Bellingham Real Estate Blog

The Whatcom Museumin assosiation with Island Mariner Cruises have set up their summer schedule for the  Bellingham Bay History Cruises.

Every summer Thursday -- June 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26, August 9, and 16 -- ayou can board the boat and listen to Museum Curator of Education Richard Vanderway provide commentary about local tradition, lore and scenic views of Bellingham and it's history.

The  sunset cruise allows those on board to learn more about the fascinating history of Bellingham Bay. The cruise travels past waterways,shipyards, historic points of interest, fishing activities,the working waterfront of the harbor, past Fairhaven and down the Chuckanut shore a way. It is a great evening!  I have been on the tour and was amazed at Richards knowledge of the history of the area. Bring a hat and sunglass and a jacket, it can get cold out there.

I will surely be on one of the cruises this summer, maybe see you there.

The city's Small and Simple Grants program has recently awarded a total of 23 projects awards totaling $44,000 for projects  that provide city-wide benefits. Each project will recieve up to $2500.

"Small and Simple projects provide a unique and important opportunity for neighborhoods to match their volunteer efforts with cash to finance wonderful projects and community events in Bellingham," said Mayor Tim Douglas.  Neighborhood associations, community organizations, schools, and other similar groups and agencies are eligible for these funds. 

Projects for 2007 include elementary school and park improvements, tree plantings, neighborhood signs, community events, music performances, neighborhood newsletters, and community support programs. 

For more information contact Travis Cary, City of Bellingham Planning & Community Development Department,

Don't miss this weekend's Lummi Nation's 61st annual Stommish Water Festival.

"For thousands of years, the first inhabitants of this area celebrated with song and dance as tribes and local villages gathered in the Spirit of the Potlatch. These are our Ancestral Highways -- these waters of the Puget Sound. Since the late 1800's the governments of Canada and United States outlawed these gatherings in the hope of destroying the love and spirit of the Potlatch. After WWII, the Lummis began celebrating the return of our service men and women, "our Warriors." Stommish has since become the annual gathering of canoe tribes establishing that link amongst our First Nation People of the Pacific Northwest. This is a very historic summer for the Lummi will host the final canoe journey meeting for the 2007 Paddle to Lummi potlatch later in the year. We welcome you and your families to celebrate and honor our Warriors at the 61st Annual Lummi Stommish Water Festival. Honoring all Warriors."

Yes it is true, Bellingham actually has an interational airport(BLI). The airport is growing and has 200,000 travellers a year passing through it's gates according to the Port of Bellingham. They call it a full service airport serveing the commercial, general aviation, and corporate air transportation needs of the region. It is about a 40 minute trip to  SeaTac airport.

It is a small airport so it has it' lots easier to navigate and deal with than the larger airports of the world.

The Bellingham airport presently houses an aviation museum. The Heritage Flight Museum is a private, non-profit aircraft museum. check for operating hours. The Heritage Flight Museum was founded by the Anders family. They wanted the public to understand and appreciate how military aircraft contributed to the history of aviation. The airport's museum displays US Army Air Corps and US Air Force vintage airplanes. 

The following Airlines are available at BLI

The Birchwood neighborhood is well known for it's older, well-kept homes built on large lots. Many of the deep lots in the neighborhood are 1/3 acre or moe. These large lots, & mature landscaping, give a rural feel to the neighborhood. Apartment complexes have been constructed in the multifamily zoned areas primarily along Northwest Avenue and W. Maplewood in recent years . There is also a commercial area located near the intersection of Northwest, W. Maplewood and Birchwood Avenue providing services to the Birchwood, Cornwall Park and Columbia neighborhoods.

The Bellingham Golf and Country Club, the Squalicum Creek greenbelt, Bellingham Technical College, and Shuksan Middle School are all in this neighborhood

Birchwood Park amenities including a playground, basketball court, picnic shelter and open play field. Shuksan Meadows adjacent to Shuksan Middle School provides a playground and half-court basketball, Lots of soccer games are played here . Squalicum Creek Park is a new community park acquired with Beyond Greenway Levy funds, this 42 acre park will includes lighted ballfields, multi-use fields, playgrounds, picnic shelters, enclosed pavilion building, and off-leash dog park.

Have you heard of Jajah.com it is a great site for internet phone service. It is free between Jajah members and pretty cheap otherwise. My wife is in Thailand and the charge there is 4 cents a minute, as compared to a phone card I had been using at 10 cents/minute. And you are actually talking over telephones not speakers on the computer or some special phone you need to buy. Once you join, you input a nimber on their webpage and your phone rings and you get a message that Jajah is connecting you, then your friends phone rins.

Easy and Cheap

Just off of Marine Drive in the north of Bellingham is Marine Drive Trail. There is a small park above the trail with outstanding island views, a small parking lot where I often see people sitting and relaxing or reading a book.  The trail is right below the park, I'm disabled so I can't exactly tell you where the trail goes, I just enjoy the park.

Welcome to Bellingham's Waterfront!

We here in Bellingham are blessed with a beautiful waterfront indeed. Not only do we have several waterfront parks but a working harbor and marina.

Squalicum Harbor is home to as many as 1800 boats, many pleasure boats of all kinds and sizes as well as a working fishing fleet and charter fleets. With the San Juan & Gulf Islands in our backyard it is no wonder there are so many boaters anxious to take the short trip to the islands. If you don't have your own boat, lots of charters available as well as whale watching trips in the Sound.

The Port of Bellingham and the City have partnered up to redevelop 137 waterfront acres that the port acquired from Georgia-Pacific West Inc. This has the potential to change not just the waterfront but really all of Bellingham.

This is a whole other issue as it is a long process and the outcome is still being decided, Another post will explaion that in the future.

Bellingham's Community Food Co-op, natural food at it's finest. 

The Co-op was fonded in 1970 in Fairhaven as a 900-square-foot store with fewer than 10 items has grown to an 11,000-member-strong natural grocery store and soon expanding again to a second store in the Cordata Neighborhood. I remember that old store and the early days as I worked in the co-op wrapping cheese and sorting things in exchange for my membership. 

Membership is encouraged but everyone is welcome to shop there. 

If you are looking for organic produce, meat and seafood, wine, an exciting deli, a juice & espresso bar,  bulk items, natural and organic grocery items, baked goods, dairy, and supplements and wellness products, the co-op is where to find them.

The Swan Cafe & Deli is one of my favorite lunch spots in town. Good healthy soups and salads are always available here.

The co-op also encourages community by offering a variety of classes on cooking, health and well being. They sponsor community events and throw a few good party's every year. They also supports locally grown food and local farmers. 

Stop by the deli for lunch if your in town or to fo your shopping.

Here is an interesting site I ran across for Do-it-youselfers out there. It is called Referbur. It is a social network or community of handymen & women and Do-ti-yourselfers, sharing ideas & advise. There is a group for everything these days isn't there.  This should  be useful if you need help with any home improvement projects.

While we are  on the subject there is also a great resource for home projects at America's Master Handymansite as well - that would be Glenn Haege. He has a huge collection of articles on anything you want to know about home repairs and resources for where to find things as well.