I have seen the problem pictured below many times before, as has every other home inspector. The seller is pleased to report, going into the inspection, that the home has a new roof and it is in good shape -- great selling point! The home inspector takes a look at the roof and it is nicely done.
Later on in the inspection, the home inspector opens the attic hatch. What does he or she find? The inspector finds the photo below.
What is all the litter? That is the old roof and wood scraps left by the roofers. Can you say unnecessary non-structural material and a possible fire hazard? I see this the most when the previous roof was wood, such as shakes, and the rafters had originally been skip-sheathed. Skip-sheathing leaves gaps below the roof and when the roofing is torn off all the clutter falls through the open holes. It drops into the attic. Any time the roof sheathing above is removed and/or replaced, some of this kind of debris is prone to getting through and into the attic.
This discovery of clutter in the attic disappoints the seller. Obviously, the roofer does not provide a warning or tell the seller that this problem exists. Just the same, it ends up noted on the home inspection report. At that point, some poor soul has to deal with it. The good news is that solving the problem is not usually too hard to do. Somebody has to get in the attic and gather up all that worthless stuff. In so doing that, this lucky person has to avoid stepping through the ceiling.
This is the final installment in a series of related blogs that introduce you to the common species of wood boring beetles that are found at, or near, our homes. While the information is general, the specifics that I describe are geared to Bellingham and the Pacific Northwest.
The last article was on the anobiid beetle which is, in my experience, the wood borer that causes the most damage. The anobiid is often, mistakenly, referred to as the powderpost beetle. I hear that term so much, that I decided to write a blog on the true powderpost beetle.
The true powderpost beetle, the lyctid, is attracted to hardwood and is most often found in picture frames, hardwood furniture and -- probably the worst -- hardwood floors. Unlike the usually invisible anobiid beetle -- that is probably working under the house in the soft woods -- the lyctid is a more likely suspect to be seen inside a home.
Anobiid larvae will live in wood for years, five or more. The lyctid, on the other hand, develops faster. Larvae will pupate, and adults will emerge, from the wood in about a year. Since these beetles usually come out of furnishings inside the house, they are more likely to be seen -- flying up at lights. A wood floor with lyctid damage, and the fine talc-like frass from the species, is shown below. The lyctid exit holes are small, pin-sized versus BB-sized with the anobiid.
A blown-up photo of a lyctid adult is shown below. The anobiid beetle is tiny, but the lyctid is smaller still.
The powderpost beetle, here in the Pacific Northwest, is a visitor, an import. Hence we find it in hardwood brought in from other areas such as the southern USA. Realizing that the pest is not native, obviously, it would be more prevalent in some areas of the country than it is here in the maritime northwest. In some parts of the country, the lyctid is a permanent resident.
From research I have done, when this pest is present in a hardwood floor, the best treatment might be taking up the floor and throwing it away. The pest is difficult to treat, being inside the home and down in the wood. Also, when the beetles do exit, they leave the distinctive holes that are unattractive. It looks like bugs are eating up the flooring. OOOOps -- I guess they are.
I was intrigued, the other night, to find that there is a group here at Active Rain that is dedicated to the Beatles. Having been in broadcasting during that era, I decided to write a post that would tie the Beatles in with the pop culture of that time. The circumstances, described here, were unique to that moment in history.
You have undoubtedly heard the term "pirate radio". Pirate radio stations, operating only a few miles off the shore of Britain, began their clandestine broadcasts in 1964. The pirate radio ships had powerful AM band transmitters, typically 20,000 to 50,000 watts, and they were cranking music that could be heard not only in Britain but in other European countries as well.
Click on photos, to visit the present Radio Caroline website.
There was a big niche, in the pop culture market, that made it possible for these stations to flourish. The BBC, the national broadcasting service in Great Britain was not keeping up with the demand for the new rock n' roll music. The BBC was too formal, too stodgy.
The pirates had radio studios and radio towers on old merchant ships -- most of them were not much to look at but functional. For a few years, the government was flummoxed and could not figure out what to do about these floating stations that were operating just beyond the government's jurisdiction.
The pirate broadcasts were popular and they cut into audience share at the government's "legal" radio stations. There were several pirate radio stations. The first and best known was Radio Caroline. The British business man, who started the station, was on his way to Dallas to buy his initial radio equipment. While traveling, he saw an American newspaper. There was an article on the two Kennedy children and the man named his station Radio Caroline, after the President's daughter. Another popular pirate station was Radio London. The deejays on board these vessels, not unlike rock deejays in the US, were known for playing more music and a fast-paced style of jabbering.
Renegade pirate radio stations were hugely popular with the youth of Europe. Think about it: What could be better than listening to music your parents didn't want you to hear, while being tuned in to a renegade radio station that was driving the government crazy?
Even after all these years, there is a certain intrigue when one thinks about those off shore ships broadcasting into the night. It is interesting to note that deejays on these water-based stations made personal sacrifices -- they were basically captives and would live and work on the ships for long periods of time. These guys did not just pop in, spin some records and then go home to the kids. The staff was stuck and did not always get regular pay checks either. It was a rough business, being a renegade broadcaster.
You should hear the sound of a pirate station from that era, exactly as broadcast by pirate radio. Johnnie Walker was a legendary deejay on Radio Caroline. Like many of the jocks of that era, he worked at several different pirate stations. This aircheck was recorded smack dab in the middle of the most exciting years of rock n' roll, December 1966. Click on Johnnie's photo to hear him live.
Now, let's connect all of this historical information with the Beatles. Obviously, due to the time frame in which the pirate radio ships were established, the Beatles were on all of the playlists. But, all things must end and the industry came crashing down when, at the peak of pirate radio's popularity, the government passed the marine broadcast offenses act. That law effectively shutdown most pirate radio stations.
As a result of the new law, on August 15, 1967, the pirate ship known as Radio London went dark forever. You can hear the last song ever broadcast from that classic pirate radio station if you click on George's photo below.
Recently, I have been writing a number of posts about the wood boring beetles found in the Pacific Northwest. In my view the worst of the worst is the anobiid or deathwatch beetle. Uninformed people often refer to the anobiid as the powderpost beetle, but that is the wrong terminology and refers to a different species.
Especially in our coastal regions -- my experience seems to be that the closer I am to water the more prevalent they are -- this is a frequently seen and highly destructive pest. While I have seen major damage from carpenter ants, the more serious damage tends to come from anobiid beetles. Here on the west coast, generally speaking, we don't have the huge termite problems found in many other parts of the country. Anobiid beetles, unusual to most of the country, make up for that.
The photo below is typical of the damage from the anobiid beetle. The exit holes they leave are BB size, not too different from the photo. There is often a gritty frass around the holes. When this is apparent, it is most likely that the pest is active.
This pest is usually found living in the soft structural wood in damp crawl spaces, moisture content over 13%, and works silently and invisibly. With carpenter ants they are usually seen in the house as they set up their satellite nests. Sometimes carpenter ants make a rustling sound in walls too. Bottom line -- carpenter ants are more likely to be noticed than the anobiid. The anobiid, while in theory it can be heard, never has been in my experience nor have I talked to anyone who has heard them working. Maybe our world is such that it is not quiet enough to hear them in this day and age.
The photo below lookss very much like an anobiid beetle that I saw one time. They are rarely to never seen and the damage is done by the larvae not the adult. Despite this looking like the anobiid that I saw, it is blown up and much larger than an actual specimen. I always say they are smaller than a grain of rice but in that size category.
This species goes through complete metamorphosis and, as referenced above, the damage is done in the larvae form with the pest finally boring out as a pupa and exiting as the adult. The larvae dines in the wood for five or more years. The beetles that exit lay more eggs and the cycle can go on, and usually does, for years and years. It is not uncommon to find serious damage, and still active anobiid infestations, in 80 year old houses.
Previously, I wrote about wood boring beetles that are flatheaded borers. These are usually species of buprestid beetles. In the Pacific Northwest, there is another beetle species that has characteristics that are similar to the flatheaded borers. I am speaking of the cerambycid beetle. Like flatheaded borers, these insects create a larger exit hole. It is typically 1/4" across and round to slightly oval. In the photo below, the exit holes are larger than in real life but the correct shape.
If you read the previous article on the flatheaded borer, you will recall that the species leaves an elongated or very oval hole. That is different than the cerambycid and the shape of the exit hole is caused by the shape of the larvae's head. Below is cerambycid beetle larvae. A larvae of this shape (rounded head) leaves rounded holes like those above. It is important for an inspector to be able to identify holes made by cerambycid or buprestid beetles, as both species are non re-infesting so their damage is not a worry like damage from the anobiid or lyctid beetles.
Here in Washington State there are NO flatheaded borers or cerambycid (roundheaded) borers that are re-infesting. These species do not require chemical treatment. As with the flatheaded borers, the cerambycid beetles infest live or dying trees and have no interest in lumber that is used in the house. I will clarify -- this applies in the Pacific Northwest -- some areas of the country have a cerambycid beetle that re-infests, the old house borer. The insect below is a cerambycid beetle, the banded alder borer. This is what the insect looks like as an adult. They are commonly found in wooded areas.
At this point in time, this is likely to be one of the lesser known acts I will be writing about in this series on Pacific Northwest music legends. On the other hand, they were big nationally, a #1 with a bullet act, in the pre-British invasion years.
Now, almost everyone who knows Seattle's history will think of the jazz clubs of the 1940's and 1950's, the birth of garage bands in the 1960's and, of course, Hendrix and more recently grunge. Most people probably do not know that an act from the Pacific Northwest was one of the first big doo-wop groups.
Doo-wop from the northwest? You betcha! The band was the Fleetwoods -- one guy (Gary Troxel) and two blond girls (Barbara Ellis and Gretchen Christopher). In that era, the pre-fix for telephone numbers in Olympia was "Fleetwood", hence the name. The kids met while attending high school in Olympia in the late 1950's. Their first big hit -- and it was a smash -- was released in 1959 on a Seattle record label, Dolphin. Pat O' Day at KJR had lots to do with the success of this initial release.
The song was called "Come Softly to Me." The Fleetwoods had a smooth sound and Come Softly to Me sold a million and went gold. They had another good-sized hit with Mr. Blue. They were the first group to ever have two #1 songs in the same year -- 1959. They had a few other releases, but none that hit like those first two.
The performers, for the most part, stayed here in the Pacific Northwest. Gary Troxel worked as a longshoreman in Anacortes. Gretchen Christopher seems to have stayed near Olympia. I always thought it must be strange to go from instant fame back to working a less glamorous job. How weird -- Imagine that you are sitting with friends in the lunch room and your former #1 smash comes on the oldies station, or maybe you are in the theater and your song is in a blockbuster like American Graffiti. Do you nudge everyone nearby and say "hey that is me" or do you smile inside, or do you wonder what circumstances might have led to greater fame and fortune?
Today, from what I have read, it seems that there is a dispute going on over who has the rights to the Fleetwood name. Gary Troxel has a Fleetwoods website, but Gretchen Christopher has one too. It looks like anyone, who was interested, could hire a group called the Fleetwoods to work parties and events. One group would feature Gary, the other would feature Gretchen.
There is no question about it, one of the biggest moments in the history of the original Fleetwoods was an appearance on American Bandstand and we are in luck.
Thanks to youtube, we will turn back the clock to the year 1959 -- I was seven years old.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Pacific Northwest's own #1 doo-wop act, the Fleetwoods from Olympia, Washington.
For more "Stories Behind the Music" click on the guitar
This blog, in my series on Pacific Northwest Music Legends, is the only one I will write featuring a person who is famous on the northwest music scene but not famous, specifically, as a musician. This man is a very important figure in northwest rock n' roll history. He was a star-maker during the 1950's, 1960's and into at least the 1970's. There is no question about it, he was the most famous, and powerful, disc jockey and radio professional, ever, in Washington State. I am talking Pat O' Day.
I lived on the west side of the mountains and grew up during the 1960's listening to AM Channel 95, KJR Seattle and Pat O' Day. If you have any interest in the formative years of rock music history, like crazy inside stories about early rock or radio, then Pat has written a book that you will love -- especially if you grew up listening to Pat. The cover from the book is below -- Pat with Jimi Hendrix on the cover.
Pat's story is interesting. As a youngster, relatively speaking, he worked as a deejay in Astoria, Oregon -- a small coastal town. Before long, he was hired at major market station, KJR, Seattle. This legendary radio station, under Pat's tutelage, become dominant in Seattle -- to this day no station has matched the audience share that KJR could deliver. Heck, I listened to it in Bellingham, 100 miles away. During Pat's reign, he developed some of the best air personalities of the rock era. Pat also broke regional songs, giving chart momentum to northwest artists. This man had power in the industry with the clout of KJR behind him. Pat also formed Concerts West. The firm promoted concerts for the most popular acts of that era. Jimi Hendrix was one of many performers contracted to Concerts West.
In Pat's book, "It Was All Just Rock n' Roll" he talked about meeting Jimi Hendrix for the first time. At the time, Pat was a KJR employee and also privately sponsoring teen dances in the Seattle area. There was a problem with amplifiers of that vintage. An amp would blow and it would create no end of problems for the bands who would then be down one instrument.
One day, a skinny kid at the dance told Pat that he had backup equipment in his car. If anything should happen during a concert, he would loan the band his backup equipment. The kid had one condition -- if that should ever happen, and they borrowed his gear, then he would get to "jam" with the band. The kid showed up at all the dances. One weekend, something met an untimely demise and this kid went out and brought in the backup equipment. As was agreed in advance, he was allowed to play along with the band.
Pat forgot all about that kid until, a few years later, he met the rising rock star Jimi Hendrix. Jimi, at that time, told Pat that he was that skinny kid from out of the past.
Pat is also famous for being an announcer of the unlimited hydroplane races in Seattle. To see a special on that 40 plus year career, along with footage dedicated to Pat's rock n' radio career, check out this video.
This will be an interesting tidbit for AR members: For several years now Pat has owned a real estate office in Friday Harbor on the gorgeous San Juan Islands. Here is his website and, if you have any inkling of interest in the formative years of rock n' roll or lived in the northwest during the glory days of KJR, read his book. I thought that it was great fun. And, of course, I was right!
We have a big sports event taking place in Whatcom County this year -- right now to be exact. The Veteran's Cup, a soccer tournament with 85 teams participating, has been going on since Wednesday and it will continue through Sunday. There are different brackets (age divisions) and teams from all over, and I mean all over, have arrived in Bellingham to play the game. Both men's and women's teams are participating and age is not a drawback. In fact, you cannot even play unless you are 30 or over and some of the teams are comprised of players who are 60 and over.
Talk about great participation, a world event, there are teams from Japan, Canada, Hawaii, Boston, Michigan, Utah, Illinois and other states. I attended today and all of the teams were playing with great vigor and making a sporting time of it, win or lose.
The weather was cooperating and beautiful. The teams are playing at the Northwest Soccer Park, a nice grassy field. To get there, drive north from Bellingham on Northwest Avenue. All the signs and cars will let you know that you have arrived at the big event. It is near the county planning office on Northwest Avenue. Food and concessions are being sold on-site.
Try to catch the fun, and watch a game, if you can.
Do any Active Rain members recognize this AR, and soccer, superstar?
The photo above, from Lucca, Italy, is one of the better looking carousels or merry go rounds that I have seen. This picture helps get a point across. Lately, reading the newspaper and even blogs here at active rain, many people are worried about their businesses. When things are tight, that is a logical reaction.
I spent many decades owning and operating a broadcasting corporation and, in that time, so many things changed in that industry -- good and bad -- that it makes current times look like merely a spring shower. Remember the late 1970's? Regardless, when I first got started owning a business and realized that I was responsible for feeding the families of my employees day in and day out, I received good advice from some wise old sages who had been through it all before. They knew the ins and outs of business and the heavy responsibility it can place on a person.
One man from Greece became affluent by starting a chain of restaurants. He described business best, in my view, and he put it this way: "Business is a dance. Sometimes you dance really well, other times you can barely put one foot in front of the other. When that happens, you just have to keep on dancing somehow. If you don't keep on dancing then you will go out of business. If you persevere, and keep on dancing despite the odds, you will succeed." By the way, this man is still doing well today, ten years after I sold my corporation to a conglomerate.
An owner of a car dealership said: "Some months I lose more money than I make -- just servicing all the loans on the inventory. There are other months where I rake in the bucks. The important thing, at least to the bank, is that I end up making more money by the end of the year than what I lost during the year."
One business man said: "Business marketing is like the ocean. On a daily basis you create goodwill and put all of your messages in bottles and put them in the ocean. Most of the bottles are lost forever, but some of them end up in the hands of people who need your services."
Since I posted the photo above, I will add my own custom message: "Business is like a merry go round. You have to keep on turning and doing what you can to make your services and products stronger during the difficult times. If you do that, you will be rewarded in better times."
This is another in a series of articles on Pacific Northwest music legends. So far, response has been good, so I plan to write more. Today's artist was not born or raised in Seattle. He moved to Seattle as a teen and considered the Seattle jazz scene of the 1940's as crucial in his development and career.
Ray Charles Robinson was born in Georgia but spent his childhood in Florida. Many music historians believe that the artist later known only as Ray Charles or The Genius, had more to do with changing music than any other performer. Step aside Dylan and the Beatles. Ray Charles combined gospel with blues and jazz, later country, and that was crucial to the development of early rock n' roll. Back then, music was segregated. There was music recorded for white kids and there was "race" music. The race music, played by African American artists like Ray Charles, is what the white kids wanted to hear. Their parents, on the other hand, wanted to limit exposure to those songs, except for a few race songs that were fed to them by white cover artists like Pat Boone. One of Ray's first national hits, and a true classic, combines all of those elements -- blues, jazz and gospel -- into a huge pop hit. This was Ray Charles at his best, early in his career.
Ray Charles lost his vision, undiagnosed glaucoma, when he was six years old. His mother sent him to a school for the blind in St Augustine Florida. Years passed, Charles did well at the school and then his mother died when he was 15. At 18, he had had enough of Florida and wanted to move. A map was put on the table and a line was drawn, one corner of the USA to the other, and Seattle was chosen as the destination.
A young lanky Charles played on Jackson Street, at Pioneer Square, for about two years. Part of that time he mimicked Nat King Cole, a big star of the era, and he was pretty good at it. But it was in Seattle that Charles began to meld together the different forms of music that would later be his legend. It is hard to believe, if you know Seattle now, but it was a real jazz town in the 1940's after the war. There were 30 jazz clubs and they were open 24 hours a day. All of the biggest stars dropped in to do their gigs, including Louis Armstrong.
Charles continued to work in Seattle and experiment with his music. In 1950, after having cut a record in Seattle that was not really a hit but it got the attention of bigger fish, Charles moved on to LA. He was billed as "the blind singing sensation". His first big hit landed in 1954 -- a 78 RPM recording called I Got A Woman. The tune was recorded with a seven piece band at a radio station. That was the beginning of a stellar career.
When Ray passed away in 2004, he was universally acclaimed as the genius. The video below, which is probably more jazz than blues, was always one of my favorite Ray Charles classics. I loved playing it on the radio, when I was a disc jockey. Realistically, music doesn't get much more original than the early cutting edge Ray Charles songs. This man was, perhaps more so than any other, the creator of the music that is now called rock n' roll.
