Send a postcard from Sequim

A brief trip to California this week brought me through SEATAC airport.
This Pacific Northwest major airline gateway to the world is undergoing another expansion, with the addition of an extra runway which should help with the air traffic flow.

This old control tower had to have major repairs just to get operational again ..after the earthquake of February 2001, while they built a new one. What all this construction has meant to the traveller is more delays and clutter- plus a sensation of total congestion in the airport itself. Seattle has achieved the dubious distinction of being the second worst highway mess in the nation after Los Angeles; SeaTac is following hard the those highway heels becoming a most congested air terminal. Crowds seem to have become the norm these last few years as the D Concourse was renovated, and the parking garage expanded. Now the A concourse is closed, and passengers who fly with TWA, USAir, Frontier, and Sun Country will join the NorthWest passengers in the South terminal via the little subway. So it is time to plan ahead- allow enough time for surprises. Roll with the punches. Allow for flight cancellations and adjustments.

Horizon Airlines moved my return to Port Angeles plane to the B concourse- necessitating leaving the Alaska Airlines secure area and passing through the screening again. They have run out of room in the C concours, with some flights even leaving from the North concourse. Check the monitors. Fortunately I had enough time to view the splendid blown-glass creations of Seattle artist Dale Chihuly in the main terminal.

Get used to confusion- Major changes lie ahead - this is a ten year construction program... oy!

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An eerie silence settled over the SEA-TAC airport yesterday as the FAA grounded the nation's airplanes in the wake of New York and Washington's terrorist attacks, for the first time. Our hearts go out to those who died in the hijacked airplanes, as well as all the victims on the ground. 'This is the end of life as we knew it' and the beginning of a new era here in the United States. Not to mention a complete change in security at SEA-TAC. Allow plenty of time for access to your flight.

My garden calendar for this summer season so far:
April: Garden fever gets really going.	earliest Rhododendrums and azaleas. daffodils, tulips- if they were planted in the fall
May: Gardening in full swing. Cut that grass!	Rhododendrums, azaleas, iris (later) delphiniums, lilacs, lillies of the valley trees flower and leaf out.
June: can't let up on the lawns, yet. But the tulips and daffodils are about finished.	roses, iris, delphiniums, clematis in the fields: daisies and poppies, clover Veggies: lettuce, rhubarb leafy greens, radishes
July: can't let up on the lawns, yet. Time to pick the flowers.	roses, iris, delphiniums, clematis, poppies, sunflowers in the fields: daisies and poppies, clover Veggies: lettuce, leafy greens, melons, cherries, rhubarb
August: can't let up on the lawns, yet. Time to gather some veggies.	roses, nasturtiums, lilies, dahlias, in the fields: Veggies: lettuce, plums, peaches, , leafy greens, onions, greenbeans, early corn, ZUCCHINI,
September: ease up on the lawn mowing now. Time to plant the winter crops.	the late roses, dahlias, sunflowers, gladioli, 2nd crop of delphiniums. Veggies: lettuce, tomatoes, corn, peas, leafy greens, zucchini, apples, blackberries

One thing we are very thankful for: Our home is on an irrigation canal system. The properties without this extra water have unmet water needs and tend to garden with desert landscaping - attractive in its own right.
The irrigation water was turned off this year on September 15th for the season. The remaining water in the irrigation systems is reserved for the salmon who will be returning shortly. This happens every year, around this time. Sequim in summer can be very dry, and the river beds too exposed for the spawners. So this is the other side of the irrigation coin - one morning you wake up and find the managers have made their decision... Watering with city water adds the chemicals to the garden plants and they don't do quite as well. We will try to keep them alive until the rains fall.

© Helen Hille and deebrrs, 2000 - 2003
Last updated September 6, 2003