Another Spooky Neighborhood

An amazing Halloween display in Patrick's Faire, the adjacent neighborhood.

Chicago - Feeling Stronger Every Day

Legendary rock band Chicago, in session.  I love Peter Cetera's windmill motion. 

Maple Valley's Brandi Carlile To Appear On SNL

 Brandi Carlile, the Maple Valley native with the skyrocketing career, has been a frequent topic of this blog.  Her emergence in the music scene has somewhat paralleled our move to this area.  

Carlile will be appearing this weekend (Saturday, October 23rd) on SNL. Saturday Night Live alumni Jason Sudeikis is scheduled to host. 

Rolo To Sue University

Sources say Nick Rolovich will sue WSU over his firing this week.  In the lawsuit, Rolovich's attorney accuses Cougar athletic director Pat Chun of vindictive and  discriminatory behavior.   Such a sad ending for something that at one time showed so much promise. 

Spookiness In The Neighborhood

What I think is the best decorated house in Belmont Woods has blow up monsters and an opening coffin.

Rolovich Is Fired For Not Getting COVID Jab

 Nick Rolovich, whose Cougars have been rolling for the past three weeks, has been relieved of his duties for refusing to take the COVID vaccine.  The controversy, which has been swirling around since the Pac 12 Media Day, has divided Cougar fans more than any school issue in recent memory. 

Jake Dickert, the Cougar Defensive Coordinator will take over as interim head coach. 

Colin Powell Dead

 General Colin Powell, the four starred general who became our country's first African American Secretary Of State is dead at 84.  Powell had suffered from Covid 19, even though he was fully vaccinated.

Powell is one of the few national figures in recent times to get high respect from both Democrats And Republicans.

In 2011, Deb and I attended a seminar where General Powell spoke.

Beat Stanford

 The Washington State Cougars, winners of two in a row, take on the Stanford Cardinal in Pullman.  The game starts at 4:30 pm PDT.

Kraken Get Historic First Win

 The Seattle Kraken defeated the Nashville Predators for the first regular season win in it's history.  The final score, was 4-3, the same as it was in the team's first game against Las Vegas , but this time, Seattle's NHL expansion team was victorious. 

Although the Hockey season is long, this victory in only the second game, speaks volumes about the team's progress. 

The Kraken's next game is tomorrow (October 16th) against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Jim Moore Back On The Radio--Now With Sports Radio 950

 Popular area sports guy, Jim Moore is back on the air.  Moore whose everyman personality has endeared him to listeners and former readers, when he had his sports column in the Seattle P-I, was let go from 710 ESPN a year ago.   A recent column revealed a tense relationship between him and program director Mike Salk. 

Moore revealed on his Facebook page that he was accepting a position on Sports Radio 950  where he would join long time KJR radio host Jason Puckett in the 10-1 weekday radio spot.  

Both are Puckett and Moore are fellow Cougs. 

Walla Walla's Caprio Cellars Featured On WFNP Podcast

The Wine For Normal People podcast which is hosted by Elizabeth Schneider, featured Caprio Cellars owner Dennis Murphy.  Caprio Cellars is an estate winery based in Walla Walla.  

This is not the first time that a Walla  Walla Winery has been presented on the podcast.  The podcast, in previous episodes, has also covered Amavi/Pepperbridge and Sleight Of Hand

The aim of the podcast is to present the wine and winery culture in "layman's terms".  Schneider is based in Raleigh North Carolina.

Bye Bye Matt Amodio For Now

 Matt Amodio's 38 game Jeopardy winning streak ended last night, his winning totals are shown in the picture.  Matt will return to Jeopardy for the Tournament Of Champions.  Amodio is the third highest money winner in Jeopardy history.

Go Kraken!

 The Seattle Kraken begin it's first NHL season tonight (October 12th 2021)  against the Las Vegas Golden Knights at 7pm.   The game, in Las Vegas, will be shown live on ESPN. 

Gruden Resigns As Raiders Coach

 Jon Gruden, the iconic coach who is pretty much the face of The Raiders in the post LA years, has resigned his second stint as coach of the franchise. The resignation takes place after racist, homophobic, and misogynist emails by the coach over a ten year period have been uncovered. 

Kim Kardashian West Monologue - SNL

Well, didn't know what to post today, so I put this up.  Her monologue, some thought was funny, I didn't. 

Still, the show has continued its decades long tradition of having the headliners of the day, or the fairly recent past, hosting the show. 

Maple Valley Days--Fall Version

After missing Maple Valley Days in the Summer the last couple years due to the pandemic, a scaled down Autumn version was put on this weekend at Lake Wilderness Park.

Seahawks Will Miss Wilson For About 6 Weeks

 For the first time in about 10 years, the Seahawks will not have Russell Wilson as it's starting quarterback.  The engine behind the Seahawks success including a Super Bowl title and an almost annual appearence in post seasons, will be out for probably 6 weeks. 

Wilson had started every regular season game since joining the franchise, defying an amazing number of brutal sacks that he had taken through the years. 

His 149 consecutive starts is 6th amongst all NFL quarterbacks. Geno Smith, who looked impressive at times  in the Seahawks loss to the Rams, will guide the team in Wilson's absence. 

Go Cougs!

 The Cougars take on the Oregon State Beavers this afternoon (October 9th, 2021) at 1 pm.

Back Up Quarterback Geno Smith Impressive Replacing Ailing Wilson

 

Yes, Russell Wilson has a backup quarterback.  The Seahawks lost to the Rams 26-17 tonight but there biggest loss was the loss they dreaded the most, Wilson was injured. Wilson had previous only missed play in three games due to injury.

Geno Smith, who probably the majority of Seahawks fans hadn't heard of  due to Wilson's durability, came in to the game and led a  march down the field for a Seahawk touchdown.  

Smith is number 7 in the picture above.  There is so far, no word on the severity of Wilson's injury, which reportedly was the middle finger of his throwing hand.

Smith finished the day going 10 for 17, gaining 131 yards.  He did however throw a late game interception that sealed the victory for the Rams.

King County Council Member Lambert Under Fire

Even if the mailer is not meant to be racist, from what I can see, it's plain wrong.  Sarah Perry, whom I got to know with my work in the 5th Legislative District Democrats, is sensible, reasonable and a real people person. I don't even think she was a Sanders supporter, but that's beside the point.

I am surprised that Kathy Lambert put this out for a couple of reasons.

Number one, although she is definitely a Conservative Republican, she seems like a very respectable person.  I've met her in person and interacted with her on Facebook and she always seemed reasonable.

Number two, I don't think this helps her in any way.  I think voters do not like this campaign, those who would be influenced by something like this, would probably have voted for her anyway.  

Generally "hit pieces" are put out by groups either supporting a campaign or opposing a campaign. 

The 6 County Council members who identify as Democrats (it's a non-partisan body), issued a joint statement calling for Lambert to apologize. 

Mitch Levy Interviews On Local Podcast

I had not heard of the Seattle Sports Union podcast, but Mitch Unfiltered podcast co-host Mitch Levy promoted it on his latest episode.  Levy is a guest on this installment and gives his insight into his days hosting the morning show on 950 KJR.  

Dave Sims calling Mitch Haniger's single in the 8th: what a night, what ...

Dave Sims calling a great come from behind hit from the Seattle Mariners.  Sadly, the Mariners could not replicate that magic in the following game, but let's remember the good times.

Piff The Magic Dragon

 Piff The Magic Dragon performed Saturday night at the Snoqualmie Casino.  A British man, with an acerbic sense of humor, a keen sleight of hand, and a ridiculous looking dragon suit,  Piff and his dog, Mr Piffles has gone from placing high on the summer TV talent show America's Got Talent to having his own room at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. 

Piff, along with his female assistant and his dog, Mr Piffles, did a two hour show using audience members, and many crowd pleasing tricks.  

5 Man Electrical Band - Signs | REACTION

This gentlemen's channel feature's his interpretations of classic rock songs.  I can't resist this one from the early 70s. Five Man Electrical Band's Signs. 

Twenty Years Ago

 Deb and I pose with gladiators at the Colosseum in Rome.  We took our first trip across the Atlantic in late September  of  2001 with Deb's mom, uncle, aunt, cousins, and guests.  

We spent the first couple days in Rome, then stayed in Lucca for the remainder of the trip.  We visited Florence, Cinque Terre, and Siena. 

Mariners Are Red Hot

Fans celebrate the Mariners 4-2 victory over the Oakland A's. It was the fourth victory in a row for the M's, who have now won 9 of the last ten games. 

With a handful of games left, the M's are just a half game back in the wild card race.

The team has not been to the playoffs since 2001.

Wish Me Luck

Sports fans in the area can now bet on NFL games, as well as a variety of other sports (if you bet on the Mariners making the playoffs, you could wind up winning big).

On my day off, I drove to Snoqualmie Casino, where I bet on three games, none of them involving the Seahawks.

This Sunday, I will find out how I did.

Shatner Going Into Space?

 He's not an astronaut, but he played one on TV. However, multiple sources say 90 year old actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in Star Trek, has been chosen to go on a space flight on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin in October.  

At 90, Shatner would be the oldest to enter what was famously referred to on the show as "The Final Frontier."

Happy Birthday

 I'm still missing my Dad who would have been 92 today.  

Autumn In Maple Valley

Fall is here. One of the prettier trees in the neighborhood 

Matt Amodio Becomes Jeopardy! Millionaire

 He has lasted through many guest hosts and one hosting controversy, but Matt Amodio won his 28th Jeopardy! game and became the third contestant to hit one million dollars in winnings. 

Amodio, who is a PHD student from New Haven, Connecticut, joins Jeopardy! legends Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer as fellow million dollar winners, however, Amodio is the first to cross that milestone since the passing of host Alex Trebek. 

Plant Life Rejuvenates On Pipeline Trail

So to those who say reading this blog is like watching the grass grow, we show you this. ...

Actually, I'm amazed with how quick green grass came in where a serious fire burned a sizable chunk of the field, last month.

Old KYYX Radio Ad

 This old KYYX ad from the early 1980s, feature's the station's unlimited hydroplane, the Miss KYYX.     The driver of the boat, was Brenda Jones, whom, I believe, became the first woman to race on the circuit. Further discussion revealed that Jones was the first woman to race after World War 2.

 Thank you to Garry, for posting this on the KYYX Facebook site. 

Mariners Win 82nd--Clinch Winning Record

 In the last few weeks of the season, the Mariners have clinched a winning season, after the team's 82nd victory of the 162 game season.  Seattle beat the A's 5-2 last night. It will be the first winning season for the team since 2018.

With 11 games left, the Mariners are three games back for  a wild card spot in the MLB playoffs. 

Stan Barer, '63, Gates Volunteer Service Award 2021

Congratulation to Stan for winning the Gates Volunteer Service Award. 

 I learned quite a bit about our family's history just with this video.  

Q13 Personality MJ McDermott Announces Retirement

Legendary Seattle TV meteorologist  MJ McDermott has announced that she is retiring from doing the morning forecasts. on Fox Q13.

McDermott, a viewer favorite because of her friendly delivery, has been with the station for almost 19 years, the last 18 on the morning show.

McDermott said she plans to sign off on October 1st, but may stay a little longer to help train her replacement, Brian MacMillan, who is currently working in Portland. 

One Of Those Football Weekends

 Tough football weekend for me as both the Cougars and Seahawks blew what seemed to be safe leads and lost their respective games.  

No Available Help Closes Area Starbucks

The area seems to be hit with a labor shortage, which can be as bad as unemployment. 

At the Starbucks at Four Corners in Maple Valley, only the drive through was open.

The note pictured above was on the door.

Go Cougs

 This week, the WSU Cougars are home taking on the USC Trojans.  The Trojans are coming off an ugly loss to Stanford that resulted in the firing of head coach Clay Helton.  

WSU beat Portland State last week for it's first victory of the season. 

The game begins this afternoon (Saturday, September 18th) at 12:30 pdt. 

Happy Blue Friday!

 Seahawks take on the Tennessee Titans this Sunday at 1pm at Lumen Field.

Yom Kippur

 

15 Year Old Is Charged In Death Of Maple Valley Jogger

 The Seattle Times reports that the July death of Greg Moore, whe was jogging near Maple Valley, may not have been an accident,  but rather the results of an attempt to "scare and bump" the man.  

A 15 year old, who turned herself in last week, is charged with felony murder and hit and run. 

Seattle To Host All Star Game In 2023

The Seattle Times reports the the 2023 All Star Game will be played at T Mobile Park. 

It will be the first Mid Summer Classic to be played in Seattle since 2001.

This will be the third time for Seattle to host the game and the second time since the team moved to it's open air stadium.

Lake Tahoe Ski Area Will Change Name

 Squaw Valley, the Lake Tahoe ski resort is changing it's name.  The term "squaw" has been determined to be racist and misogynist according to the resort.  The resort is now known as Palisades Tahoe.  

Many people say what is the big deal about this or that name,  it is usually from people that are not of that culture,  perhaps, we should do a better job of putting ourselves in other's shoes.  Would we be happy with any name that would be potentially hurtful to any of us?  "Pale Face Road"?  This is not to say that I support every name or symbol change, but before we get angry, let's look at all that's involved.  We need to look also at how Native Americans have been depicted through the years and how that effects self esteem and whatnot.      

I believe that the resort is a commercial venture, so they are free to do as they wish.  Either way, I'm sure the skiing will be just as good. 

Hey It's Luke Willson

Retired Seahawk tight end Luke Walker, looking more like the lead singer in a rock band, than an ex player, filled in for Walter Jones on King 5's 5th Quarter yesterday.

The popular ex Seahawk was commenting on the Seahawks victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Jim Moore Speaks Out In Local News Column

 It's now been a week, but  Jim Moore, until last November, a host on 710ESPN, made waves in a column that he wrote for the News Tribune.   The local sports station had just had more lay-offs and it was announced that Mike Salk, who along with broadcast partner, Brock Huard, left the air to do an occasional podcast, was returning (without Huard) to the morning show.  

Moore, knowing that it could endanger his career in the industry, decided to speak out about a specific incident between him and Salk, who was Moore's boss, that set in motion events that predicated his dismissal from the station.  

Thank you to pugetsound.media for the heads-up on this report. 

Go Seahawks!

 Seattle Seahawks start the 2021 season today against the Colts!

20th Anniversary of 9/11

 I remember it well. 

Kool And The Gang At Muckleshoot

What a fun week, just two days removed from a vacation, we watched the classic R&B group Kool  And The Gang at the Muckleshoot Events Center in Auburn. 

Dinner At Budd's Broiler--Tri Cities 5

On our Last evening on vacation, we had dinner at Budd's Broiler, just down the walkway from our hotel.  We enjoyed a great meal and a gorgeous sunset.

Water 2 Wine Cruise Richland--Tri Cities 4

On Labor Day, Deb and I took the Water2Wine Cruise from just outside the place we were staying,  It was fun and the food is good.

The Lodge Richland--Tri Cities 3

The Lodge At Columbia Point is not only on the shore of the Mighty Columbia River, but also connects to a great walking/bike riding trail that is along the river bank. 

Tri Cities 2

This is what our windshield liked like as we arrived.  There were thousands of insects flying into our windshield and grill. 

Driving the car was dangerous and likely illegal.

The next day (Sunday), we found an open car wash, where we had to drive through twice to get the car totally clean 

Chicago At Chateau Ste Michelle August 28, 2021

On last snippet from the Chicago Concert.  

Labor Day Weekend In The Tri Cities

Two years ago, returning from Walla Walla, we spent a night at The Lodge at Columbia Point.  

This Labor Day Weekend, we returned.  I will share some of that trip in the next few days.

L'Shana Tovah

 

Have a happy and safe New Year!

Happy Labor Day

 

More Chicago

A little snippet of last week's concert.  From Saturday, August 28th, 2021.

Grand Opening Of Kraken Iceplex

 Ice Skating this close to summer?  The new Kraken Community Iceplex  will have it's grand opening on September 10th-12th and the public is invited to skate at the new facility.

The Venue is the new NHL team, the Seattle Kraken's  practice facility and is located at the newly redeveloped Northgate Mall. 

Fans who want to skate must register online.    Registration costs 15 dollars to register and an addition 5 dollars to skate. 

Mentink Becomes First Woman Ever To Be Color Commentator On Mariner Broadcast

 

Congrats to Angie Mentink, who after years of being Mariner on field reporter, broadcast host, and a network sports anchor, became the first woman ever to be color commentator on team's game broadcast.

Mentink in the booth for one game this past week.

The former professional softball player,  is a cancer survivor and has endured some silly on camera events.

Angie has always brought great dimension to the broadcast, earning my nickname for her, the golden girl of Summer.