Portland Trail Blazer Basketball

For the second year in a row, we went to watch the NBA in Portland.  This year, the Blazers won again, beating the Atlanta Hawks.

Memories Of The Family Business

A friend of mine found these picture on the Bygone Walla Walla page.  People asked if I was one of the sons in the business title, but I was actually the great grandson of B. Barer.  The sons were my grandfather IJ Barer and his brother Dave.  The business, which was founded in the early 20th century sold steel and welding supplies as well as bought scrap metal.  It was located at 11 N. 4th in Walla Walla.  Shown above is the steel warehouse on Rose Street.
The business was sold to Spokane based Oxarc in 2000.

Multnomah Falls

On our way to Portland, we visited Multnomah Falls, about 36 miles away.  It is said to be the most visited natural attraction in the Pacific Northwest.

Morrison--A Boston Celtic From Walla Walla

My uncle posed the question "who knows the Wa-Hi grad who would play for the Boston Celtics..?  A little research (google) showed it was Red Morrison.  Morrison would play two seasons for the Celtics before returning to college to study pre-med.

New Phone Books Are Out

You don't see those much anymore, but they are still around.  We got our Maple Valley phone book yesterday.  What only a decade or so, used to be an essential part of living, has all but disappeared in the digital age.

Preview - Mystery 101 - Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Cousin Lee Goldberg has a new endeavor, Mystery 101, which he co-created and co-wrote with Robin Bernheim, will air this Sunday, January 27th on the Hallmark Movies And Mysteries channel.  If the movie does well, it could launch a TV series.  Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha star.

Bohemian Rhapsody Film Earns 5 Oscar Nominations

Bohemian Rhapsody picked up 5 nominations for this year's Academy Awards including Best Picture and also, Best Actor for Rami Malek, who portrayed Queen's lead singer, Freddy Mercury.
In addition, the picture received nominations for sound editing, sound mixing, and film editing.

Having watched the movie last November, I really think it really has a chance.  The music still rings in my ears today and the theatre audience applauded when the movie came to an end.

Welcome To Cooperstown, Edgar

My wife and I with Edgar Martinez in 2015.

Edgar Finally Makes Hall Of Fame

After nine failed tries, retired Mariner Edgar Martinez has finally been elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame.  Edgar, one of the game's most consistent hitters endeared himself to the Seattle area not only with his baseball prowess, but his down to earth personality.

Wa-Hi Boys Basketball Championship Of 1999 Celebrated

Wow, time flies!  Walla Walla High School recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the 1998-1999 state boys basketball championship of the Blue Devils.  I had already left the area 10 years before,  but was able to follow the action through the Seattle paper.  

One of the leaders of the squad, Kyle Bankhead, would go on to star at Gonzaga where he still ranks as one of the top 3 point shooters in that school's history.
Thank you to Mike for sending this article from the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

We remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr today.

Rams Vs Patriots In This Year's Super Bowl

The Los Angeles Rams will face the New England Patriots in this year's Super Bowl.  Both teams are coming off overtime wins in today's conference championships.

Marcie Maxwell Running For Renton Mayor

Former 41st State Representative  Marcie Maxwell has indicated on facebook that she is entering the Renton Mayoral race.  Maxwell left the state legislature to become senior education policy advisor for Governor Jay Inslee in 2013.

Maxwell has been working in real estate in the Renton area.  She is unique in that she is advocate for both small business and social justice. A natural people person, I would see her as a consensus builder, a role needed in today's political world. 

Holy Blue Mountain It's Adam West Way In Walla Walla

The late Adam West, who grew up in Walla Walla, has an honorary street named after him there.  Adam West Way is in the Northeast part of town near the actor's boyhood home.
The city has planned it's third annual Adam West Day this September 21st.
Perhaps the city will eventually have a Drew Bledsoe Way,  honoring the former Wa-Hi quarterback, who went on to star for the New England Patriots.

Broadway Superstar Channing Had Seattle Ties

Carol Channing, perhaps the best known actor on Broadway, died yesterday in Rancho Mirage, California of natural causes, she was 97.
Known for her starring role in Hello Dolly, Channing was born in Seattle in 1921.  Her father was the editor of the Seattle Star.

Northwest Baseball Great Mel Stottlemyre Dead

Mel Stottlemyre, a Central Washington product who would go on to be an ace pitcher for the New York Yankees and later a pitching coach for teams including the Mariners has died after a long battle with cancer.  Stottlemyre's son, Mel Jr was later also a pitching coach for the M's.  Both Mel, Jr and brother, Todd, pitched in the major leagues.

Larry Stone, a Seattle Times columnist, was working in Yakima for the local paper when Stottlemyre owned a sporting goods store in that town.  Having crossed paths both here and there, Stone wrote this column. Click here.

Ron And Don Praised By Station

Apparently KIRO FM put this meme on the Ron And Don Facebook page praising their accomplishments during their long Seattle radio stint.  It, of course wasn't enough to stop listeners from angry posts on social media.
If not today, soon the afternoon drive on 97.3 will have new hosts. Please give them a chance.  Let's remember that they had no part in Ron and Don leaving.  Many of the fans of Ron And Don may not have liked them at first. The show had a way of growing on you.
Let's remember that someone had that shift before Ron and Don came aboard. If you would like to read some of the old posts that I have made on the show, click here

The Mountain

On a sunny Sunday, Mount Rainier appears majestically.  Taken at the Black Diamond Bakery.

More Storm Damage

We were lucky enough to not have any damage to our property in last week's devasting storm, but some of our neighbors were not as lucky.

Larry And Diane

Our friends Larry (former UPS driver) and Dianne played at Soul Food, a coffee house in Redmond.

Ron And Don Are Gone

Long running talk show duo Ron And Don, have left KIRO FM  in Seattle.  The pair had worked the afternoon slot for over a decade starting with KIRO AM 710, and then moving to the FM 97.3 station once the 710 turned all sports.
The show, hosted by Ron Upshaw and Don O'Neil, was ideal for long home commutes as they covered a variety of contemporary topics, as well as personal ones.
They were also known for cause radio, helping raise money for various  human interest stories.  They were instrumental in comforting the area during many area tragedies.

Producer Candy Harper will be promoted to co-host with reporter Mike Lewis who has done fill in work for KIRO's hosts and Todd Herman, who hosted a show on KIRO's Conservative sister station, KTTH.  

Paul McCartney Breaks Down His Most Iconic Songs | GQ

I really love this journey through the Beatles songwriting through Paul McCartney.

Mitch Levy Makes Appearence On KISW

Mitch Levy, whose long career as a morning host came to a sudden end after getting arrested in a Bellevue prostitution sting, was on Seattle radio yesterday for the first time since August of 2017. Levy was a guest of the BJ and migs morning show on KISW 99.9.
Levy, who began doing a podcast known as Mitch Unfiltered last fall,  revealed the guest spot on his Twitter feed over the weekend.  On the show, Levy broke down the Seahawk playoff loss and  about his podcast.  You can hear Mitch by clicking here.

Emily Blunt and Dick Van Dyke at the Golden globe

He's older, but still witty and charming.  Dick Van Dyke appears on the Golden Globes.  Van Dyke is 93 years old.

After The Storm

Crews clean up debris in Maple Valley's Belmont Woods after a powerful storm wreaked havoc overnight.

Natural Light Beer Commercial With Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.

Either funny or annoying beer commercial from the 70s. Featuring the fictionally named character Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.

Go Seahawks!

Hat In The Ring

Our governor, Jay Inslee, appeared on MSNBC to speak about a potential run for the White House.

Seahawks Face Cowboys Saturday

It looked to be the lost season, the Seattle Seahawks, after losing Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett, and Cliff Avril lost every pre-season game and two of the first regular season games. 

The team came back and won 10 of the next 14 games and is playoff bound.  The Seahawks will face the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow at 5:15 PST tomorrow (Saturday January 5th).

Daryl Dragon--The Captain

Daryl Dragon, known as "The Captain" in the 70s soft rock group, The Captain And Tennille. is dead at 76.

The band, consisting of Dragon and his wife, vocalist Toni Tennille had a series of hits in the mid 70s including the pop standard "Love Will Keep Us Together", written by Neil Sedaka.

Happy New Year!