Recently friends of mine came to town for the memorial service for Dr. Flora and it started me down a trail of Bellinghamsters who are authors.

Mostly I remember Dr. Flora from a tv show on KVOS TV called 'Tide Pool Critters', but he also wrote a book titled The Sound and the Sea: a Guide to Northwestern Neritic Invertebrate Zoology. The photographs were taken by another local, Eugene Fairbanks, M.D. It is an easy-to-read reference book.

Joann Roe has written several books, but I think my favorite is The North Cascadians, the history of our nearby mountains and the people who settled there.

There are several books written about the Pig War on San Juan Island, but the one written by Keith Murray is the one I'm listing here since I knew Dr. Murray. Simply called The Pig War, it is a carefully researched, easy to read history of small event that could have escalated out of control, but didn't. The (British) pig in question had pushed down a fence into the (American) vegetable garden and helped himself to the potatoes. The landowner chased the pig and shot him. He reported what he had done and offered to pay, but tempers flared between the unstable American General and the Governor (in Victoria) who did not like Americans who could not agree on what to do. Fortunately wiser minds prevailed and the situation was resolved without further shots being fired.

What I remember most about Don Walter is him playing ukelele at an end of the summer barbecue and salmon feed out at Birch Bay. He taught music at Western Washington University (then a State College) and wrote this book to go with the lectures given on Music History in a General Studies class offered to freshman. Men and Music in Western Culture is a great introduction to classical music.

When a body is found in the library, stabbed by a rod from the card catalog, Miss Zukas helps the local police find the killer. Miss Zukas and the Library Murders, by Jo Dereske, is the first in a series of cozy mysteries filled with engaging characters, unexpected plot twists, and a great cat. The series is now complete, which means there is No Waiting for the next book!

Pacific American Fisheries, Inc.: History of a Washington State Salmon Packing Company, 1890 - 1966, by August C. Radke. I had many wonderful professors when I was in college, but two were absolutely outstanding. One of them was Dr. Radke. Here is the story of a once thriving, local business, from the day it opened until the day it closed, thoroughly researched and written by "Rad" and then edited by Barbara S. Radke. (Dr. Radke died before the final revision).

For the story of a business of a different nature, try The Brothels of Bellingham: a Short History of Prostitution in Bellingham, WA by Curtis F. Smith. While admittedly not a 'scholarly work', it does have a nice little source list at the back. The author did a nice job discovering records and other information about an overlooked (probably intentionally) time in our past. From a quote on the back of the book from the author I learned that he wanted to produce a "readable, perhaps amusing, easily accessible record." I say he did so with great success!

In times past the Bellingham Herald had an amazing photographer by the name of Jack Carver. Archival Revival: Delivered Daily & At the Blossom Time Parade: the News Photography of Jack Carver is the companion booklet to an exhibit of many of his photographs that was held at the Lightcatcher building of the Whatcom Museum. It is well worth a look.

Aliens on Vacation (The Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast) by Clete Barrett Smith, illustrations by Christian Slade. Young David is not thrilled to be sent to soggy Washington from sunny Florida to spend the summer with his grandmother. Turns out, Granny has a surprise .... her Bed and Breakfast is for intergalactic tourists! I loved the settings, some so familiar I could practically smell a damp morning in my dad's old canvas tent. Funny, quirky, and a delight to read, this book is the first in a series. Aimed at readers ages 8 - 12 I enjoyed it so much that when I finished, I went back to the beginning and read it again immediately.

Buy local, read local!

Reading Hermit With Dog