Sent that previous post a wee bit too soon




From: gibsondesign at msn.com
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 12:38:06 -0800
Subject: [Tweeters] Slipping Into The Bannana Belt




I recently have become a de facto citizen of Port Townsend Wa, since my elderly parents need help living at home at the moment, having sorta slipped on the bannana peel of old age.

As a new citizen, I immeadiately aquirred what I consider one of the neccecities of civilization - a library card, so can now post to tweeters again from the public computers, my parents being non-participants of the PC Age.

If the big fat ol' glacier hadn't dumped Whidbey and Marrowstone Islands in the way, I could probabaly see my house (or at least the giant hospital across the street) in the territorial view from my parents house. It's only 28 miles away as the crow flies. Despite the short distance, Port Townsend ain't like Mudville - it's in the Bannana Belt.

Bannana Belt is how local yokels like me often refer to the milder areas in the lee of the Olympic Mnts. and the key word is milder. It's not really warmer, it's just not as cold as locales on the east side of the Sound. So maybe one could grow a hardy bannana, but dont be lookin' for any nanners - dont get warm enough.

Several non-native plants are good indicators of the benign climate of PT. The most spectacular, in my opinion, the charismatic Monterey Cypress made famous by about a million scenic calendar photos. This is a vegetable intolerant of much cold (Everett and Seattle too cold, as far as I know), but its happy in PT - the states largest specimen grows here, and there are a few more massive ones around. While Eucayptus trees can survive in Seattle, the one's here in PT actually thrive.My parents have a Greek Laurel (the one cooks use) in their yard, and it would be about 30 ft tall by now if they had'nt cut it back to deck rail level - another mild climate lover.

Meanwhile, across the Salish Sea to the NE, that great Boreal Horn, the Frasier River canyon blows blasts of cold Canada out across northern Whatcom County, the San Juans and over Pt. Angeles way. It's focused blast pretty much misses Port Townsend, in it's little sweet spot, as evidenced by the above mentioned plants. The Boreal Horn did blow alot of nice paper birch across north Whatcom - a beautiful boreal tree more abundant there than anywhere else in western Washington. That's my story anyway.

Back in Bannanaland, the birds are singing! Unlike the 'Silence of the Finches' at my home in Mudville, the House Finches here are singing loud and long, early and late in the day, along with Robins really belting out that tune. Saw first male Rufous hummer here at the feeder briefly, and the Red-flowering Currant is blooming in my folks yard. The place is also Towhee heaven- another bird lacking in my Mudville yard.

Rather than mud, Port Townsend has very walkable sand and cobble beaches, and clear water. The other day, whilst wearing my new super-dooper eyeglasses, I got great views of rocky beach birds from our table at the Bayview restauarant, just south of the ferry. Seeing a Black Oystercatcher and a male Harlequin Duck perched next to each other on the rocks is something your'e not likely to see in Everett either.

Jefferson County Gibson
posting from
Port Townsend Wa

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