We had been long time neighbors. Our daughter babysat Mr. Johnson’s wife as the couple grew older. After the wife died, we watched out for the aged gentleman. He was still active. Mr. Johnson met with his old buddies for breakfast at McDonald’s almost every single morning. I saw them several times a week as […]
Friendships and Connections via Transportation in the Port of Tacoma
A little over a year ago, I had coffee with an old friend, Duane Vincent. We had been third grade students together at Stanley Elementary School in Tacoma. After school we played on the hills of the Wilkeson reservoir, ate the plums off his family’s tree and always enjoyed each other’s company. In the fourth […]
The Glory of the United States
When I see various states in the United States of America threatening to run their state like they are in their own country, I think of the film Glory. When I hear demeaning comments about any group of people in America, I think of the film Glory. When I hear about cities and states working […]
One in the Bush – Rufus Leaking
My wife Rose appreciates shopping at places where she knows she can find what she wants. Our local Walgreens on Pearl Street is a favorite stop. Quite often I drive her there and then wait in the car for her to get what she wants and needs. I used to walk around inside the store […]
CenterStage – Review – Spider’s Web by Agatha Christie
It was a cold, dark, windy and rainy evening overlooking Dumas Bay and Vashon Island. Mistress of Mystery Agatha Christie would have loved the set-up but that’s another story . . . For CenterStage director Vince Brady has assembled a fun ensemble cast of eleven actors who work well together and tell a story of […]
Bits and Pieces on a Foggy Day – A Local Short Story
It was a cold day in Tacoma. Vashon Island was hidden in it’s own blue-gray haze and the wind found the open spaces of my red ski jacket. I had already walked around my house and yard four times. Five times was a good goal. Just plain gave up and settled for four and went […]
Deathtrap – Harlequin Review – Olympia
Review by Don Doman, Lavinia Hart, and Dale Westgaard. “My goal is to entertain. That’s what any book or play has to do first. Anything beyond that is fine, but first it must entertain.” – Ira Levin The first time I saw an Ira Levin production it was at the Lakewood Theater in 1958: “No […]
A Doctor Weirdo Mystery – Old Clothes and Shoes
I saw him coming down the street as I looked out the window. It was a cold day and it just plain felt damp. About fifteen minutes later I heard the noisy cranking of our doorbell. I opened the door to see the older man that was even older than I had first imagined. He […]
Lavinia Hart, actress, director, beloved cousin & friend, leaving Lakewood for Los Angeles
As a youngster my grandmother, Mary Lavinia Coker, traveled from Texas to New Mexico with her family in a covered wagon. As an adult she moved on to Oklahoma where she married and gave birth to twins, Lavinia and Virginia. Her husband abandoned her and the children and went to Hollywood, where he thought he […]