lummi island wine tasting feb 10 ’23
Hours this weekend: Open 3:30- 5:30 pm Friday Only
Our current plan is to be open Fridays only through February.
Covid (and a bunch of other winter bugs) is still around, more contagious than ever, but far less threatening for the vaccinated.
We all have our own comfort zones; these days we all have to manage the space around us in our own way. Just be mindful of the risks, thanks.
Friday Bread This Week
Breton Bread– Made with pre-fermented dough in which a portion of the flour, water, salt & yeast are mixed and fermented overnight before preparing the final dough, which incorporates the flavors of the French Breton region by using buckwheat and rye flour and sel gris -the grey sea salt from the region that brings more mineral flavors to this bread. Goes great with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf
Spelt Levain — Chocolate Croissants – a traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough to create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. Quantities are limited so get your order in early so you don’t miss out – 2/$5 – $5/loaf
…and pastry this week…
Chocolate Croissants – a traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough and create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. – 2/$5
To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.
Wine of the Week: Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’20 Spain $18
Marques de Caceres is a long-established winery in Rioja, and their wines have been marketed all over the US for a long time. Their basic reds are decent and inexpensive, and it is likely you have tasted them many times over the years.
This one is a little different, farmed and produced organically. Many of us got to taste it two weeks ago when Judy was here with her sample bag. We all found it delicious, intriguing, and affordable, with a array of subtle aromas and flavors (and everyone wanted some! The good news is it’s here; the bad news is we only got six bottles (which many producers consider a “case.” Oops!
So come by and try it again (or for the first time) this weekend. Sorry, limit one per household while they last, but definitely taking orders for more that should be here next weekend!
Economics of the Heart: The County Strikes Back
courtesy cnbc
Well, our little moment of ferry fare euphoria two weeks ago got a couple of rude slaps in the face at this week’s LIFAC meeting. At the moment there is a mixed bag of goings-on that is something of a challenge to sort out.
The contract between the County and we the people who depend on the ferry to cross that short mile between the Island and the mainland is succinctly laid out in Whatcom County Code 10.34.005. Public Works accounting staff are now doubling down on their unique blurring of any distinctions between operating costs and capital costs to the extent they propose to amend the statute to make it clear that, hey, really, when you think about it there’s no real distinction between them, right?
Well, sorry, but we have different rules on our planet. The central issue here is not whether a cost is capital or not, it is whether it is “regular and routine” or not in respect to the ordinary meanings of the words. “Regular and routine maintenance” is repetitive, cyclical, and predictable in time and in magnitude. The clear intent of the statute is to exclude expenses of unusual magnitude or frequency from inclusion as a fare box liability. Those expenses, whatever you call them, belong in the Road Fund and should be paid from general taxation.
A second item of note regards a brief statement near the bottom of the statute: If in any given year the actual fare box recovery rate exceeds 55 percent, the excess revenue shall be retained in the ferry system fund and applied to future operating costs.
This “ferry fund” is a sort of informal account that keeps track of the relationship between calculated operating costs in a given year and the revenue provided from the “fare box,” which is 55% of the amount paid in fares. In any year that fare revenue exceeds 55% of operating costs, a surplus is recorded and carried over to the next year. For several years until 2020, there was a surplus, and only since 2020 have there have been deficits due to traffic reduction. Even so, at present the balance of this “ferry fund” is around $2.5 million in surplus.
As the statute is written, in any year that ends with a deficit, any carried-over surplus from previous years is transferred to cover or reduce any deficit for the current year. In the current case, the fund is more than adequate to cpver any deficit this year (even the illegal costs mentioned above). Curiously, County calculations appear not to have applied this very large ferry fund surplus in their calculations as required in the statute. Why in the world should we need to increase fares when there is such a substantial reserve balance in the ferry fund and which statute requires be tapped first? No explanation has been provided.
Finally, it is true that fare revenue has fallen during Covid, and some of the revenue anxiety at the Ferry Dept. stems from the assumption that ridership will not increase as the economy opens up. One has to step back for a moment, take a deep breath, and think about that. People have been cooped up at home for three years. Our Canadian residents have only recently been able to cross the border and come “home” to Lummi very recently after a very long border closing. People are ready to pop out of their long winter cocoons.
As winter moves into spring, and as long as Covid remains as controllable as at present, then life, travel, and vacations will resume, and our traffic will build back up. This is a far more realistic expectation than to suppose that ridership will not bounce back. LIFAC is recommending a summer fare surcharge be instituted between Memorial Day and Labor Day (more or less) for cash travelers ( it would not apply to punch card holders!). This is a good idea that would add a new revenue source to ease the burden on our commuting neighbors.
The takeaway to think about here is this: If we have a) a big chunk of change in our ferry fund to pay our expenses, (b) remove the massive (and illegal) capital improvement expenses from the fare box, and (c) add a new revenue stream with a summer surcharge...why in the world would we need to raise fares at all right now?
If you are concerned about these issues, you best bet is to tell the County Council (and perhaps the County Executive) via email and post your thoughts on Nextdoor and elsewhere. LIFAC has little political will or traction, and Public Works seems to be marooned in some alternate reality. The first priority is to confront the illegality of charging the fare box for major expenses that belong in the Road Fund.
Stay tuned…
This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting
MAN Chenin Blanc ’21 South Africa $11
Using only free-run juice preservea a clean and natural character, refreshing acidity, and delicious ripe fruit flavors and aromas of quince, pear and pineapple. On the palate, fresh stonefruit and apple flavors are backed by refreshing acidity, minerality and a pleasing, rounded mouthfeel.
Marques de Caceres Rioja Red Blend Organica ’21 Spain $18
75% Tempranillo, 25% Graciano; many of you got to taste a sample two weeks ago and we all found it delicious, intriguing, and affordable and wanted some. The good news is it’s here; the bad news is we only have six bottles (more on order), so one per household this weekend while they last, more next week!
Sineann Merlot ’19 Washington $28
Deep and dark, with nose of red berries, a siren song of tobacco and chocolate, typical tannic structure, and elegant balsamic notes; well-balanced and soft, pairing well with well-seasoned meats, sauces, and companions.
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2072 Granger Way