Friday, December 30, 2011

2011--As Seen From Barers Of Maple Valley


So where did it all go?  The year passed by so quickly, and yet a year that was ending so darkly managed to pick up on a positive note in just a couple of weeks.  As we do every year, we look at the good, the bad, the sad and the glad of 2011

JANUARY   In spite of a losing season, the Seattle Seahawks win the division and got the daunting task of facing the 2010 Super Bowl  Champion New Orleans Saints in round 1.  My friend, Louie called with an extra ticket, so I was able to join him and his family at what was then called Qwest Field.  Marshawn Lynch ran for an electrifying 62 yard touchdown and the Seahawks upset the Saints 41-36! 
The 5th District Democrats reorganized and Jim Baum was picked to chair.  I was picked again to represent the 5th on the State Central Committee.
For the second year, I attended the Hutchinson Awards at Safeco Field.  Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson was the recipient.

FEBRUARY  We will start with what was not on the blog, for the first time in six years, I did not blog episodes of The Apprentice. It was nice to where I could just watch and not have to worry about a write up. We took at winter trip to the Palm Springs area, where a cancelled flight made us arrive too late to see a show with my Dad and Jean.  The weather was not great either, we did have the penthouse of the Trend West property and it had a hot tub on the deck.
  I wrote on the guest book of "Outlaw Radio" and got my name mentioned several times by the host.  It was during "Charlie Sheen" controversy time and I stated my opinion on the situation on the "so called" guest book, then I listened to the show.  My Cousin, Burl, appears weekly on the show heard every Saturday at 3:00 pm Pacific Time.
I wrote about the Covington eatery 2Seven2, which had live music and great food.  Unfortunately, the restaurant was gone in a few more months.

MARCH  The Cougar Men's Basketball team did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but made accepted an invitation to the NIT, they went to the semi-finals. 
The family got together at Newcastle Golf Course to celebrate my Uncle Arny's 75th birthday,  the Sunday brunch was highlighted by a good natured "roast" by my uncle's two sons, Joe and Sam.  Former Seattle Super Sonics owner and international billboard magnate Barry Ackerly passed away as did film legend Elizabeth Taylor.

April  I get a letter from a reader saying he may have a tape of the KUJ sign off from the 1960s, I had readers asking about it since I had written a nostalgia piece about the station in July of 2009.
 The Seattle Mariners won their opening day game. 
For the second year in a row, a KJR traffic reporter left the station.  Nina Hajian took a job as morning co-host in Sacramento.  Seattle Seahawks tapped Alabama Left Tackle James Carpenter as it's first pick in the NFL draft.

May  Word gets out the Osama Bin Laden has been killed by U.S. Forces, America celebrates.  The coveted KUJ sign off is found and posted.  We have a yard sales at the house and end the month spending an afternoon at the Mariners game with nephews Ethan and Connor.

June  KIRO TV sent a crew to film at The UPS Store in Crossroads,  Debra is interviewed,  the segment is for a morning show known as "Better Northwest".  The segment aired in early July.
Also Barers Of Maple Valley had a record 576 hits in one day as Hockey fans were excited about the Stanley Cup Finals.

July We watched the Little River Band at an outdoor concert at the Snoqualmie Casino.
My nephew Ethan's Little League team went deep into the play-offs.
 My wife surprised me with a birthday party at Lake Sammamish Park.
The Seattle Seahawks announced that they will not renew quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's contract.  Hasselbeck wound up going to the Tennessee Titans.  Fans were not pleased.

August  We watched the GoGos at an outdoor concerts at the Woodland Park Zoo.  Vacationed in Long Beach Washington and attended Cousin Jessica's Bat Mitzvah.

September  We took the in-laws for their first visit to the wineries in Walla Walla over the Labor Day Weekend, this blog adapts a new lay-out, and Rusty retains his title as "Savvy Senior" at the University Village "Fido Fest". 

October  Pop Culture Icons Steve Jobs and Al Davis pass away. 
We visit the Cedar River Watershed and get a guided tour on a random Sunday drive.
 I wrote several nostalgia pieces on Walla Walla. 

November  Connor Halladay turns in a brilliant performance to lead the Washington  State Cougars to a victory over Arizona State, unfortunately, Halladay would suffer a serious injury in the next game. Sports Radio KJR announced that it would simulcast on FM, making it possible to hear the broadcast more clearly in Maple Valley.  We watched the Beatles tribute band Creme Tangerine perform at the Crossroads Mall food court.

December  The moment we dreaded, our precious Golden Retriever who brought us so much joy, got his angel wings.  Customers at the store who adopted Rusty into their hearts, sent flowers, cards, thoughts, prayers and well wishes that gave us strength in a time of great loss.  On Christmas eve, Deb surprised me and the rest of our family with a new Golden puppy and now we go into 2012 with a new beginning.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Anderson To Seek Lt Governor Position

The Sno Valley Star, is reporting that Washington State  5th District House Member Glenn Anderson will now be seeking the office of Lieutenant Governor, a post that has been held by Brad Owen since 1996.  In Washington, Lt Governor has few duties and is not really considered a stepping stone to the position of Governor.   Anderson's decision to seek statewide office may be partly due to the uncertainty of redistricting.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

5th District's Glenn Anderson To Hang It Up

The Sammamish Review reports that Glenn Anderson will be leaving the Washington State Legislature where he represented the 5th in the House Of Representatives.   Anderson has represented the district since 2000.   He ranked 13th in seniority in seniority. Anderson's representation, although very unpopular with progressive leaning constituents, has rarely been challenged in the mostly conservative,   primarily rural district representing South Eastern King County.  He did face a tough race in 2008, a Democratic year across the nation, to then upstart David Spring.  A rematch between Anderson and Spring, 2 years later, proved to be a landslide victory for Anderson.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Dasher Joins The Family



It's all smiles again at our Maple Valley home as 6 week old Dasher joined our family.  Deb had been working at getting the dog secretly for a few weeks and surprised me this last Saturday with the beautiful pup.  Dasher has been adjusting well to his new home.

Friday, December 23, 2011

New Cougar Coach Introduced

The Washington State Cougars easily defeated the Pepperdine Wave in the annual Cougar Hardwood Classic.   The Cougs play one game every December at the Key in Seattle, they later play at least one game against U-Dub.  The highlight of the evening was the introduction of newly named football coach Mike Leach (above right), who addressed the crowd at halftime

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The UPS Store In Crossroads



If you haven't seen me here often, it's because this year's holiday season at The UPS Store in Crossroads, Bellevue, has been a total success.  Some of the cool things that we have packed and shipped, a King Crab from the TV show "The Deadliest Catch". Also shipped was an autographed ball by Yankee pitcher Don Larson and catcher Yogi Berra from the only perfect game pitched in World Series history.

Happy Hanukkah

Monday, December 12, 2011

Saturday, December 10, 2011

A Toy Burl Barer

Burl Barer, true crime writer, former Seattle radio DJ, etc, etc recently unveiled a bobble head version of him on his facebook page, the picture was shared by relatives including myself.  You can hear Burl, Saturdays on Outlaw Radio at3pm PST.

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

So Long, Sweet Dog

Our sweet Golden Retriever, Rusty has left us today at 16, he had been increasingly ill since early last month.  We adopted Rusty from the animal shelter in Tacoma in 1998.  He had been coming to The UPS Store in Crossroads for many years, winning the hearts of customers, some who came just to see him.   When my wife worked at nursing homes, Rusty helped with pet therapy.  He was a two time winner at the University Village's Fido Fest winning savy senior.  This year, he was also picked as fan favorite.  He has a fan page on facebook with 80 members. Rusty enjoyed morning walks around the neighborhood with his Dad.

Monday, December 05, 2011

Hall Welcomes The Late Ron Santo



Seattle native and legendary 3rd Baseman Ron Santo has been elected by the Veteran's committee to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.  Santo played for a Chicago Cub team that may have been the best team ever to not play in post season, the fact that Santo did not play in the post season could have factored into him being passed up 18 times for enshrinement.  Santo played for the National League All Star team, a team that I remember as a consistent winner 9 times.  He was a winner of 5 gold gloves.  As a hitter, he belted 342 homers during his career.
Santo was an extremely popular radio analyst for the Cubs for over two decades.  He died almost exactly a year ago from complications from bladder cancer.

Saturday, December 03, 2011

History Of Seattle's Iconic Radio Station KJR

Seattle Radio History - 950AM (KJR) from Twisted Scholar on Vimeo.

My cousin, Burl Barer makes a couple of appearences (in pictures) in this great narrative on the history of Seattle radio station KJR. Also look for a quick snap of current KJR sports talk host Mike Gastineau. Most people will recognize Pat O'Day.

Friday, December 02, 2011

Lynch Goes In Beast Mode Against Eagles

Seattle Seahawk Marshawn Lynch is rapidly turning into one of the NFL's most exciting players.  Last night, Lynch ran for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns as the 'Hawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles 31-14 in a nationally televised Thursday night match up.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Mike Leach Named New Cougar Coach

Former Texas Tech  coach Mike Leach  will now run the football program at Washington State University.  Leach will replace Paul Wulff, who was fired this week after the Cougs lost to Washington in the Apple Cup to top off a disappointing 4 and 8 season.   It was the best season of Wulff's tenure, and the team had shown improvement, however, with new television revenue available, Athletic Director Bill Moos felt that big changes were needed to bring the Cougars to a level to where they could compete and win nationally.
Leach  was 84-43 at Texas Tech, with 10 bowl appearances.  Cougar fans are hoping that Leach can do for Washington State, what Mike Holmgren did for the Seattle Seahawks.  Holmgren got the NFL 'Hawks into the Super Bowl in the 2005-2006 season.