Boeing Classic Random Pictures

Well I promised you pictures, and while it is impossible to get the golfers to turn around and "say cheese", I managed to get some random shots around the TCP Snoqualmie Ridge course.

Top picture is the Snoqualmie train, an attraction in itself. Next would be the driving range, I believe that is Hale Irwin warming up. below that, Jim Thorp is ready to tee off. Next picture down, Gary Player is ready to tee off. Bottom is on the fairway of the 10th hole.

5th District Democrats To Picnic

The Washington 5th District Democrats have their picnic today (August 30) from noon to 4:00 at Lake Sammamish State Park. If you are reading this today, it is at 2000 NW Sammamish Rd in Issaquah.

Barers Of Maple Valley Goes To The Boeing Classic

A big THANK YOU to Bruce Fleisher for giving me tickets to the Boeing Classic held this weekend at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Pictures are coming soon.

Sims And Locke Invade "The Other Washington"

Area polititians Gary Locke and Ron Sims were barrier breakers who now work for a President who himself is a barrier breaker. Members of the Obama cabinet, they are featured in a lighthearted way on the cover of " Washington Law And Politics" magazine.

Edgerrin James Joins The Seattle Seahawks

Former Colts and Cardinals standout running back Edgerrin James has joined the Seahawks. He is an 11 year veteran out of the University Of Miami. He is 31 and a native of Immokalee, Florida. He is expected to be used in short yardage situations. He joins Carl Eller, Jerry Rice, and Franco Harris as NFL superstars who play their twilights years in a Seahawk uniform.

Score One For The Family

The Puget Sound Business Journal, in it's current issue, named Lake Partners Strategic Consulting, one of the best small companies to work for. Lake Partners is owned by Cousin Joe Barer.

Central Oregon Coast VIII

From McMinnville, we drove to Dundee, which we remembered, from the trip over, had several wineries. it was about 5:15 and we realized that they were all closed. We did find The Inn At Red Hills was open. We tried some wine over there and got back on the road. We stopped for dinner at Kit Carson in Chehalis, where the food and the service has always been excellent. We were back in Maple Valley at 10:00 that night.

Oregon Coast VII

The voyage home.We left Lincoln City about 1:00 on Wednesday, immediately noticing that the temperature was rising. It was about 90 plus when we arrived in McMinnville, Oregon, the home of the Evergreen Aviation Museum. The star attraction is obviously the Spruce Goose, Howard Hughes mega project. The picture above is me next to a fraction of the Goose. The way that the Goose was brought to the museum is a story itself.
The museum consist of 2 buildings. One with the Goose, which consists of vintage airplanes. That building has no air conditioning and is not tolerable on a hot day. The other building is the Evergreen Space Museum, which has relics from NASA. It was air conditioned and much more pleasant to be in.

Edward Moore Kennedy

Senator Edward M. Kennedy has died of Brain Cancer.

Central Oregon Coast VI

Tuesday August 18, we took the hour long drive toward Florence to see the Sea lion Caves. The picture, which I got off the web, is somewhat misleading. The sea lions where, for the most part, not in their caves, but out towards the sea. You could still see a few that had clung to the rocks.

On the way back, we stopped at the Heceta Lighthouse (pictured above), I did take that picture. You can go inside the lighthouse, as volunteer guides give tours. You do have to hike up a steep grade to get there.

We then stopped in Newport again. We stopped at the Marina area and watched the Sea Lions on the dock. (below)

We ended the day with dinner at the Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant in Depoe Bay, where we watched another beautiful sunset.

Central Oregon Coast V

On Monday, we drove down to Newport to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium, also known as the "Newport Aquarium". It is a fun and informative way to spend a day. We had dinner that night in Depoe Bay at the "Sea Hag". The food was excellent as was the service. That evening, we watched a beautiful sunset from the condo.

Central Oregon Coast IV

From Lincoln City, we continued our trip to Depoe Bay. This picture was taken from the "World mark Condo that we stayed in with Deb's Mom, Grandma, sister, and the boys. Depoe Bay is famous for having the World's smallest harbour and for the whale watching. We had a sweeping view of the ocean. did see some whales, and some spectacular sunsets.

Central Oregon Coast III

Views of the Oregon Coast, from Highway 101 can rival any scenery from the California coast. In some cases, so can the traffic.
Sunday morning, I started off with a walk down the beach down a sandy path from the "Looking Glass" where we were staying to the stylish "Inn At Spanish Head" covering a couple of miles. As soon as Deb was ready, we went back out to the beach and watched the harbor seals on a little mound of sand across the bay. We then drove into town to get lunch, stopping by a wine store in Nelscott. We got some sandwiches from Subway and had lunch at Devils Lake. We then drove to Roads End State Park, about a mile from the Chinook Winds. It was sunny but very windy. We hung out in a spot that was warm but not quite as windy and watched the kite surfers.

Central Oregon Coast--Part II

We arrived in Lincoln City about 9:oo pm, The coastal town of Lincoln City, Oregon was incorporated in 1965 in an amalgamation of 5 separate cities, Oceanlake, Cutler City, Taft, D-Lake and Nelscott. As you drive into Lincoln City, going up or down on Highway 101, you can see the distinction of each former city, much like the small Northeastern Oregon town of Milton-Freewater.

We spent our first night in Lincoln City at the Looking Glass which was in the "Taft" area of Lincoln City. After we checked in, we went to the Chinook Winds Casino for a bite and to try our luck.

Barers Of Maple Valley Visit Central Oregon Coast

We just got back from a few days on the Oregon Coast, and while the trip did not have the shear madness and mishaps of last year's Sedona trip, I thought it would be fun to share some of the highlights. We arrived in Lincoln City Saturday night after a four and a half to five hour drive. We had gotten a late start and hit Portland in the evening. As you leave Portland you have to drive through the suburbs of Tigard and Sherwood, on through Dundee and McMinville and finally arriving in Lincoln City.

Woodstock Festival Turns 40

The festival that largely defined Rock and the Counterculture, Woodstock, turns 40 on August 15th. The 1969 festival took place in Bethel, New York and ran from August 15th (a Friday) to August 18th. Some of the acts which played were Country Joe (pictured above), CCR,, Richie Havens, Grateful Dead, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. Woodstock was often imitated, but never duplicated.The Altamont festival, which was held 4 months later is,for the most part, considered a disaster by historians.

20 Years Ago--Work Starts At Unisea

My first full time job upon moving back to the Seattle area was in a Redmond seafood processing plant know as Unisea. That started in August of 1989, 20 years ago. I had been in the area for a couple of months at that time working at some temp jobs at places like Microsoft, Nintendo, etc. Unisea seemed like the place to stay. The labor force seemed very similar to the crew that I had worked with at B. Barer And Sons. The work was just as tough. We would begin at 6 in the morning and work until 4:30. The area was cold and wet, so even on a hot summer day, you could catch a cold or get very cold. Especially if we had to work in the "warehouse", which was kept several degrees below zero. It had a family atmosphere, as a matter of fact, many people had spouses who also worked there.

After work we would often go to J. Michael's or Lehaina Louie's to grab a beer. We always had a great summer picnic. I stayed at Unisea for about 4 years.

Battle In Seattle--The Movie

Battle In Seattle, had Oliver Stone attacked this project it may have been a blockbuster hit. It is a frighteningly accurate portrayal of 1999 riots that disrupted the WTO Conference in Downtown Seattle directed by Stuart Townsend. Although the disclaimer says that any portrayal of characters is purely fictional, Ray Liotta, as mayor delivers a spot-on performance as Seattle's mayor. On the other hand, the actor who portray Washington's governor, bore no resemblance and was a rather mean spirited portrayal of Gary Locke. At seen that his home the most, where the shopper who were stranded downtown and could not find a way to get out of the melee. Working downtown at the time, I thought that I was going to be stranded, but finally retreated to the bus tunnel, where I was able to board a bus to Renton. It was a terrifying experience.

Lawsuit Papers Raise Questions On Hutchison Candidacy

It is commonly known that if you file a lawsuit against a corporate entity, they are going go to the far lengths to destroy the plaintiff and undermine the other party's creditability. That being said, revelations in a lawsuit that former KIRO news anchor Susan Hutchison filed against the owners of KIRO TV, question Ms. Hutchison's integrity. Although the filing and subsequent settling of the lawsuit was public knowledge, Ms Hutchison fought to keep the court papers private. Hutchison is a candidate to be King County Executive.

It may seem like a small thing to call in sick over a holiday, then be seen on vacation, but someone who probably deserved the time off probably had to fill in, not getting time to see his/her family.

Hutchison has failed to reveal her stances and opinions, in contrast to Dow Constantine, who had that courage to tell an audience in North Bend, "I'm a Liberal Democrat".

Maple Valley Hosts Weekly Farmers Market

Residents of Maple Valley, Covington, and Black Diamond and the vicinity are encouraged to check out the weekly Farmers Market on the grounds of Rock Creek Elementary School, 25700 Maple Valley Hwy. SE in Maple Valley.
The Market runs every Saturday until October 10th from 9 in the morning until one in the afternoon. The market is a cooperation between the City of Maple Valley and the Tahoma School District.

My Brother's Report On Comic Con

My brother, Danny Barer, gives a very detailed look at the 40th annual San Diego Comic Con. Click here...

Goldie--Our bird

A better picture will be comming soon.