Tiny Town
Talk about small towns… (" Small Town Getaways ,” October 2010). My wife, Elaine, and I just spent a great seven-night stay in Glacier, Washington. If you blink, you’ll miss it. Not all will be lost, however, as the Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542) dead-ends at the Mount Baker Ski Area. At that point you have to turn around and drive back down the highway right through Glacier again! We came up to see the spectacular autumn leaves and do some photography. We stayed in a great little private cottage rental provided by Mt. Baker Lodging. Amazingly, there are three restaurants…all with very tasty food. The locals, though sparse, were very friendly and outgoing. This is definitely a hidden treasure.
Ed and Elaine Flambeau
Salem, Oregon

Yes We Can
The Department of Planning and Development’s July 14 proposal to eliminate bans on tree cutting and encourage planting and preservation throws up its hands crying it can’t be done (" No Clear Cut Solution ,” November 2010). But most if not all of the surrounding municipalities already have tree ordinances, and many regulate removals outside of development. If Seattle can require you to sort your garbage (among other restrictions to private property), then regulating trees shouldn’t be too difficult.  
Tina Cohen
Ballard

Pot Stickler
Kathryn Robinson, stick with yoga, or better yet, start drinking again (" I Wanna Inhale ,” October 2010).

Smoking pot has never been limited to the kids in the boiler area at your school. Those were the ones you noticed. They left an impression on you. Though you wrote this after you allegedly “cast a fresh eye” on the world, I don’t think you really see it any differently.

Sure, the statistics state that people your age are the fastest growing demographic of pot smokers, but that doesn’t mean you are ready to join them. People smoke pot because they want to smoke pot. It appears that you haven’t because of the way you have looked at pot smokers.

Please understand, I don’t condemn you for seeing pot smokers as you do; most who don’t smoke pot see it that way.

P.S. The Dead broke up in ’95 after Jerry Garcia died and Hostess Fruit Pies are still awesome when you’re stoned, but I prefer Ho Hos.
Ex-pothead, but current pot smoker
Edmonds

 

Short People
You hit it dead on (" The Shorter Short Sale ,” October 2010). I am a real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Bain Mercer Island. We have seen it many times: A buyer submits an offer on one of my short sale listings, and we tell them it could be four to six months in some cases. A month or two into the process, they get cold feet and walk. Usually around the time that we are finalizing all the details. We get another buyer who is interested to submit an offer and slip it right in. Doesn’t always work, like with Bank of America, for example. But we will always entertain backup offers, for that very reason.
James R. Shute
Mercer Island

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