautiful, vaguely remote, and iconic. It looms over a collection of very special, well-drained, limestone-rich vineyards. About an hour north of Montpellier on the Mediterranean coast to the south, it features hot days, but is also far enough north to have Atlantic-influenced cool nights that induce slow, full ripening.

The wines from Pic St. Loup must be predominantly syrah, grenache, and mourvedre (as in nearby Southern Rhone) and fairly consistently have a certain gravitas. The vines must be at least six years old (not the usual three) before considered mature enough for making red wines, but are perfect for making excellent rosé! Vineyards are scattered among rugged terrain that slopes up from the Mediterranean. Atlantic influences make the local climate cooler and wetter than elsewhere in Languedoc.

Wines from this little region typically share an earthy complexity accented by spicy, herbal aromas and flavors of the  wild aromatic herbs that flourish in the area, commonly known as “garrigue.” Pic St. Loup reds typically show bold, spicy, and earthy complexity, deeper color and depth of flavor, and more elegance and refinement than wines from the hotter Languedoc plains to the south.

Economics of the Heart: Showdown at the Ferry Corral

Six months ago our November meeting of the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee (LIFAC) was the annual end of year budget meeting held at the Public Works building in Bellingham. At that time we were presented with a bunch of tables and a graph that purported to show that fare revenue had fallen precipitously during COVID and that fares needed to be raised significantly and Immediately to avoid a fiscal catastrophe. Their actual proposal became available in December, and was being fast-tracked to be voted on, with little discussion, by the County Council at their January meeting, barely a month away.

Over the next several months a group of concerned islanders discovered numerous key errors in the County’s  calculations and interpretations of guiding statutes. One by one the assertions made by PW have been debunked by demonstrating clearly that:

1. A big chunk of the “deficit” was because PW chose not to charge any fares at all during the first several months of Covid;
2. For many years PW failed to  allocate correctly the two annual State subsidies provided by WSDOT to the four County ferry systems (Pierce, Skagit, Whatcom, Wahkiakum), erroneously allocating them to the County Road Fund for other uses, and illegally increasing the annual fare box burden for over a decade.
   
3. PW recently charged the ferry fund $400.000 to replace the many rotten pilings in failing landing dolphins (the piling assemblies at foot of blue structures in photo), violating the requirement in the County statute that only “regular and ordinary repairs” could be charged to fare box proceeds. At present, with these corrections in place, the fare box has a surplus of around $2 million.
   

One result of this public pressure and fact-checking was the withdrawal of the proposed fare increase. For now, anyway.

However, PW has also thrown together a proposal for drastic changes to that carefully written 2011 County ordinance governing ferry operations and accounting. Suffice it to say that in the interests of “clarifying ambiguity,” the proposal seeks to remove all the guardrails that were carefully built into the statute in 2011 specifically to minimize operating cost variation from year to year.

Some have suggested that all of this turmoil about fares can be traced directly to the growing financial burden on the County of keeping our 60 yr-old Whatcom Chief plying the short mile between Lummi Island and Gooseberry Pt. thirty-some round trips a day. On that point the example of the dolphin repairs is instructive. Since the County has obtained funding for a new vessel, the only reason to “repair” it under these circumstances is to extend its life a few more years, and that could get very expensive, as the dolphin case shows.

The whole point of the existing split of ferry costs between fare revenues and general County taxation is that the ferry is an integral part of the County Road system. People travel to Lummi Island just as they travel to and from rural communities all over the State, to work, deliver, tour, and spend and earn money in our overlapping regional economy. Islanders do almost all their shopping on the mainland, and pay all the same taxes as mainland residents in addition to our fares. We pay our fair share for County-wide infrastructure. This entire controversy is about fairness.

You can look over several versions of the ordinance (links below) to get a sense of the differences, especially with regard to setting boundaries and responsibilities. If you can, plan to attend the next LIFAC meeting at the Grange (or on Zoom) at 6pm next Wednesday, and let your voice be heard. At present a LIFAC majority tips strongly in favor of anything PW wants, so your participation matters.

see existing ferry ordinance

see PW proposed ferry ordinance

see LI working group proposed ferry ordinance

This week’s wine tasting

Pascual Toso Chardonnay ’16  Argentina    $14
Aromas of ripe green apple, pineapple and mango; full, fresh palate with bright acidity, finishing with a slight toasty hint on a smooth, lingering finish.

Chateau la Roque Rouge ’18   France   $19
65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. A lithe and expressive red, with fine balance and well-structured flavors of dried cherry, plum, and boysenberry, featuring hints of tarragon and cream on the finish.

Eola Hills ‘Patriot Red’     Oregon     $22
Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Merlot, & Pinot Noir from Oregon, Washington, & California. Intense aromas of fruitiness lead to a soft, smooth palate with flavors of red berry jam. All you need to know is it’s pretty tasty!

Hours this weekend: Friday, May 26, 4-6pm.

Ulee, our accountant, is keeping his eye on you…

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Levain w/ Dried Cherries and Pecans – a levain is made the night before final mixing of the dough using a sourdough starter. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. The final dough is made with the levain, bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – – $5/loaf

Pan de Cioccolate – Also made with a levain, this bread is a delicious chocolate artisan bread not an enriched sweet pastry dough with lots of eggs, butter and sugar. Rather it is a rich chocolate bread made with a levain, bread flour and fresh milled rye flour, honey for sweetness, vanilla and plenty of dark chocolate. Makes fabulous toast, even better french toast – $5/loaf.

and pastry this week…

Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, rolled up and cut into individual rolls that are placed in baking forms for baking and then brushed with sugar syrup after baking. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Daou Pessimist Red blend ’19     California  (Paso Robles)      $25

This is a wine that Judy brought by last year, you all liked it, so we still keep some around. It is from Paso Robles, but in a sense not from Paso. Just got around to doing some exploration of their website, and obviously someone has spent a lot of time and $$ on this place and the PR. It is all very Glossy, from the rugged terrain to the polish of the packaging of both the wine and the story. Rings some kind of alarms for some of us, but hey, the wine is pretty tasty!

The place has a unique story. It is owned by a couple of brothers who grew up in France, came to America as young men, and worked at some unspecified careers (successfully, apparently) until starting this venture over the last decade or two. Or, maybe as the old saying goes, the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business is to start with a Large fortune.

The choice of this 2200 ft. mountain to plant grapes was deliberate because of the setting, the altitude, the steepness, and the geology. In addition, the owners are Bordeaux aficionados who have painstakingly explored and developed a dozen or so unique clones of cabernet sauvignon particularly for specific spots on the mountain, and that suggests some wine knowledge plus some will, plus some $$. 

That is not only a pretty creative approach, but it is also in an established wine region made most famous for Rhone varietals syrah and zinfandel, not Bordeaux varietals. On the other hand, California has made great cab for a long time in a lot of different settings from Santa Barbara to Mendocino. Come by and check it out!

Economics of the Heart: Of Mice and Mankind

courtesy www.victorpest.com

The 50’s TV series Dragnet usually began with a little philosophical narration about LA by the main character (Joe Friday) played by Jack Webb. Every week it was a little different, beginning with video footage of various parts of LA with Webb’s voice saying, “This is the City…Los Angeles, California,” a few narrative musings, and ” I work here. I’m a cop,”  before  fading into the current week’s story, occasionally a  violent crime but everything from petty theft to domestic issues to fraud– all of the stuff an urban police department has to deal with. In a strange way, it painted a picture of American values of the era, when there was (to us kids anyway) general agreement about, well, social values of right and wrong that defined our national identity.

There had been radio for decades, but TV was new and creative, a merging of film and radio. The major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) had generally been involved in both, so TV news sounded like radio news, and shows were westerns, family life, variety shows — the humble and comparatively peaceful beginnings of today’s global media empires.

Back in the late aughts, I spent a couple of years with a small group working toward the creation of an Institute of Sustainability at WWU. We designed and piloted a couple of courses with a format that brought in faculty perspectives from many different disciplines. It went pretty well, and a good friend from those beginnings is now in charge of a real entity, the Sustainability Engagement Institute. At one point we attended a conference at Skagit CC where one of the speakers had everyone send the same text message to their mailing lists. Several hours later, we got to see that the message had gone all over the US, with pockets in Canada, Spain, and elsewhere. The metaphor for communication was no longer one to one, but one to a global network; that’s what “going viral” means.

It was a revelation that even then (2010) mundane information traveled very far very fast, and that many companies like Starbucks had developed networks of millions of followers around the world, all interconnected online. I came away with the uneasy feeling that everyone was talking at once, and millions were connected to it, but no one was listening to any of it. Information was consumed in great gulps with no time to process of make meaning from any of it. Like a great baleen whale constantly straining vast quantities of plankton.

In the decade or more since then, social media has given voice to every insane, idiotic idea imaginable, some of it from real human beings, some from bots, hucksters, con artists, cyber warriors, political sabotage, hackers, and identity thieves. And all of this is going on in a world increasingly controlled by a very few extraordinarily wealthy individuals and organizations. 

What does individuality mean in a world of 8 billion human beings? Where 22 million people have the same birthday as you? Where everyone needs space, food, water, energy, and stuff, lots and lots of stuff, the stuff to make that stuff, and a place to get rid of it and places to get more of it. And every one of them/us needs energy and produces waste, and we are killing the planet. And we talk earnestly about reducing our carbon footprints while having more and more children, and imagining that somehow “we” humans will get it together to all agree to get by with less of everything so we can save the planet and all its living things including us. But at least some have to be thinking it would be easier for us to survive if all of Those people would just, you know, disappear.

The next several decades will reveal whether our species is smart enough to make the changes necessary in our collective behavior to save our world. Or, more to our pattern will, like the rats in Calhoun’s rat utopias, find ourselves unequal to the task and blunder our hubris into destruction of the very ability of our planet to sustain life at all. Or, as my college roommate often observed, “well, there are only so many good deals in the world, so the more people you screw over, the more good deals are left for you…!”

This week’s wine tasting

Maryhill Viognier    Washington      $14
Carefully picked and slowly pressed to extract vibrant aromas of melon, pear, and apricot with traces of pineapple and grapefruit, continuing into a sensational and crisp fruit finish.

Quinta Do Vallado Douro Red ’14          Portugal            $16
Blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional,Tinta Roriz, Sousão; lovely, floral black cherry and black currant fruit;  supple yet structured with notes of pepper, meat, and a lovely herbal twist.

Daou Pessimist Red blend ’20       California  (Paso Robles)      $25
Full-bodied, rich and spicy, with balanced layers of elderberry and truffle with accents of cocoa, cardamom  eucalyptus, leather, tobacco, and grilled meat, alluring texture, and leisurely finish.

Hours this weekend:

robin fledgling’s first landing

We’re back!

The wine shop will be open for sales and tastings: Friday, May 26, from 4-6pm.

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Black Pepper Walnut- Made with a nice mix of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A fair amount of black pepper and toasted walnuts give this bread great flavor with a distinct peppery bite. Excellent paired with all sorts of meats and cheese…and wine, of course! – $5/loaf

Four Seed Buttermilk – This bread includes all the elements of whole wheat, but does so separately by adding cracked wheat and bran in to the bread flour instead of milling whole wheat berries. It also has buttermilk and oil which will make for a tender bread as well as adding a little tang. Finally it is finished with with a bit of honey and sunflower pumpkin and sesame seeds and some toasted millet – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Kyoto Black Sesame & Candied Lemon Brioche — A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with fresh lemon zest and candied lemon and as if that weren’t enough, topped with a black sesame streusel before baking. Ooh la la, what’s not to like?!  –2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

This week’s wine tasting

Maryhill Winemaker’s White ’19     Washington      $14
Sauv blanc, viognier, semillon, albarino, pinot gris; careful early morning harvest, slow press cycle, limited oak, and blended to keep each varietal’s profile in both aromas and flavors– a complex, versatile, and tasty white blend!

La Quercia Montepulciano d’Abruzzo  Riserva  ’17     Italy      $19
From 50-yr-old vines; rich, full-bodied and rustic in expression, with rich notes of cocoa, rhubarb, blackberry, and herbs; long, lingering finish of juicy black cherry, with a silky/velvety mouthfeel.

Eola Hills Barrel Select Reserve Pinot Noir  ’19    Oregon    $27
From best barrels from the 2019 harvest; classic, Burgundian-style pinot, with nose of fresh raspberries, earth, wet autumn leaves, and a silky palate of cherry and strawberry with a lingering cranberry tartness on the finish. 

Economics of the Heart: Rules and Values

courtesy www.npr.org

Civilization is a complex business that depends on some combination of broad consensus about the rules, who makes them, and a will to follow them. All manner of organizational structures have come and gone in human history. Our hunch for a long time has been  that the default form of human economic organization is to revert to some form of feudalism when resources become scarce, or power and wealth get concentrated into too few hands, and the masses are relegated to perpetual serfdom, scratching the earth like chickens for meager nourishment, and even the Overseers are still slaves.

We have long thought of the Reagan 80’s as The Decade of the Bottom Line, when Republicans finally got to declare open war on the New Deal, made lots of people think Government was the real Bad Guy, and preached the mantra that making the rich even richer was the tide that would raise all ships. Under the auspices of unleashing the goodies in the Big Pinata of free market competition to the masses, taxes (you know, how the public sector must pay for everything) were slashed on the wealthy and corporations while spending was cut on the poor, the hungry, the sick, the insane, and the helpless. By the end of the decade the FCC had declared Open Season for “alternative facts” and the airways filled with 24/7 liberal- bashing on radio and TV. 

The 90’s (the Decade of Vapid Pragmatism) opened the floodgates of Rush Limbaugh’s ‘always angry all the time’ talk radio and countless imitators all trying to out-outrage each other. That constant barrage of hyperbolic lies  became Fox News, Newt Gingrich, and 24/7 rural AM radio. The mentality was perfectly illustrated when one local Whatcom County State legislator declared on the State House floor that there should be no Spanish-speaking classes in Washington schools, because (I am not making this up): “if English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me!” 

The 00’s (the aughts…?) ushered in more tax cuts for the wealthy in both 2001 and 2005 (“It’s Our Due,” as VP Darth Cheney put it), concentrating wealth into even fewer hands while invading two countries and starting wars that lasted for the next twenty years and caused the 2008 recession. It is hard to know whether the Ambient Hypocrisy in our society and the News we see, hear, and read are the causes or the symptoms (or both) of the debilitating polarization we see all around us– or whether these are all effects of deliberate information manipulation by unknown players in an escalating global Cyber War.

Either way, somehow we have to find our way back to a set of common values and goals even while deliberate forces do their best to sabotage them for their own reasons. Scary stuff.

PLEASE NOTE: The wine shop will be closed during ferry drydock. We will again be open for wine tasting next Friday, May 26.

However… Friday bread pickup will continue from 4-5:30 pm, and “emergency” wine purchases can be arranged with Janice at those times. We regret any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you after drydock!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Whole Wheat Levain – Made with a sourdough starter that is built up over several days before a levain is made and fermented overnight in the refrigerator. This long slow process allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing; it has a ‘toothy’ crumb, great texture and flavor and a nice crisp crust.  – $5/loaf

Semolina w/ Fennel & Raisins – A levain bread made with bread flour, semolina and some fresh milled whole wheat. A little butter for a tender crumb and fennel seeds and golden raisins round out the flavors that go really well with meats and cheese – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Brioche Suisse- A rich brioche dough made with plenty of butter, eggs and sugar, rolled out and spread with pastry cream before sprinkling with dark chocolate. The dough is folded over all that delicious filling and cut into individual pieces. –2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Bandon House Sparrow

There are a handful of Oregon and Washington State Parks that we particularly enjoy and revisit often. One of them is Bullard’s Beach just north of Bandon, Oregon. It occupies a “sweet spot” on the Oregon Coast where the weather starts feeling a bit more like California– a little warmer, a little softer, a little more sunshine.

Like Sequim on Washington’s Strait of Juan de Fuca, it seems to occupy a pleasant little climate bubble of sunny warmth. It also has some marine fishing, and possibly the best fish tacos on the planet at the Bandon Fish Market right on the waterfront:  no frills, just delicious, fresh, simple fish n chips, fish tacos, and chowdah (as we call it it Maine).

On this visit we sat outside in the sun with a cool breeze, and this little bird flew in and sat next to us for a while. It turns out to be a house sparrow, more common in Europe and Britain than America, but common in populated areas everywhere, though I don’ recall having noticed this color pattern before. This particular bird didn’t seem in a hurry to go anywhere, and seemed to be on its own, good company while we enjoyed these “fish tacos,” more like tortilla-wrapped fish burritos!

Homeward Bound

At the moment we are settled in at Bayview State Park, within sight of Lummi Island. (it’s the little mountain to the left of Ulee’s leash). As usual, this is being written Thursday evening; tomorrow we move to another site about 20′ away for Friday night, and were planning to return to Lummi Island on Saturday when the ferry was expected to return from annual drydock maintenance.

We learned earlier today that that won’t happen until Sunday morning, so we are casting about for Saturday night here or somewhere else nearby. This is a bit of a squeeze, because one of the social psychological outcomes from three years of Covid was a massive increase in the popularity of RV’ing, with the result that between April and October every State, local, and county park that offers camping has been booked solid for months, and there are far more people looking for parking and hookups each night than there are spaces available. And Saturdays are the worst!

So we have our feelers out for a Saturday night spot, and are looking forward to getting home on Sunday!

PLEASE NOTE: The wine shop will be closed during ferry drydock. We will again be open for wine tasting on Friday, May 26.

However… Friday bread pickup will continue from 4-5:30 pm, and “emergency” wine purchases can be arranged with Janice at those times. We regret any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you after drydock!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Poolish Ale – the preferment here is a poolish, made with bread flour, a bit of yeast and a nice ale beer for the liquid and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. This makes a great all around bread with a nice crisp crust – $5/loaf

Sonnenblumenbrot – Aka Sunflower Seed Bread, made with a pre-ferment that takes a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast that ferments overnight before mixing the final dough with bread flour and freshly milled rye, then loaded up with toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for sweetness. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Chocolate Croissants – a\A traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough to create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Champoeg State Park

morning fog out the back window at Champoeg State Park in Oregon wine country

Local Turkey Shows Off at Bullard’s Beach

Just arrived at Bullard’s Beach State Park just north of Bandon. OR, one of our favorite State Parks. As with nearly all WA and OR state parks, it is very well maintained, quiet*, and soothing.

Shortly after arrival, this Turkey started strutting around our site, occasionally gobbling for the nearby female, and at some point moved to dance his Display for his darling. And us.

Gonna have to do some research on how exactly these creatures have managed to survive in the Wild. After all, every day is Thanksgiving for wolves, coyotes, and other turkey fans. Maybe there is a special Turkey martial art…?

Economics of the Heart: Ferry Fare Update

Well…it’s been a very challenging several months. It began back in November by simply asking some ordinary questions about rationales, procedures, objectives, and goals about ferry accounting, and then waking up in a world where nothing I was hearing made any sense. And that, as the lead actress in an old BBC series used to say about nearly everything, “is my one Weakness…!”

First were the contradictions of an incoherent rationale for a substantial and immediate ferry fare increase that was suddenly necessary to avoid imminent fiscal disaster. When fairly mundane inspection revealed that the rationale was faulty, it would be replaced by another, which would also be found to be false, and on and on through several iterations, each with an ever-increasing  sense of Urgency about the Disastrous Financial Crisis that would occur if the fare increase were not passed immediately, and a corresponding incompatibility with known facts.

Public Works was anxious to pass the increase, which made the County Council anxious to pass the increase, which made the County Executive anxious about all the anxiety, which made PW more anxious, etc etc., etc. And None of them was particularly picky about separating actual facts from convenient fiction. It’s been a LONG few months.

A month ago, after getting zero traction through normal channels, we went public with some of these concerns. That seems to have engaged community conversation and inquiry, and that led to the independent formation of an ad hoc group that took up the cause and which has managed to get enough traction to open up a public conversation about these issues. Members of this “working group” will be working with the Ferry Advisory Committee (LIFAC) (of which I am a member non grata) to sort out a proposed piece of County legislation that will lay the ground rules for ferry financing over the next bunch of years, including the anticipated transition to the new Giant Vessel around 2026.

“A Circle is Perfect— but the World is not Round…”

PLEASE NOTE: The wine shop will be closed during ferry drydock. We will again be open for wine tasting on Friday, May 26.

However… Friday bread pickup will continue from 4-5:30 pm, and “emergency” wine purchases can be arranged with Janice at those times. We regret any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you after drydock!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Poolish Ale – the preferment here is a poolish, made with bread flour, a bit of yeast and a nice ale beer for the liquid and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. This makes a great all around bread with a nice crisp crust – $5/loaf

Buckwheat Walnut & Honey – a flavorful artisan bread also made with a poolish, fresh milled buckwheat and bread flour. Buckwheat is not a grain it is actually a seed and closer in the plant family to rhubarb and sorrel than to wheat and contains no gluten. Though this bread is not gluten free as it is also includes bread flour made from wheat. Buckwheat has an earthy flavor that in this bread is balanced with a little honey. Some toasted walnuts add a nice crunch. This bread goes well with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Brioche Almond Buns – Made with a delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Rolled out and spread with an almond cream filling. The almond cream is not made from pre-made almond paste, but rather is a delicious creamy filling made with lots more butter, sugar and eggs as well as almond flour. Yum, yum 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Grayland Beach State Park

It wasn’t as easy as you might think to teach Ulee how to paw his name into the sand. Then again, there is a LOT of sand out here, about a half mile from the edge of the dunes to the water, and he loves to dig in it.

It’s really quiet out here, with the constant and soothing background of the surf in the distance, no traffic…you know, another favorite Washington State Park.

It can get wet and gloomy out here, but this visit has delivered  pretty good weather, more sun than usual and only a few sprinkles. Not to mention the best and freshest fish and chips on the planet a few miles north at Merino’s, right across the street from the pier in Westport.

Tokeland Hotel

Well over 100 years old, this old building in Tokeland, WA drips with charm from a long bygone era, and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

For some years now it has been owned and operated by Heather Earnhardt, well known around Seattle for her tiny, magical café, The Wandering Goose, where her captivating infusion of Southern ingredients into her recipes built a large and loyal clientele. That same style has now resided in the remote reaches of Tokeland for many years, and its remoteness correlates perfectly with its anachronistic flair and remote location.

In short: the food is amazing, the atmosphere chaotically comfortable, the portions (be warned!) are Huge, and even the water is delicious! And yes, it is also a real old-time hotel.

OOPS!

Sorry for the late post! Lost our internet connection for a day or two out here on the NW coast.

PLEASE NOTE: The wine shop will be closed during ferry drydock. We will again be open for wine tasting on Friday, May 26.

However… Friday bread pickup will continue from 4-5:30 pm, and “emergency” wine purchases can be arranged with Janice at those times. We regret any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you after drydock!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Sesame Semolina –Tthis bread uses a sponge as a pre-ferment before mixing the final dough. Made with semolina and bread flour as well as a soaker of cornmeal, millet and sesame seeds, a little olive oil rounds out the flavor and tenderizes the crumb. The finished dough is rolled in more sesame seeds before baking. A bread with a lot of great flavors – $5/loaf

Dried Cherry Walnut – Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled buckwheat and whole wheat flours. Orange juice and olive oil are a unique combination in this bread that add flavor and keep a soft crumb, then loaded up with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. Makes great toast! – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Muffins!  Four muffins: TWO  Chocolate (Great chocolate flavor and an incredibly moist texture) plus two Cinnamon Streusel Muffins, made with a brown sugar, butter, pecan and cinnamon filling that is swirled through the batter and then topped with a streusel and a cream cheese glaze. Yum! Feed your cinnamon roll fix!

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Lummi Island from Bayview State Park

Tonight we are in our trailer at Bayview State Park. That’s our Island  in the middle!

Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday, April 21

PLEASE NOTE: The wine shop will be closed until the end of ferry drydock, and reopening Friday, May 26. Friday bread pickup will continue from 4-5:30 pm, and “emergency” wine purchases can be arranged with Janice at those times.

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Multi Grain Levain – – Made with a sourdough culture and a flavorful mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A nice mixture of flax, sesame sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch. And just a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf

Rosemary Olive Oil – Made with bread flour and freshly milled white whole wheat for additional flavor and texture. Fresh rosemary from the garden and olive oil to make for a nice tender crumb and a nice crisp crust. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Traditional Croissants – Made with both a sourdough levain and a prefermented dough – aka “old dough”– where a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast is fermented overnight. The final dough is then made with more flour, butter, milk and sugar, laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants. –2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Restaurant of the Week: Elizabeth Station

Okay, okay, this is where we usually showcase one of the wines we are pouring this week. But as it turns out we had to go to town yesterday for a bunch of errands (including a beauty shop grooming for Ulee) and had a little time to grab some lunch. Our thoughts turned to Elizabeth Station, next to the old Aftermath Club at the corner of Broadway and Holly in Bellingham.

Though we had not been there for some years, last weekend a wine shop visitor who had been there recently was totally WOW’ed by their pizzas. Since we had to go right by it to get from downtown B’ham back out to the ferry dock, we stopped by to check it out.

They still have a vast selection of 1000 beers from everywhere, with 22 on tap. But the main business is Pizza. And as our wine shop guest had reported, this place takes “pizza” to a whole new level of subtlety, quality, and flavor. Think of it as “the magic of turning ‘pizza’ into ‘Gourmet Dining!’

A brief phone interview with manager/chef Tam Nguyen revealed the simple secret: an ongoing quest to source the best possible ingredients from regional artisan farms, mills, and cheese producers. The quest began when visitors and sales fell rapidly as Covid spread. That led a new vision: to make great pizza that people could order by phone and bring home with a six-pack of one of their wide selection of great beers and minimal contact. The magic was in tying that idea to a growing network of regional sources of the very best ingredients. That commitment makes an impressive difference. So no, all pizza is not created equal. Yum!

 This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Phantom Chardonnay ’20  California  $15
Entices with its rich layers of green apple and pear that lead into spicy flavors of freshly baked apple pie, while barrel fermentation imparts a creamy, luscious mouthfeel finishing with sweet notes of vanilla and melted caramel.

Monte Tondo Veneto Corvina ’20     Italy         $12
Organically farmed; bright nose of fresh cherries and black pepper; fresh and lively palate of cherry, dark chocolate and spice, with supple, well-integrated tannins and a smooth, seductive, slightly spicy finish.

Tre Donne Langhe Nebbiolo  ’18       Italy    
 Dark mauve in color ; nose of red berries, tobacco, and chocolate opens to a balanced palate marked by soft, structured tannins that pair well with well-seasoned dishes, tasty sauces, and roasted or grilled meats.

Economics of the Heart: Price Elasticity of Demand

painting by Nancy Ging

Some bits of Economic Jargon are actually pretty useful concepts. Here in our little island paradise we have been beset for several months with the prospect of a major ferry fare increase. Our community has presented many questions and arguments against many aspects of the proposal, and we have seen some minor adjustments to soften the proposals a bit. Nevertheless, next week the County Council is scheduled to vote on the proposal which, though we have riddled it with holes, and though we have had some teasing indications that our arguments may be getting a little traction, the matter still seems to be on schedule for logic-defying passage in the coming week.

In the midst of all of this, a fairly simple economic concept which is fairly central to the matter continues to be ignored: price elasticity of demand. (read more)

We all operate on some kind of budget, so when the price of something we regularly buy goes up, we try to use less of it or substitute something else for it that will serve the same purpose. If it’s something we must have (gas for the car, say), then in the short run we will pay the higher price while we shop around for a lower one. In the longer term we might carpool, take the bus, or walk to save money. In the case of ferry fares, daily commuters pretty much have to pay the higher fare, at least for a while or until they can move away.

Raising a price brings in more $ per purchase but lowers the quantity purchased. If demand is perfectly elastic, raising your price will reduce your sales to zero. If it is perfectly inelastic, everyone will have to pay the new price until they can find an alternative. In between there will be gains from higher prices and losses from fewer sales. In the case of our ferry, major (300%!) fare increases from 2007-2011 increased revenue for a year or two until many commuters moved away and were replaced by retirees and telecommuters, whose far more elastic demand lets them ride a little less and stay on budget.

In that sense those major fare increases a dozen years ago “poisoned the well” for future fare hikes by pushing away so many commuters. It is anyone’s guess what will happen next week, but we can be pretty confident that demand now is far more elastic than ten years ago and that a major fare increase will bring disappointing revenue changes for the County.

For all these reasons a number of residents are supporting a much smaller fare increase (10% or so), along with a summer surcharge on cash fares, and monitoring of results as a limited experiment on whether it could raise revenue a bit with manageable impact on the community.

Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Pain au Levain – Made with a mix of bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat and rye flours. After building the sourdough and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator. This really allows the flavor to develop. A great all around bread – $5/loaf  $5/loaf

Cinnamon Raisin Rye– Made with a poolish of bread and fresh milled rye flour that is fermented overnight. The final dough is mixed the next day with bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat as well as rolled oats. Some honey for sweetness, a little milk for a tender crumb and loaded with raisins and a healthy dose of cinnamon. This is not a rich sweet bread with a swirl of cinnamon sugar, instead the cinnamon is mixed into the dough to flavor this hearty rustic loaf. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Individual Cinnamon Rolls – These are made with a rich sweet roll dough that is full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking. And boy are they delicious!!  – 2/$5.

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

 Wine of the Week: Shatter Grenache Côtes Catalanes ’19      France       $19

The wine is made from grenache grown in vineyards located near Maury in the Roussillon region of Southwest France by California winemaker Joel Gott.

As it turns out, we were lost for a bit in this very area about ten years ago. We were staying in Lagrasse, at the northern edge of the Corbieres wine region, and drove south through the rugged landscape where centuries ago the heretic Cathars fortified themselves in remote mountain fortresses to practice their particular form of Catholicism. It’s a long, sad, and brutal story.

As we moved into Roussillon, we found ourselves on a narrow dirt road winding through farmland when the road took a sudden dip onto a Very Narrow one-lane “bridge,” close to the water and with no guard rails, and from our vantage point no clear sense of where it went after that.

Eventually we got up the nerve to cross it, and within a half mile came to a major highway along the boundary between Corbieres and Roussillon very close to Maury.

The area is known for its nutrient-poor schist soil which forces vines to grow deep to find nutrients, evoking concentrated flavors. The name Shatter and the bottle photo are an homage to the shattered schist soil. All in all, pretty tasty!

 This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Pascual Toso Chardonnay ’16  Argentina    $14
Aromas of ripe green apple, pineapple and mango; full, fresh palate with bright acidity, finishing with a slight toasty hint on a smooth, lingering finish.

Robert Ramsay Mason’s Red ’16   Washington  $17
Easy-drinking cinsault-dominant Rhone blend; subtle nose of black cherry paste with a hint of cinnamon spice that expands on the palate to a soft anise finish.

Shatter Grenache Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes ’19      France       $19
From Old Vines in Roussillon’s black schist soil; nose of dark fruit with a hint of espresso; velvety texture with black currant, spice and cured meat flavors with a touch of coffee; firm structure, supple tannins, excellent acidity and overall balance.

Economics of the Heart: Economics, Finance, and Usury

There is a lot of public confusion about economics. So let’s clarify a few things. First, economics has nothing to do with either “money” or  “finance.”

Economics is about value, something completely intangible. You can’t hold it in your hand. You can’t see it. You can only feel it, because it’s about you and your values, not about stuff. We are constantly making decisions about what we want to eat or drink, or where to go, or what to do next. Every decision has an economic component– what to do for the next five minutes, what to wear, where to go, what to eat…and the inevitable calculation of how much effort it will take, how likely it will be successful, and whether it will be “worth it.”  So there it is: we are constantly making choices about how to spend our time and energy, and economics is the study of how and why we make the choices we make.

Being human is to have constantly arising physical needs like air, food, water, and shelter, and social needs for safety, affection, attention, and approval. When hungry we need to eat, when tired we need to sleep, when lonely we need companionship. The cycle is continuous. Beginning some 2 million years ago, our hunter-gatherer humanoid ancestors worked hard, often in groups, to survive. Their economics was practical and tribal. They endured both scarcity and plenty, were sometimes happy, sometimes sad. They learned  about sharing and hording, cooperation and competition, belonging and isolation.

Neanderthals appeared about a million years ago, homo sapiens around 300,000 years ago, and “modern humans”  quite recently, about 70,000 years ago, laying out the foundation for both the wonder and the horrors of our relationship with each other and with our planet. Tribes became villages, hunting became farming, and “civilization” has only been around for last ten thousand years or so. By the time the Bible appeared, there was already a word for usury, and charging interest, especially excessive interest, was considered sinful or immoral.

Over the last hundred years the intersecting paths of civilization, trade, banking, and the diabolical “personhood” of corporations have renamed usury as the more palatable and less pejorative “finance.” Nowadays everyone is in debt to faceless institutional lenders for something: mortgages, credit cards, car loans, student loans, insurance. Wealth continues to  concentrate into fewer and fewer hands, and more and more things that were once collectively owned “public goods” have been privatized, made proprietary, and sold back to us at a profit as we wait on the phone for hours in another “Doom Loop” waiting to speak to a real “Customer Service” rep about our phone service, internet service, medical bill, or airline cancellation.

Just think of it as “the Business School gift that just keeps on taking.”

Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

courtesy www.savoringitaly.com

Colomba di Pasqua or “Easter Dove”: A traditional Italian Easter cake made with a slievito madre, a sourdough levain fed every 4 hours at a warm temperature to make it  more sweet than sour. This cake-like bread also contains flour, eggs, sugar and butter, candied orange peel topped with a crunchy almond and hazelnut glaze and pearl sugar before baking. The dough is baked in a dove shaped baking form as a symbol of the Easter dove.  $5/loaf

Italian Breakfast Bread – A delicious lightly sweet bread great any time of day. Made with bread flour eggs, yogurt, a little sugar and vanilla as well as dried cranberries, golden raisins, and fresh and candied lemon peel. Perfect for breakfast toast or maybe for  Easter morning French Toast!  – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Hot Cross Buns –   An enriched dough (butter, sugar, eggs and just a hint of whole wheat). full of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger as well as currants and candied lemon and orange peel. Topped with a flavorful paste and glazed these are a delicious traditional treat to celebrate spring. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

 Wine of the Week: Seghesio Zinfandel ’19    California        $23

The Seghesio family has been growing zinfandel grapes in Sonoma since 1895, some five generations ago, most likely starting with cuttings from closely related primitivo vines brought from southern Italy. Zinfandel from the region has built a reputation for big, fruit-forward red wines that coat the palate and fill the senses with their plush flavors and aromas. Over the decades the winery has developed numerous single-vineyard labels, each with its own special characteristics and sometimes hefty prices.

As is the case for many top wineries, “deselected” portions of the harvest that are not selected for the single-vineyard bottlings are blended to make this annual blend, which is predictably delicious and enticing in its own way. From year to year it reliably delivers a delicious zinfandel at a modest price…and elicits an appreciative “mmmm” after the first sip….!    read more…

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Chapoutier Belleruche Blanc  ’20      France     $14
Delicious blend of grenache blanc and roussanne; fragrant and perfumed with a light, grilled-lemon note over ripe melon,with a lingering palate of rich white peach.

Kiona Lemberger ’20       Washington       $14
Perfumed aromas with traces of orange zest and flower, with notes of blueberry; an agreeable palate that pairs particularly well with spicy foods!

Seghesio Zinfandel ’19    California        $23
Aromas of deep dark fruits lead to a juicy, vibrant palate with notes of black cherry, black raspberry, fig, baking spice and fresh plum, and layered fruit flavors, finishing with supple, textured tannins and a lingering, complex finish.

Economics of the Heart: Comity and Common Purpose

Over the years we have often started this blog with a quote from economist Joan Robinson that so often seems to capture the essence of our world: “Every economic system requires a set of values, a set of rules, and a willingness in the people to carry them out.” And here is today’s lesson on the challenge of comity in the face of diverging values.

Today’s exploration is a bit of a lament on the current strained sense of comity in our little island community. Let’s begin with an old song that most of you under 75 probably never heard of, simply called MTA  (click link for video). It was written in 1949 and made a famous by the Kingston Trio around 1960. As you will hear in the introduction, it is a ballad bemoaning a subway fare increase by Boston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority, bettah known back theaya in Beantown  as simply “the MTA.“ 

Right here, right now on our not-so-idyllic-at-the-moment island, we are dealing with our own County’s controversial ferry fare increase proposal. Those of us who have studied the rationale offered for the increase do not believe the County has made a sufficiently convincing case for any fare increase at all, and a substantial proportion of the island population agrees with that view.

Nevertheless, the issue has been a political challenge right here in our own community, right here on the County Ferry Committee this writer sits on. Let’s just say that about 4.5 of the 7 members of the committee ( 5 from the island, 2 from mainland) believe that their primary responsibility is to serve the interests of the County Ferry Dept (authority figures…?), and we of the other 2.5 read our charge as an advisory committee to represent to the County Council the broad interests of the entire County, including especially our island.

Which brings us to the elusive path to comity. Of course there are times when we have disagreements with our friends. That’s when everyone’s built-up stock of comity should kick in, and kindness and reason prevail. Sadly, the “four and a half” seem to see their primary responsibility as in service to ferry management, not to the broader economic interests of the County as a whole.

At root there is something visceral and deep in our individual DNA and in the unconscious beliefs we all developed about our selves and the world from childhood experiences that makes some of us accede without question to perceived Authority, while others of us will refuse to do so without being convinced that the “authority” knows wtf they are talking about.

In any case, it is deeply troubling to find world views to be so sensitive to unconscious beliefs about autonomy and authority, and to find oneself at odds with the incomprehensible mindsets of people you thought you knew. 

Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday

NO Bread Pickup This Week…it’s Annual Roadside Pickup!

Each year around the first weekend of April is the annual Roadside Cleanup. Volunteers gather at the Grange around 0930 and have a little time to socialize and enjoy one of the pastries Janice makes for the event.

Then crews form, climb into pickups, ride to their assigned stretch of road, and walk both sides to pick up any litter that has accumulated during the year before returning to base to unload, show off most amazing junk found, and enjoy the well-earned hot dogs!

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

 Wine of the Week: Juggernaut Russian River Pinot Noir ’20     Sonoma       $17

Notes: Cool breezes and damp fog build character in this Russian River pinot noir; graceful and vigorous, aromas of white flowers, vanilla bean, and waffle cone open to persistent flavors of dark cherry and red berries with spicy floral notes.

The Bogle winery– group of wineries these days– is a stone’s throw west of the Sacramento River, and about equidistant from Sacramento and Lodi. Bogle is a big outfit, with 2000 acres of vineyards and a family of wine labels, and local roots tracing back to a Civil War vet and his nephew who moved to the area in the 1870’s and planted orchards which they lost during the Depression and became tenant farmers in nearby Clarksville.

After WWII a family member was able to buy a small holding in the same area, and for twenty years did well growing market crops like wheat and corn. The family planted their first vineyards in the late 60’s, and sold the fruit to existing wineries as the vines matured. Their first wine under the family name was released in the late 70’s. 

These days they have a handful of labels: Bogle, Twenty Acres, Phantom, Juggernaut, Tanist, Dark Watchers. The “Juggernaut” series has eye-catching, creative, elaborate, and Scary labels. The cab has a very elaborate and scary lion. (watch it develop..!)

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Juggernaut Chardonnay ’21     Sonoma      $17
Aromas of apple, Asian pear and lemon meringue open to flavors of stone fruit, honeysuckle and yellow plum made rich and lingering using barrel fermentation and sur lie aging; finishes with notes of vanilla bean, and butter cream with hints of baking spices and clove.

Argento Malbec ’20       Argentina       $12
From organically grown grapes; deep purple hue; inviting aromas of red berries and flowers, and flavors of plum and sweet blackberry; finishes with ripe, balanced tannins– way over-delivers for its modest price.

Juggernaut Russian River Pinot Noir ’20      Sonoma
Cool breezes and damp fog build character in this Russian River pinot noir; graceful and vigorous, aromas of white flowers, vanilla bean, and waffle cone open to persistent flavors of dark cherry and red berries with spicy floral notes.

Economics of the Heart: Blood From Stones

courtesy www.silverenchantments.com

There are many well-known and well-used metaphors for it: getting blood out of a stone; robbing Peter to pay Paul; easier said than done; have your cake and eat it— the list goes on and on. All these phrases are acknowledgements of the basic economic reality of living beings: we must continually extract resources from and return waste to the same interdependent– and finite –– environment, and that requires that we all agree to a common set of shared values and a set of rules for resource allocation and behavior.

Some things can be shared, others not so much. Who gets how much of what? How is it decided?  In a world of scarcity everything has elements of mine, yours, ours, and theirs that are the stuff of conflict and compromise, politics and power. This is the actual, physical, moment to moment challenge of our shared economic reality: to come up with a sustainable set of rules that we can all endorse, believe in, and support.

Trust in and commitment to a shared set values and rules is a necessary condition for the ongoing mutual trust and comity that hold an economic system together. We have seen many signs over the past decade that commitments to democracy, freedom, and fairness have been eroding both globally and within our own country. These serious political divisions are creating and maintaining stress and tension we can all feel, regardless of our politics.

Locally, though, we expect things to work differently. We feel a sense of belonging here on our little island, in our nearby mainland communities, and even our State. It’s a very good place to be, and we have grown used to a sense of mutual support and rapport with our local government agents and agencies.

So it has been challenging recently to find ourselves clashing with recent County efforts to redefine its relationship to our community from a sense of partnership to one of scapegoating and punishment. The situation is challenging in that many elements of our 60-yr old ferry and supporting infrastructure are are at the end of their useful lives and require continuing investment to keep them operational for another four or five years until a planned new vessel enters service.

Under current statute, such extraordinary expenses certainly do not qualify as the “regular and routine” maintenance expenses of which 55% must be paid for from ferry fare revenues. The statute is a compact between ferry users and the rest of the County; users pay 55% of the “regular and routine” expenses, and the County pays 45% of ops expenses (of which half are subsidized by the State) and all of capital costs, which get written off as depreciation.

But in recent months all of that has changed. The County now proposes to drop the current statute entirely and redefine operating costs as “any expense that isn’t specifically defined as a “capital expense,” in the same breath as they define “repairs” as anything they say it is. (no, we are not making this up!) It’s a breach of faith and trust and an unacceptable shifting of additional financial burden away from the 240,000 county residents to the 1000 island residents.

Basic fare economics tells us that people respond to large fare increases by making fewer trips, moving away, working more from home, or otherwise economizing on ferry travel, even moving to the mainland. Those demographic changes not only have a negative effect on our community diversity; they also will lower overall fare revenue because the people who make the most trips will leave and be replaced by more retirees and telecommuters who can ride the ferry once a week or less.

This latest proposal qualifies as a great example of an economic “Dumb Cycle:”  

REVENUE DROPS –> RAISE FARES –>

RAISE FARES –> RIDERSHIP FALLS –>

RIDERSHIP FALLS –> REVENUE DROPS –> around and around and around….

Hours this weekend: 4-6 pm Friday only

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Honey, Wheat, Lemon & Poppy seeds – Made with a poolish that ferments some of the flour, yeast and water, but none of the salt, overnight. This results in a very active pre-ferment which is mixed the next day with the final ingredients which includes a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Some honey, poppy seeds and freshly grated lemon peel round out the flavors in this loaf. – $5/loaf.

Flax Seed Currant Ciabatta – Made with a poolish that ferments some of the flour and water overnight before being mixed with the final ingredients which includes a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours. Loaded up with flax seeds and dried currants for a delicious bread. This bread is mixed with a lot of water that makes for a very slack dough so it can’t be weighed out and shaped like other bread, it is just cut into pieces. A really flavorful artisan loaf – $5/piece

and pastry this week…

Rum Raisin Brioche: A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with golden raisins and chunks of almond paste and (wait there’s more!) topped with a chocolate glaze before baking!- 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

 Wine of the Week: Toso Reserve Malbec ’19      Argentina       $21

Notes: Elegant and balanced with good concentration and ripeness;focused, clean notes of blackberry, plum, and ripe, dark cherries; a plush, elegant mouthfeel, easy tannins, and lingering notes of leather and Spring soil..

Pascual Toso winery is named for its original founder, who emigrated from Italy to Argentina in 1880 (OMD, that’s 140 years ago!). Sr. Toso settled in Mendoza, and with a family history in wine making, and intrigued by the exceptional quality of the vineyards in the region, opened his first winery in San Jose in 1890.

In subsequent years he (among others!) was a pioneer in proving the exceptional terroir of the Maipu Valley, where he bought land and developed vineyards.  These days the winery has planted additional Bordeaux varietals cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, which, not surprisingly, also do very well in Mendoza.

All these many decades later, the winery has changed hands over time and is now, like an increasing proportion of wineries globally, owned by a global corporation, which often leads to declining quality. In this particular case, though, the proof is in the tasting– this wine delivers a lot of flavor for its moderate price point!

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Maryhill Winemaker’s White  ’20    Washington     $
 Sauv Blanc, Viognier, Semillon, Albarino and Pinot Gris blend makes for a flavorful Bordeaux-style white blend; a slow, gentle press cycle ensures optimum fruit character, and  each varietal partially fermented separately before blending.

Townshend Cellars T3 Red   Washington    $18
Bordeaux style blend of cab, merlot and cab franc; fruit forward with hints of black currant and vanilla, with layers of complexity and depth through extensive oak aging in French and American barrels.

Toso Reserve Malbec ’19     Argentina       $21
Elegant and balanced with good concentration and ripeness; focused, clean notes of blackberry, plum, and ripe, dark cherries; a plush, elegant mouthfeel, easy tannins, and lingering notes of leather and Spring soil..

Economics of the Heart: The Coming Scarcity of Everything

The recently released UN report on climate change has documented a very long list of ways that we humans could theoretically slow and reverse the catastrophic effects of the climate changes that we have brought forth on our Mother planet. The report analyzes numerous scenarios of atmospheric carbon reduction in detail, and concludes that yes, is still barely possible, if we act immediately, with deep, global, and unified commitment, that we could theoretically keep global average temperature increase under 1.5°C, and, you know, save the Planet. The report then goes into great detail analyzing how we got to this critical point and the possible outcomes of various global response scenarios.

In just the last two decades climate change has already caused substantial damages and irreversible losses to terrestrial, freshwater, cryospheric (permanent ice cover), coastal, and open ocean ecosystems. Hundreds of species have already migrated or perished from heat, drought, flooding, desertification, food scarcity, or increased predation, and human communities across the world are now regularly experiencing the worst storms, flooding, winds, and heat waves on record. And they are getting worse each year. It’s Here, it’s Happening, and it Getting Worse every day.

Even the tiny increase in average sea level rise of several inches in recent years has been enough to show us that coastlines are rapidly becoming economically uninhabitable already; it only takes one super-storm during a king tide to wipe out an entire community; how many times can one afford to rebuild?

Human populations across the world are now all experiencing the destructive manifestations of their own geography. Many places, particularly in lower latititudes, face increasing scarcity of both food and water as conditions grow hotter and drier. The UN report estimates that some 3.5 billion people are trapped in these failing “geomes” (just-coined term for “geographically bounded  habitats”…?) where declining rainfall and falling food production pose grim prospects for the foreseeable future.

Roughly half the world’s population currently experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year due to a combination of climatic and non-climatic drivers. At the same time, ocean warming and acidification are adversely affecting food production from fisheries and shellfish aquaculture in some oceanic regions. The growing geographic– and hence also ethnic, racial, and cultural–redistribution of resource availability is combining with growing scarcities of food and water, failing governance, and increasing mass mortality from thirst and hunger to condemn entire populations to struggle for basic necessities.

It would be both wonderful and very surprising if the world were able to pull together into an “all for one and one for all” commitment. The Good News is that it is our best shot at an appealing global future, and it is “possible.”

Still…given what we know about human nature from history, leading up to and including the deliberate efforts of the energy industry to deny the dangers of climate change though they had sponsored the very studies — one of which I worked on 40 years ago– that predicted it with considerable accuracy. They spent many $millions over these forty years convincing people that global warming was nothing to worry about. All of this suffering, all of this anguish, and this existential threat to all life on our beautiful Planet Earth is because some greedy guys in suits were only concerned about their bottom line.

When you think about it, there seems to be something about our species that just doesn’t get the “system interdependence” thing…not the most promising species survival characteristic.

Winter Hours: 4-6 pm Fridays only

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Pear Buckwheat – Begins with an overnight poolish preferment mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat; the preferment allows the dough to begin to develop before the addition of toasted walnuts and dried pears soaked in white wine. – $5/loaf

French Country Bread  – A a rustic country loaf made with bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat, and and a bit of toasted wheat germ. After building the levain with a sourdough culture and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator. This really allows the flavor to develop in this bread.   – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, rolled up and cut into individual rolls that are placed in baking forms for baking and then brushed with sugar syrup after baking. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Charles Krug Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ’20     Napa      $15
Cold-soaked before pressing and cold-fermented on the skins to develop rich and nuanced aromas and flavors of grassy lime, tropical fruits, and lychee, with a crisp, lingering finish.

Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserve ’18        Uruguay        $15
Opaque deep, dark red; opens with enticing, delicious aromas of very ripe, dark fruit and berries stewed in their own liqueur, with lingering notes of spice, herb, and licorice on the seamless finish.

Pomum Red ’16     Washington    $18
Carefully made Bordeaux blend of cab, cab franc, malbec, petite verdot, and merlot; aromas of red fruit-leather and exotic spices; flavors of black cherry, cranberry, and garrigue.

Economics of the Heart: Lies, Damned lies, and ‘Regular and Routine’

photo courtesy beardoholic.com

The classic phrase was made famous by Mark Twain, though for which he credited Disraeli; but the actual coining of the phrase is lost in the mists and myths of history. Mr. Twain’s version was ‘There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.‘ (link). This story is told at some point in just about every statistics class everywhere for its suggestion that one can “massage” any statistical analysis to make it “prove” anything you want. Nowadays Fox News hosts don’t even bother with analysis, they just make it up as they go along. But politics aside, statistical analysis provides extremely useful information about groups of observations of any sort.

On our island front burner for some weeks now has been the recent ferry fare increase proposal unveiled at the January County Council Meeting by Public Works, and which is being rushed into law as quickly as possible with limited opportunity for input or reflective discussion. A central bone of contention between County officials and Island residents is that a primary reason for the fare increase is that Public Works has charged 55% of the $800,000 cost of a major infrastructure repair to ferry fare receipts as “regular and routine maintenance.” This practice is blatantly contrary to several elements of State and County law.

A few of us have been challenging this illegal assignment of $.8 million to the fare burden on the grounds that said repairs  should properly be considered capital expenses because they add value and years of service  to the structures in question. Indeed, the County has an annual contract with the State Dept of Transportation which specifically excludes such expenses from being classified as “ordinary maintenance.”

Many public and private entities have rules of thumb such as dollar limits to easily decide whether to account for a specific expense as capital improvement (adds value and service life) or as operations/maintenance expenses. The limit may vary depending on the size of the firm or agency, but around $10k is a common boundary.  Under this standard definition, the $400k being charged to the fare box as “ordinary maintenance” is way, way, way out of line with convention.

Whatcom County has specific rules for ferry accounting laid out in County Code Chapter 10.34  In particular, 10.34.005B states:

B. “Operating cost” means all actual daily running expenses and all actual regular and routine maintenance and administrative expenses associated with the use and operation of all physical elements of the ferry system”

Curiously, this definition makes no mention of capital costs. Rather the central focus of the statute is on the intent of the words “regular and routine” to qualify an expense as a valid “operating cost.” So let’s take a look at common synonyms and antonyms of these words to get a bead on the main intention of this carefully chosen wording.

•  synonyms of REGULAR: customary, periodic, recurrent
•  synonyms of ROUTINE: everyday, normal, familiar

The feeling here is of calm waters, constancy, and predictability.

In contrast, here are the common antonyms/opposites of each word:

• antonyms of REGULAR: infrequent, occasional, unexpected
  
• antonyms of ROUTINE: exceptional, extraordinary, uncommon

The feeling here is of choppy waters, tension, and stress.

The takeaway is that great care was taken in the wording of the statute to ensure stability and predictability. Think about it: You want to be able to set fares that will likely stay the same for some years at a time. You want both the expenses and the revenue to be predictable and consistent from year to year. The goal of this wording is to ensure system stability, with fares covering the day to day expenses of the system, and for out of the ordinary expenses to be absorbed the same way as road washouts, bridge failures, and fires: from general taxation.

Let’s be clear: the statute as currently written limits the annual fare burden to paying “regular and routine” administrative and operating costs to maintain the same transportation options here as everywhere else in the County. If the new Public Works Director is successful in changing the rules to allow charging the fare box for major capital upgrades  — a clear violation of both State and County laws– rising fares will continue to push frequent commuters to the mainland to be replaced by retirees and telecommuters. Not a pretty picture, and not a sustainable model because it forces its best customers to move away. So there’s a lot at stake for our community.

Along those lines, for those of you who have not seen Janice’s very thorough posting to the County Council on these challenges, it is highly recommended reading for all Islanders, and you can read it here.

Current Hours: Open 4-6 pm Fridays

OOPS! Recent Billing Snafu…

A couple of weeks ago we noticed our checking account seemed to be standing still. Some inquiries revealed that none of the credit card sales in the shop since mid-October were showing up in our bank account. Inquiry revealed that our credit card machine (the one we have been at war with for about two years) had not been sending the charges to the various stakeholders as it is supposed to do every day. Thus we learned how to make that “batch closing” happen manually, and they now appear in your account.

The good news is that yes, we really did have some sales (see 5 ft printout at left); the bad news is that a bunch of you just got billed for purchases that happened weeks or even months ago, and are justifiably puzzled. Well, that’s the story, and yes, you really did make that purchase!

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Multi Grain Levain – – Made with a sourdough culture and a flavorful mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A nice mixture of flax, sesame sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch. And just a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf

Polenta Levain –– Also made with a levain, aka sourdough, from a starter fed and built up over several days, then mixed with bread flour and polenta in the final dough mix. This bread is a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Pain aux Raisin– Uses the same laminated dough as croissants. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries soaked in sugar syrup. Rolled up and sliced before baking. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting: Small Vineyards Pre-Order Sampler

You wine shop old-timers know that once or twice a year we bring in a shipment of mostly Italian wines from a Seattle importer called Small Vineyards. Our orders usually follow a sit-down tasting at a local restaurant where we hear a story about each of the family wineries, wine makers, and the particular wines as we taste them, munch, chat. Yes, we think to ourselves... this is how wine tasting should be…relaxed, convivial, good wine, good food, good company!

As it turns out, the weather this year did not allow us to attend the Bellingham tasting. However, we hope to snag a bunch of bottles on Friday (if any are left) from earlier tastings in Skagit County. So if all goes well, we will have a selection to share with you  on Friday afternoon!  (see list)

Economics of the Heart: A Place to Call Home

Every living thing needs a home, a place where survival is at least possible. For most living creatures the conditions are quite narrowly defined for a habitat where they/we can at least survive long enough to reproduce, at best to thrive. As we mentioned last week, there have been numerous major extinction events in the fossil record, each one eradicating over 75% of existing species and turning the evolutionary clock back almost to zero numerous times. But life has managed to keep on ticking; pretty magical.

The species that currently exist here on our dear Planet Earth have continually been able to find the sometimes very particular places which met their needs for food, water, air, temperature, light, darkness, and shelter as conditions slowly changed over eons. Obviously, and to our great good fortune, the conditions here on planet Earth have been life-friendly for an unimaginably long time. But as we mentioned last week, many of the mass extinctions on the planet were caused not by cataclysmic events like massive asteroid collisions, but by the slowly changing background conditions on the planet, including atmospheric composition, ocean temperatures and salinity, humidity, rainfall, habitat, climate, food, predation…you know, everything.

The slow and ever-evolving conditions at every point on Earth’s surface  have ever moved niches around, causing some species to perish, others to gradually migrate or adapt. But this world we live in now is in a very different situation than any we have seen in the fossil record. The habitability of this world is changing because of what our own species has done to it in the lifetimes of us current elders. Barely an eye-blink in evolutionary time, it has been long enough for us to multiply from  2 billion to 8 billion and cause catastrophic damage to the balance of Nature that created us.

Every geographic point on the planet has an historical set of naturally changing conditions that determined what kinds of life it was able to support, how well, and for how long. Every place has a story of how it has fared so far in this new world and what it is doing. So our current fantasy is to look at particular places at random and see what we can learn.

to be continued…

Open 4-6 pm Fridays

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting:

Ryan Patrick Rock Island Chardonnay ’20        Washington       $16
Aromas and flavors of wildflowers, crisp apples, honey, and cinnamon roll with a round, crisp,  body and a graceful finish of sumac-spiced croutons.

Rubino Oltreme Susamaniello  ’19     Italy    $15
Fresh, fragrant notes of cherries, pomegranate, raspberries and ripe plum; fruity, round and minerally, with soft tannins and rich flavors; a versatile pairing with richer dishes.

Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet  ’20   WA     $32
Aromas of red cherries, black raspberry, and black tea, with hints of fresh herbs, cedar box, and earth; flavors of cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, baking spice, and vanilla; medium bodied with plush texture, firm tannins, and balanced acidity.

Friday Bread Pickup This Week

Kamut Levain – Kamut, aka khorasan wheat, is an ancient, protein-rich grain discovered in a cave in Iran in the 70’s that many people who can’t tolerate wheat find more digestible. This bread is made with a levain that is fermented overnight before being mixed with with bread flour and fresh milled whole kamut flour. It has a nutty, rich flavor and makes a golden color loaf.  – $5/loaf

Le Pave d’autrefois – which translates roughly as old paving stones. This is a ciabatta like bread with a lot of hydration so is simply divided into approximate squares – hence the paving stones name. Made with a mix of bread flour as well as fresh milled whole wheat, rye and buckwheat flours for a lot of hearty whole grain goodness. A great artisan bread -$5/loaf

…and pastry this week…

Gibassiers – A traditional french pastry from the south of France. Made with a delicious sweet dough full of milk, butter, eggs and olive oil. The addition of orange flower water, candied orange peel and anise seed bring great flavor to these pastries. After baking they are brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with more sugar. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

 Wine of the Week: Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet  ’20   WA     $25

Seven Hills winery founder and 4th generation regional farmer Casey McClellan began planting grape vines in Walla Walla in the early 80’s, making it one of the  the first few wineries in the area, and setting the stage for the rapid development of the Washington State wine industry over the forty years since.

Seven Hills pioneered the planting of primary Bordeaux varietals merlot and cabernet sauvignon in the area, demonstrating that the soil and climate of the area were ideally suited for vineyards in general and these varietals in particular. The winery has forged long-standing relationships with many of the most prestigious vineyards in the region, including Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun at Red Mountain and McClellan and Summit View in Walla Walla. The wines have an established reputation for a quiet, reliable quality. You will like it!

Tasting notes: Aromas of red cherries, black raspberry, and black tea, with hints of fresh herbs, cedar box, and earth; flavors of cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, baking spice, and vanilla; medium bodied with plush texture, firm tannins, and balanced acidity.

Economics of the Heart: Looming Scarcities

In a recent book (2020), David Wallace-Wells (see video ) effectively lays out the stakes in humanity’s coy little dance around the profound existential threat posed by climate change. As we have discussed in this blog many times over the years, the world has clearly seen this coming for nearly fifty years and has done precious little to change its ways.

However, Wallace provides a pretty effective wake-up call that puts the problem into clear perspective with several compelling facts we now know for certain:

1.  There have been at least five mass extinctions on our dear Planet Earth:

• 450 million yrs ago– 86% of species gone
• 380 million yrs ago– 75 % of species gone
• 280 million yrs ago– 96% of species gone!
• 230 million yrs ago– 75% of species gone
•  70 million yrs ago– 75% of species gone (dinosaurs)

These numbers are sobering and scary. What makes them even more scary is that:

2. All but the last extinction were the result of climate change.

The worst one was produced by a two-step greenhouse gas buildup that first raised global temperature by 5 deg C. ( 9 deg. F.) which warming in turn triggered massive releases of methane from the ground which made it even worse, and which very few species survived. A similar scenario could happen again if the icecaps melt completely and the tundra starts off-gassing methane from entombed remains of long-ago frozen animals.

3. More than half the carbon added to our atmosphere since the dawn of civilization has been emitted just since 1990, even though we have known the risks for nearly fifty years. We are speeding blithely along to more than four degrees C. of warming by the end of THIS Century! According to some estimates, that would render vast regions of the  world uninhabitable because of direct heat, desertification, and, paradoxically, catastrophic flooding and landslides.

To this point climate change has already brought enough record-breaking forest fires, hurricanes, floods, landslides, and tornadoes to have left few outright climate change deniers getting much traction with their arguments, and we have seen some signs of progress in the development and deployment of carbon-neutral energy production. But a lot of lives depend on how soon we can start bringing CO2 levels back down. Right this very moment millions of people across the world are already suffering from lack of food, water, shelter, and work.

As resources dwindle and more and more places become economically uninhabitable, competition for basic necessities is intersecting with increased numbers of failed and failing states with collapsing economies and infrastructure, powerless or lawless governments, and runaway inflation. And it only takes one climate disaster in an area to make it economically uninhabitable for more than a handful of people.

Millions of people across the planet will be seeking new locations as the number of habitable areas decreases and the moats protecting the habitable ones get increasingly impossible to cross.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

NOTE: Next week we will go back to our usual Friday hours of 4-6pm!  And since it is still wintry (below freezing this week), and since we have been enjoying having the day off on Saturdays for while, we are not planning to open on Saturday for at least mid-February. 

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) are still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated, masks are welcome but optional. These days we each get to manage the space around us in our own way. Please stay mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Whole Wheat Levain – Made with a sourdough starter built up over several days before a levain is made and fermented overnight to start fermentation and gluten development. The bread is made with levain and bread flour and about 25% fresh milled whole wheat for a ‘toothy’ crumb, great texture and flavor and a nice crisp crust.  – $5/loaf

Semolina w/ Fennel & Raisins – A levain bread made with bread flour, semolina and some fresh milled whole wheat. A little butter for a tender crumb and fennel seeds and golden raisins round out the flavors. These flavors go really well with meats and cheese, but it also makes pretty darn good toast – $5/loaf

…and pastry this week…

Brioche Suisse- A rich brioche dough made with plenty of butter, eggs and sugar, rolled out and spread with pastry cream before sprinkling with dark chocolate. The dough is folded over all that delicious filling and cut into individual pieces. 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Eola Hills Barrel Select Reserve Pinot Noir ’19    Oregon    $27

Eola Hills winery was something of a pioneer in the Oregon pinot noir explosion. Founded in the mid-80’s, the new owners did much of the grunt work themselves, becoming both grape farmers and winemakers. Now, forty years later the company farms over 300 acres and makes 80,000 cases of wine a year…you know, another American “success” story: what begins as a creative dream rooted in land, family, nature, nurture, art and culture can go in all kinds of directions.

It’s hard to say if or when a growing wine operation transitions from being an artisan, hands-on winery that fulfills someone’s artistic dream into a major commercial player, or what, if anything, is lost or gained in the process. But that kind of success does suggest they have been doing something right…right?!

This “barrel select” reserve pinot is a blend of the best barrels (yes, there is barrel variation in each vintage) from several different vineyards, taking a shot at “the best of the best.”

Last week we tasted pinot gris from Ponzi, another Oregon pioneer winery that has done very well over the years. So both have played significant roles in the evolution of Oregon viniculture that put Oregon pinot noir on the global map.

See notes below

Economics of the Heart: When The Lines Stop Crossing

Economists are fond of graphs. Everyone has encountered the standard blackboard sketch of a “Demand Curve.” It has price on the vertical axis, and quantity sold at each price on the horizontal axis. With a little manipulation, it is a versatile tool to describe a lot of human behavior. The primary takeaway, of course, is that when the price of something rises,  less of it will be bought/sold, and that will have cascading effects throughout an economy.

On the supply side, it is broadly true that in the short term, producers have a very limited ability to increase production when demand increases. This was clearly seen as global demand for all kinds of stuff started climbing as Covid vaccines became available and commerce began ratcheting up after a long quarantine. Our little demand and supply curves were quite handy at explaining how that led to worldwide inflation as suppliers of key resources in short supply (like international shipping) made astronomical profits, not because their costs went up, but because the sudden increase in demand for shipping far exceeded short-term supply– the classic path to coveted “windfall” profits. 

Covid was just one warning signal about how the interdependence of the global economy makes everyone vulnerable to social, environmental, geologic, and political instability. All of these things are getting worse at an increasing rate, driven by two powerful forces that we humans have caused and continue to make worse: global warming and overpopulation.

Over forty years ago I worked on a research project exploring the economic impacts of global warming on world fisheries. My main takeaway from that project was that all living systems are deeply interconnected to each other through the global environment: sun, wind, rain, plants, animals, seasons. It is deeply sobering that we ‘Boomers’ were born into a world of some 2 billion people. In just our own short lifetimes we have now seen the  recent birth of the eight billionth living human being on our planet. Our population has increased four-fold; we are everywhere, and we have not been kind to our planet.

Broadly speaking, there are two pathways to saving our planet and its life-giving web of interdependence over the long term: massive cooperation or massive conflict. Democracies lean toward the first, through cooperation and shared values. Autocracies lean toward the second, through exclusion and hierarchy. That really means that democracies have a cooperative chance for survival. But it’s hard to see how autocracy is compatible with an effective sense of interdependence…

to be continued…

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’21         Spain       $18
75% Tempranillo, 25% Graciano; we all loved this wine when Judy poured samples of it three weeks ago, and found it a bit disappointing when we poured it at our tasting. So third time is the charm, right? How do we really feel about it?!

Eola Hills ‘Patriot Red’     Oregon     $22
Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Merlot, & Pinot Noir from Oregon, Washington, & California. Intense aromas of fruitiness lead to a soft, smooth palate with flavors of red berry jam. All you need to know is it’s pretty tasty!

Eola Hills Barrel Select Reserve Pinot Noir  ’19    Oregon    $27
From best barrels from the 2019 harvest; classic, Burgundian-style pinot, with nose of fresh raspberries, earth, wet autumn leaves, and a silky palate of cherry and strawberry with a lingering cranberry tartness on the finish. 

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February. We have been enjoying the familiar company of friends and neighbors at recent tastings, and have to admit we have also been enjoying having the day off on Saturdays for awhile..!

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Dried Cherry and Pecan – A levain is made the night before final mixing of the dough using a sourdough starter. This allows the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. The final dough is made with the levain, bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and then loaded up with dried cherries and toasted pecans. A nice rustic loaf that goes well with meats and cheese – $5/loaf

Pan de Cioccolate – Also made with a levain, this bread is a delicious chocolate artisan bread not an enriched sweet pastry dough with lots of eggs, butter and sugar. Rather it is a rich chocolate bread made with a levain, bread flour and fresh milled rye flour, honey for sweetness, vanilla and plenty of dark chocolate. Makes fabulous toast, even better french toast – $5/loaf.

…and pastry this week…

Black Sesame & Candied Lemon Brioche – A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with fresh lemon zest and candied lemon and as if that wasn’t enough, topped with a black sesame streusel before baking. Ooh la la, what’s not to like? – 2/$5.

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Vall Llach Embruix Priorat ’17       Spain      $26

click image to watch video

Just about ten years ago we spent a week at the annual Priorat Wine Festival in Falset, Spain, which lies at the southern end of the steep and austere landscape that defines the soil, the people, the vineyards, and the wines from this amazing wine region. It is rugged and dry, with rocky limestone soil called licorella between the vines and the water they need to grow. It may take years for vines to develop any fruit. This struggle for water gives Priorat wines a unique and nuanced intensity as you can see by watching the video or checking out their website. The extreme aridity and unique soil of the region produce wines of great depth, structure, and nuance.

This particular wine is made using grapes from young vines that are 30 years old or less. The grape varieties used are: Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. The vineyards are located over broad geographical settings with varying altitudes and terrains where exposure to sunlight comes from every point of the compass. Some original carignan and grenache vines used for the best wines are over 100 years old. All of these varying factors combine to make Embruix well-structured, complex, intense, and age-worthy, and a great example of what this magical region can deliver.

As you will see in the video, the terrain is challenging, the vines are stunted, and every grape requires a lot of hand labor and physical effort. 

Notes: A blend of grenache, merlot, syrah, carignan, and cab sauv from 7 to 30-yr-old vines on steep slopes, Embruix (pronounced Embroosh– “bewitching” in Catalan) is made and bottled using biodynamic methods. It is cherry red in color with soft aromas of black plums, cherry liqueur, freshly milled spices and earthy mineral note. It is intense and concentrated, with well-integrated acidity, round tannins, great age-worthy structure, and alluring aromas of ripe plums, fresh black pepper and clove.

Economics of the Heart: Every Game Needs a Referee

Nearly sixty years ago, when I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy, one winter sports season I was a referee in a strange game called fieldball. The myth of the game’s origin is that it was once played by prisoners at Alcatraz, and somehow long ago wound up as an intramural sport at the Academy. It is played on a lacrosse field with a soccer ball held with both hands. The opposing goals are lacrosse creases and there is a midfield line that separates each team’s 4-man offense and defense. The object of the game is to get the ball into the opponent’s goal. A winter sport, it typically draws lots of football (fall sport) and lacrosse (spring sport) players.

We referees went through some training and were then assigned randomly to games that didn’t involve our familiars. So there I was, definitely not a jock, refereeing a game with a lot of action. So I had lots of misgivings going in.

Like any game it has a unique set of rules, like keeping two hands on the ball and not raising it above your shoulders except when shooting or passing. The interesting thing and the point of this story is that fairly soon I often found myself blowing the whistle before I could consciously name the infraction, which would come split seconds later. There was no need for thinking, almost as if the whistle blew by itself. And you learn to trust– and enjoy–your instincts; all in all a very valuable experience.

In all the years since then I have had great respect for referees and umpires, and generally believe that the practice of doing their work is so immediate and in the moment that there is no time to make bogus calls. So while it is always possible that someone might see a play differently from another angle and get a call wrong, the spontaneity of the calls guarantees a strong element of guileless truth.

Metaphorically, it occurs to me lately that whistle-blowing of all kinds has many of these same elements. People disagree about all kinds of things, but since the beginning of language and civilization people have generally signed on to some broadly accepted set of rules to sort out differences of opinion. That’s why we have rules, regulations, laws, codes, contracts, and courts: to create and maintain order from the chaos of human needs, desires, emotions, experiences, and values… not to mention deception, lying, ignorance, or convenience.

Off the field of play, in real life, the rules are more ambiguous, and “whistle-blowers” can take life-destroying heat for raising “inconvenient truths” to the powerful when they see that important rules are not being followed. Well, we all have whistles around our necks, some amount of desire to play by the rules, and opposing instincts to blow them for the sake of justice, and to refrain from blowing them to avoid attention and push-back. But deep down we all know where our greater duty lies.

https://youtu.be/8PnEzMacrC8?t=495

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Ponzi Pinot Gris ’21    Oregon     $16

MAN Vintners Pinotage ’20   South Africa    $12
Aromas of dark coffee beans, red berries, nutmeg, and vanilla spice turning to dark berries and smoky plum; rustic yet silky and juicy, with smooth tannins, balanced acidity, and comforting intensity.

Vall Llach Embruix Priorat ’17       Spain      $26
Blend of grenache, merlot, syrah, carignan, and cab from 7 to 30-yr-old vines vines on medium and steep slopes; alluring aromas of ripe plums, fresh black pepper and clove. Intense and naturally concentrated, lush, and round on the mid-palate with notes of chocolate-covered cherries and soft black licorice on the finish.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February.

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Breton Bread– Made with pre-fermented dough in which a portion of the flour, water, salt & yeast are mixed and fermented overnight before preparing the final dough, which incorporates the flavors of the French Breton region by using  buckwheat and rye flour and sel gris -the grey sea salt from the region that brings more mineral flavors to this bread. Goes great with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf

Spelt Levain — Chocolate Croissants – a traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough to create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. Quantities are limited so get your order in early so you don’t miss out – 2/$5 – $5/loaf

…and pastry this week…

Chocolate Croissants – a traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough and create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. – 2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’20         Spain       $18

Marques de Caceres is a long-established winery in Rioja, and their wines have been marketed all over the US for a long time. Their basic reds are decent and inexpensive, and it is likely you have tasted them many times over the years.

This one is a little different, farmed and produced organically. Many of us got to taste it two weeks ago when Judy was here with her sample bag. We all found it delicious, intriguing, and affordable, with a array of subtle aromas and flavors (and everyone wanted some! The good news is it’s here; the bad news is we only got six bottles (which many producers consider a “case.” Oops!

 So come by and try it again (or for the first time) this weekend. Sorry, limit one per household while they last, but definitely taking orders for more that should be here next weekend!

Economics of the Heart: The County Strikes Back

courtesy cnbc

Well, our little moment of ferry fare euphoria two weeks ago got a couple of rude slaps in the face at this week’s LIFAC meeting. At the moment there is a mixed bag of goings-on that is something of a challenge to sort out.

The contract between the County and we the people who depend on the ferry to cross that short mile between the Island and the mainland is succinctly laid out in Whatcom County Code 10.34.005. Public Works accounting staff are now doubling down on their unique blurring of any distinctions between operating costs and capital costs to the extent they propose to amend the statute to make it clear that, hey, really, when you think about it there’s no real distinction between them, right? 

Well, sorry, but we have different rules on our planet. The broadly accepted legal argument is that “regular and routine” maintenance is repetitive, cyclical, predictable, and planned, and specifically excludes repairs of such magnitude as to improve or lengthen the service life or functional performance of a capital asset (like, you know a worn-out dolphin). Those “repairs” must be accounted for as capital assets.

A second item of note regards a brief statement near the bottom of the statute:  If in any given year the actual fare box recovery rate exceeds 55 percent, the excess revenue shall be retained in the ferry system fund and applied to future operating costs.

This “ferry fund” is a sort of informal account that keeps track of the relationship between calculated operating costs in a given year and the revenue provided from the “fare box,” which is 55% of the amount paid in fares. In any year that fare revenue exceeds 55% of operating costs, a surplus is recorded and carried over to the next year. For several years until 2020, there was a surplus, and in the last two years there has been a deficit. At present the balance of this “ferry fund” is around $2.5 million.

As the statute is written, in any year that ends with a deficit, any carried-over surplus in the fund is transferred to cover or reduce the deficit. All you need to know is that the current fare increase mandate appears to make no use of this very large surplus in the ferry fund to address the current shortage as required in the statute. Why in the world do we need to increase fares when there is such a substantial reserve balance in the ferry fund and which statute requires be tapped first? No explanation has been provided.

Finally, it is true that fare revenue has fallen during Covid, and some of the revenue anxiety at the Ferry Dept. stems from the assumption that ridership will not increase as the economy opens up. One has to step back for a moment, take a deep breath, and think about that. People have been cooped up at home for three years. Our Canadian residents have only recently been able to cross the border and come “home” to Lummi very recently after a very long border closing. People are ready to pop out of their long winter cocoons.

As winter moves into spring, and as long as Covid remains as controllable as at present, then life, travel, and vacations will resume, and our traffic will build back up. This is not pie in the sky; it is a far more realistic expectation than to suppose that ridership will not bounce back. LIFAC is recommending a summer fare surcharge be instituted between Memorial Day and Labor Day (more or less) for cash travelers ( it would not apply to punch card holders!) This is a good idea that would add a new revenue source to ease the burden on our commuting neighbors.

The takeaway to think about here is this: If we have a) a big chunk of change in our ferry fund to pay our expenses, (b) make sure those expenses do not add massive and illegal capital improvement expenses to the fare box, and (c) add a new revenue stream with a summer surcharge...why in the world would we need to raise fares at all right now? 

If you are concerned about these issues, you best bet is to tell the County Council via email and post your thoughts on Nextdoor. LIFAC has little political will or traction, and Public Works seems to be marooned in some alternate reality. 

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

MAN  Chenin Blanc ’21   South Africa    $11
Using only free-run juice preservea a clean and natural character, refreshing acidity, and delicious ripe fruit flavors and aromas of quince, pear and pineapple. On the palate, fresh stonefruit and apple flavors are backed by refreshing acidity, minerality and a pleasing, rounded mouthfeel.

Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’21         Spain       $18
75% Tempranillo, 25% Graciano; many of you got to taste a sample two weeks ago and we all found it delicious, intriguing, and affordable and wanted some. The good news is it’s here; the bad news is we only have six bottles (more on order), so one per household this weekend while they last, more next week!

Sineann Merlot ’19     Washington    $28
Deep and dark, with nose of red berries, a siren song of tobacco and chocolate, typical tannic structure, and  elegant balsamic notes; well-balanced and soft, pairing well with well-seasoned meats, sauces, and companions.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February.

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Black Pepper Walnut- Made with a nice mix of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A fair amount of black pepper and toasted walnuts give this bread great flavor with a distinct peppery bite. Excellent paired with all sorts of meats and cheese…and wine, of course! – $5/loaf

Sesame Semolina –Begins with a sponge that pre-ferments some of the flour, water & yeast before mixing the final dough. Made with semolina and bread flour and a soaker of cornmeal, millet, sesame seeds, a little olive oil to round out the flavor and tenderize the crumb then rolled in more sesame seeds before baking. Lots of great flavors! – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Individual Cinnamon Rolls! –Made with a rich sweet roll dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking. And boy are they delicious! – 2/$5.

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week: Tre Donne Roero Arneis ’20    Italy        $27

The revered Italian wine region of Piedmont (i.e., ‘foot of the mountain’) lies in the NW corner of Italy, in the foothills of the French and Swiss Alps to the west and north. The geography makes for the serendipitous combination of warm days and cool nights that make perfect conditions for wine grapes. The Roero region is just north of the iconic Barolo and Barbaresco regions, which produce some of Italy’s most prestigious wines.

White wines from Roero must contain at least 95% Arneis, and reds must contain at least 95% Nebbiolo. With roots diving deep into layers of tufo clay, the 35-year-old vines at Tre Donne yield a wide array of complex aromas and flavors for a nuanced, medium-bodied Arneis with lovely notes of pear, apricot, and white blossoms.

Economics of the Heart: Groundhogs and Cross-Quarter Days

We take a time-out from serious stuff this week to pay homage to what our culture calls Groundhog Day, what some cultures call the First Day of Spring, and what calendar geeks call “cross-quarter” days. We are all familiar with the  the two equinoxes and the two solstices that mark the official transitions from one season to another as the Earth’s annual orbit and tilted axis continually move the noonday sun from being overhead at the Tropic of Cancer to being overhead at the Equator to being overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn, on and on, the richness of changing seasons.

There is also an ancient tradition of celebrating the “cross-quarter days” that fall halfway between these major events. February 2, falling midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, has historically been called Candlemas, Imbolc, Oimelc, Brigit, Brigid’s Day, Bride’s Day, Brigantia, or Gŵyl y Canhwyllau. In the picture at left it is labeled “1st” in small red letters.

Every society across the planet depended on the growing season to prepare for the winter to follow. There were deities to be invoked for good fortune, and continual preparation for planting, tending, harvesting, and storing enough for winter– lots of toiling tortoises, fewer hapless hares. Our culture usually refers to this one as “Groundhog Day,” but cross-quarter days have had both cosmic and cultural significance from prehistoric times, across continents and across cultures. In many ancient cultures the cross-quarter days marked the actual transitions between seasons (e.g., making Groundhog Day the official “First Day of Spring,” six weeks before the vernal Equinox.

Seasonal changes were key economic factors in agrarian and gathering societies, and many had “celebrations of light” on Candlemas to mark the lengthening of days and the coming of Spring. In Gaelic tradition, the goddess Cailleach teased the mortals with a sunny day when her intention was to make the next six weeks colder and wetter, and a dreary day if Spring was to come early. (Like, what is the story with these mean-spirited deities…?) Another tradition suggests that in Biblical times since mothers were not allowed in public until six weeks after delivery, Candlemas would have been Mary’s first public outing and temple visit with her baby boy.

And then there is an old song sung on Candlemas that lays out the Groundhog’s mission:

“If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.”

Of course, as we all know, whether the Groundhog sees its shadow or not, there are STILL six weeks until Spring Equinox. Until the last couple of years, here in the PNW Groundhog Day has indeed marked the appearance of buds and flowers, longer days, and milder temperatures, sudden hailstorms followed by warming sunlight and gusty winds. We already see some buds on the Indian plum, pussy willows, and other shrubs. But like all the seasons now, underlying conditions have changed, and we have seen more frequent mid-February snowstorms, unheard of until recently.

And either way, officially there are six more weeks of “Winter” regardless of Groundhog shadows!

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Tre Donne Roero Arneis ’20    Italy        $20
Pale golden yellow; soft aromas of orange blossom, honeysuckle, nectarine, and lemon verbena; flavors of pear, peach, quince, and green apple; enduring minerality and balanced acidity.

Bieler Cote du Rhone ‘la Jassine’   ’20      $15
Brooding aromas of raspberry, black cherry, garrigue, chocolate and tobacco which build and concentrate on the palate; hilltop fruit delivers a rich mouthfeel with soft, round tannins on the finish.

Marchetti Villa Bonomi Conero Riserva    ’19      Italy       $27
100% Sangiovese from Montepulciano, aged 16 mos. in barriques and 12 mos. in bottle; shows intense floral bouquet, intense, nuanced flavors; ripe, pleasing tannins, and satisfying finish.

Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only

Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February.

Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.

We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.

Friday Bread This Week

Pain Meunier -Aka Miller’s Bread to honor the miller who mills the wheat. Made with pre-fermented dough it contains all portions of the wheat berry: flour, fresh milled whole wheat, cracked wheat and wheat germ. Always a favorite and a great all around bread. It makes the best toast! – $5/loaf

Sonnenblumenbrot – Aka Sunflower Seed Bread, made with a pre-ferment that takes a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast that ferments overnight before mixing the final dough with bread flour and freshly milled rye, then loaded up with toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for sweetness. – $5/loaf

and pastry this week…

Traditional Croissants – Made with both a sourdough levain and a prefermented dough – aka “old dough” where a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast is fermented overnight. The final dough is then made with more flour, butter, milk and sugar, laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants.  –2/$5

To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.

Wine of the Week:  Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18     South Africa     $12

Boekenhoutskloof farm was established in 1776 in the furthest corner of the beautiful Franschhoek Wine Valley of South Africa, about 50 km east of the Cape of Good Hope.

The farm’s name means “ravine of the Boekenhout” (pronounced Book-n-Howed), which is an indigenous Cape Beech tree greatly prized for furniture making. In 1993 the farm and homestead were bought and restored and new vineyards planted for Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Semillon and Viognier.

When the farm was founded, the Franschhoek valley was far wilder than it is today. Though the mountains are still alive with indigenous animals, including the majestic leopard, the only evidence that wolves once roamed here is an ancient wolf trap found long ago. This wine was named in homage to the mysteries and legends of days long gone by.

Most of the Syrah in The Wolftrap comes from the Swartland region (photo, left), where it develops its robust character and elegant aromas of violets, ripe plums, and spicy, peppery profile and juicy, fruity character. The Mourvèdre, also from the Swartland, lends a red fruit character and smoky body while a dash of Viognier adds perfume and verve for a rustic Rhône-style blend that seriously over-delivers for its $11 price point.

Economics of the Heart: Capital Repairs vs. Routine Maintenance

Ferry accounting practices again took a front row seat in Island consciousness this week.

A County Council vote to approve a very recently (just a month ago) proposed and very expensive ferry fare increase was scheduled for this past Tuesday night. Around noon there was a Council subcommittee meeting that briefly heard suggestions from LIFAC (Ferry Advisory Committee) before scheduling the Council vote.

The upshot of the LIFAC presentation was that many Islanders were very upset about both the magnitude and financial impact of the fare increase and the methodology which was used to generate its size and need. And at the end of the day, to our surprise and relief, the committee decided to postpone action until their March meeting. That gives us two months to organize a community response. This delay is a big and surprising victory, since until then the fare increase juggernaut was steamrolling all questions and objections into a long line of Chicken Little pancakes.

Even more surprising, our own challenges to the capital accounting calculations of the portion of annual operating expenses that must be paid from fare receipts seemed to gain a bit of traction. We maintain that many very large expenses that the County has classified as “regular maintenance” are actually capital improvements, not routine maintenance . A perfect example is the series of “repairs” to the landing dolphins (see photo above) which cushion and absorb the ferry’s momentum when docking. The current “repair” is expected to cost $400,000, and that’s in addition to  similar recent rebuilds of several others. Let’s face it, folks, there is nothing “regular and ordinary” about major infrastructure improvements.

A search online comparing accounting practices for ordinary repairs vs. capital repairs yields consistent results across the board. A repair must be considered a capital improvement if it meets any one of these criteria:

• Extends the asset’s useful life beyond that originally estimated, OR
  
• Enhances its overall value, OR
• Makes it better, more efficient, or more productive.

Still, these are questions best answered by accounting experts. Fortunately, all local and state agencies are subject to oversight by the Washington State Auditor’s Office, and we happen to have a branch office in Bellingham. We have asked that office to take a closer look at these County accounting practices to determine if they conform to State standards, and are hopeful that can happen soon.

In the meantime, there is a lot of interest and traffic on our local Nextdoor website about the economic and social impacts of the proposed fare increases. According to 2020 Census data, around 350 Island residents consider themselves regular commuters who ride the ferry to the mainland to work most days, about 250 round trips per year. That adds up to about $1000/yr for every $4 in fares. Current punch card fares are currently around $10 for car/driver, or $2500/yr for a commuter. Under the proposed fare increase that will go up to around $3500/yr for a car/driver and — we are not making this up– still $2500/yr just to walk on. No other ferry system on the planet has such a disproportionate charge for walkons.

So there are a bunch of ethical issues here as well as financial ones. It is reasonable for someone who lives on the Island to have to pay that kind of money just to drive to work every day? Everyone else gets to use all the other County and State roads at no charge. Not that many years ago our ferry route was actually classified as a state highway. Why did that change?

to be continued

This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting

Bodega Garzon Albarino ’21        Uruguay        $15
Pale yellow with greenish reflections, this Albariño is intense in the nose, with peach and citrus notes. The freshness and minerality mid-palate is superb, with remarkable acidity and a round, crisp finish. A lovely wine at a bargain price!

The Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18      South Africa    $12
Aromas of ripe plums, red currants, violets, Italian herbs and exotic spices lead to vibrant flavors of darker berries and spicy plum with hints of orange peel that linger on a juicy finish. Also way over-delivers for its modest price!

Daou Pessimist Red blend ’20       California  (Paso Robles)      $25
Full-bodied, rich and spicy, with balanced layers of elderberry and truffle with accents of cocoa, cardamom  eucalyptus, leather, tobacco, and grilled meat, alluring texture, and leisurely finish.