Swap, shop, or drop of an older bike in Olympia-Sunday's noon to four

Build a Bike in Olympia, Washington - Check the link to the left here for their web site info! 
Location is 2602 18th Ave SE Olympia, WA   Phone is 539-0955 if you are unable to stop by on Sunday afternoons. 

Drop off is every Sunday Noon to Four at  Boulevard Rd. & 18th Ave. (behind the Pit Stop grocery) in Olympia WA.

Do you need a part for your bike? You may be able to find what you need at the community build a bike.


Or you may be able to build a bike from the ground up. 


Provided you live in or around Olympia, WA. 

Community Build a Bike is located in East Olympia. This started in 1998 and used to be at the old Madison elementary school, which is now New Bridge Community Church. For awhile it was behind Ralph's Thriftway. The current location off Boulevard is where they have been the past 5 years, and all three locations are not far from Lion's Park in the Olympia Eastside Neighborhood. 


Are you in need of a tune up, but don't have the tools? Come and tune up yours and help someone else learn how to maintain their bike.   Or come learn how this is done. 


Do you like tearing down and putting things together? 


Is there someone you know needs a bike, but cash is short? 


Do you want a home for the bike you grew out of, or have one that is broke down?


How about backpacks, gloves or other bike accessories sitting in your garage, or that you are in need of? 

Build a bike has a solution for you.  Stop by and brainstorm.  After that it is all about putting it together, together. 

On August 21st, we dropped off an older bike we don't need anymore. It was adopted in about five minutes....thought the thing was a mess and ready for the dump, but all it needed was some expert attention to get on the road again.

Build A Bike is a "spoke" of many similar community groups across America.

Is every homeless person hopeless? Camp Quioxote may become a village in the Mottman Industrial Park. Breaking the stereotypes and choosing a road toward home

If you live in the Olympia area, you may be interested to learn more about this homeless camp. It may soon become a village on county property, at the edges of Olympia and Tumwater city limits, right next to my neighborhood! 


The Olympia City Council is considering a permanent site for this camp. In the past four years, the camp has proven to be a good neighbor and has served to help several individuals find thier way off the streets, and out of the camp onto better situations.


This is to be decided on Sept 6,2011 and public written testimony is being taken until noon on Friday, August 19.  Over two hours of testimony can be heard here if you want to learn more from the public who attended Monday's hearing on the matter. 


Video of Public Hearing 8-15-11 to Zone County Property at Mottman Industrial Park to allow permanent homeless village

City brief on proposal to transform Quixote Camp to Quixote Village 


Olympian Story on Public Hearing 8-16-2011

Wikipedia on Panza and Don Quioxte-the legend and lore

Olympian Story June 27,2010


Youtube Camp Quixote


Camp Quixote website

Camp Quixote Older Website





What are the homeless made of today?   


.....old people who ran out of friends, relatives, time and money? 
.....young people looking for the thrill of freedom? 
...young people dumped or estranged from family, or who have no real family?
.....families who no longer have a home, jobs, a car?
.....middle aged people who lost their grip, or really never had one?
....mentally ill and substance abusers? 
....drug addicts, whino's?
.....old or new hippies?
.....people who failed to plan ahead or invest in others? 
...people who have found a hip way to live off the land?
....irresponsible free loaders?
....people who use our taxes, and do not pay any in? 
....people who got sick and the system either never had them, or no longer supports their needs? 
.....criminals? 
...lazy whiners? 
....unloved people? 
....con artists? 
....stupid people? 
...really unlucky chaps? 
....scammers? 
...people who buy booze at the gas station and live in the woods nearby? 
....losers? 
....socially inept people? 
....people who don't respect business owners? 
....anarchists? 
......people who want a simpler life? 


....the too many people in the cart, with not enough of us to pull it up the hill anymore?
....people who feel they cannot live in a house or follow rules or never feel safe, no matter where they are?
....people who need something much more than a roof over their head, no matter the cost?
....kids with foolish parents? 
.....children of selfish parents? 
....people who traded their time and talent for things that will not last, and continue to do so? 
.....people who lost everything before they even knew there was something worth letting go, or hanging onto? 


I do not know the answer to these questions.   But I do know that today our homeless population consists of people with as many reasons for why as there as people in this situation.  


Loss of jobs and homes, refusal to "conform", feeling entitled, being tricked or tossed out or trapped by things that hurt them over time.   Finding the end road of the slow death they have been seeking over years. Is every homeless person hopeless? 


One thing they all face everyday is "What is there left for me to do today, and where and how am I gonna be able to do that?" 


A panhandler is not always a homeless person. A homeless person is not always safe, or dangerous or dirty or hungry.  A food drive is not always going to make it all better.  And supporting the homeless does not always reduce the problem, but it is an awful good start, if that involves getting all walks of community involved.


And it seems the Homeless Camp Quioxote has begun to break the mold on what it means to be homeless in America.  They have taken the chance to take care of themselves working alongside community.  And many of them have been able to give back much in the process. 


I do wonder how this community of 40 people with 30 sleeping units would be received in my area.  We have college students as it is right by the Community College.  We have Juvenile Hall right down the street.  We have panhandlers at the Freeway exits and underpasses.  We have a bar right down the road where a lot of bikers hang out.   We have people already living in the woods, some mentally ill, some close to where they buy beer, and some it is rumored who go to the college and want to save on expenses.    


Camp Quixote could have some work ahead of them making their own brand, a stand out of their own reputation in our area, as many others, already affected by homelessness in general.  




Excellent photos and video on today's homeless from Squidoo:
Homeless in America

How to organize volunteers for a retirement center meeting

Senior Church

This lens has been updated with tips for setting up and coordinating volunteers, many who may not know one another, to provide a weekly service for a group of seniors. 

How do Media and Politics intertwine with social issues?

What drives unrest and civil disobedience?

Looting In London

London in Flames, On Point Newscast from NPR August 10,2011
National Public Radio Newscast

Did a student protest against rising tuition fees get taken advantage of?


Why are these 10-20 something youths fighting for human rights, as they violate them toward others?  Are the strong or the poor entitled to help themselves in a pinch?  


Now there are vigilante groups forming and the authorities in London do not want to find themselves unable to distinguish the law abiding citizens from the gangsters. 


Can these communities grow beyond their racial and economical prejudices and differences? 




Human Trafficking

Photo courtesy of the Eugene Weekly, see link to article below
Illustration by Sam Wolfe Connelly

People for Sale, Sex Trafficking hits home in Eugene Oregon 


Article in the 8/4/11 Eugene Weekly by Shannon Finnell




Good story on human trafficking and how it is more common than most of the public realizes


I am not so sure that laws that fund entitlement programs for communities with this problem is 


the best tactic, as that creates people wanting there to be a problem to fix. 


We even have people trying to get in jail for room and board in this current economy.




What do you think your community can do to address this issue impacting the I-5 corridor?


How STAR TREK the original series reflected troubled times in history


Squidoo lens about the later 1960s and how social unrest wove itself into society, including the television shows of the day.   


Do you like this lens, and did you realize that America landed on the moon, changed public opinion against winning the war in Vietnam, and Martin Luther King jr and Bobby Kennedy were shot down at the same time the Original episodes of Star Trek were aired on NBC? 

The Dog Park is just a Howl and Skip away if you live in Olympia, Lacey or Tumwater

Lucky had some fun at the dog park weekend before last, this is a great place for the dogs to run and play. It is over the Land fill.

Paper in, Paper out, Paper Paper Paperwork

This is gonna work this time, I know it. A five step plan to managing all our incoming and outgoing paperwork. Except now I gotta figure out where we will be eating our meals


Five trays:

1. Triage (New)
2. Determine (Is action needed? Is there a deadline? Can it go in the recycle right now?)
3. Prioritize and Delegate (must have action & deadline label, person delegated task puts it on thier planner)
4. Ship (must have action label, stamp  or cash or what ever it need to "ship" out, and person who is gonna do it on label)
5. File (must have catagory label and who will be doing the filing)

How do you do paperwork? I try not to if at all possible.  

http://www.squidoo.com/Homeless-Experiences

http://www.squidoo.com/Homeless-Experiences


The lens link above, and several others are by Squidoo author Kylyssa. Worth a read to expand the discussion and understand common realities and perceptional errors about the homeless population in America. 

If you have not before logged onto Squidoo, you will be asked to set up a user name and give them and email to log in.  

Lots of information and perspectives from many sources can be found in Squidoo.  


I was impressed with the reminder on the lenses  that panhandler and homeless person are not the same thing. The author indicates that only about 1% of the homeless population are actively panhandling and that is held up by those who know this population well. This is a political issue and it affects our community socially and our public life and safety. 


Do you think it is important to separate homeless issues from panhandling ones? 


Below is an article from Tampa City Council that gives some more perspective to the topic. 


 http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories/tampa-city-council-hears-grim-homelessness-stats-skirts-panhandling-discussion


Do you think communities are better to support or shun the homeless populations?   Does it help us and how?  Is it all bad or all good? Who is interested enough to attend and follow city council meetings on this topic? 

Tiny Houses

I got to read this rather long and fascinating article in the New Yorker Magazine while waiting 45 minutes at the doctor's office yesterday. The tiny house movement has it's coding and zoning challenges, and the groups that are taking to them most are older people who wish to downsize, those who have defaulted on mortgage, and the small footprint crowd.


My kid got to see one at his elementary school last year, the owner was able to bring her house over for a viewing. 


http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/07/25/110725fa_fact_wilkinson

http://www.squidoo.com/waste-naught-well-like-worm/151882535-slug-vs-worm?utm_source=mapshare&utm_medium=waste-naught-well-like-worm&utm_term=duel&utm_campaign=facebook


Ok Northwestern Experts, here is your chance to awe the web with your slug stories!  The link above will take you to the duel module in Squidoo.  If you want to further dig into worm behavior, there is more ....

Slug vs Worm

Who is the slimiest?

From the lens waste naught well like worm.

There are many slugs in my area and I have yet to find one practical use for them.

What has more appeal, the slug or the worm, and why?

Natahsa Kimbrel is home!

http://dazedamazed.blogspot.com/2011/06/helpfind-natashakimbrel-missing-from.html

Lakefair wrap up in the Rain will be a Blast

Here is the link to navigate for details about the kit car races Sat am, Parade Sat late afternoon, Fireworks and more.  (times, parade routes, etc.)

the Beer Garden was buzzing about half past 8 Friday night, but more fun to look at the lights from across the lake at dusk.

http://www.lakefair.org/activities.html

Maple Bar Cake and Zombie Nerf Wars in the Rainiest City on Earth

Two Teens have planned an afternoon to celebrate a 15th and 16th birthday.

All out Nerf War at Yauger Park and  a ginormous Maple Bar Cake from Twister Donuts.  First one ever baked there.   We stopped by tonight to let my son taste test the smaller ones.  He consumed it, and commented "These guys know their maple bars."

He is making the biggest maple bar that will fit in his oven for Mark's birthday  tomoprrow

the ginormous maple bar will be two thirds this tray 

Yep, the donuts are tasty

Lakefair in the Rain and the Air is soft and warm tonight

Chairs set up for tomorrow's parade

Freeway entrance after roundabout

Riding in the passenger seat with my 16 yr old!

Kit Car races tomorrow 8 am

One Piano going back to Mom's this weekend