Today was a beautiful day.  It was the kind of day that makes me love Washington.  From my youth on I’ve always loved a sunny, warm day in Covington.  The fresh air, a cool breeze, warm sunshine on your face; they all make me just want to slow down, relax and saunter.  For some reason a day like today, and according to the weather forecast for many days to come in the next week, makes me calm down and appreciate life a little more.

There’s a lot to be said about a good stormy day, or a fall night when the moon is out, the clouds race across its face and the night is haunting.  But the sunshine seems to extract pleasantness and serenity from my body and mind.  Maybe it’s because we don’t get sunny days as much as other places.  Maybe it’s because the bright sunshine illuminates the soul and highlights creation.  Whatever it is, a beautiful day brings out the best in us.  Dispositions are happier and everyone tries to be positive and exuberant.  I love these days.  I look forward to many more this year.  Let’s all allow the sunshine to bring out the best in us as humans!

When I was young, the thought of being prepared for disasters, terrorists attacks or some other horrendous event never crossed my mind.  Now it’s prudent to be prepared!

The world we live in is every changing whether for good or bad.  To be prepared for the bad, the government and other agencies have implemented requirements that should be adhered to in order to save one’s family and life.

There are a number of websites designed by the state, county, government, FEMA, OSHA and others that outline the basic steps that should be taken and to be prepared for the worst.  It would be prudent for everyone to be prepared for such an event.  A minimum three day supply of food and water along with other basics such as a first-aid kit, dust masks, rope, emergency blankets, water purification tablets, waterproof matches, multitool, NOAA radio, lights, batteries, money in small bills, important documents, gloves, mirrors, whistles and more should be ready to go in a “go-bag” at a moments notice.  Keeping these bags handy, perhaps in your car at all times could save your family and your life.

So even though years ago the tiny city of Covington didn’t even dream of such scenarios, today it is a reality and we should all be prepared.

Thinking back to my formative years in Covington I ponder the total lack of computer technology and terms.  Computers were things NASA used for space exploration or the military used in defense of the country. They weren’t something the average person could even conceive of let alone own.

As the years passed though, home computers came on the scene.  First, what seemed like huge amounts of data, speed and storage emerged and were understood in terms of kilobytes.  Then came megabytes.  Wow!  That’s a lot.  And when computer companies started talking about gigabytes it felt like we were moving quickly into the future and the realm of science fiction.  Now we are beginning to hear terms like terabytes and petabytes.  Petabytes are the next level after terabytes.  And it goes on from there.

Every heard of exabytes or yottabytes?  They’re not far away.  Even in a small outpost like Covington these terms are commonplace and understood by most people.  Not only do landscapes, cities, homes, economies and environments change over time, but so do technological endeavors.

For more information, read this link to find out about these terms and the future of man-made storage needs.  It kind of makes me wonder how many bytes of storage the City of Covington needs to store all the information about the city and its residents and what their needs will be in the not-to-distant future.

Bridges were few and far between in the Covington area when I was young.  A few small bridges spanned creeks or rivers here and there, but in the last 30 years they have become abundant.

Think about all the bridges in the Covington area now.  The Hwy 18 bridge over Kent-Kangley (or overpass if you want to be technical), the Covington Way bridge over Hwy 18, the SE 256th bridge over Hwy 18, the bridges over creeks and waterways near the Hobart-Issaquah exit, the Hwy 18 bridge near the Tahoma Middle School and the old Taylor Creek Golf Course (now a church), the smaller bridges around the local area that span creeks where housing developments or roadway improvements have demanded them and more.

As the area grows and more infrastructure emerges, bridges will be a normal part of the landscape but rarely noticed by busy commuters using them every day.

Wow!  I can’t believe it.  Another tire shop in Covington.  Have you seen the construction next door to the AM/PM mini mart and Burger King?  It’s another tire shop that is being constructed.  I think back to when I was a kid and we had to drive all the way to Kent or Auburn to get tire and car service.  Now look at us!  We can walk to any tire shop in the area, although you’d probably drive if you were looking to get new tires on your vehicle.

When construction began, I was hoping for a restaurant or something new to the area.  I didn’t expect another tire shop.  Think about it.  We already have Costco, Les Schwab and Covington Tire next door to O’Reilly’s auto parts and all are within 1/2 of a mile of each other. Does Covington really have that much demand for more tires? Plus just down the road there are other tire shops at Four Corners in Maple Valley not to mention the shops by Lake Meridian and in Kent.

I don’t know.  Will this new tire shop get enough business?  I guess we’ll find out soon enough!

In my formative years when I was in grade school at Covington Elementary, I vividly remember playing on the (what seemed to me) huge field behind the school.  The playground teachers were adamant that we could not go clear to the back of the field and climb the hill that overlooked the field and which was surrounded by a forest of trees.  Kidnappers or strangers could be lurking there and we needed to be protected.  I understand their concerns now, but then I was invincible.  Anyway, what lay beyond that field in the trees I could only guess.  I didn’t know and since it was a forbidden place it made it even scarier, but somehow intriguing.

Funny how time and experience quell those fears and reduce apprehension.  The field doesn’t look nearly as big as it did then and as for the trees, well they’re gone.  Yup, gone!  Standing now in the place of that forest of fir and other varieties of trees a large iron structure is looming slowly into view.  It is the new Valley Medical center.  If you drive by on the back side by Costco and Fred Meyer, you can look at things from a different perspective, and view Covington Elementary from the back.  It makes me wonder how far the children will be allowed to run on that field now?  I’m sure there will eventually be a fence there to protect both children and property, but sadly future generations of kids will never experience the fear and trepidation that a dark, thick forest behind the field and playground might hold.  For them it will just be another big building in an ever-expanding Covington, Washington.

Well I see that the old rental building on the corner of 164th and Kent-Kangley by the Covington library is finally gone.  Years ago that was just an empty field.  Then the rental building was built and it housed a few different businesses before becoming a rental place.  Eventually that emptied out too.

Now the lot is just dirt.  I’m wondering what the plan is.  Another restaurant?  A gas station?  Something else?  I think it would be nice to have a little more upscale restaurant there like an Olive Garden or a fish eatery.  Something outside the realm of “fast food” which Covington has a lot of already.  I’ll keep my eyes peeled and see if I find out anything.  We might be surprised but then again the lot may stay empty for years.

So, what did you think of the snow and ice we had in January?  Quite something huh?  It’s pretty unusual to get that kind of weather around here.

I remember as a kid getting some deep snow occasionally.  In fact, I remember one winter when we had icicles hanging off the house that were up to two feet long.  I think my mom still has pictures somewhere of that. That was quite a winter.  Of course, as a kid I thought it was great.  No school.  Playing in the snow.  No big deal.  But now that I’m older, not so much fun.  I still had to go to work last month despite the snow.  And for most of the week I shoveled snow at work to clear walkways and stairs.  My back told me I was definitely NOT 18 anymore.

We’re still not out of winter yet, so we’ll see if the weather brings us anymore odd storms.  Since the bullfrogs have started to croak now, I’m hoping they know more about the weather than I and that we are done with the ice and snow for this year.  Time will tell.

“The area presently known as Covington was originally known as Jenkins Prairie. In the 1880s, the Northern Pacific Railroad commissioned a surveyor by the name of Covington to develop a railroad line between Auburn and Kanaskat. A stop along the route was named for him and eventually the area surrounding the depot would be called Covington,” so states Wikipedia.  In 1997 Covington was incorporated.  And here we are in 2012 as Covington continues to grow.

Back in the 1960′s, Covington was not like today.  If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know what I mean.  Growth has continued in the area and changes are constant.  As I sit here at the beginning of 2012, it makes me think back to a time when Covington was a small, wooded area with sparsely popluated homes and businesses spread throughout the surrounding areas.  Today it is a regular city with traffic jams included.  I wonder how much growth with take place in the next few years.  We will wait and see.  Welcome to 2012 in “Jenkins Prairie”!

Click here for more Wikipedia background on Covington.

When I think of salmon, I think of the ocean or a fish hatchery.  But I never thought of salmon in Covington.  Yet, they are here. 

Not far from my house is the Little Soos Creek.  Every year salmon, up to two feet long at times, make their way up the creek and spawn.  Sometimes there are just a few, sometimes many.  But to see these creatures of habit returning year-after-year to their breeding grounds to lay fresh eggs is amazing. 

The salmon love to hide out under the edges of the creek bed where there are brush overhangs as well as where the bank is undercut due to the flow of water.  The splashing of water catches your attention.  As you cautiously walk up to the creek you can spot these fish in the water.  Some are swimming, others are using their fins to dig in the gravel and sand to lay new eggs.  Later in the year tiny salmon are seen swimming around and then they head downstream where they will start their journey again.

Sometimes the salmon are at the end of their life cycle.  They make their way up the creek and lay their eggs, but then they turn dark red and die.  Raccoons sometimes make their way into the creek at night for a salmon snack and other salmon just rot.  So goes the cycle of life. 

So, now when I think of salmon , I think first of Covington.  Then I think of the ocean and fish hatcheries.  Pretty amazing though!