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Grayland Open - Jet Ski Surf Freeride Competition
By William may
Published: 06/01/16
Topics: Sports, Westport WA
Comments: 0
The world-class "Grayland Open" free style Jet-ski competition is again schedule for August 2016. All competitors, volunteers and spectators are welcome. Lodging is still available at BeachyDay.com Vacation Rentals. Read more
Sponsor: Beachy Day – Cabins, Condos & Lodges from Westport, to Grayland and Tokeland on the cranberry coast of Washington State. Great rates. Hospitality clean. Friendly service. Call today. – BeachyDay.com
El Nino Looms; Don't Fret Too Much
By Taylor May
Published: 12/01/15
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A magazine For skiers, snowboarders and everything snow started in 1964 now an online source of with news, comments, articles, photos and videos. If you slide, visit our Website and join the email list to get instant mountain info year round. Read more
How to see Elk at Mount Rainier
By Emmalee David
Published: 10/17/14
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If you have never seen an Elk you will be in luck when visiting our Vacation Rental homes located in the Greenwater area of Washington State, just outside the gates to Mount Rainier National Park. Here are tips to find them. Read more
A Map, a Map, My Kingdom for a Map
By William May
Published: 07/20/14
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Folded like origami (Japanese paper art), maps have been an indispensable tool for travelers for centuries. But today with Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and Smart Phones, travel can be much easier but it does require some common sense. Read more
Outdoors-For-All, the Heroes Among Us
By William May
Published: 06/09/14
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Donate your home to charities for their use and fundraising and post your generosity on VacationRentalAgents.com. See how the Ski-For-All Foundation gave property owners the great satisfaction of helping disabled kids and adults to ski. Read more
Crowing About Our New Mobile Website
By William May
Published: 05/01/14
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It may not sound earth-shaking but Redstone Systems, creator of the HelpBook.me software has just added their evolutionary new mobile websites to our system. Check it on your mobile phone now. Read more
What I do for a living
By William May
Published: 04/08/14
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After a tragedy that has taken dozens of life in the small town of Oso Washington State, first-responders open the door to untrained volunteers after realizing they are better equipped at working in such difficult conditions. Read more
Varoom Vacation Rental Cooperative Springs to Life
By William May
Published: 02/23/14
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Even with the thousands of advertising websites catering to vacation rental owners, guests often search in vain to find the perfect accommodations. Now the website www.Varoom.biz, the world's first Vacation Rental Cooperative matches guests with property owners and managers to increase bookings. Read more
Coming to Skippy's Class ill Prepared
By William May
Published: 12/11/13
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Looking back it is astonishing to realize that a world class scholar was teaching in a small community college off the beaten path in the Northwest corner of the country. She would have wowed any student in the finest college anywhere. Read more
Vacation Rental Huts on Wheels
By William May
Published: 10/15/12
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How about a vacation rental on wheels, and no its not a mobile home Not exactly. Tom Kundig is an architect who had an interesting problem and more interesting solution. They're called Rolling Huts. You'll want to know more. Read more
Ocean Song Cottages Joins Goldener Resorts
By Taylor May
Published: 07/03/12
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Goldener Resorts announces that Ocean Song Cottages have joined its network so that the updated but traditional beach cottages can be offered to a wide group of visitors. Read more
Glorious Sunny Days at Washington State Beaches
By William May
Published: 05/15/12
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It is time to plan your summer at the beach? Vacation Rental managers are not yet sold out but will be soon. To get your choice place get off the couch and make that call today. Read more
Professor John Edwards: Insects & Music
By William May
Published: 04/01/12
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Professor John Edwards
Did you know that insects live in very cold places? John Edwards knew.
In fact, Professor John S. Edwards was known around the world as one of the pioneers of insect developmental neurobiology. And I was fortunate to be able to call him a friend. He died this week and I find his passing more unfortunate than any public leader or celebrity.
Some years ago, a friend invited me to help out with an organization called Gallery Concerts; a group dedicated to having period music instruments perform chamber music in the small spaces there were designed for. The concerts are sheer delight.
At one of the first meetings I sat next to a gentle white haired man with a goatee who glowed with his enthusiasm for the music. Later I was to learn he glowed about just about everything. If the term "twinkle in his eye" was created for anyone it was John.
He was a leading scholar in the ecology of high-altitude insects, cold tolerance of Antarctic insects, the role of insects in ecosystem regeneration following volcanic eruptions, and the evolution of insect flight. A New Zealander, John earned his Ph.D. at Cambridge. At the University of Washington John taught entomology, human ecology, served as the Director of the Undergraduate Biology Program, Director of the UW Honors Program, and was appointed Emeritus Professor of Zoology in 2000.
Although a humble man, others noticed his exploits. He earned a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Senior Humboldt Research Award, and a Jacob Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award. He was a University Liberal Arts Professor, named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Royal Entomological Society of London. He served as Program Director for Developmental Neuroscience at the National Science Foundation.
Art Davidson says, in his account of the first winter ascent of Denali (Minus 148°), "My first meeting with John reaffirmed the legend. I had traced the sounds of a concert through several corridors at the Institute to a short figure hopping about from leg to leg while vocalizing the entire woodwind section of an orchestra. "
Other than the fact he was a professor in biology, I knew none of this even after years of attending meetings and concerts with him.
I made a particular mistake once - by mentioning to John that my son had applied to attend the University of Washington. He prodded relentlessly and learned that Taylor was interested in Biology, specifically astrobiology. I could see John's temperature rising. He wasn't "Hoping from leg to leg" but almost.
He asked in that pleasant way that borders on professorial curiosity, that Taylor simply must telephone him for a tour of the department.
After reading about the Professor on line, it took Taylor several weeks to summon enough courage to call. But when he did - John needed no prompting to remember his name or why he was calling. A whirlwind tour took place a few days later where Taylor was introduced to everyone with such lavish praise that my 6'6" son stood even taller than usual when retelling the tale.
Some years before John had patiently suffered through my telling of how our family had driven to all the way to Mt. Denali (Mt. McKinley) that summer and Taylor, then age 12, had found and photographed a rare Pika; which sent the visitor center biologists into a tizzy.
Who could know an important professor would remember such a small thing from years earlier; but during the UW tour John quizzed Taylor relentlessly about the Pika, where it was found, what time of day, what type of terrain.
Taylor was impressed at John's curiosity. He was proud to be considered important but then somewhat astonished when John casually mentioned, "You may find it hard to believe but I was on the expedition that did the first winter ascent of Denali."
When Tay recited this story at home hours later I saw in his eyes the look of admiration that a young boy can have someone suddenly explodes his idea of what is possible in life. You can be a scientist, you can climb mountains, you can write eloquently, you can win awards, you can be a gracious considerate person, you can be an impressive senior citizen who still cares about what a 12 year old boy cares about. Astonishing.
Today when we learned that John has passed away, things stopped for a few hours for Taylor and I. We went about our work but cared about this man we spent little time with. We admired his work. We admired his attitude. We admired him.
Although I did not have the chance to see John much in the last few years, Taylor and I did think of him occasionally. When watching a science TV show, when the subject is insects, biology or science in general, when daring people climb tall mountains, when university life is depicted - the Pika story is retold and then someone inevitably says, "you might find it hard to believe. . . ". And we smile.
Author: William May, MayPartners Advertising
Blog #: 0204 – 04/01/12
Twas the Night before Vacation Rental Christmas
By Jan Covey
Published: 12/31/11
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The Christmas and New Years Holidays are a big season in almost every vacation rental market. Read how one plucky manager gets through the hub bub. Read more
Welcome to the New Beachy Day
By Sharon Simmons
Published: 10/20/11
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BeachyDay Vacation Rental Managers, in Westport, Grayland and Tokeland Washington have joined the Vortex Organization and Sunspot Vacation Rental network. Read more
Sunspots Compares Renting Long Versus Short
By William May
Published: 08/16/11
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Sponsor: Signatours Photo Team – – Signatours.com
The Good Life at Packwood White Pass
By Veronica Garten
Published: 12/27/10
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Of course I am prejudiced. Having lived in the city for a long time I knew what I was getting into. In July of 2010 I moved lock stock and barrel to the small town of Packwood in south central Washington State, just outside the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park. My new job was to be manager of the Chateau Timberline Hotel, then being taken over by my company Sunspot Resorts. Read more
Emilie's Ski Blog Visits New Paradise Basin at White Pass
By Emilie Kippen Westphal
Published: 12/24/10
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I just got back from a great ski at White Pass. (That's in South Central Washington State) and I just gotta tell you they have opened up 767 new acres of terrain in Paradise Basin. Its that area up and behind the original highest lift. That area that we all dreamed of skiing for a long time. Read more
Bill Gates' Favorite Burger Joint
By William May
Published: 12/01/10
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Over the decades there have been numerous stories here in the Northwest U.S. about how the favorite restaurant of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, was an old fashioned burger stand not far from Microsoft's campus. You might like it too. Read more
Vacation Road Trips Start at the Dentist
By Gail Adair
Published: 04/01/10
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Comments: 0
Operating a vacation rental business can be fun and profitable but it also an opportunity to do some good in the world. Now property owners and managers can do that by participating in a public program that offer Read more
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