Guess Whose Coming To Dinner

This picture was taken by a neighbor.  The bears of Woodinville have dropped by my wife's sister and her family's house to feast on some watermelon and goodies.

President Kennedy's family reflects on his 100th birthday

Caroline Kennedy released this video on what would have been the 100th birthday of President John F. Kennedy.  I was in Kindergarten when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.  He was vision of the country and the unfulfilled promises were an inspiration to me.

Seattle Radio History

I picked this book up over the weekend. Covering Seattle radio history, it should be great reading.  It is written by John F Schneider and is part of the Images of America book series.

Memorial Day

A Herd Of Elk

We were mesmororized by this herd of Elk that we saw on our way to our friend's house in North Bend.

Southern Rock Pioneer Greg Allman Dies

Greg Allman, whose music with the Allman Brothers Band was heard on both Top 40 am and progressive FM stations and whose Southern Rock sound influenced bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band, has died. 
Allman was the keyboard player and lead singer with the band.  He received tabloid attention in the mid 70s for his marriage to pop icon Cher.  A short lived marriage that produced one child. 
Allman lost two members including brother Duane Allman and bassist Barry Oakley in separate motorcycle accidents. 
Greg Allman was 69.

From Last Weekend

The estate wineries south of Walla Walla are framed by the beautiful Blue Mountains.

The 12s Mourn Seahawks Great Kennedy

Hall of Fame Seahawk defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy has died.  Kennedy was found in his Orlando home.  His death is still under investigation.
In 1990 he was the third player taken in the NFL draft. He was known for being extremely quick in spite of being over 300 pounds.
 In 1992, he was named defensive player of the year in spite of the fact  that the Hawks were only 2 and 14. He was selected to 8 Pro Bowls.  Kennedy, known as "Tez" to the fans, played his entire 11 year professional career with the Seahawks.

Popular British Actor Roger Moore Passes

Roger Moore, who played James Bond through most of the 1970s, has passed away at 89.  Although the movie character was originally played by Sean Connery, Moore's persona was pretty much how I perceived the James Bond character. After all, the first few Bond movies that I saw, starred Moore in the lead role.
 The suave British actor also played Simon Templar in the TV version of The Saint which was viewed both in America and in England.  He also played the part of Beau Maverick in American TV series, Maverick.    He did the intro to Burl Barer's True Crime Uncensored, of course Burl has written of both Maverick and The Saint.
Moore was knighted  by the Queen in 2003. 

Oxarc

Oxarc bought our family business in Walla Walla in 2000. My brother still works for them. It makes me proud when I see the name on the fire extinguishers at the Best Western in Walla Walla where we stayed. 

Marts To seek House Seat

Democrat Tola Marts has announced that he will seek the nomination for Washington's 8th Congressional District.  The position has been held by former King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, a Republican, since 2005. 
Marts has served on the Issaquah city council since 2009.  He is currently the council president. If he faces Reichert, he would be the first Democrat opposing him that has held public office.

Steve And Dawn's Pet Care Business

Steve and Dawn's pet behavior and training business is up and running.

Funny Sign At El Corazon

Sign is actually friendly and welcoming and funny.  El Corazan is on South Palouse in Walla Walla.

Still Around Back Home

Located across the street from the Best Western where we stay,  Greiner's Radiator is one of the businesses that I remember from my childhood that is still around.

Traffic Reporter Taylor Post Hits 30K

No More Tracy Traffic On KING 5 Dec 13, 2016, 91 comments	30070
Meeghan Black Leaving KING 5 Nov 24, 2013, 9 comments	10505
Vancouver Canucks Going To NHL Finals May 25, 2011	8621
Peter Frampton Will Play Spring Gig In Walla Walla... Nov 21, 2011, 1 comment	6419

Not the happiest of news.  But after 6 months, the post of Tracy Taylor's departure from KING 5 has amassed over 30,000 hits.  It jumped over the 4 years old Meeghan Black story in only a few weeks. 

This was a few weeks before Tracy's birthday which is on Christmas, so most  people  had thought she was only on vacation.  What's interesting is that this is only a local story.  It speaks well of Tracy's popularity.  She has since worked on air on special assignment project and traffic report fill in on KIRO 7 TV.

Iconic Seattle Rocker Dies

Chris Cornell of the 1990s grunge band Soundgarden has died.  Cornell was 52.  The death is being investigated as a possible suicide.

Reid Scott on acting as "CBS This Morning" host on "Veep"

Reid Scott plays Dan Egan on the Veep.  Formerly an aide to the Veep/President, Dan is finding out his new position as the morning anchor on CBS This Morning isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Sirius XM Launching Beatles Channel

Sirius XM subscribers can now have The Beatles 24 hours a day on it's channel 18,  Beatle music has been heard on the 60s and 70s channels, however, now fans of the Fab Four have a station dedicated to the iconic band's music.

Congats T-Birds!

Congratulations to the Seattle Thunderbirds for winning their first Western Hockey League title!

Taylor To Fill In On 97.3 Radio

Tracy  Taylor, who has been reporting traffic on KIRO 7, will fill in on KIRO's news partner and former sister station KIRO FM.  The station's regular afternoon traffic reporter will fill in during the mornings, while Tracy will do traffic on Ron And Don's afternoon drive program.  Candy Harper, the usual afternoon reporter will fill in for Chris Sullivan in the mornings, while Taylor will be filling in for Candy.  Taylor will continue her morning reports on KIRO 7.  Many remember Tracy doing traffic on the radio at Sports Radio KJR.

Happy Mother's Day

Our Garden Is In Full Bloom.

Jenny Durkan To Seek Seattle Mayor Position

Jenny Durkan, a former US Attorney during the Obama administration, has announced her plans to seek the open Seattle Mayor position.   Durkan, although relatively unknown outside of politics, is the daughter of the late Martin J Durkan, a former state lawmaker who as a senator chaired the Senate Ways and Means committee for almost a decade. 
Although this will be her first run for public office, Durkan has worked for former Governors Mike Lowry and Chris Gregoire.  As an attorney, she has represented Paul Allen in a cable TV case.  She has also been involved in local police reform.  According to the Seattle Times, she assisted US Attorney General Eric Holder to help shape the Obama policy on cybercrime and terrorism. 
If elected, Durkan would become Seattle's first female mayor since Bertha Landes was elected in the 1920s.

Reichert For FBI??

Rumors are swirling that Washington's 8th District Congressman Dave Reichert, could be appointed FBI Director. 
Reichert was King County"s first elected sherriff after being appointed to the position by Ron Sims. As an investigator with the King County Police, he was on the task force to capture the Green River Killer.

Donald Trump and Megan Mullally sing "Green Acres" (2006)

Ok, he's not a great singer, but this was a much different Donald Trump than what we see these days.  It seems like he once had a playful sense of humor.

J Michael Kenyon, Sportscaster, Newspaperman, Seattle Character

J Michael Kenyon, whose radio call in talk show may have paved the way for Sportsradio KJR has died.  Kenyon, who began his career as a beat writer with the Seattle PI under his real name Mike Glover, was one of the great local characters along with people like restaurateur Ivar Haglund and fellow newspaper writer Emmett Watson.  He was also a wrestling promotor and historian.    He was known for telling rollicking stories and becoming bigger than the subject of the story that he covered.  A colleague compared him to Hunter S. Thompson, the legendary reporter whose misadventures got in the way of the stories he covered.

Mayor Ed Murray Expected To End Bid

News sources are predicting that Seattle Mayor Ed Murray will soon announce that he will not seek a second term as Seattle mayor.  Murray bid reelection bid seemed to be pretty smooth until he was hit with a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct in the 1980s. 
A few new candidates have surfaced including ex mayor Mike McGinn and State Senator Bob Hasegawa.

The Brandon Roy Mystery

Last week, a scary report came out that Brandon Roy, one of the area's most popular sports figures, had been shot in a melee near a relative's house in Los Angeles.  Then denials came from members of the Nathan Hale basketball team that he coaches.  No word from Roy himself. 
The silence and confusion has lead to all sorts of speculation including thought that Roy could be involved in something not good.
Roy starred at Garfield High and the U-W, then went on to play for Portland Trail Blazers.  Since June of last year, he has coached the local Nathan Hale High School basketball team, leading them to a 29-0 season.

Horsemanship On The Trail

Saturday, on the pipeline trail by Belmont Woods in Maple Valley, I snapped this picture of a couple women on horseback. I had not seen horses on that trail in years.

Bearded Dave Letterman Inducts Pearl Jam Into Hall Of Fame

I love watching the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony on HBO.  It is interesting how every presenter manages to include 4 letter words into their speeches, even a rapper band that thanked God  for it's success. 
This year, another great Northwest band was inducted, Pearl Jam.  Within recent memory, Nirvana and Heart received the honor.  I was quite taken aback at Dave Letterman's beard.  I just didn't think someone that age could grow one that thick.  Originally, Neil Young was going to present the band, but backed out.  I think that is good because Letterman made for a better story.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Bellevue's Skateboarding Policeman

Went too fast for a great picture but Officer Craig Hanaumi is Bellevue's skateboarding cop. Officer Craig uses skateboarding to connect with local teens. Here he is at the Crossroads Park behind our store.

Bygone Walla Walla Blog Covers Memorable Event

Even as a 7 old in 1964, meeting the governor was Washington was a thrill.  That year, Governor Al Rosellini visited Walla Walla to campaign for reelection.  I remember my parents bringing me to the event that probably kindled my love of politics.  Joe Drazen published pictures from the event in his Bygone Walla Walla blog.  Sadly the Democratic Rosellini would later lose to his Republican opponent Dan Evans in the general election that year.

Cory Kahaney Performs Stand-Up

Here is the comedian that we saw Sunday 

Legendary Washington Liberal Mike Lowry

Mike Lowry, former Washington Congressman and Governor, known for speaking his mind with arm waving speeches, died on May Day from complications from a stroke.
  Lowry was elected to represent Washington's 7th district in 1978, returning what would become Washington's most Liberal district back to the Democrats.  Jack Cunningham, a Republican, had been elected to the seat in a special election after Brock Adams had been appointed to be Secretary Of Transportation in the Carter Administration. 
Lowry ran for the US Senate twice, losing to both former Governor Dan Evans and Slade Gorton.  Lowry spoke of his Eastern Washington roots.  He was born in St John, Washington and graduated from Endicott High School.  He was a graduate of Washington State University.  Still, his Liberal views made it difficult for him to run statewide.
He was elected Governor of Washington in 1992 when Bill Clinton became president. His term was marred by sexual harassment charges and he did not seek a second term.  He would later run unsuccessfully for Lands Commissioner.
Before his election to Congress, Lowry had served on the King County Council.

Cory Kahaney Entertains Seattle Audience

Comedienne Cory Kahaney entertained a crowd at Temple De Hirsch Sinai last night..  It was part of the New York Deli Night fundraiser.  Kahaney, who does modern type jokes, along with Jewish humor has competed on America's Got Talent and Last Comic Standing as well as performed on Craig Ferguson and Stephen Colbert.