Blog
Outdoors-For-All, the Heroes Among Us
By William May
Published: 06/09/14
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
What I do for a living
By William May
Published: 04/08/14
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
Labor Day 2013 - Another Flea Market Bonanza
By William May
Published: 09/09/13
Topics:
Comments: 0
Well it was another great Flea Market this Labor Day weekend in Packwood. Hundreds of vendors from all over the Northwest and some from across the US and Canada. Unofficial estimates are that there may have been 10,000 people on Saturday - but hey who's counting. Read more
Vacation Rental Huts on Wheels
By William May
Published: 10/15/12
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
Vacation Rentals Enhance the Neighborhood
By William May
Published: 08/15/12
Topics:
Comments: 0
Going to a grand hotel for grand service will never go away. Stopping for a quick night at a convenient motel makes long trips easier. And now Vacation Rentals allow property owners to share their homes with responsible guests. It lights up the neighborhood, keeps home in good condition and shows the communities hospitality. Read more
Government Officials Driving Tourism Economy Away
By Ron Lee
Published: 06/01/12
Topics: Government
Comments: 0
Tourism is a clean, responsible industry that brings in visitors anxious to shop, attend events, tour attractions, rent lodging, and pay the taxes that go with them. So why do local government officials want to drive away vacation rentals and turn away the easy spending guests who want them? Read more
Sponsor: VRAI – As a fast growing industry we need your help and support. Join today to learn, share and promote your properties. – VRIA.org
Glorious Days on Washington State Beaches
By William May
Published: 05/15/12
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
Oh No, Mount Rainier Has Disappeared
By William May
Published: 04/15/12
Topics: Mount Rainier WA, Vacation
Comments: 0
It is always there on the horizon when I drive to work - jutting majestically into the air. It's white year round, sometimes with a puff of clouds around the top, like a celestial halo.
But, this morning I looked and Mt. Rainier had simply disappeared. Gone.
Slamming on the brakes I pulled over and stared. How could our state's defining symbol of white mountains, green forests and sparkling beauty just vanish?
Thirty years ago the same thing kind of happened. It was a glorious sunny Sunday. We had heard rumors that Mount Saint Helens was rumbling. Some scientists said an eruption was imminent, but many others thought it was just another false alarm because the current inhabitants of the Northwest hadn't seen anything more than a puff of steam from any of our volcanos in living memory.
As I flicked on the radio in the car, the announcer said, "This is it, This is the big one. Mount Saint Helens is blowing its' top." Even from 100 miles away, in downtown Seattle, a massive smoke plume was visible jutting a hundred thousand feet into the air.
A quick drive to the water tower on Seattle's Capital Hill, allowed me to climb up a hundred steps to the highest point in the city, and peak out the slender windows. The view was even more impressive. It looked like a fast flow smoke stack and yet it was a monstrous mountain and, due to scale, it was far bigger than anything a factory could create.
We have since forgotten the ash that covered many states and even blanketed Seattle and Portland, Oregon. We have forgotten the television coverage of massive destruction and loss of life. The heroic stories of volcanologists and local residents have faded.
And now, this very morning, the same thing seemed to be happening with Mount Rainier. Except this time there was no smoke, no steam and no rumbling. As with that day Mount Saint Helens erupted, the weather was clear, the skies were blue and yet - Mount Rainier was simply gone.
I flipped on the car radio, but this time there was no excited announcer with no mention at all. On the television, there was no announcements. And, in the newspaper, there was no story. On the internet, there was nothing. It seems the city, the state and the entire world had forgotten that Mount Rainier was ever there.
Native Americans revered the "Mount Tahoma" as the mountain that was God. To the first white settler's, the mountain was the beacon they first saw when traveling overland to the Northwest or when having arrived by ship. Its' presence was difficult to ignore as it dominated the landscape. They knew there were arriving when they first glimpsed at the monstrous mountain and its' glistening mantle of snow and ice.
So how, after all of these years, could Northwest occupants simply forget about Mount Rainier? Established as a national park in 1899, still 97% of the park remains in its natural state. For a century, traveling to the Mount Rainier area was the highlight of a summer vacation. Families came for extended stays and skiing its' slopes was a highly desirable getaway.
Crowds traveled first by horse and buggy, and later by automobile to see the wonders of nature. They swamped the campgrounds, crowded the roads to Paradise on the mountain's Southwest shoulder and to Sunrise on the Northeast. In early summer, massive fields of wildflowers took away the breath of visitors of all ages and all races. Some feel the hand of God here.
So, how had apathy caused Mount Rainier to disappear? Today, visitors flock to other Northwest destinations where they can run their ski boats, listen to loudly amplified music and stroll the streets of franchised stores. Professional advertising successfully entices families to visit freeway resorts complete with high priced meals, pricey gift shops and many man made waterfalls also known as water parks.
Visitors have somehow been convinced to find other places to have today's version of fun where activity outweighs nature. Or have they?
Although, the number of visitors to Mount Rainier has shrunk over the years, t the count is not altogether insignificant. And, the grandeur of the mountain, forest and rivers remains. Visitors who remember to find Mount Rainier are rewarded with the view of wildlife, flora, glaciers and magnificent old growth forests. In the grove of the patriarchs, massive trees stand mute and unassuming. The silence is deafening and stunning.
Villages and towns like Ashford, Enumclaw, Greenwater, Morton and Packwood have charming accommodations. You may not think that the city air is bad, until you arise early one morning, throw open your door and are overcome with the fresh smell of flowers and evergreen trees.
Unlike man made resorts, Mount Rainier is a bargain. Staying at a hotel, cottage, cabin or bed and breakfast can be a special experience. Dining can be rustic and astoundingly affordable. Park fees are low and you can set your own schedule to visit for a day, a weekend, week or even longer.
The children in your family will giggle in laughter visiting the snowy fields, romping in the meadows and wading in the streams. Everyone will enjoy re-discovering that Mount Rainier is still there, still pristine and still beckoning with beauty, enjoyment and relaxation. You can bring Mount Rainier back to life.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To rediscover Mount Rainier visit www.VisitRainier.com and finding handy lodging at www.MountRainierVacationRentals.com sponsored by the Vacation Rental Association.
Author: William May, Plumbob Publishing
Blog #: 0209 – 04/15/12Sponsor: MountRainier.com – Every shop, restaurant, lodge and vacation rental around the entire mountain. Ashford, Packwood, Greenwater, Morton, Eatonville, Carbonado & Enumclaw. Book a stay instantly online.
Professor John Edwards: Insects & Music
By William May
Published: 04/01/12
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
Emilie's Ski Blog Visits New Paradise Basin at White Pass
By Emilie Kippen Westphal
Published: 12/24/10
Topics:
Comments: 0
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
Vacation Road Trips Start at the Dentist
By Gail Adair
Published: 04/01/10
Topics:
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
Sunbanks Resort - Little known Secret Location
By Penny L. Taylor
Published: 03/31/10
Topics:
Comments: 0
Warm weather took me on a drive to Central Washington state, to little known Banks Lake and SunBanks Resort. Toasty hot in summer it boasts warm water unlike most big lake resorts. Read more
Become a Vacation Rental Angel
By William May
Published: 03/01/10
Topics:
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
Become a Vacation Rental Angel
By William May
Published: 03/01/10
Topics:
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
Chief Joseph Welcomes Everyone
By William May
Published: 12/17/09
Topics:
Comments: 0
Can I invite you to the most unique and remote mountain lodges in Washington State? It is called Chief Joseph Lodge and sits dead center in the middle of the state and five miles up from the summit of Blewett Pass highway. Click here to take a look. www.ChiefJosephLodge.com. There are photos, vid Read more
Snoqualmie Pass Real Estate, Mortgage, and Economy
By Thomas Wolter
Published: 12/14/09
Topics:
Comments: 0
KEEPING ON KEEPING ON - For the fourth week in a row the markets moved sideways, with one index slightly up, one a bit down and the third flat. Recently, there haven't been any extreme weekly market moves in the indexes, up or down. Investors aren't quite ready to believe things are as good as some Read more
Doing What We Can To Help People
By William May
Published: 11/19/09
Topics:
Comments: 0
For a number of years our company has been donating vacation rental use to a wonderful group called OutdoorsForAll.org (Formerly SkiForAll.org). Their mission is to enrich the quality of life for children and adults with di Read more
Complaints, Compliments and Compassion
By William May
Published: 11/18/09
Topics:
Comments: 0
She wanted to go to the beach. It was to be a special trip with her daughter who had special needs. Larger homes were her preference, but a plain ocean front condo was her budget. She asked for a first floor home and a vendor to provide oxygen. Read more
- Topics
- Aberdeen Washington
- Art
- Cooking
- Dog Friendly
- Events
- Family
- Fishing
- Goldener Inns
- Government
- Hi-Tide Resort
- Holidays
- Hood Canal
- Inns
- Interview
- Lodging Management
- Moclips Beach WA
- Mount Rainier WA
- Music
- Ocean Shores WA
- Pacific Beach
- Photography
- Radio
- Seabrook Resort
- Sports
- Things To Do
- Vacation
- Vacation Rentals
- Westport WA
- Wildlife