New Pup!

So, do all who saw this post (click Here), this is what we got from a farm in Chehalis.  Our new pup came home today!

welcome back baseball

I know that I've shared this before, I believe this was a Mariner commercial by the great Dave Niehaus, made even more touching by Dave's untimely passing in 2010.  A thank you goes to Dennis Kelly, a WSU buddy who posted this on his Facebook feed. 

Go Mariners

The Mariners open the 2023 MLB season against the Cleveland Guardian tonight (Thursday, March 30th 2023) at T-Mobile Park. 

Stargazing In Palm Springs

Much like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Palm Springs Walk Of Stars honors many celebs both past and present. This star honors the great comedian and impressionist Rich Little, a TV mainstay in the 60s and 70s.

Dean Martin, Howard Cosell & Dick Martin - The Bar

I stumbled across this video from a bygone era, otherwise known as my childhood.  The humor is a little dated but hopefully you will enjoy. 

Street Fair Act

For the first time in years, we attended the Palm Springs Street Fair, officially known as "Villagefest".

It takes place every Thursday night on Palm Canyon Drive. 

This singer, with the Frank Sinatra style was one of the acts performing on the street.  

Every chance that we could, we would pop our heads into a bar to watch the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

The Wyndham In Indio

Looking out from our room at the courtyard at the Wyndham in Indio, where we stayed last week.  Indio is one of the towns in the  Palm Springs area 

Bobby Wagner A Seahawk Again

 Seahawk fans received good news over the weekend as it was announced that Bobby Wagner, who was released by the team last year, is back. 

Wagner spent last season with the division rival Los Angeles Rams where he made he made second team all pro.  He was released by the Rams as they are beginning a rebuild. 

The popular Wagner, who was on the Seahawks team that won the Super Bowl and nearly won it again the next year and has widely been regarded as one of the best middle linebackers in the league, signed a one year contract said to be worth about 7 million dollars. 

We Flew South For This?

We just returned from our almost yearly trip to Palm Springs.  Much like when we flew to Phoenix last fall.  The weather, at the outset, was worse than it was in Seattle.  

This was actually shot at nearby Cabazon, California.

Stewart Romes The Yard

My wife, always the animal lover, made friends with the squirrel in the backyard.  This is from last summer, as our beloved dog was mentioned

Amazon Maple Valley

The end of the Pipeline trail in Maple Valley looks down on the back of Amazon.  I often ride my bike there.

Blrd Watching In The Yard

Saw this pretty bird outside the family room window.

Big Things Happened Over This Weekend

Looking out at the beautiful pastoral scene from a farm in Chehalis.  We have a big announcement coming soon.  

No, we are not moving there.  Stay tuned

Dow Will Sit Out 2024 Washington Governor Race

 The  Cascadia Advocate, which is the blog for the Northwest Progressive Institute, reports that King County Executive Dow Constantine will not campaign for governor in the event that current governor, Jay Inslee, does not seek a 4th term. 

Constantine and Attorney General Bob Ferguson where considered top Democratic candidiates in the 2020 cycle, however, when Inslee announced his intention to run for a third term, the two candidates declined.  

Two King County executives have advanced to the governorship.  That would be John Spellman, a Republican in 1981 and Democrat Gary Locke in 1997. 

My Review On "Bill Russell Legend" Documentary

 When I began watching NBA basketball in the mid to late 1960s, there were many superstars,  classic stars who are still remembered today.  There was Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, and Walt Frazier.  Two figures, however, literally towered over the game during that period, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.  Both were bearded, tall, and fierce.

Bill Russell Legend is a two part documentary on Netflix. It is an in-depth look into a man who could rightfully be considered the greatest player of all time. During his time with the Celtics, Russell helped the team win 11 championships.  But Russell was much more than a great athlete, he was a cerebral, well read player, a civil rights activist, and most importantly, the country's first African American coach in any sport. He was player-coach of the Boston Celtics in the late 60s.  At the time, the Celtics were  the equivalent of MLB's New York Yankees.  Today, perhaps, the Lakers are thought of in that sense. According to the Wikipedia, both teams have won 17 championships apiece. , as of this writing.

In many ways, Russell went through many of the trials and tribulations of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American Major League Baseball player. The show portrays Russell as a work in progress, a man troubled by a life of facing discrimination, a multi-dimensional individual who seemed to be finding peace within himself in the later stages of his life. 

Growing up, I had many African American sports heroes.  At the time, I did not realize all the discrimination these great players faced.  Bill Russell is an example.  According to the documentary, many people in Boston did not except a black player in their town. Bill Russell suffered from discrimination and hostility from the city's media for not being open and appreciative to fans. 

I think that the strength of this documentary is that it goes beyond Russell theplayer and gives his perspective on his life.  Many well known NBA players are featured giving their views of who Russell was and what he brought to the game. 

Russell, who passed away last summer (July 2022), would become coach of the Seattle in the mid 70s, leading the team to its first playoff berth.  Russell would spend many decades living here in the Seattle area.  I had always hoped to meet him, but it was not to be.  I did meet his daughter, years ago at a State Democratic Convention. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 Wear your green!

Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA - for miles & miles!!!

Cannon Beach is probably the prettier of the North Oregon beaches.  Not as much for children to do there, but with art galleries and bookstores, it's an adult favorite.

Dasher Remembered

Dasher is not only missed by us, but his friends too.  One of our customers left this plaque.

Oscars 2023 In Memoriam

Every award show has one of these segments as far as I'm aware, it is alway very moving.  There are always names that people feel are left out.  Is there anyone else that should have been included?

Legendary Former Viking Coach Bud Grant

 Hall Of Fame former Minnesota Viking coach Bud Grant has died.  He was 95.

Grant coached the Vikings to four Super Bowls in his 18 seasons with the team.  He also led the team to 11 division title and 12 playoff berths.  Although he was unable to win the Lombardi Trophy by leading his team to a Super Bowl Victory, his teams compiled a 158-95-5 record, and remains the winningest coach in Viking history. 

Daylight Savings Time Has Begun

 Make sure that you have set your clock ahead one hour! That is unless you live in Arizona.

Top 3 Neighborhoods in the Greater Seattle Washington Area (City of Mapl...

This realtor shows off the city of Maple Valley  The video is about 3 years old, so keep that in mind if the prices don't seem accurate.

Touching Memorial

Dasher 's memory is honored in this drawing by a young customer.

Remembering Lance Henderson

 

The above picture was sent to me by Lance Henderson. 

 Lance was a Walla Walla guy who was a hard core Conservative.  He was a rising star in the Republican party and in the 1980s, he created the Blue Mountain Review, a paper espousing Conservative viewpoints.  He would go on to become executive director of the Washington State Republican Party for a while.   Lance's father, Jim, was a Walla Walla City Councilman.

Lance and I became friends on Facebook although we had not met one another in person.  We consistently had back and Forths on various issues.  At the time, I was on the state Democratic Committee. We were truly political opposites. 

Lance and I did talk by telephone once.  When my cousin Stan Barer died, he sent me a post on a well known political blog about him. 

A little over a year ago, I went on Facebook to find that Lance had passed away suddenly.  He was a few years younger than me, but had  what we now call a "cardiac episode" while walking in downtown Walla Walla and could not get help in time.  

His passing made me respect how we formed an amazing friendship over our opposite world views without compromising our principles. .

Iconic Sonics Podcast Speaks To Kraken Exec On Possible Sonics Return

 On the Iconic Sonics podcast with Mike Gastineau and Chris Daniels, the two conduct an interview with Seattle Kraken executive Samantha Holloway.  Holloway is the daughter of David Bonderman, who is one of people responsible for the birth of the Seattle NHL team. 

The Kraken group is expected to play a huge part in the efforts to bring the NBA back to Seattle, as they most likely will share Climate Pledge Arena, should the efforts pay off.  

You can hear the podcast by clicking here. 

March Madness Nearing

 A friend of mine just reminded that March Madness, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is around the corner.  We alway do a bracket together, even though (hard it is to believe), I don't follow college basketball much.  If you are interested in making predictions, once the teams are pick, you can click here.

Seahawks And Geno Reported To Be Near Deal

 The Seattle Times reports that a deal between the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Geno Smith is about to be finalized.  

Smith, long a Seahawk back-up under Russell Wilson, won the job after the team traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos. He surprised the football experts, who thought that he was merely a placeholder until the team could find a QB solution by leading the team to the playoffs. 

Lonely Boy. Paul Anka Muckleshoot Casino

Nine Days from the concert at the Muckleshoot Casino, I have this last video from the concert.

The singer goes into the crowd, something he always does. 

Memorial For Dasher

This memorial was set up at the store to honor the love that Dasher has given to us and his friends. I understand that has gotten quite a bit larger since this picture was taken

Paul Anka Muckleshoot Casino

One of the world's most prolific songwriters and an amazing entertainer, another clip from Paul Anka's performance at the Muckleshoot Casino on February 25th, 2023.  You may see a familiar face in this video, besides the performer. 

Remembering Our Dasher

 We are sorry to say, our wonderful Dasher, passed away yesterday morning (March 1st, 2023) at home.  

I got Dasher as a Christmas present on Christmas eve, a couple weeks after Rusty, our previous dog left us. He was just a 2-month-old puppy, who instantly landed into our hearts. It was the best Christmas or Hanukkah present that I ever received.

We soon found that not only was he super handsome, but very intelligent and easy to train.  We enrolled him in the Canine Good Citizen course, where he was able to earn a vest as a certified therapy dog.  This allowed him to come to work with us, where he made hundreds of friends, and allowed him and Deb to participate in the Reading With Rover program. The program allows children with reading difficulties to read to pets and improve their skills. 

Dasher grew so fast, we could almost watch him get bigger before our eyes.  

We bought a car that we knew would accommodate a dog his size.  Dasher influenced where we would travel, as we wanted to bring him along with us as much as possible.  We took a few plane trips without him, but they were not as fun. 

Dasher always needed his walk in the evening. So, rain or shine, even though some terrific storms, Deb and I would walk him, either through the neighborhood or to the park in nearby Patrick's Faire.  It was a great time for my wife and I to talk about the day's events.

Save for an operation on each knee, Dasher stayed healthy up until a week ago.  We thank everyone who either was a friend of Dasher or has expressed their support. 

Ecola State Park & Indian Beach Oregon - beautiful!

Ecola Park, between Seaside and Cannon Beach.