The Editor:
We want to really thank the efforts of the new owners of the Point Roberts Marina for organizing both the awesome hour of July 4th fireworks and a great afternoon entertainment at their new restaurant, Compass Rose Bar and Grill.
This all followed a fantastic 4th of July parade with the amazing Maple Beach musical dancing troupe and the other local floats and fabulous antique cars. Great job!
Steve Fowler
Point Roberts
The Editor:
Ted Murphy’s editorial in the Delta Optimist of July 6 casts the proposal to truck gravel from a Point Roberts quarry in an encouraging light when he implies that the planned 75 truck loads of fill per day for three or four months constitutes the total amount of fill needed for the Southlands. The reality may be somewhat different.
Four months, at 75 trucks per day, five days a week, as indicated by the
conditional use permit (CUP) application before Whatcom County (see All Point Bulletin, July 2016), is approximately 6,400 truckloads.
In the May 2013 public information meeting on the Southlands development, the developer’s documentation included an estimate of 693,159 cubic meters of fill, equivalent to 60,275 truck loads, needed to fill the site. This is about 10 times the amount reportedly planned for the Point Roberts pit. My guess is that sand and gravel from the Point may only be intended for access roads.
Coincidentally, however, a report of a special board meeting of the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee in the same issue of the All Point Bulletin, revealed the total sand and gravel available in the quarry to be one million cubic yards, or about 765,000 cubic meters. And in the same issue the quarry proponent is quoted as saying he intends to operate the quarry indefinitely. The question is, if the CUP is approved, will all of this go to the Southlands, or will it be trucked through Tsawwassen to other projects north of the border such as Terminal 2, or the new bridge?
Adrian Wightman
Point Roberts
The Editor:
After reading four letters, including one from Annelle Norman, in the July 2016 issue of the All Point Bulletin concerning the “cease and desist order” for Annelle’s homeopathic practice, and with several references condemning Meg Olson’s and/or the All Point Bulletin’s attitude and/or prejudice toward Annelle’s practice, I went back to the June 2016 issue to reread Meg’s article.
Frankly, my view is that Meg was very straightforward and cited only the facts. She was not taking sides, at all. And the All Point Bulletin was just informing the public of a newsworthy bit of information. Without the article, many residents in Point Roberts would not be aware that Annelle Norman is no longer allowed to practice.
The Department of Health (DOH) in Washington state says that anyone practicing medicine, whether a physician, a nurse, a therapist, a chiropractor, a naturopath, or a homeopath, must be licensed through the state, and they must carry malpractice insurance. Even Annelle admitted that she was given the licensing information back in 2011/12 when she was previously investigated for this issue. That she was able to sail under the state’s radar doesn’t mean she was allowed to practice. As for Annelle’s claim that she wasn’t really practicing medicine, I remember many ads in the All Point Bulletin that stated she was offering her homeopathic remedies as an alternative to medicine.
I have no idea whether the DOH’s investigation came to light because of a disgruntled citizen, or not. It is possible that the DOH was just doing a follow-up from their previous 2011/12 investigation, and that they wanted to make sure Annelle had gotten her license.
It isn’t fair that Annelle and her clients are spreading rumors that the complaints came from such an individual. And it isn’t right that Meg Olson and/or the All Point Bulletin were attacked for doing their job. They were reporting a news story that was of interest to the residents of Point Roberts.
Please keep up the good work, Meg.
Christine Murray
Point Roberts
The Editor:
Eighty-four dead on the streets of Nice.
A news report all too familiar.
And who, and why, and how?
The natural sigh of relief that it wasn’t me,
in my town, my family, and my friends, and all I love.
But I know, that in full, it is also me.
My world, my life, these few years,
this glorious chance to evolve.
This, once in a thousand years,
place to be safe, to feel free,
only to fall before the forces of hatred,
and some form of insanity called
religion.
God is great, God is good,
let us thank Him/Her for all these gifts.
The empty day, the welcome sun
that would turn us all to toast,
without a delicate film of ozone,
without the dance of vapors,
without the vast waters that taste like tears.
It is impossible to cry enough to drown the sorrow,
but we still do, because we have no choice.
Can it be changed?
Ask the mountains.
George Wright
Point Roberts
The Editor:
Once again our small community celebrated a big 4th of July. It’s made possible by support from the Whatcom County road department, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and of course our own Whatcom County Fire District #5 led by Chief Carleton.
They come through for us with road closure permits, traffic barricades and crowd control.
The Point Roberts Marina put on a spectacular fireworks display not only once but twice. Once on Saturday for our Canadian neighbors and again on Monday for us.
To all the parade participants, too many to mention, we all had a great time! The unanimous fan favorites, the “Maple Beach Maple Leafs,” led by Rob Hastings, really rocked the crowd.
The pancake breakfast was a rousing success and the flag raising ceremony has become a featured event that everyone looks forward to and connects us to the reason we celebrate our independence. Thanks again Point Roberts residents both full and part time and thanks to all the spectators that we look forward to entertaining.
Heather McPhee
Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce
and Visitor’s Bureau
The Editor:
The Point Roberts Garden Tour #14 was held on Sunday, June 26. A beautiful, sunny day helped entice over 500 visitors to view the nine gardens on our tour. The Point Roberts Garden Club sponsors this event, and the funds raised are used for the enhancement and maintenance of the plantings along Tyee. All of our participants and volunteers enjoy this opportunity to showcase both the gardens and the charms of Point Roberts to visitors from the Lower Mainland, and as far south as La Conner.
On behalf of the Point Roberts Garden Club, I extend a special thanks to the garden owners who opened their gardens to all of our visitors, spending the day greeting their guests and answering questions, all with smiles on their faces. In addition, I extend a heartfelt thanks to over 100 volunteers and supporters whose efforts ensured that our guests had an enjoyable day.
Thank you to all of our greeters, who work in two-hour shifts and sit at the entrance to the gardens to welcome each and every guest.
The tea, which was held in the community center, offers a respite where people can enjoy tea or water and baked goods, while sitting on the lawn and listening to the music provided by the Point Roberts Wind Ensemble. Chris Cameron, Sandy Holland, Sue Wuhrman and their teams worked the day before and all afternoon to ensure that this part of our tour was enjoyable for all. We thank all of the tea staff for their hard work, smiles and good humor, the musicians who contributed their talent, and all of our cookie bakers who allow us to offer the home-baked touch.
The Point Roberts Historical Society opened and staffed their room in order to share this perspective of the Point with our visitors. We thank them for being a part of this event.
We sold raffle tickets on a beautiful quilt, which was designed and pieced by Maxine Clark. One of our Canadian visitors was the winner, and she was delighted with her good luck. We also thank our ticket vendors, Harris Nursery and Sunnyside Nursery in Ladner, who sold tickets before the event, and Blue Heron Gallery and Nielson’s Building Center in Point Roberts, where tickets were sold both preceding and on the day of the tour. The Blue Heron Gallery also sells posters of our special 2016 Orca graphic, designed by Scott Hackleman.
Finally, a big thank you to the garden tour committee, who start work several months in advance. It is always such a pleasure to work with such a great group of people!
Jane Donaldson, co-chair
Point Roberts Garden Tour Committee
The Editor:
This little corner of the North American landmass can be proud of the enchanting gardens we all toured at the end of June 2016. It would be difficult to decide which imaginative loved green space would win the first prize.
I recall with ease the pink-blue winding hydrangea maze tucked in and around a small cottage in Maple Beach. We were surprised with chapel-like alcoves and private seating in the midst of a lush growth of flowering plants and vines. In this cozy environment we wanted to settle in for a rest. However, we had several gardens to go before teatime.
About halfway through we found the original deer-friendly hideaway on a well-treed area with a pond, numerous ground covers, lawn, large outdoor deck and a special feeding station for wild creatures. Yes, the deer seemed to have clear boundaries (wire and netting) yet welcomed by the grain trays on a trail into the forest. This was a thrill to see how it all came together.
We started to feel we had seen it all but were again surprised by an ocean-side cottage with a perfect front border of creeping jenny and bright red geraniums. The large backyard included an abundant vegetable garden, several fruit trees and one heavily loaded apricot tree about to ripen.
All the gardens were inspiring and a fine example of what is developing on the home front in Point Roberts. Congratulations to all serious flower gardeners and backyard specialists. Tea, cookies and music finished off our amazing adventure.
Abby Armstrong
Point Roberts
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