People donate money, vehicles, household goods, clothing, and toys to local organizations. Last summer my sisters joined me for a garage sale. We simply had too much stuff. We had a chance to visit with neighbors. We sold some items, but we were left with some very nice items, which we didn’t want to put […]
Return to Oz – Film Review
The Wizard of Oz, the classic 1939 adaptation of the children’s novel by L. Frank Baum, is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made. I don’t disagree. It’s colorful, has memorable characters, terrific casting, wonderful music, fantastic makeup and sets and immortal words of wisdom that manage to be both hokey and […]
ART – Everyone's a Critic – Play Review
“How would you feel about your best friend if she suddenly did something so colossally stupid, it made you doubt the very basis of the friendship?” This is the question asked in the play Art by Yasmina Reza. That simple question takes off like a bottle rocket – zig-zagging back and forth and taking us […]
Letter: We’re talkin’ trash – Lakewood’s ‘dump-it-days’
Why was Lakewood’s Community Development Director Dave Bugher standing in the middle of the road, leaning on the driver’s side open widows of trucks, cars, and U-Hauls as they lined up bumper to bumper this past weekend? And, for that matter, what was the occasion that smiling members of the Lakewood City Council, City Manager […]
Keeping the Trails Open to God's Country
Most of us living in Washington State know that we live in God’s country; however, knowing and seeing are sometimes two different things. Even driving our highways, the majority of people don’t actually see the beauty of Washington. To experience the sights, the smells, the wildlife, and the glory of nature, it takes a more […]
Leaving Notes and Doing the Kind Thing
Kent Hickey, president of Seattle Preparatory School recent wrote an article about two someones leaving notes on his car after causing minor body damage. When he took it in for repair, the body shop mentioned that this wasn’t rare. Many people leave notes, however, when he shared the news with others he received an earful […]
Smoked Salmon Omelet
Sometimes food is not only tasty, but reminds us of another time and place. Several years ago Peg and I went Christmas shopping in Seattle. We stayed at the Mayflower Park Hotel and did most of our present buying at the Westlake Center, which is adjacent to the hotel. By the time we reached our […]
Across the Fence: An Island Far Out
Have you ever heard of the Dry Tortugas? It’s one of the US National Parks, and most of it is underwater! A visit to Garden Key had been high up on my husband’s and my bucket list for the past years, and last March we actually were able to realize this dream. We travelled to […]
Sharing Love and a Home – Foster Care
“There are 10,068 children in foster care in Washington; 2,167 of these children are waiting for adoptive families. Most of the children awaiting adoption reside in foster care. Some are in group homes.” During the 1970s my wife Peggy and I became foster care providers. Our youngest child was over the age of three. We […]