One of my columns titled, Westside Story - Hey You, Get Off The Sidewalk appeared on a Friday, March 28, 2019. … [Read more...]
A Poke in the Eye with a Sharp Stick? Not quite!
I don't actually recoil in fright, but when I visit the dentist for any oral work, I have a simple request: a swab, a shot, the gas, and a dental assistant sitting beside me stroking my arm and whispering, "It's going to be all right." So imagine my panic when I found out that a solution for another problem was going to require an injection into my left eye, while wide awake. … [Read more...]
Letter: Coming home
‘Are you in a position where you can raise your right hand and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?’ Expert testimony in the courtroom was being handled over the phone and the black-robed judge went through the swearing-in formality as if the person on the other end of the line was physically present. … [Read more...]
Waughop Lake and the Law
Submitted by Tom McClellan, Lakewood The Lakewood City Council has voted to move forward with an aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment of Waughop Lake in Fort Steilacoom Park. In order to address the persistent toxic algae blooms, their hope is that adding 8 tanker-truck loads of chemicals to an already polluted lake will make everything better, and at a cost of ONLY several hundred thousand … [Read more...]
Across the Fence: The Dungeness Spit
Remember I was talking about bucket lists the other day? Well, hiking the Dungeness Spit, a National Wildlife Refuge in the San Juan de Fuca Strait, all the way to the lighthouse and back had been one of the items on my Western Washington outing list for a long time. Last spring, we set out after carefully checking the tide tables. Because this hike has two challenges: You are hiking 11 miles on … [Read more...]
Following Dreams . . . With Spunk
Peg and I attended the annual meeting of the Tacoma Historical Society. We are not members, but we went to see Living History: "Leading Ladies Come to Life." Karen Haas and a cast of re-enactors portrayed seven women from Tacoma's history going back 150 years. … [Read more...]
A Hometown Atmosphere and Excellent Food – Restaurant Review
We walked into Joeseppi's north end restaurant for dinner. We weren't greeted by Joe Stortini, which felt a little strange. Maybe he finally retired, but we missed his welcome. We headed straight to the bar instead of waiting to be seated. Adam gave us a warm welcome from the kitchen area. Adam is the grandson of one of Peg's Soroptimists group members. We smiled, chatted briefly, and continued on … [Read more...]
Plum Trees, Relatives, and Friendship
My mother was an identical twin. My mother was Mary Lavinia . . . sometimes Lynn, sometimes Lindy, sometimes Mary. My aunt to me was always Virginia. Lynn, Virginia, and my father all graduated from high school in Nevada, Missouri, in the same class. My dad, and my uncle Randall, another local Missouri boy, fought in World War II. and married their sweethearts. Randall and Virginia moved to the … [Read more...]
Across the Fence: Better than Icarus
The dream of flying is as old as mankind. Greek mythology tells us about a youngster who steals his father’s wax-melded wings and actually manages to rise into the sky, but when, in his recklessness he flies too close to the sun, the wax melts and he plummets to his death. Today, we all know that materials for planes are constantly getting improved. What I didn’t know is that youngsters like … [Read more...]
Laura Stage Noir at Tacoma Little Theatre
The 1944 film noir classic, Laura, was based on the best selling novel by Vera Caspary. She was also involved in the movie script. Caspary was a writer of novels, plays, screenplays, and short stories. In the film, Laura is played by Gene Tierney. Dana Andrews plays Mark, a detective who investigates her death. … [Read more...]