For sale: Castle, slightly used

If you’re in the market for a new house and you’ve got a generous budget, you might consider something historic, such as a 14th-century abode in Transylvania known as “Dracula’s Castle” for its ties to the warlord who inspired Bram Stoker’s novel.

The castle could go for more than $135 million, but only to someone who “will treat the property and its history with appropriate respect,” the owner says — i.e., someone who loves bats and hates garlic.

Loyal Buzz readers may recall a recent edition in which we poked fun at Washington’s odd state symbols, such as the state gem: petrified wood.

But our state’s quirks pale in comparison to those of our neighbor to the south, where the Oregon Legislature was asked to name an official state dirt, as about 20 other states have.

Opponents minced no words in criticizing the proposal, calling it “a dumb idea.” Sullen soil lovers issued a two-word response: “Eat dirt.”

Soil is definitely not a source of celebration for a contractor that lost one excavator in an Ebey Island mud pit while trying to free another machine. They’re not giving up, but should they fail, the preserved remains will make a great candidate for the state fossil if future generations tire of the mammoth.