Letters to the Editor
Published 1:30 am Friday, May 20, 2022
No to dock
To the editor:
I’m opposed to the proposal for a 240-foot deep-water dock in Little Manzanita Bay. It’s not good for the salmon or the beautiful ecosystem that thrives due to lack of motorized vehicles and waste that may be dumped by them.
This deepwater dock is not necessary, and it’s not right for the bay. It compromises the enjoyment and safety for all islanders who enjoy this quiet, shallow bay, free of deep-water docks. I lost a family member due to a speed boat hitting her while she was in a kayak many years ago. It was a devastating loss, and I fear for the safety of myself, my family members and community (especially the younger generation) as people are not always careful when driving their motorized vehicles on the water.
More importantly, living off of the tidal flats, I see the amazing variety of living creatures that are nourished by this environment. As an island community that cares and works hard to preserve nature all around us, allowing a deep-water dock is in direct conflict with the ethos of Bainbridge.
These precious ecosystems need to be protected and cared for to ensure that it can thrive for future generations.
Zaakera Stratman
Bainbridge Island
Loving Abuela
To the editor:
We knocked three times on the door, and through the window we could see Abuela gliding happily toward the entrance. She joyfully opens the door to let us in. We squeeze Abuela and then kick off our boots. “Abuela” is Spanish for grandmother, and she is from Guadalajara, Mexico. Her real name is Maria Virginia Echeagaray Carter.
If you happen to come across Abuela on her walks to church, you will always see her in bold solid colors of reds, blues and brown. She is always frigid, so she wears turtlenecks, shawls that she knitted by herself, and she always wears comfy pants that match her shawls.
You will never see her without her Catholic medallions clinking around her neck. I have vast memories of playing with them on Abuela’s lap.
My Abuela has lived in the same house on Bainbridge Island for three decades. Everything is green in the summer and winter because no matter how hot or cold it is, it always rains. My grandma’s house is red, but the paint is slowly peeling off because the house is really old. Some of the floorboards of the stairs and porch are broken. This summer, if it doesn’t rain, we are going to paint the fence blue when we visit.
There are a plethora of characteristics that make Abuela different from other grandmas.
First, she doesn’t spoil us with sweets and candies. Second, she is gentle, kind and has never bellowed at us without reason. Third, she is constantly cooking our favorite foods such as eggs and beans for breakfast, fruit and veggies for lunch, and roast beef with corn for dinner. Fourth, she is not afraid of dying because she knows she will go to heaven and have a plethora of friends and family to party with, including Jesus.
Life without Abuela would be devastating. We would all act like hogs, we would not know Spanish and Abuelo, who is my grandpa, would have no one to play Qwirkle with. Abuela is the most terrific grandma ever in the world. If everybody had an Abuela like mine, we would all be chewing our beans 20 times before swallowing, saying “excuse me” every time you burp and praying before eating.
I’m glad to have Abuela in my life, and I can’t wait to make new memories with her.
Written by Amor Collier
Who is better?
To the editor:
Sadly, it’s come down to this. Either, “He’s better than Trump!” or “He’s better than Biden!”
PJ McEwan
Bainbridge Island
