Cosby Conviction Overturned

Actor/comedian Bill Cosby's rape conviction has been overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.  This means that Cosby is now a free man.  Of  course, this once revered American figure will face the fact he no longer be America's dad. 

Doobie Brothers And Santana At White River

From 2 years ago, about this time.  One thing that I really miss is outdoor concerts of which were all cancelled last summer.  This summer, they seem to be resuming. 

Kenny Rogers - You Can't Make Old Friends (duet with Dolly Parton) [Offi...

This video is especially touching in light of Rogers in light of Rogers passing last year. 

Record Setting Heatwave Continues

Car thermometer reads 117 degrees Fahrenheit, unheard of for this region.

Cooling Off On The Cedar River

 We took Dasher to the Cedar River Trail just outside Maple Valley, near the Seattle watershed to cool down on a record hot day for the area.

Heatwave Begins

 

Seattle area temperatures reached 101 degrees yesterday (Saturday, June 26th), setting the record for the hottest day in June for this region.  Today and tomorrow are expected to be even warmer. 

Dave Hakstol Named Kraken Coach

 Will he become a Seattle institution or just the answer to a sports trivia quiz?  Our new NHL Ice Hockey franchise, the Kraken has named Dave Hakstol as it's first head coach.

He has experience coaching in the college ranks,  leading the program at  the University Of North Dakota for ll years.   In 2015, he was picked to coach the Philadelphia Flyers, leading the team to three winning seasons, before being fired in the 2018-2019 season.  

In 2019, he was the assistant coach for  the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hakstol is a native of Warburg, Alberta, Canada. 

Heatwave Predicted For Seattle Area

 People like me who endured  cool temperatures and rainfall and welcomed the sun returning, earlier this month, may need to be careful what we wish for.  Record breaking hot weather is due for this weekend with temperatures rising above 100 degrees, extremely rare for the Puget Sound region.  

While we are fortunate enough to have air conditioning here at home, we are hoping that will hold out during the coming weekend. 

Summer Moon In June

Tonight's full moon was breathtaking.  We took this while walking with the dog in our neighborhood in Maple Valley.

Enjoying The Sunset

Deb and I posed for this picture of the deck of the Renton Hyatt Regency, which looks out to Lake Washington.  We had a great dinner with friends as the sun was setting.

Diamond Girl

This is from Seals And Croft who also did "Summer Breeze"

Shed Long Jr. Walk-off Grand Slam

The Mariners brought some excitement to fans for the first time in a longtime when Shed Long, Jr  hit  a grand slam homer in the bottom of the 10th for a victory.  The completed a four game sweep over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Dad reads a story from his book.

In memory of my Father.

Happy Father's Day!

 

Juneteenth Celebrated Today

 Today, as this is being written, is June 19th, marking Juneteenth, now a national holiday. 

Up until probably a week ago, I did not know much about the holiday, which is sad.  It commemorates an extremely important event, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the last bit of slavery in our country ended.   

This is a holiday that we all can celebrate, because it helps us remember how precious freedom can be. 

Ricky Pierce--Former Sonic And Former WWCC Warrior Interviewed On Sonics Forever

 

Mike Gastineau, former Sports Radio 950 afternoon host, has an interesting interview with Ricky Pierce, an NBA journeyman (played for several teams in his career), on the Podcast, Sonics Forever. 

Pierce played for the Seattle Super Sonics in the early 1990s, but Pierce has another Washington connection, he played for the Walla Walla Community College Warriors.  Pierce attended WWCC, according to the interview, with plans to attend Washington State University.  Instead, Pierce would go to Rice University.

The lower picture  is the Dietrich Dome, where WWCC basketball is played.

Pierce played for a total of 8 NBA teams in his career. 

You can hear the interview by clicking here. 

Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft #1 Hit(1972)

Every summer I post this, because I love this video of the Seals And Croft classic, Summer Breeze. 

The Kominsky Method

 I just watched the last episode in the last season of The Kominsky Method. Since the show streams, I won't include a spoiler, but I will say that it wasn't what I expected.  

The Kominsky Method is a Netflix series created by Chuck Lorre (who also created Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory).  It is about an aging acting coach, Sandy Kominsky, played by Michael Douglas. 

One thing that I thought was remarkable was the number of big time actors, some playing characters and some playing themselves, yet the mix worked. 

Netanyahu Out In Israel

 He survived 4 elections in two years, but it wasn't enough to keep Benjamin Netanyahu in power.  Naftali Bennett (pictured above) has replaced Netanyahu and becomes the country's 13th prime minister. 

 Bennett is the son of parents who immigrated to Israel from the US.  He was born in Haifa, the youngest of three sons. 

Bennett served in the military and has been the country's minister of defense. He has made millions in Israel's growing hi-tech field.  

Bennett was at one time Netanyahu's chief of staff, but the two have since parted ways.     Although Bennett is considered a pro settlement nationalist, it's thought that he may be pragmatic enough to restore bipartisan support from the US. 

Mudcat Grant--A Baseball Star From My Childhood

 Jim "Mudcat" Grant, who led the Minnesota Twins to it's first World Series is dead at 85.  In that year, 1965, Grant became the first African-American pitcher to win 20 games.  Grant would start 3 games in that series, winning two.  Years later, Grant was traded to the team that beat him in that series, the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Dead Tree On Pipeline Trail

This tree probably had many good years, but it looks like it's time is over.

'Joints for Jabs'

One of the more controversial recovery plans.  Washingtonians over 21 can receive a free joint for getting a COVID vaccination. 

So Long To Jim Baum

 I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Jim Baum.  Jim was a home and building inspector working primarily in South King County.

I met Jim through the 5th LD Democrats where he became the chair in 2011.  He was a hard worker, who encouraged fellow members to work as hard.   One of  his crowning achievements, which I think anyone would give him plenty of credit, was the election of Mark Mullet to the state senate from the 5th LD, the first Democrat to represent that district in 20 years. Baum was also very active in the campaigns for John Urquhart for Sheriff and Matt Larson's campaign for state house.  He also campaigned for several judges. He also worked behind the scenes to help get me prepared for the 2016 Democratic Caucuses. 

Jim and I, along with other 5th members occasionally met for beer and trivia at Mark Mullet's Zeeks Pizza, in the Issaquah Highlands.   We once drove to Olympia to have lunch with Senator Mullet. 

We were both centrist Democrats, often at odds with the progressive wing, we exchanged political ideas often through texts. 

Jim Baum will be missed. 

Could Netanyahu Government Be Nearing The End?

 The Wall Street Journal reports an eight party coalition is set to be sworn in that could end the 12 year reign of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Netanyahu has survived a number of elections, although his administration has been plagued by a number of scandals.  It is also thought that Netanyahu's hardline approach has been harmful in garnering support for the nation amongst world leaders. 

Our Place To Stay In Indio

The Wyndham in Indio, where we spent Memorial Day Weekend.  The city of Indio is about 20 miles from Palm Springs.

Go Cougs!

It's always good to see the Washington State University flag when I'm away from home.

The flag was hanging from the balcony at Wyndham in Indio, where we were staying.

Remembering Gavin MacLeod from TV's "The Love Boat" - Dead at 90, Rest I...

It's been over a week, but we were in the middle of leaving vacation.  We want to give recognition to the sad passing of Gavin MacLeod.  Perhaps known to most as the captain on the Love Boat., but I'm most familiar with him as TV writer, Murray Slaughter. 

More Palm Springs--The Walk Of Stars

Elke Sommer's star may have faded in Hollywood, but it shines bright on the Walk Of Stars in Palm Springs.

Sommer, who is from Germany, was a 60s movie star who also appeared on TV game shows.

Memorial Day Weekend In The Desert

 Deb and I posed on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, as we spent the Memorial Day Weekend at the family timeshare in Indio.    We had originally planned the trip in February, but the state was pretty much locked down due to COVID at the time.

The temperatures were scorching, although we spent much of the daytimes hours at the pool, using massive amounts of sunscreen.  

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing my cousin Tod Goldberg and his wife, Wendy.  Although we speak frequently on social media, I had not scene them in person in over a decade. 

I may post a few more pictures in subsequent writings. 

Sonny And Barer

 I debated whether to use that corny headline.  We just came back from spending the Memorial Day Holiday weekend in the Palm Springs area.  Mayor Sonny Bono, famous as part of the 1960s and 1970s singing duo, Sonny And Cher, is immortalized with a statue in the center of town.  

The concourse of the Palm Springs Airport is also named after Bono. 

Beast Quake Game

Perhaps the most memorable Seahawk playoff game to that point in the history of the team. 

The Hawks made the playoffs with a losing record.  The team's first opponent was the defending champion New Orleans Saints. Not many people gave the team a chance.

The memorable Beast Quake run was when Marshawn Lynch, relatively unknown at the time, broke a series of tackles to score a touchdown.

It was a huge turning point in the team's history.  

On Sports Radio 95, they said people will say they were there when they were not, but the ticket stub above, which I didn't remember saving, proves that I was in that crowd.