Happy Leap Year Day

 If your birthday is February 29th, you are celebrating for the first time in 4 years.

Tiffany Haddish and Noa Tishby on the pickle show! Because what’s more J...

I've become a big fan of Israeli advocate Noa Tishby, so I found this bit kind of amusing. 

Burl Barer Interviews Mind Development Partner

 In a blast from the past, on his True Crime Uncencored podcast, Burl Barer interviews his old partner from his days teaching for Mind Development, Alex Merklinger. 

Burl would tour the area with classes on stretching the human mind, back in the early 70s.  At the time, I lived in Walla Walla. 

Burl would conduct classes at random times at the Black Angus, a sparkling new addition at the time of the Marcus Whitman Hotel. 

The weekend classes would cost $150, with moneyback guarantee, but as a family member, I got to take them for free. 

Snow Is Back

Spinglike condition last week gave way to a return of the snow. 

This is normal in the late winter. 

Roger Miller - King Of The Road (1964)

Starting the week by going down memory lane.  Here is a toe tapper from the mid-1960s.

Go Mariners

Spring Training games are underway, meaning the baseball season is just around the corner.

Comedian wins over extremely HOSTILE heckler | Shahak Shapira

At first, he is justifiably annoyed, but this comedian handles a heckler with empathy and compassion, as well as a little humor.  

Palm Springs 8-Superbowl Sunday

Chilling out, watching the Superbowl.  Now, almost two weeks ago.

WSU Beats Highly Ranked Arizona In Thriller

 The Washington State Cougar basketball team is on fire.  Last night (Thursday, February 23rd, 2024) the Cougs slipped by the number 4 in the nation Arizona Wildcats in a 77-74 heartstopper. 

It was the 8th win in a row for the Cougs, who proved not only can they play with the big boys, but they are also the big boys. Of course, Coug fans have been hurting since we have been left out of conference realignment.  Still, all things aside, it's great to see the men's basketball program roaring back.  

The Cougars are now in first place in the Pac 12 with a 21-6 overall record and 12-4 conference record.  A spot in the NCAA tournament, indeed, looks doable.       

Walla Walla Rock Concerts From The 70s Featured In Bygone Walla Walla

 

Growing up in Walla Walla, we did not have many rock concerts. 

There were two that stand out from the early 70s.  I did not attend either because I was early in my teenage years and also, I had not at the time, hear of the artist.  Chicago and Doobie Brothers, both appeared in what was, at the time, the relatively new Cordiner Hall on the Whitman College campus. There were a few years between the concerts.  Chicago was in 1970, I believe the Doobie Brothers was in 1972 or 1973.

Both bands were on their way to legendary careers.  Both are in the  Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Both concerts appeared in the Bygone Walla Walla blog in a post featuring pictures from the Whitman College newspaper, The Pioneer. 

Two concerts that I did see were Climax Blues Band and Tower Of Power.  Since moving to the Seattle area, I have now seen dozens of concerts.

Palm Springs 7--Enjoying Pool Time

Posing by the pool on last week's trip 

Palm Springs 6--Sherman's

 At Sherman's deli in Palm Springs, there are pictures of various celebrities that have visited.  This picture is of actor David Schwimmer, from the hit show, Friends.  It is labled as Rick Glassman, another actor and comedian who was in the short lived sitcom, Undatable.  I had thought, when I first saw this, that it was a mistake, but it turned out to be a joke, according to research that I did. 

Palm Springs 5--Harvest

One thing you can do in Palm Springs that you can't do in Washington is pick grapefruit from a tree.

Palm Springs 4--Where We Stayed

Deb narrates a tour of the beautiful backyard of the place we stayed with our friends in Palm Springs. It was in the Movie Colony of Palm Springs.

 

Palm Springs 3--The Cliffhouse

We had dinner Monday at the Cliffhouse in La Quinta.  It is known for its great views and delicious food 

You can see me in the bottom picture.

Henry Rono--Cougar Legend

 I was saddened to hear about the passing of Henry Rono, a record setting long distance runner from Kenya.  Rono attended WSU at the same time that I did.  

Although, I did not meet him nor do I remember having any classes with him, I read about him frequently in the campus newspaper, The Daily Evergreen.

Stand UpToJewish Hate: Isaiah

I found this the most moving of a number of ads, some of which ran during the Super Bowl. This one really grabbed me by the heart.

Palm Springs 2--Bob Hope's Second Desert House

A little hard to see, but a plaque marks the second house of comedian Bob Hope, not far from where we were staying in Palm Springs.

The house itself is not visible from the sidewalk. 

Trip To Palm Springs

Deb and I got back from a getaway in Palm Springs with our friends Rick and Marjie.

We stayed at this Air BnB in the Movie Colony District.  The weather there was perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day

 

KC Wins

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to become champions of Superbowl LVIII.

Grubb Reported To Be Seahawk OC

Sources say Ryan Grubb, who was University of Washington offensive coordinator until he followed head coach Kalen DeBoer to Alabama, has just been tapped to lead the Seattle Seahawks offense as coordinator under Mike Macdonald. 

More later.

Vintage Pedal Car Sold

 This children's pedal car, which moves with your feet, was just given a new home.  I sold it on Ebay to a family in Florida who will restore it.  It brought memories of something that one of them had as a child.

This one belonged to my sister, I had an Air Force pedal jeep. 

Mariners Add Smith-Njigba--Brother Of Seahawk Wide Receiver

 Seattle sports fans will definitely know how to say Smith-Njigba as the Mariners added Canaan Smith-Njigba to the roster after acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Pirates.   Canaan is the brother of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who just completed his rookie season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Here is hoping that sibling rivalry inspires both teams to go deep into the playoffs in their respective sports.

Forever Grateful For Toby Keith - Stephen Colbert Bids Farewell To A Cou...

Stephen Colbert, CBS talk show host, known for his Liberal and left of center views, had a beautiful tribute for the late country singer Toby Keith, who was known for being ultra-Conservative and Love it or Leave it. 

In fact, they were so different, I wondered if this was sarcastic.  It wasn't and it was beautiful.  

The Beatles Arrive In New York for their First US Visit, 7th February 1964

I heard it on Sirius XM today (February 7th, 2024) is the 60th anniversary of the Beatles landing in the US (New York) as a group for the first time.  The world would never be the same.  

Almost any Beatle aficionado would know that they flew Pan-Am.  

Country Giant Toby Keith

 Sad news from the Country music world, singer Toby Keith has passed away.  He had been suffering from stomach cancer for over two years.  

Although, I was not a fan, a his "I Love This Bar" is a toe tapper. 

JUST IN: Seahawks Hire Jay Harbaugh As Special Teams Coordinator | Seaha...

Like them or not, when Harbaughs are hired, teams win. That's why Seattle should be excited about Jim Harbaugh's son, Jay was hired as the team's special teams coordinator. 

Mentink Celebrates 25 Years On Root Sports

 Broadcast blog QVZX reports that Mariners baseball TV host Angie Mentinck is celebrating 25 years at Root Sports (formerly Fox Sports Network).  In the broadcast industry, 25 years in one place is a rare feat. 

Mentinck, in recent years, has shattered the "glass ceiling" in the broadcast booth at Mariner games.  She always brings her A game.  

To about Angie's 25th, click here

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered 38--Radio Towers Past And Present

 This journalist made his way into Walla Walla to take pictures of radio stations and towers.  This is a pretty thorough of the area broadcasting scene.  There are many pictures of tower of stations in the town and nearby Tri-Cities, although some of the shots may be dated.  You can read about it and see pictures like the one above by clicking here.

Oliver's First Birthday

Happy Birthday, Oliver!

Carl Weathers Played Apollo Creed In Rocky

 So long to Carl Weathers who played Rocky's opponent and later friend in Rocky movies.  He was also a star in Predator.     

Weather, a former professional football player was 76. 

"Juiced to go do it": Seahawks welcome head coach Mike Macdonald

Hopefully, this is going to be a long relationship going forward.  The new Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald in introduced and introduces himself to the area and to Seahawk fans.  

As I've said, Macdonald at 36, is the leagues youngest coach.  He will not be the age that his immediate predecessor  Pete Carroll is now until 2059.  That is something to think about.