Only ten percent of the US citizens have a passport. When thinking of traveling Germany, most Americans most likely think of Bavaria. Especially of clichés like the Munich Hofbräuhaus (pronounce ‘hauv-broy-house, meaning royal court brewery), Octoberfest, Disney castle aka Neuschwanstein (pronounce noy-‘shvuhn-shtine), and maybe Garmisch-Partenkirchen (pronounce ‘guhrr-mish-par-ten-‘keer-hen). Interestingly enough, these popular places are all manmade. […]
St. Vinnies and Soroptomists Working Together for Our Community
Most people don’t realize that St. Vincent de Paul in Tacoma has a show room. It’s not as bright and shiny as the stores in our local shopping areas like Towne Center, Tacoma Mall, and South Hill, but it has some nice looking furniture, carpets, and treasures to offer – at much lower prices. My […]
Westside Story – College Students & Credit Cards
By belatedly mustering a high level of personal integrity, I can fess up to admitting that today’s column includes what may appear to be stolen material. You may wish to check with your lawyer before reading the balance of my written words to make sure you avoid ending up in criminal court as a witness […]
Letter: We’re back
The alarm rang too soon. Fortunately, I’d prepared coffee the night before and sleepily pushed the button. While it perked, I checked Facebook for any messages that for some reason we wouldn’t be rowing this morning. There were none. At exactly 5:30 A.M., having consumed one-and-a-half cups of coffee, we launched. My daughter and I […]
Telling Your Starboard from Your Lefse
“Flavorless and boring . . . Finnish is the worst (I disagree! DD), Norwegian is pretty bad too.” – econjobrumors.com/topic/why-is-scandinavian-food-so-bad While breakfasting with friends at the Urban Elk recently we discussed my article on tacos and why they were so popular with Norwegians. – thesubtimes.com/2019/07/28/can-five-million-taco-eating-norwegians-be-wrong/ In the article I had put forth the suggestion that […]
Trucks leaving highway, trains leaving tracks
No Trains Through Tillicum is the featured presentation by Washington State Senator Steve O’Ban at the Tillicum Woodbrook Neighborhood Association (TWNA) meeting August 1, 6:30 P.M., Tillicum Community Center, 14916 Washington Ave. SW. You may have seen that sign along I-5, the one about trucks leaving the highway. Trains likewise should continue to be rerouted […]
Westside Story – Uncle Melvin’s Bike Story Contains No Political Opinions
I hope many of my readers think like me. I never tire of seeing Uncle Melvin’s bicycle. The bike’s appearance changes constantly. The bike is decorated in some manner every year by my talented, confidential, undercover, uncredentialed Master Gardener. She is not a card-carrying Master Gardener because she does not like going to meetings. If […]
Adult Family Homes Senior Care Alternatives for Puyallup – Lakewood – Tacoma
As our population ages, there is a growing concern about senior care. There are excellent assisted living facilities in our backyard like Brookdale in Parkland and Cascade Park in Tacoma as well as others. Many of these places have management and staff and most dispense excellent care, but there is an alternative: Adult Family Homes. […]
The Urban Elk Restaurant Breakfast Review
The restaurant Urban Elk name had come up three times in the last few days. One was from my buddy Steve Anderson asking if I had tried the restaurant, yet. I said, “No,” but was corrected by two other people that I had . . . but had not reviewed it. The Urban Elk took […]