Seattle Storms The White House

The 2010 WNBA Champion Seattle Storm visited the White House yesterday to receive the congratulations of President Obama.  The President in this picture, is flanked by Sue Bird and Swin Cash.

Dinner In North Bend.

Last Sunday, Deb and I had dinner with our friends Marjie and Rick in North Bend.  They live right on the banks of the Snoqualmie River by Mount Si.  They barbecued burgers and we enjoyed the fun atmosphere.  It was one of the rare clear warm nights that we have had this summer.

Penny LeGate Visits The UPS Store In Crossroads

Veteran TV reporter Penny LeGate was welcomed at The UPS Store at Crossroads yesterday, to film a segment for the KIRO 7 TV magazine Better Northwest. 
LeGate arrived at the store yesterday about 9:45am, a few minutes after her crew started setting up the "studio" which consisted of a banner made at our store hanging from a counter and the mailboxes.  After introducing herself to our staff, she showed pictures of her dog and posed for a picture (second from top) that I requested.  She interviewed Deb for about an hour from which a 4 minute segment will be taken.  Our dog, Rusty (top) will be included.  They also took a cameo shot of me that may or may not be included.  Our nephews may also appear.  When the crew wrapped up, LeGate took a little time to visit the nearby craft store "Michaels", then returned to say good bye to everyone. 
The segment (which also talks about the "Summer Fun Getaway" contest running now at Seattle area stores) is scheduled to be shown Thursday, July 7th between 9 and 10 am on channel 7.

Hope He Brought His Wife

Or visa versa.  I was surprised to see this car while going to hit balls at the Druids Glen Golfcourse in nearby Black Diamond.

The UPS Store In Crossroads Will Be On TV

KIRO TV's Penny LeGate will be at The UPS Store 4156, Crossroads on Tuesday June 28th from 10-11:30 am to film a segment for the morning program Better Northwest.  The segment will be aired on Thursday July 7th from 10-11 on KIRO TV, channel 7 in the Seattle area.

Issaquah Auto show

.

Even a casual car fan like me can have a great time  at "Fenders On Front Street"in Issaquah.  I invited my dad to join me at the car show yesterday, which was Father's Day.  After a nice breakfast at 12th Street Cafe, we drove a few blocks in my Dad's '88 Mercedes (lower picture)  to the show.  Front Steet (Issaquah's Main Drag) was closed off from Gilman to Sunset as the festival featured automobiles from every decade of the 20th century and beyond. I was most impressed with the Deloreans (top picture). Even though it is estimated that only6600 of that model remain, there were about 10 of them in a row. Presented by the PacifcNorthwest DeLorean Club, which was listed as the largest of it's kind.

Happy Father's Day

5th District Democrats Endorse In Races

The Democrats of Washington's 5th Legislative District endorsed in four local races. The lack of partisan contests as well as lack of opposition made the process quicker. In the race for Port Commissioner Position 2, incumbent Gael Tarleton (above) was endorsed. The 5th also endorsed Sammamish resident, Dean Willard for Position 5 on the Commission. Josh Schaer, the only Issaquah City Councilmen drawing an opponent, also received endorsement as well as Lloyd Hara, who is running unopposed to retain his job as County Assessor. The 5th district also endorsed "no" votes on Initiatives 1119, 1122, and 1125.

Record Hits In A Day For Barers Of Maple Valley

As of this writing, I've had 576 hits today, a record for this blog. Half way through the month I've had almost three times as many hits as I average in a whole month. The genesis to this activity was an article that I wrote about the Vancouver Canucks going to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now it should be time to strap on a parachute. The Canucks lost game seven to the Boston Bruins tonight. The hits should drop dramatically.

King 5's Tracy Taylor Joins Blogosphere

I like to keep you informed of new and exciting blogs. KING TV traffic reporter, Tracy Taylor has started one called "The Random Acts Of T Squared" Tracy became well known as the morning traffic reporter on KJR-AM. She moved to KING-5 TV at the beginning of last year. She is unique among area broadcasting personalities in her ability to interact with viewers. Her facebook fan page is rapidly approaching 2000 "likes". You can read Tracy's blog by clicking here.

Mavericks Beat The Heat

The Dallas Mavericks defy all the experts and beat the Miami Heat 105-95, taking the NBA finals 4 games to 2.

Willard Running For Port Commision

Sammamish resident Dean Willard, a technology consultant and former Vice President at T-Mobile, is seeking Position 5 on the Seattle Port Commission. Willard, who last year campaigned as a Democrat to Represent the 5th District in the State House Representatives, will run against incumbent Bill Bryant and Will Knedlick in this August's primary for the non-partisan (at least in name) position.

Around The Town

This fountain outside the Lake Wilderness Lodge is a great place to gather one's thoughts after walking the trail.

Maple Valley Days Starting To Take Shape

Maple Valley Days will commence this weekend at beautiful Lake Wilderness Park. The rides where already to go when I dropped by after walking the Wilderness Trail this evening.

The festivities begin Friday, June 10th at 3:00 and wind down Sunday June 12th at 6pm. You can get more information at the Maple Valley Days Webpage

Colin Powell Inspirational In Seattle Appearence

Today, Deb and I were able to endure the lousy traffic to attend Get Motivated Seminar at Key Arena. We were lucky enough to get a premier on street parking spot. We only had enough time to attend the morning session, so after a late start we got to see only two speakers. Fortunately, one of them was General Colin Powell. Powell, of course, was the very first African American Secretary Of State. He served under the Bush administration, and while our politics may differ, General Powell may be the one politician to transcend party lines.
Powell talked about adjustments he needed to make, going from have his own jet and being called upon by worldwide leaders to just being retired. He spoke of the new media and how he wondered why his grandson didn't return his e-mails. He discovered that today's youth do not e-mail but communicate through text and twitter. Powell refused to go on facebook and was enraged to find that an imposter set up a phony page for him. He decided that it may not be as bad when his grandson told him that he had 35,000 followers.
Powell paid homage to the late Seattle School Superintendent John Stanford, also a general and spoke of the need to improve our nation's public education.
He also went through the steps of building a successful team, mostly by respecting your followers. He also emphasized the need of setting goals.
Some of the other speakers to appear at the Key were Laura Bush, Dan Rather, and Joe Montana.

Thank You!

A big THANK YOU to Belmont Woods, and the Greater Maple Valley area for making our garage sale a smashing success!

Ken Levine Featured On KIRO Blog

You may not have heard of Ken Levine ,but chances are, he has entertained you. Ken Levine, who temporarily replaced Rick Rizzs in the early 90's as Dave Niehaus' broadcast partner in the Mariner's booth, is back as one of the rotating group of former announcers brought back to partner with Rizzs.
With a distinct voice and a flair for for description, baseball is the moonlight gig for Levine, who also is one of televisions foremost comedy writers. Levine has written for "Cheers", "Frasier", "MASH," and many more. Levine is featured on KIRO's My Northwest blog.

Levine also has a blog of his own. He is known for sharing behind the scenes stories on some of America's most loved TV shows.

Statue Planned To Honor Seattle Music Icons

A statue is in the works to honor Seattle musician Jimi Hendix and radio personality, music promotor Pat O'Day. According to the "Hendrix & O’Day Music Matters Monument Project 2012" the statue honors the day in 1968 when the pair apeared at Seattle's Garfield High to speak at a school assembly. The statue is being prepaired by O'Day's son, Jerry, a known local artist. I hope to have more details on the project as they become available.

Laura Ruderman Announces Congressional Bid

Former Democratic State Legislator Laura Ruderman has announced plans to seek the seat in the US House Of Representatives currently held by fellow Democrat Jay Inslee. Inslee is expected to run for Governor of Washington. Ruderman served the 45th District in the State House of Representatives from 1999-2005, but left to run unsuccessfully for Secretary Of State.

Maple Valley Native Hits 30

Happy 30th birthday to Maple Valley area native Brandi Carlile.