Beat The Steelers

 Go Seahawks!!

In 2023--We Lost

 

They will all be dearly missed. 

Maple Valley Christmas Lights 3

Maple Valley Christmas Lights will go a few more nights, according to what I've read on Facebook.

In Loving Memory | Tom Smothers | 1937 - 2023 | If I Had A Ship

Remembering the late Tommy Smothers of the legendary Smothers Brothers.

Singer-Comedian Tom Smothers

 Tommy Smothers, who have his brother Dick had a singing comedy act that endeared or angered a generation, has died.  He was 86.  

During the turbulent late 1960s, the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour aired on Sunday nights.  The act was Tommy goof balling or singing  a lyric wrong and Straight man Dick trying to get him back on track. Their songs were traditional folk music.

The show which was very edgy contained rock music and sketches containing political comedy, quite a stretch for the time.  

The show was inadvertently cancelled in 1969, leading to a lawsuit against CBS. 

Beautiful The Carole King Musical

Deb and I went to the Village Theatre in Issaquah last night (Wednesday December 27, 2023) to watch "Beautiful The Carole King Musical".  

It was fun and was like both a trip down memory lane and a pop music concert.

It depicted the life of Carole King, a shy, modest young woman with amazing talent.

It features her turbulent marriage with her composing partner, Gerry Goffin.  Also, the couple's competition and friendship with composing couple Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

The production is finishing its Issaquah run and will move to Everett, where it will be featured from January 6th to 28th.

Maple Valley Christmas Lights 2

Amazon was well represented at the Maple Valley Christmas Lights House.

A Very Merry Christmas

 

Maple Valley Christmas Lights

We visited the Maple Valley Christmas Lights display which took donations to Maple Valley Food Bank and other local charities. The display is at 226 SE 263rd Pl in Maple Valley.  Click here for dates and hours.

Andy Williams - Silver Bells (Official Audio)

A Christmas favorite!

Blue Friday--Go Seahawks

 Seattle takes on the Tennessee Titans this Sunday (December 24th, 2023) at 10am PST. 

Molbak's Plans To Quit Business

 It's been a Woodinville landmark for decades, but it has been announced that Molbak's, the city's home and garden shop will close for good in the coming year.  

Apparently, the store was unable to find way to fit in to a coming redevelopment by the landowners.   The store was started 67 years and ago and ownership of the business has stayed in the family.  It has brought attracted shoppers from throughout the Puget Sound region. 

Just last week, we visited the establishment while in Woodinville to dine with family. 

The Last DJ

In honor of the late Jim Ladd, this great Tom Petty song is said to be a tribute him.  

Iconic LA DJ Jim Ladd

 Los Angeles DJ Jim Ladd died this past weekend (Sunday, December 17th, 2023).  He was 75.   

Ladd, was famous nationwide  for his syndicated radio program, Innerview (spelled exactly like that).  It was a program where he did features on Rock Acts.  The show ran from 1974-1986  It ran on some 160 radio stations. 

During that time, Ladd worked for LA radio stations like KMET, where I heard him during my brief time in SoCal.

Ladd's genre was basically freeform, where DJ's play album cuts and choices are not necessarily based on what record where the top sellers during a given week.  Music was the star of that format, more than radio personality, although, it took a certain amount of talent on the part of the host to make the format work. The DJs, rather than clowning around, presented information about the music. 

The Tom Petty song, The Last DJ was said to be a tribute to Ladd.  

Ladd had been working for the SiriusXM station Deep Tracks.  

Seahawks 2--Lighting Up The Field

Lumen Field, where we watched the Seahawks upset the PhiladelphiEagles on Monday Night Football, is lit up by thousands of cell phone flashlights, creating a starry night effect

Seahawks Beat Powerhouse Eagles On MNF

The Seahawks, trailing the entire game, came back for an exciting victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last night (December 18th, 2023) on Monday Night Football.  The final score was Seattle Seahawks 20 Philadelphia 17.

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Woodinville Holiday Decorations

Oliver and I pose under the large Christmas ornament in Downtown Woodinville.

The city's Wine Alley has an artificial snowfall during the holiday season 

Ken Levine Goes Down Memory Road With Variety Of Radio Jingles

On his weekly podcast, TV writer Ken Levine played his collection of radio station jingles. It was a fun little trip down memory lane.  

In the pod, Levine explains how and why he acquired the jingles. 
 

Maple Valley Christmas Lights

From 2018, I'm hoping we get a chance to see the display this year. 

The Turtles - Lloyd Thaxton Show (1966)

Two people that I have been lucky enough to get to know are in this video.  

Lead singer of the Turtles, Howard Kaylan move just a few miles from our UPS Store in Bellevue.  Him and his wife were frequent customers.  They have since left the area.

Lloyd Thaxton, whose teen dance I used to watch in my youth, I met through his blog.  Our contact was purely through email. But he was kind enough to send an autograph sticker for a book that he wrote and that I purchased. 

Iconic Radio Personality Danny Bonaduce Retiring

 Our friends at the radio-TV blog QZVX reports that KZOK radio morning personality Danny Bonaduce is retiring from radio.  

Bonaduce, who played teenage pop star Danny Partridge in the early 70s sitcom, The Partridge Family, frequently made tabloid headlines as he battled substance abuse and other demons. 

His Seattle years have been relatively quiet and peaceful, really only making news after a battle with illness caused him to temporarily step away from the mic.

Bonaduce's new home will be in the Palm Springs area, though he says he will keep a Seattle residence. 

Maple Valley Menorah

Maple Valley has this Hanukkah Menorah standing at the Wilderness Village Shopping Center. 

It is right by the Village Inn on Witte Road.

Maple Valley Christmas Firetruck Visits The Neighborhood

Christmas adorned and music blaring, the Christmas firetruck came to our neighborhood.  The truck goes down every street, collecting food and donations.  

This is a tradition that we're happy to see continue.  

Our 10 month old puppy was able to get in on the action, taking a little attention away from the festivities.

 

Blue Friday For Seahawks Fans

 Seahawks face the San Francisco 49ers for the second time this season this Sunday (December 10, 2023). Go Hawks!!

Happy Hannukah 2023

 

Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song Part 8 (rewrite/cover) 2023

First night of Chanukah is tonight (December 7th, 2023)!  My You Tube buddy presents his latest version of the Sandler classic. 

Norman Lear Shattered TV Boundries

 Norman Lear, who along with partner Bud Yorkin changed prime time TV forever, has died.  Lear was 101. 

Lear was the creative force behind All In The Family, which took viewers where TV had never been before. The show, about a working class man named Archie Bunker, lived in New York with his wife, and his activist daughter and son-in-law.  

Archie was a man of traditional values, with little tolerance for minorities or the changing American culture.  Son-in-law Mike Was an anti-war protestor, out to change the world, that was so comfortable for Archie. 

The frequent tension between the two made for great TV and the show became a hit on CBS.  Lear was also responsible for shows like Maude and Good Times, as well as a few other comedies.  

It also paved the landscape for MASH and Mary Tyler Moore, also hits for CBS.  

KOMO 4 Celebrates 70

Iconic retired KOMO 4 news anchor Dan Lewis (center) appears with current anchors Eric Johnson and Mary Nam to celebrate the station's 70th anniversary on air yesterday (Tuesday, December 5th, 2013).

How Did the October 7 Hamas Attack Change Israel? | Unpacked

Here is a heartwarming story about the state of Israel. I have learned a great deal from these Unpacked videos. 

Holiday Season Begins

Deb put Hanukah gnomes up in my office.

An Evening At Jazz Alley

We went to Jazz Alley last night (Saturday, December 2nd, 2023) with friends to watch sax player Boney James.  

James is a four-time Grammy winner.

It was Deb and I's first time visiting the Downtown Seattle nightclub.

We then went to desert at the nearby Palace Kitchen.

Sundown On Oregon Coast

Seaside from a few years ago

George Santos Expelled From Congress

 George Santos, left in the picture has been expelled from the House Of Representatives by vote of 311 to 114.    Santos, fodder for months for late night TV talk show hosts, was accused of campaigning with false information, as well as various ethical and legal violations. 

Santos, a Republican, represented New York's 3rd District.