Don Douglass and wife Lynn McDonald-Douglass understand "niche market." They've lived one since 1977 at their Christmas Creek Tree Farm in North Bend.

Don Douglass, owner of Christmas Creek Tree Farm in North Bend, drives the tractor pulling the hay ride. He and his wife, Lynn McDonald-Douglass, have owned the 35 acre farm since 1977.

Don Douglass likes to point out the surrounding mountains as well as various attractions at the farm.

Don Douglass works on the leader of a noble fir at his tree farm to make sure the top grows straight.

Lynn answers a question about when Santa would be coming to Christmas Creek Tree Farm. "He's at church right now, but he'll be here afterwards," she said.

A mural by Dick Burhann -- portraying characters in books -- adds a sense of character to the North Bend Public Library.

Art Skolnik watches over a 10-day-old colt at his Rosebud River Ranch in North Bend. Skolnik is heading a commission to revitalize downtown North Bend.

Rob and Julie Worcester, with sons Trenton, 4, and Trevor, 7, in front of the historic home they rent in North Bend. The home was built in 1908.

Concentration is the name of the game as 96-year-old Lydia Hoke plays Scrabble with Elder Kelly Williams, a volunteer at the Adult Day Health program at the North Bend Senior Center.

Five-year-old Becky Banning smiles beneath a reading light in the North Bend branch of the King County Library.

Judy Hoeschen and her son Greg walk their pygmy goats up the Mt. Si trail on a rainy, muddy day. The Hoeschens traveled from Gig Harbor for the hike. The trail is one of the most popular in the state, attracting tens of thousands of hikers every year.

Coach Norman Warren works with gymnast Thomas Batton at Mt. Si Gymnastics in North Bend.

David and Gretchen Dewire, and their cat, pose with a 25-year-old Korean Hornbeam at Mt. Si Bonsai, a business they run in North Bend.

The welcome sign at North Bend, cut in the shape of neighboring Mount Si, is as solid as Jim Johnson's lineage to the town's past.

Dmitry Yagolnikov, who immigrated from Estonia seven years ago, has opened a shoe repair business in North Bend.

The Cascade Mountains loom over trucks parked at Ken's Truck Town in North Bend. The business was started by Ken Rogers in 1941, and today is run by family members.