I spent a few days in Seattle last week. To my delight, flowering rhododendrons reminded me of the best part of a Seattle spring. The season is all too short — delightful blossoms replaced by green foliage by summer. But while they bloom, rhododendrons are nothing short of spectacular. As I strolled through a
Articles Categorized Seattle
ONCE UPON A TIME IN OZ
Last week I visited the magical Land of Oz. Sitting in Seattle’s Paramount Theater auditorium, I traveled via the musical notes and flashing lighting displayed in Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. And I wondered, what is it about Oz that brings us back to the story generation after generation?
Naughty Nellie and the Honest Cop
In 1900 Aberdeen was known as the Hellhole of the Pacific and more ominously The Port of Missing Men, a reference to the high murder rate. Aberdeen was a boomtown fueled by the timber industry and home to a wide-open social life for the two thousand or so loggers and sailors who came into town
NAUGHTY NELLIE – “a madam of legendary proportion”
I met Nellie Curtis at The Pike Brewing Company Pub located at the edge of Seattle’s Pike Place Market in the old LaSalle Hotel Building. Seattle is known for its microbreweries. My daughter thought it would be fun to check out Pike Brewing founded in 1989. We ordered the tasting sampler. First on the list
POMPEII — MORE THAN A HISTORY LESSON
I was in Seattle for business meetings last week. But as the saying goes, ‘all work and no play makes Sandra a dull girl.’ Remedy – indulge in Seattle’s cultural delights. The historian in me won the toss, so my first visit was to the Pacific Science Center’s Pompeii: The Exhibition. It’s not the first
WHITE DUCK TALES
Last Monday, the Seattle Times ran a story about Darin Welker, a US Army veteran who fought in the 2005 Iraq War. Mr. Welker ran afoul of the law (pun intended), because he keeps 14 pet ducks at his home in West Lafayette, Ohio, where the personable birds are classified as farm animals. Fowl and
TEN REASONS TO GO TO A WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
As a “general” rule (ever wonder why there’s no “private first class” rule?) fiction writers are shy. That’s why they create artificial worlds and imaginary friends. Writers like to sit at a cozy desk more than they like to go to parties, because at parties they have to talk to actual people. Or else sit
BASEBALL – Symbol of Summer
“Baseball, it is said, is only a game” – George F. Will Baseball has teams of nine players. The playing field has a diamond shape. There are nine innings and numerous time outs, but no maximum time. Baseball players don’t wear spandex. In comparison to other athletes, they appear modest. The game itself is straightforward.
HANDSOME BLOKE CHECKS SUPER BOWL OFF BUCKET LIST
NFL Super Bowl XLVIII is history. Super Bowl 48 – the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Denver Broncos (or should I say, Peyton Manning?) Or, as some say, a diversion from the Bruno Mars Half Time Show. But that’s not today’s story. This is a personal story about a man, a dog, a wife, a daughter,
DAY TOUR IN SEATTLE
I visit Seattle 2-3 times a year to visit family, eat, and take a break in familiar surroundings. I did my undergraduate BA degree at the University of Washington – before they bricked over the grassy area near the library to create “Red Square” above the Central Garage. If you know when that happened, you
