Just a few things

I thought I'd mention my growing area -
Um... I have a plank of wood just slightly elevated from the ground. Ground cover is mulch. By mulch I mean bark. And by 'just slightly elevated' I mean the plank of wood is sitting on top of a couple of 2 inch thick wood things. Basically it's just leftover wood from the summer, when we tore out my mom's deck and built her a new deck.
The growing area is off to the side of the house, fully exposed to the elements. Well, okay, it's somewhat blocked off by the house, but I mean there's no fencing. No shade cloth. No automated watering system. Nothing complicated. The biggest problem is going to be the deer. They come into town during the summer to nibble on whatever is growing. The weather here is very mild. Last summer it didn't get too hot, so I don't think there will be a problem with the sun being too strong, like Phoenix. Plus it rains a lot. Not as much as across the sound (Seattle), but still a lot more rain than Phoenix. I kept the azaleas, crab apples, and mugo pine watered with a simple watering can. It did get a bit dry in August, but that just meant I had to water every couple of days. Really no big deal.
Have I mentioned where Port Angeles, WA is? Well, if you know where Seattle is, you know that there's this peninsula to the west and a bit north. That's 'the peninsula'. Port Angeles is on the peninsula, about an hour east of Forks. Yeah Forks, where 'Twilight' was supposed to take place. Port Angeles is just south of Canada, across the strait from Victoria, British Columbia; about 23 miles I think. The closest other town is Sequim, about 15 miles east. The closest shopping mall is about a 90 minute drive east, in Silverdale. The area is known for its excellent dungeness crab (Dungeness Bay is is Sequim), great salmon fishing, and *GREAT* hiking trails. There's camping everywhere, and the well known Crescent Lake is less than 40 minutes away. Logging industry used to be pretty big, but not so much anymore. Not much in the way of industry, so not much in the way of good jobs. Yes, there are lumberjacks here. During the height of summer, it doesn't get dark until almost midnight, with the sun coming up around 4 am. Lots of light, perfect weather for growing pumpkins, I think. Right now the sun comes up about 8am and it gets dark by 4:30. Winter time is rest time. The cold isn't too bad, and the rain is more of a drizzle; sometimes a constant drizzle, so even the brief daylight that we get is pretty dreary.
I think I already mentioned that Japanese maples are used a lot around here for landscaping. Ditto for azaleas. I think I'll have good luck with the 'classic' bonsai subjects. There's not a lot of resources for bonsai material. I have yet to find a good nursery for trees. I'm sure there's some shops in Seattle that sell bonsai pots and bonsai nurseries, but Seattle is at least 3 hours away. There is a bonsai club that meets in Sequim, but they meet on Tuesdays, and I have to work. I've also tried to find a local pottery studio, but no success. Maybe I'll be able to get some studio time at a college, or some local art center. I'll keep trying. Maybe I'll be able to trade some of my seedlings and pottery for other bonsai supply. Persistence. Perseverance.
Alright, that's that for now.