Nearby University Place

This week The U.S. Open is being played at Chamber’s Bay Golf and Country Club in University Place, Washington. So the United States and the golf world will learn about this small suburb of Tacoma.

Doing a little research I found that University Place in a census in 2010 to have a population of just over thirty-one thousand people. I expect it is a little larger than that now since some construction of businesses, condomin- iums, housings, and shopping centers have been added in the last few years.

University Place is southwest of down-town Tacoma. Though there are those living with low income, and middle class there are quite a few upper middle class as well. University Place takes about ten minutes for me drive to. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is what separates University Place, and Gig Harbor.

If you look out toward the west and the south from the Chamber’s Bay course you will see the southern part of Puget Sound. Just off to the south of the golf course is Steilacoom which is the oldest city in the state of Washington. The population of Steilacoom is a little smaller than Gig Harbor.

During the U.S. Open those coming from Gig Harbor area will have to park at Steilacoom to be bused to the course; however, a shuttle will be available as well to go directly to the course. Also, throughout the tournament there is a shuttle boat that will bring people close but will only be there for a couple hours and then return to Gig Harbor. Other boats are only allowed no closer than one thousand feet from shore.

Growing up in Gig Harbor I did often go to University Place. It was smaller city in those days as was Gig Harbor. When I was little my mother would take my brothers and I to Titlow Pool in University Place to learn how to swim; this was important since we lived near the water on the east side of the harbor. By boat East Gig Harbor is off to the right after entering into the harbor. You will see many homes on that side as well.

I have heard from those who are older than I that when they were kids it was quite popular for teenagers to walk over the Narrows Bridge to Titlow Pool. I understand the pool is no longer there but a park is still in existence.

Most of the golfers arrived by private planes at Narrows Airport which is on the west side of Gig Harbor after crossing the Narrows Bridge. Other than by boat it is the only access to Gig Harbor coming from Tacoma.

My brothers attend Charles Wright Academy which is a private school that is real close to the Chamber’s Bay golf course. Also, Curtis High School is the public high school in University Place. While I was in school we played Curtis High School often in sports. So growing up between Titlow Pool, Charles Wright Academy, and Curtis High School I spent a lot of time in or going through University Place.

You may wonder why an odd name for a place in University Place. Actually when the city was founded in the 1800s the private College University of Puget Sound had property there and was planning to build the school; however, the school ended up being built in north Tacoma which it is still at today. University of Puget Sound sold the property back to the city.

You will see watching the U.S. Open that University Place is a beautiful place. You see a picture below showing a picture of Chamber’s Bay. I heard a residence say that they should change the name of University Place to Chamber’s Bay because of the tournament. I guess we will see if it happens. In the meantime, University Place will never be the same ever again because of the tournament.
 

Being a Teenager

Whether you are teenager from a small town like Gig Harbor or a large city like Seattle it isn’t always easy.

I found living those teenage years being quite difficult. It is hard to realize who you are. Often you believe what others think of you. Actually it likely a very small group of other teenagers; we think that we are what they say we are when in fact we are not. We are closer to what our closest friends say we are. It is so easy to take things what others throw our way.

I know that I let others say get the best of me. It was really not fair to me. I was more than what they said.

I wish I knew then what I know now about myself. I was insecure, shy and nervous around girls. I think that they believed the same about me as the guys who bullied me and spoke ill well of me. I found out recently that there were girls that liked me whether it was my looks, personality, or whatever. Though I was unable to speak the words then I now can say them with confidence. Now that teenager that still lives inside of me you are a great guy. There are those that liked you a lot.

What I find sad and mad at the same time hearing about teenagers who decide to commit suicide. They do so because of bullies and those call them names along with other things. Teenagers of today who are thinking of suicide need to realize that over a course of a lifetime being a teenager is actually only a few years. Suicide is not the answer and you can’t take it back either unless by some chance the suicide did not work. So from someone who had to deal with a lot as a teenager you will survive. You are made for greater things no matter what others may say. You are a great young man or woman. If those thoughts are going through your head, and you don’t know how to stop it find a friend or a mentor. In the end you will be alright. I want you to know that.

For those of us that are past those teenage years remember the really good times and not focus on the negative. Whether you see them often or not the closest friends in that time period are your friends forever.

In the end despite the negative things Gig Harbor was a great place to grow up and still is a great place to live. It is more than the beauty it is the people. Great are the ones that I grew up with.  

Being Friends Forever

I read on line what a couple people wrote that grew up in Gig Harbor at the same time as I did. I found what they said being interesting as well. Also, a couple others have written stories on line growing up in Gig Harbor too but I still need to read them.

The two that wrote stories that I read were very good. They were different from each other; however, I got out of what each said was how much they enjoyed growing up in Gig Harbor, and most of all who they grew up with.

One was Dave who I mentioned on the blog about one of the best weekends in town. He wrote with a lot of description on living in Gig Harbor along with the type of person he was. Reading it would have been difficult in some respects until you were one that grew up in Gig Harbor at the same time. He mentioned it later in comments that those of us living here would understand it. He identifies that he comes from the things around him. For example: I am from fishing boats, net shed etc…. So everything in Gig Harbor is part of us; a very good way for us to be looking at things. David actually got this from his daughter Becky who wrote an essay writing from in a way that I came from…. It is a really good way to look at things.

The other one who wrote on line was Denise. She was a little older than me so I did not know her very well; however, I do remember liking her very much. I was shy and nervous entering high school so talking with girls was hard enough but older girls even a year or more was harder. Anyway, she now lives in California but remembered the great times growing up in Gig Harbor. In fact, she referred Gig Harbor as the Harbor. I found on her post that she actually lived not that far away on Peacock Hill which was near the city park that I visited a lot of occasions and had the baseball field I played home games on in little league. Also, she mentioned that she could see Randall Road ( what my brothers and I called  the low road that started at the city park), and Goodman Drive the road I lived on. Her writing style was not like David’s it was more like mine. She remembered Gig Harbor as a great place to grow up.

One thing David, Denise, myself, and others agree upon that not only Gig Harbor was a great place to grow up it was also those who we grew up with. I found growing up in Gig Harbor was not always the easiest but it still was the best. Not only it was and still is a beautiful place it was a great place to roam and spend time. I did not really enjoy school that much but play time and after school hours were great. Another thing we could agree upon as well is that we were spoiled in so many ways. Though we had all our ups and downs and trying to figure out who we were life was better in the Harbor than any place else; I not only want to thank my parents for such a good place to live but those who I grew up spending time with.

I am sure everyone had good and bad points growing up. Sometimes it is easy to focus on the negative things that happened instead of the positive and good things. They all made me who I am today.

Sunny Weather

This year is the first time that I have seen so much sunny weather in the northwest in June. Not only has the sun been up the temperatures have been in the 80s for several days.

If you are a native son or have lived here for some time you know it is quite unusual for the sun to be out so much already in June though the month is not quite half over. Most June’s it rains the first of the month and at times good weather in the second half.

We are all enjoying this weather because it does happen rarely in June. I always figure that summer begins on July 4.  This year is an exception I see. The temperatures are supposed to cool down into the 70s over the next few days but we will still see some of the sun. I am sure it will be cloudy first thing in the morning for the temperatures to lower. According to meteorologists rain is not expected in the near future. We can say it is nice to have an extended summer but we could use the rain as well. It is hard to think that way since rain is very accustomed around here.

Since schools do not get out in the next week or so if I was a student I would find it difficult go to school right now. For me growing up though going to school was always a challenge. I can say it was not one of my favorite activities. I am amazed how much my nephews and niece enjoyed school over the years but they even like it when school gets out. I would say it is part of being a kid.

School though now gets out at least a couple weeks later than when I was going. I see more holidays happening during the school year. I found anytime getting out of school was a good time; however, I really enjoyed having a long summer.

This last weekend In Gig Harbor we had the Maritime festival which I showed pictures and mentioned on the last blog; the weather was so great that many families were out. The traffic at times was hard to deal with. I am sure those who decided to stick around home spent the time working in their gardens.

This summer will be a very good time for me. Early July we will be having a family reunion in Bellingham, Washington and in August my brother Jack and his family will be coming out for a week. We will likely spend a day up at Mount Rainier or in the Olympic Mountains. I have mentioned before that there are so many wonderful places to go in Western Washington. It is a great place to visit especially during the summer. Not only is it sunny it is cooler than many other parts of the USA. I know that it is hard to see everything in one trip so I recommend coming again and again over the years. This is a great place for kids to do things as well.

Though I have lived here my whole life I have actually not seen every place in the state. I hope to discovery more of Washington state. Also, the other states in the northwest are really wonderful to visit as well.

You can see that the pictures shown on the last blog post how beautiful it really is here. No matter the location beauty is all around us. I enjoy not only soaking in the sun but the beauty too. Whatever there is to do I enjoy just hanging out. Wherever you go for the summer enjoy it to the fullest.  

One of the Best Weekends in Town

The weather in the northwest was one of the best I have seen especially in June over the weekend. The temperatures were in the mid to upper 80s. People were out and about all over the place whether by land or water.

My hometown of Gig Harbor had its annual Maritime Festival. It has been going on since I was in high school. Originally it was called Harbor Holidays; however, because of some trouble going on the name was changed to Maritime Festival. Not so much trouble since the name change.

The Maritime Festival happens the first weekend of June whether sunshine or rain. This time of the year the rain is quite common but not this year. The festival begins with the Maritime Parade at 10 am on Saturday and goes until around noon. There are floats, bands, churches and businesses that participate in the parade. Other words it looks like most parades that you would attend. I will show a few pictures to give you an idea how many people showed up. I believe this year may have had the largest attendance ever because of the weather.

I love going to the parade because I figure to run into someone I haven’t seen in a while. This year was no exception I saw Dave who I grew up and attended school from elementary through high school. We played against each other in little league baseball and sang in high school choir. It was great to catch up with him. Also, I love seeing babies and little kids. Of course, the weather made even more spectacular.

In the afternoon on Saturday they had blessing of the fishing fleet that goes up to Alaska along with music and food. The festival finished up with more music and food on Sunday. Next I will show some pictures of the parade and the fishing boats. I believe you can agree that there are not many places more beautiful than Gig Harbor and the northwest when the sun comes out. Enjoy pictures.

Part of the crowd in middle of Gig Harbor before the parade begins.

 

 

 

 

The police car  starting off the parade

 

 

 

 

The first participates after the police car

 

 

 

Star Wars had to show up of course

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to show a picture of a little girl

 

 

 

 

 

 

A canine friend who participated in the parade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fishing boats in the blessing of the fleet

 

 

 

The funniest one in the parade that I was unable to get a picture of was a goat that was riding in a truck. I wish I could have gotten his picture.

Everyone have a really good week. Come to Gig Harbor when you have a chance.

Funny Things in Families

We all figure that family is important to us all.  Some families fight, and we all have heard that is ok but if someone from the outside comes in to fight a family member you better watch out.

Within families there are stories that can be considered funny, and others that are not wanted to be told either. Other words all families have their secrets.

There are those who may be known as a black sheep.  They may have done something that the family considers bad enough that they do not want others to know are part of the family.  It could be third cousin Fred who spent time getting in trouble in his youth and spent time juvenile hall.  By the way I don’t have third cousin Fred if you were thinking of it.

There were times that I thought of myself as a black sheep though I did not do anything that would shame the family. The truth is that I walked to a different drum beat then the rest of the family. Being different though makes you feel insecure at times; however, it is OK to be walking at a different drum beat. I am sure all of us have felt that way at times.

I am not sure if I remember a lot of funny stories in the family but I know that there were some. I will give a few of them but will protect their names.

One summer our family took a sailboat trip to Victoria then through San Juan Islands. While being in Victoria mother had come up by car and ferry with one of my brothers who had been going to summer school. Anyway she had spent part of a day washing clothes to bring up to join us. Of course we need to have some clean clothes at that point.  She gave a basket of clothes to my other brother to take to the boat. While walking to the boat my brother could not see above the basket of clothes so he walked off the end of the dock instead of making a left turn right into the water. All the clothes our mother had spent hours washing and drying landed in the water along with my brother. I yelled out trying to warn him but he did not hear me. It was funny to see my brother walk off straight on the dock. Of course, mother was furious at the time which was understandable. Now she can laugh about it but was certainly not funny to her at the time though I thought it was funny. Nothing better than happen to a brother who seemed to be perfect up to that moment.

 I would say that story is one that I remember the most. One of my Uncles though would tell a Groucho Marx bit and he would say it over and over again. The first time was OK but by the fifth time it started to get a bit annoying. When I first heard it from my uncle I had no idea he got it from Groucho Marx. At that age though I probably never heard of Groucho Marx anyway; the bit was about the bear and my pajamas. If you never heard the bit it ends with what was the bear doing in my pajamas. Like I say the first time funny but repeat several times you want him to stop.

I know that there are other stories that happened in my family that were funny just like in your family but all I can remember at this time. When I do come up with them in mind I will pass them on.

Besides funny stories and black sheep of the family there are always odd balls in every family. Of course the uncle I mentioned with Groucho Marx is near the top.

I believe we all need colorful people in our lives or life will be dull. At the very least we need to be able to laugh at ourselves. It beats the alternative where others laugh at us with the wrong motives. Life can be very mean if others laugh at us the wrong way. I find it a lot better when I can be funny for the right reasons.

The important thing is to remember the funny stories even if it just one. We all need to laugh out loud often even over the same thing.

Laughter is very good medicine. It is even better than giving your favorite teacher an apple first thing in the morning.

Writing Shorter Paragraphs

I have been wondering for a while how important the length of paragraphs should be when writing.

Is it important to the reader what length the paragraph is? I find myself writing some long ones and not enough short ones.

The reason I am writing this is it really a big concern or not.

In many ways it is a lot easier to write longer paragraphs but I want to be sure it is good for the reader as well.

The length of the paragraph I believe has to do with the thought being put into it.

I am writing short paragraphs here for a purpose.

It may not make a difference at all how long a paragraph is to some degree that is.

Thinking more and more about it I am no longer going to worry about how long the paragraphs I am going to write except I do not want them to be too long either.

I realized after thinking about this for some time the most important thing in writing is the reader going to enjoy the subject and the content. Even writing about the size of paragraphs should make the reader interested.

So what I am going to do is not to worry too much about the length of the paragraph. The important thing is the reader enjoys what I am writing about.

Again I want to thank everyone who reads my blog. I appreciate each one of you to take the time to read it. I am amazed that so many people around the globe enjoy reading a blog from someone in United States of America from a small town who writes about his life whether the story has to do with the past or the present.

I want to do most of all is share my life with others, and encourage everyone to have a good life as well. We all struggle in many different ways. Though I live in a blessed country does not mean everything is always good. I hope to give everyone though a good fresh air.

Several weeks ago the local daily paper the editor in chief wrote about a survey that was taken by readers. I actually think it was a national survey. The newspapers want to know what the readers enjoyed most about the paper along with what could be improved.

What they found out is that readers enjoy stories that are at least a thousand words long. They wanted to know the story really in depth in what was going on.  Breaking news they were Ok with being short when reading on line than when having more time reading more in depth what was happening.

Those who enjoyed reading the paper about sports wanted to have more analysis than just what happened. Other words why it happened is as important as what happened.

The editor in chief said they would take in consideration what the survey said to write the stories. Other words the news stories would be in more depth and more analysis in sports.

I am sure other things were mentioned as well but I do not remember them at this time.

I am sure that readers of papers enjoy real life stories as well.  News stories can become very disturbing sometimes because there is so much bad going on in the world. It is really nice to read stories that are about real good things as well.

I look forward to writing more to you readers and thank you so much for reading my blog. What I look to do is to continue making the blog better and better each time, week, and month ahead.

What is exciting is to make a difference in other peoples life along with my own.  Too share each chapter of my life. Not every chapter is good but I feel that life is getting better all the time. I look forward to better things ahead. I pray that the same thing for you all as well. If you live in an area that lacks peace I pray that peace will come to your land. Most of all that you have good health and family life.

Early Riser?

My dad was known as an early riser. Also, I have been known as one as well. I am not sure whether I inherit it or just happened.

The thing is that growing up my bedroom was upstairs instead of where my siblings had theirs downstairs. It was a small room and I had no door either. I asked several times but no door materialized. I had a curtain that gave me a little privacy. So whenever my dad got up early I woke up early too. He was quiet but I still woke up anyway. Sometimes I would get up to spend time with dad or I lay in bed for a while.

The nice thing about dad getting up early is that breakfast was ready when everyone else got up. Yes dad was the one who made breakfast during the weekdays. He did sleep in on the weekends so it did help me out a little bit though I was still accustomed to getting up early. He loved my mother making either pancakes or waffles. Of course we had bacon as well. He made our lunches too.

When I worked customer service I took the early shift mainly because I knew that the traffic would be not be heavy, and I figured since I felt comfortable being up early did not hurt either. I was amazed though how many cars were on the road anyway. I am sure those other drivers were thinking the same way.

Being up early is not for everyone either. I found getting up early was harder during the winter when it was still dark outside. It is a lot easier to get up when the sun is coming up.

On Saturday May 30 I went to barbeque at a close friend’s home. He said that he was accustomed to getting up early. Another guy Kurt said that he gets up about 4 am. I call that really early; however, he lives out on Key Peninsula where the animals get up early. So feels fine getting up that early. It helps that he is able to sleep about six hours a night. It is the key of getting up early is how much sleep you need. If you need eight hours of sleep it means that you have go to bed early as well. Personally I enjoy the six hours instead except on the weekend where I can get in an extra couple hours.

I am not sure getting up early is a benefit but saying goes the early bird gets the worms. Of course, we do not need worms but getting the day off early is sort of nice especially when the sun comes up early.

I really have not checked things out to see whether getting up early or not is a healthy thing. Also, the amount of sleep helps one way or another. I am sure doctors would tell you that eight hours of sleep is the most benefit; however, I believe it still depends on the person. Some people need eight hours while others do not. I think if you are able to get in a nap during the afternoon would help but hard to do when you are working.

Older people seem to get up early but go to sleep early as well. I guess they need more sleep than younger adults but I would prefer getting up more like 7 am and going to bed about 10 pm. Again this would depend on the time of the year. When it does get darker early I would go to bed at 9 pm instead. Of course that is me.

I believe that eight hours of sleep is too much but six hours maybe not enough so seven hours would be the best for me. I want the least amount of sleep I can get because life is short anyway so why sleep a third of it away. That is what it would be sleeping eight hours a day. You have to feel alive to enjoy it anyway.

So if you are an early riser great if not great as well. Whatever works for you is what works for you. Just remember that if you do not get up early you may not get the worm.

What’s Happening

The last couple weeks it has been a busy time for my brother Jack and his family.

Today marks the third graduation where his son Ian graduates from Harvard University in computer science. I wish I was there right now. I can imagine what is going on because I have been to two graduations at Harvard. Right now I am sure that the graduates are walking in. After it concludes including speech from a well known person the graduates and family go to their prospective areas to eat lunch and then receive their diplomas. Usually the area is where the graduates lived unless they are off campus.

The next chapter for Ian will be coming out to Seattle for a job with Microsoft. It is same position that he worked as an intern last summer. Also, his girlfriend Helen is coming out as well.

On May 17 my niece Leslie her husband Daniel graduated from Lutheran Divinity School in Minnesota. I am not sure where he will be working as of yet but his Sunday’s will be busy for sure.

On May 18 another nephew and Jack’s oldest son Robby graduated from Yale Law School. He worked on the Yale Law review as an editor. He will be studying for the next couple months for the New York bar. He will be doing a little traveling before his next chapter begins working for a U.S. government agency. Congratulations to them all for their accomplishments. It is really nice when the younger ones in the family are paving their own way in different areas.

Closer to home next weekend June 6 and 7 Gig Harbor has its Maritime festival. It begins with a parade on June 6 where a lot of the town comes out. If you are in the area it would be a good time for a visit. After the parade there will be time listen to some music at Skansie Park which is down on the waterfront. Of course, there will be food available as well. I hope to see friends that I do not see too often.  Also, June 6 in the afternoon will be the blessing of the fleet. The local fishermen will be heading out soon to go to Alaska or the Washington coast.

On June 7 there will be continuing providing music all day long at Skansie Park along with other activities. It is great way to have fun especially if the weather is good.

It is so hard to believe that June is arriving at our footsteps. This weekend the weather is expected to reach into the 80s which is very unusual for the northwest; however, I would say the weather this year has been unusual all the way around. So it will be good to get out around the area whether by car, boat, bike or walking.

This coming Monday which is June 1 kicks off the month rain is expected. I am not sure how much but rain is normal for June but as I have said it is not a normal year. I am sure many places around the country can say the same thing.

I am still working at recovery from my procedure of last Thursday. I should be back to complete health in a couple days. I will get back to do some walking and if all things go well be riding my bike. It has been a while so I will start off slowly. I hope things will be normal for a while. Look forward to see what is in store for the summer.

Visiting Relatives

The highlight growing up was always to visit our Aunts, Uncles and cousins. Most of the time we saw them during holidays and the summer; living in Gig Harbor it was always good to visit our cousins in the big city also known as Seattle. Also, we had cousins living in Bellingham, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In those early days it took much longer get to Bellingham and Vancouver because it was before the interstate. Going to Seattle is about an hour drive from Gig Harbor; however, it was at least twice amount time to get there in those days. Bellingham and Vancouver took almost all day get to either place. If you are not familiar with Bellingham it is north of Seattle, and very near the Canadian border. So whenever we went to Vancouver we went through both Seattle and Bellingham as well.

The real early years I do not remember at all. Those are the years before I started going to school. I was burned just before my fourth birthday on my chest and under my right arm. How I was burned was that I decided to cook eggs on the stove. You see I was allergic to eggs at the time but I loved eating them. Since I was not given eggs to eat I had to take the matter into my own hands which of course was a big mistake. My pajamas caught on fire and my mother ended up smoldering me with a blanket to put the fire out. My sister Barb was in the same room as I so she yelled for my mother to come. If she had not been in the same room it would have been much worse. It is possible I may not have seen another day. I spent six weeks in the hospital before being released. I had more fourth birthday while in the hospital. My aunts, uncles, and cousins all came to visit. As I said I do not remember at all this is what I have been told by my parents. Barb though remembers it as though it was like yesterday. What an experience for a twelve year old girl.

Our cousins always like coming to Gig Harbor as well. We always enjoyed seeing them whether on holiday or summer vacation. My cousin Christy who actually stopped by for a couple hours last Monday always talks about the time she spent the summer with us in Gig Harbor. She and her husband were on the way back from their home in Arizona to their home in British Columbia. They now live east of Vancouver. That summer she was fifteen and I was ten. She spent the summer with us because our mother was taking college classes in Portland, Oregon. Our mother taught high school French and German in Tacoma so she had to go for more accreditation.  

All my cousins are older than me except Jennifer who is three weeks younger. My younger brother Jack was the youngest in the clan. I am speaking about my first cousins; we actually had some second cousins that were younger than me.

Everyone loved playing in the yard, going out sailing, and swimming some in the harbor during the summer. The water was very cold in Gig Harbor so I did not swim very long at all. Usually I went in to cool off and that was about it; however, Jack and Cousin Judy loved swimming in the harbor. I guess they would stay in for several minutes. It did not seem like the cold water really effected them, or it was they just had too much fun. Judy I say was about three or four years older than me and Jack was two and half years younger than me. One summer before Judy was going to graduate from high school she spent the summer with us as well. She was not here to take care of us like Christy but to learn math so she could graduate. She had flunked math and need to pass to graduate. My brother Dick was really good at math. I would say not many knew math more than Dick. So he taught Judy math and when she went back to high school she passed with an A. It really showed how good he was at teaching math as well as knowing it.

I have other stories growing up in this crazy family and in Gig Harbor with visits to and from cousins. I will leave them for other times. The only thing I wish was that I could see them more often now. Aunts and Uncles are all gone now. My mother is the only one left of her generation. I miss them along with the good times. Always good to think about it though; there is nothing like family even though there is some faults in us all.

Do You Remember?

There are some things we remember very well. In fact we all know that there are things we remember from a long time ago while there are things we do not remember from yesterday or last week.

It is really funny how our minds really work. The thing is some people remember the whole experience while others only the highlights. I give you an example; on May 18, 1980 I remember Mt. St. Helen’s erupting and there was a lot of ash all over the place even though here in Gig Harbor is probably at least one hundred miles away, and the ash actually covered many parts of Washington State. There was an old gentleman named Harry Truman the same as the late president and may even been related refused to leave and died that day on the volcano eruption. He was not the only one though he is the one I remember. I know the destruction that happened that day but was I watching on TV or a few days later. Most likely that evening because I think that I was working that day. I know others remember exactly where they were that day.

I can give many other examples of experiences that have happened over my life, and I am sure you can do as well. I look back at yesterday, and I know that I went out for coffee, and who I saw. I know that I watched some of the Seattle Mariners game as well; however, some of yesterday is a blank. If I think more about it I am sure I will come up with some things.

I believe our minds work in a fashion what we find important to us. What I believe what is important are the people but the rest is OK at best. I know that the good things and in some cases the bad things I remember. There are some bad things I choose to block out.

When I look back at the past especially my child-hood it feels like things may have happened to someone else, a blur or a different lifetime at least. If you go back in my blogs like a couple years ago I wrote about our family trip across Canada for the summer. I really enjoyed the time we spent at Peggy’s Cove along with the Gas Bay in Quebec. I do remember other things that happened as well but in all feels so different now.

I know we all have a giant database that is called our brain. I look forward to remembering more of what is in that brain of mine. I have written some of my experiences in this blog; however, I look forward to so even more in the future. I hope that you are able to recall experiences that you have had over the many years as well.

This is the reason that it is important to write down our experiences for others to hear or read about them in the future. We have so much to offer other people whether it is history like Mt. St. Helen’s volcano eruption or last Thursday when I went in for my procedure to remove kidney stones. Every chapter of our lives is important; hopefully, we can remember as many chapters as possible. When we are older we lose those memories. I look forward to sharing everyone with more of my stories whether in the past or present. Have a wonderful week making new memories.

Memorial Day

Monday May 25 is Memorial Day here in the United States of America for those of you who live elsewhere. It is a federal holiday that takes place the last Monday of May every year.

The holiday started in 1868 as Decoration Day because of the end of Civil War. The name was changed to Memorial Day in 1882. Though it was a holiday it did not become an official Federal holiday in 1967.

The purpose of Memorial Day is to remember every soldier who died in a war. It became very important after World War Two since so many died during that war.

Most communities celebrate Memorial Day by having tributes at many cemeteries. Here in Western Washington we have several military bases. Bremerton which is about a half an hour north of Gig Harbor has the Naval Ship Yard. Also, there is the Naval Station on Whidbey Island that is north of Seattle. There are a lot of pilots that are trained on Whidbey Island. Just south of Tacoma is Fort Lewis Army Base and McChord Air Force Base. They actually now go by Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Over many years I have talked with many soldiers who have retired in the area after serving time at Ft. Lewis or McChord. It is estimated that over one hundred and twenty thousand retirees live in the area. There are a lot of days where I can see planes flying in or out of McChord.  

Boeing and Microsoft are the two largest employers in the area; however, the military presence shows a lot of hiring as well.

Growing up federal holiday’s like Memorial Day meant to me that I would be out of school. They did not become important to me until I became an adult.  Memorial Day meant that summer was about here. I am sure a lot of people like myself  who did not lose any family in war they still use Memorial Day to remember and honor family members that are no longer with us.

The most important thing about Memorial Day is that the soldiers who fought and died did so we can be free. Though the United States is not perfect by any means it is freedom that makes our country great.

So those who are fellow countrymen remember now the freedom we have. Those in other countries that are free as well remember your countrymen who died as well to make you free. Those of you that do not have freedom we pray that your country becomes free.

Good Health

I have to let you all know that my procedure for removing kidney stones went great yesterday (Thursday). Going into it the Urologist was not sure if he could get both of the stones out. He knew the first one would be no problem but was not sure of the second that was larger and was six inches away from the first one. It turned out he was able to remove both in pretty good timing. The procedure took almost two hours.

I arrived at the hospital very early at 5 am. The hospital is only ten minutes away from my home and is in Gig Harbor. I went in for the surgery at 7:15 am and woke up around 9:15 am and taken in recovery for about an hour than back to the area I was prepped for the surgery. I left the hospital around 11:30 am. I had to make a stop at the pharmacy for some prescriptions. My friend Art who is really great guy took me to the hospital and back home as well. He took me to a different hospital in Tacoma back on April 6 for my heart procedure.

I do have a little pain this morning but it is working out just fine.  The only thing is that I feel like peeing all the time but I wait until really have to. So far it has been after every hour or. Yesterday I had some blood but no longer.

What was the neediest part of going to the hospital was the nurse Rita who got me ready for the procedure. Not only had she done a really good job I found that we went to the same wedding last Saturday. She realized when I said where the reception was which was in a different location from the wedding. I did not go the reception because I was not feeling very well. She knows the bride because the bride mentors her thirteen year old daughter. I told her that I knew the groom longer and met the bride through him. I go to the same church as the groom. Now the bride attends the same church. It is sort of different because I find in my experience the groom usually ends up at the bride’s church. The church that the bride attended is larger than our church.

A second part of the equation is that after talking a bit longer I asked her if she went to same high school that I attended though several years later. She told me that she went to the same school as a freshman, however; she transferred because a new high school was built in Gig Harbor. So she attended and graduated from that school. It was called Gig Harbor High School while mine was Peninsula High School. She asked me when I graduated it was several years before her; however, an older brother graduated a year after me. It was really neat because I had not seen him in so many years so she was able to tell me where he lived which is near San Francisco, California. Rita told me about her family as well as his. Also, had an even older brother who taught at my high school when I and her brother were going there. Though were not in the same grade we were close in many ways. We talked a lot about baseball and basketball. I thought of him as a great guy. Over the years I have thought about him frequently so it was great learning about him from Rita. I told her to be sure to say hello to him the next time she sees or talks with him.

When I got to the hospital and she started getting me prepped before talking about her brother and family she said all the nurses on her schedule though I had a cool name. Of course, with the last name of Nightingale and every nurse knows about Florence Nightingale I get that a lot of times. She was a second or third something like that anyway of my great-great grandfather. Another interesting did bit is she died the same year both sets of grandparents were married in 1910. My dad’s father was probably real close in age to my mother’s parents; however, his mother was much younger than any of them. My mother’s parents were in their 30s when they married and my dad’s mother was in her early 20s. My mother was the youngest of four siblings. Her oldest brother was born in 1911 while my mother was born in 1920.  She had another older brother but I am not sure what year he was born in most likely 1913 though. She had older sister that was born in 1918. So they were not too far apart in age. I may write about their relationship at another time. It is quite interesting though to say the least.

So far the last couple years I have felt like I could use a new body; unfortunately none of us of get that lucky though. I am sure all of us feel like that now and then.

I feel very fortunate because I have known others recently who have been much sicker than me.  I have had both some around my age or younger that have gone through a lot worse than me. There has been a few as well who have died too; so sad to know friends and classmates that are no longer around.  

I have to say that we all should feel fortunate to wake up each morning being still around. It is very important to encourage one another since we never know how long we will see each other. I hope to be around for a lot more years, and for sure not have any more procedures for some time unless it is something that is more routine.

Everyone have yourself a wonderful weekend.