Tacoma

My son, Del has a commercial drivers license. He has a local route. He loves the job. He picks up loads of everything from shoes to tires. He maneuvers though traffic on both the freeway and back roads and expertly parks any semi in some teeny tiny places. He talks to dispatchers and the workers […]

I used to read the novels of Louis L’Amour. If a movie based on one of his books airs or replays on cable, I will usually watch it. Again. And again. Not only does L’Amour tell a good story, with interesting characters, but usually there is good advice tucked into his pages as well. For […]

The last Amtrak passenger trains traveling with Nisqually Delta, the Narrows, Salmon Beach, Northern Pacific’s Point Defiance tunnel, and Vashon Island views will run on December 17th. Beginning on the 18th, passengers will board at the new Amtrak station at Freighthouse Square in downtown Tacoma. Departures and arrivals will use the new Bypass Route which […]

New cars aren’t getting any cheaper. Even with a new car warranty, high payments easily offset the value. A reliable used car, especially if it’s one that you’ve done maintenance and servicing on, may be a good candidate for an engine rebuild. If your five to ten year old car is in excellent condition except […]

In 1968 we were hoping to outlast the snow. We were warm and toasty with enough food, but with a toddler and a baby, we ran out of diapers, washcloths, dish towels, bath towels, handkerchiefs, and scarves. As young marrieds, each week Peg would visit her family or my family to wash clothes. The winter […]

Amanda had a hearing disabled worker to place for employment. She called a potential employer, and was rebuffed. Jack said, “We’ve already got a deaf worker and she’s just not working out.” Disabled workers are as different from each other as you and I. Some are hard workers . . . and some need a […]

It was the last performance of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit in Tacoma Little Theatre’s 99th season . . . meaning that the dead can return as needed when “spirited” séances go wrong. Peggy and I met friends for dinner at the seriously crowded Spanky Burgers & Brew on Sixth and Pine. We chose Spanky’s because […]

Suburban Times writer Joe Boyle wrote about hedges and other bushes drying up and turning brown all over Lakewood. He’s worried about fires starting and spreading. I loved his article and sent him a comment: “Joe, I think you should re-title your piece: The Planted Dead. I know exactly what you’re talking about and the […]

If you’ve never seen a Checker automobile, you’ve missed an American icon. Checker Motors Corporation in Kalamazoo, manufactured taxicabs used by Checker Taxi (the same company really. They stopped producing automobiles in 1982. During many years of production Checker would sell cars for personal use on special order, but the taxi cab was their main […]