It was both chilly and, of course, hilly

It didn't break any records, but it sure brought out the Northwest's toughest pedal-pushers.

The '07 Chilly Hilly had over 4,000 people register, which doesn't quite measure up to the 4,700 back in 2005.

The difference between '07 and '05?

2005 was hilly, but not so very chilly.

2007 was bone-biting cold, especially after a cold, high-speed shower down Sunrise Drive, then a "break" standing in the rain, then a gust of wind.

But I'm not complaining. Maybe gloating. After all, I have stronger alliegiences to the no-frills bikers out en force with rain slickers, egg-shaped Bell helmets and flat pedal, steel frame style. The spandexalista largely stayed home, likely running the wheels on their stationary in the study whilst pondering how to shave a milligram off their tube caps.

Local politicos eye-ballin' Oly

Christine Rolfes from our city council was just too good a politician to hang up her gloves. Earl Johnson from the fire commission is just too flamin' patriotic not to run for a higher office.

After a couple terms on the city council, Christine has announced she's running for the House of Representatives. She'll likely beat Bev Woods, a Republican who has lasted far past her expiration date in a mostly left-leaning district (that's the 23rd Legilative District for you yokels, which comprises our fair isle, Poulsbo, Kingston and the North half of Bremerton).

When Christine decided she wouldn't run for the city council, some of her fans, who tuned-in to every week (or so) for BIB's finest reality TV show, were disappointed she'd be leaving the cast of characters. Where people like Debbie Vann and Nezam Tooloee ranted predictably from their respective camps, Christine was the voice of calm consideration. While lots of politicians talk about finding compromise, Christine seemed to actively, and honestly, seek it. She had her platforms, of course, but who can argue against more open space and bike lanes?

When she quit the council, I knew her excuses ("spend time with family") was a ruse. Which points out why she's a good politician from the other angle. She plays her cards close, says little that offends and choses her enemies wisely. Bev Woods is fine, but it's always been odd that she lasted so long. Rolfes is going to drag a pretty big voting bloc from Bainbridge. She's got name recognition, a squeaky-clean image, she's affable and smart and apparently lots of powerful Dems like her too, including Patty Murray.

As for Earl Johnson, he's going to have a tougher time taking on Sherry Appleton for the House. Not many know him and Sherry's been doing a bang-up job in her first couple years. And have you read Earl's book? It's a thin little number and a few minutes paging through it at Eagle Harbor Books will give you the gist without having to drop any change. The title is some take-off of "Stairway to Heaven" or something. It's about Earl's experience in one of the Twin Towers during 9-11. Basic theme: the man loves America. And firefighters. I read in the paper he also has some business know-how.

But if I were betting on this horse race, my odds are on Appleton, who, despite living in Poulsbo, is pushing for a law that is Bainbridg specific (because we're an island) and would help us contol our growth (rather than letting the state do it). That, and she's a fiery little lady that'll be representing the island for a long time.

The Bulletin Lives!

Ok, we're back.

Sorry about the 8 month delay. We here at the Bainbridge Bulletin aren't known for our organizational skills or for a particularly keen memory. That's why the little slip of paper, torn from an old copy of the P-I, with this blog's access codes were lost and not found......until today! Serves me right for coming up with such a brilliant and convoluted password.

Again, an appology to all who checked and checked in and checked in. Nothing less fun than a dead blog.

On to the blogging......

Peles or Galileos

Battle Point Park, a fitting name - especially now as soccer moms duke it out with astronomy geeks.

Who will win? Probably the starry-eyed ones who have the ace "we were here first" card. Who should win? That's harder to say. Valid points are made left and right in coffee shops, newspaper articles, letters to the editor, and in parks board meetings.

Producing little Peles.
Some have said our fields are few and failing. This means our young kickers have to carpool to Mall Town to the south or Navy Town, even further south. That's rough for teens trying to juggle homework along with their athletic aspirations. The upgraded, fake grass fields would allow longer, continuous play while the lights would let them play on through the short fall and winter days. Soccer folks say that our kids need the opportunity to play and practice at the highest level. For them, this means high tech fields.

But, is that really necessary? Soccer in the USA is largely a suburban sport. Don't believe me? Go into inner-Seattle. They're playing basketball, they're playing baseball, they're skateboarding. Soccer is king in the lands of culdesacs, two car garage, green grass and John Deer saddle-mounted mowers. And that's also where the money is. So where's our suburban Peles? Can you name a famous American soccer player? High-tech fields, swank uniforms, and SUV carpooling does not a pro soccer player make. Now, name a few non-American superstars. That's easier. Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo. That was easy. These three cut their teeth on broken concrete and dirt lots. They stopped playing when they couldn't see the ball. They didn't have trainers and they sure as heck didn't eat Powerbars and Gatordaide.

The astronomers will likely win the battle at Battle Point. While their "my way or the highway" stance on this issue is pretty off-putting, they make a strong point. Chief among them is that their observatory has the best and biggest public telescope in the state. Oh, and it's also really nice to maintain a pocket of darkness in a few spots of this growing island.

Hopefully, the island's soccer fields will grow along with the population. In the meantime, kicking a ball in the dirt and mud until the sun goes down will do just fine. Besides, sunshine and dirt contain both vitamin D and B, respectively. Good stuff for our growing kids.

All the news that's fit to blog

Blogging is an odd habit. It's a new one for me. I just started, in fact. But I've read plenty of them. Often I find them annoyingly self-obsessed. But sometimes they're quite informative - but that's when the blogger steps awat from his/herself a bit and tries to get some insight into the outside world. That's the aim here, with The Bainbridge Bulletin. While I won't be writting about the antics of my kitten or what a yummy cookie I just ate. I'll be looking outward - but not too far outward. My vision stops at this island's shores. So, this is a blog about Bainbridge. Read. Enjoy. Reply. Repeat.