Valerie Easton: We appreciate your fine writing, the photographs and drawings that color your work — in the main paper and in Pacific Northwest. I have saved many of them to glance at and for a guide for my husband's retirement gardening projects.

Most of the gardens that you show are far beyond our space, but you present so many wonderful ideas. My husband has never gardened, except for the heavy lifting for planting trees when we moved into our home in the mid '60s and helping to collect native plants from the wilds in our region. In retirement, he has redone the drainage and has installed a complex irrigation system, and he is making planters and other items — digging up plants from my daughter's garden and making plans for other spots. Thank you for your writing. It is refreshing to read your work.

— Pamela Toelle
Bellevue

I take exception to the letter in the Pacific Northwest magazine of Feb. 16 by Sandy Berlin entitled, "Fair City No More."

If Ms. Berlin decides to move away, my reaction is "all the more for me!" but I object to her poorly stated reasons and vague innuendos. The first thing that caught my eye was "city monies have gone to social causes" — good Lord! I hope so! She apparently doesn't approve of "social causes," a euphemism for helping the poor or minorities.

The next thing was "this city is difficult to move around in." Has she ever taken the bus? Actually, it is quite easy to get around the city using the free surface and tunnel bus systems. I can catch a bus just north of the University District, ride it to the convention center stop, make my weekly visit to the library, walk or ride down to downtown stores, then to the public market, and on the way home, take a look at the latest exhibit at the art museum before getting on a bus going north at Benaroya Hall.

Her key statement, of course is "jump in a car on a moment's notice and take off to events" — in Anacortes?! I know Anacortes fairly well, and I can't imagine any event to compare to the museums, galleries, performing arts, parks, zoo and aquarium in Seattle — or any city.

But yes, the key phrase is "jump in a car." Some people just can't think of anything else to do. Despite the beauty of the city and its cultural amenities, my pleasure here is in being able to walk or take the bus. I live close-in for that very reason.

I can walk to the grocery store and can't think of many attractive places to live in Anacortes where I could also walk to the store. The natural world, contrary to Ms. Berlin's statement, is easily available to me. A walk in Ravenna Park, Carkeek Park, Interlaken or Discovery Park lets you forget you are in the city, and the arboretum is a special pleasure.

What really got my steam up is Ms. Berlin's statement "Sound Transit being pushed down our throats when so few want it." We voted for it! (unlike the stadium), which means a majority, not "so few."

I have voted for every light-rail ballot issue, and I can hardly wait for it to be built. I have seen what light rail has done for Portland and San Francisco, and I want it for our city. Part of what makes Portland enjoyable is its light-rail system.

Don't get me wrong. I now live on a busy street that was not a busy street when we moved here in 1961. I hate the traffic. If Ms. Berlin gets out of town and I get to use light rail, "traffic" won't be a problem to either of us.