War or Peace

I have to say that I likely won’t write about this subject very often. I know to that everyone has an opinion on this one side or another. I am sure most of us want peace and not war; however, we have to be realistic that we are in a war whether we like it or not. There are fanatics out there wanting to put people to their knees at the very least and wanting to kill everyone who does not believe the way that they believe.

I know that no one has used this term except maybe myself I call it the ISIS Crisis. These fanatics want to kill every Christian in the world and I am sure others who don’t believe the way that they do.

There are some who will put all Muslims in this category; however, I am sure most Muslims are kind. I don’t know that for sure because I have to admit I don’t know the religion very well. In fact, I don’t know any Muslims personally. I see some here and there on a few occasions. I would have no problem saying hello to them and having a very good conversation. If they are willing to tell me more about themselves and their religion I would be up for it very much.

I am a believing Christian so I know that their religion is different than mine. I know to that they do not believe in the same God and how to receive salvation in the same manner; however, like I say I will be kind to them since Christ tells us to love our neighbors. I am not here to put down someone who has a different belief system; however, anyone who wants to kill me because I am a Christian though I love them they are my enemy so we are at war whether I like it or not. Though I pray for peace I do know that war is a reality as well. If you are a Christian or not being an American you automatically an enemy of ISIS and any other fanatics; of course, France and Russian along with the rest of Europe you are in the same place unless you are Muslim. I am not saying that all Muslims are automatically our enemy because I am sure most of them do not feel the same way as those that are fighting the cause of ISIS.

The next thing is about bringing in refugees from Syria. I know that many people in America think it is a very bad idea. I am sure that some are on the side of President Obama and former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton that we should allow them in. I am one that believes that we should be cautious, and do screening before letting any refugees in. United States is a country of immigrants since we have all come from somewhere else unless you are Native Americans. My family primarily all came from England and Scotland though many years ago so I have no problem allowing people in as long we find them not to be dangerous. Right now that we are at War whether we acknowledge it or not anyone who wants to be an immigrant should be carefully screened regardless the country they are from.

Since what happened last week in France and we can’t forget September 11, 2001 we must realize that War is at hand. We must pray for peace; however, knowing that it could be a long time before peace comes again to this land and world. France and Russia have both gone into Syria against ISIS with bombing. Though I do not agree with the stance that President Obama and Clinton they are proclaiming I wonder as well in the back of my mind if that is a strategy that our President and others in our government is using. You may be asking what I mean by strategy. This could be where President Obama and Clinton look as bad guys to most Americas and foreigners wanting to knowing that our government is for refugees while at the same time allowing the French and Russia to fight the war against ISIS. Other words, I maybe saying it is a smoke screen. I really do hope that is our Head of State idea. I am sure our top government officials are keeping their eyes on ISIS and not let them come into United States.

We should not be secure in our safety and pray that ISIS will come down and crumble. Also, we should look out for any item that looks suspicious and report it. Right now peace be with you.

More of the Waterfront

I believe I have been blessed to live in most beautiful place in the world. It is a major reason I write about this place and my life growing up here. I am sure though most people feel the same about where they live. It does not mean though our lives have been perfect because I think we have all gone through trials and tribulations.

I want to continue on the subject of waterfronts. My thought is that most people live on or near waterfronts because of the beauty and the need of water. Almost every large city in the world is surrounded by water; in the United States I can name even a few and a lot more as well. There is New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston that I can name right off the bat. Of course, I live about an hour from Seattle. I can name other cities around the world as well like Hong Kong and Tokyo to name just two among many.

There are many places I would love to travel to if I have the time to do so and they all have great waterfronts. Here in Western Washington we have quite a few on the Puget Sound besides just Gig Harbor. Of course, I named Seattle already that has a great waterfront that is being renovated as well. I travelled and spent time on the Seattle Waterfront in August when my brother Jack and his family were visiting. We took the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle. It is so nice to see some of the Puget Sound by riding the ferry. Bremerton itself has a very large waterfront that you can drive through; however, it is made up of several Navy ships since the Navy Shipyard is in Bremerton. You can take tours of the ships that are available if you have the time to do so.

Coming out of the Bremerton harbor to go toward Seattle off to the right is Port Orchard. It has a very wonderful waterfront that you can drive by or walk along as well. Looking ahead on the ferry you can see Bainbridge Island among several islands while on your way to Seattle. Bainbridge Island you can travel by car as well. On the way you can stop off in Poulsbo a small town like Gig Harbor that has a wonderful waterfront as well. Like Gig Harbor tourists love visiting Poulsbo; a lot of small shops and restaurants as well. If you continue to drive past Poulsbo you can cross the Hood Canal and go to Port Townsend. It has a very nice waterfront as well with a mixture of old and new. The last time I was visiting there they were process of renovation as well. At Port Townsend you can look out on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Going further north is Sequim that looks out to the strait as well. Sequim is unusual place and many people retire there because they do not have much rainfall. Going further is Port Angeles that has a great waterfront and many people take the ferry over to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Most people who live on the Olympic Peninsula which all these cities I have mentioned travel to Victoria this way.  If you are in the Seattle area you can take a ferry to Victoria from Seattle as well. Either way you go the ferry ride is fantastic and beautiful especially during the summer.

Nearby Tacoma which I take the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to has a very nice waterfront as well though much of it is occupied by the Port of Tacoma that brings in ships to unload cargo. A lot of the cargo comes from Asia; however, you can view the waterfront of Tacoma as well which is really nice. I can actually view what is called Point Defiance from my apartment. It has a very nice five mile drive that you can walk, run or bike through. Point Defiance has a really nice Zoo that you can visit as well. In fact, they are looking to do a renovation of the Zoo. Real close to Point Defiance is Ruston; a small community that has done quite a renovation and has an outstanding view of Tacoma waterfront. Point Defiance you can take a ferry over nearby Vashon Island which is another lovely place to visit. On another end of Vashon Island you can take a ferry to Seattle.  So the people who live on Vashon Island work either in Seattle or Tacoma; another great place to be a tourist to visit for a day.

Going north of Seattle there is quite a few places you can visit. The largest city in that area is Everett. Beyond Everett is Camano Island, and then you can go west to Anacortes for a ferry ride to the San Juan Islands. If you want to bypass the San Juan Islands or spend another day before going or returning is Whidbey Island. You can actually take a ferry ride over to Port Townsend from Whidbey Island to spend the time exploring the Olympic Peninsula.

Like I say though Gig Harbor has a wonderful waterfront there are so many more waterfronts that you can explore throughout Puget Sound. I know I could spend days or weeks doing so.

Wherever you are I recommend that you spend time at the waterfront near you as well. Enjoy your wonderful week.

Walking the Waterfront

 This week I was walking the waterfront of my home town of Gig Harbor, Washington. Being November the temperatures were in the upper 40s around 8am. The sun was out so it wasn’t bad though did feel cold along with a little wind. Later in the day rain came as well which is expected this time of the year. In fact I call it a great day if the sun comes out even for ten minutes. So it was a great day indeed.

While I was walking I had a lot of different things on my mind. Being Veterans Day I was thinking about the brave men and women who fought in wars and defended our freedom. Some of those men and women were grandparents and parents of those who I grew up with along with children of classmates who now are defending our country.

This reminded me what Gig Harbor and the waterfront was like over the years. Gig Harbor is so different than it was back many years ago when my grandfather and father first made steps here. In those days Gig Harbor was made up primarily of fishing boats, and saw mills to make up the building of the boats. Today there are still fishing boats; however, the building of the boats are not same as back in those days. Now Gig Harbor has a lot more small shops for tourists to visit. You can still see the fishing boats around when they are not on the Washington coast or up in Alaska. There are still many sheds where the fishermen work on their boats. One of the fishermen who I grew up with Ken Manning I ran into him at the local grocery store in September; he just got back home from his season up in Alaska. He said this year was not as good a year as normal although his older brother Ed was still up there in Alaska fishing. Ken showed me on his cell phone a picture of his new fishing boat. He worked on building the boat for at least three years during the off-season to prepare for this year. So Ken is prepared to continue fishing for some more time in the future. Most of the fishermen in Gig Harbor I went to school with, and they followed in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers.

When I was growing up in Gig Harbor itself we had one city park now they call Crescent Creek because we have several other parks in Gig Harbor. I used play little league baseball at the park along with football, a little basketball and tennis. There has been some added attractions to the park but in general it doesn’t look very little different than I was a kid. That park was my home field where I spent almost as much time at as I did at our house. There were other parks because other teams we played had home fields as well; however, they were not in Gig Harbor itself. Now Gig Harbor has I believe five other parks that have some significance as well. For instance, one of the parks is Skansie Park that has a shed as well. It has history because the Skansie brothers shed are where they kept their fishing boats many years ago. Also, they ran the ferry line before the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built. In fact, on November 7 the downing of the original bridge that was call “Galloping Gurdy” celebrated its 75^th anniversary. Now it is not only a park they have concerts there every summer that large crowds come out to hear local bands. Also, the shed is open sometimes for tourist to visit. Also, the original house of the Skansies is still standing and used for information.

If you walk down the waterfront going north for about ten minutes you come to Eddon Boat Park. Originally it was the home and boat shop of Ed Hoppen.  He designed and built the sailboat series the Thunderbird at the boat shop. My dad being the avid sailor himself spent many days and hours at that shop talking with Ed. I went to school with his younger son Guy who was a grade ahead of me and we played some basketball together. Also, older son Mark who graduated from High School before I entered played basketball too. For some time he was city manager of Gig Harbor and Guy has been a fishermen for many years. He oversees Eddon Boatyard when he is in town. I actually see more of Mark especially when I am walking around the waterfront. When we were kids I used to see Guy and his best friend Gregg Lovrovich who is a fisherman now too play a lot of hoops in his yard at that location. Gregg went onto playing basketball at Pacific Lutheran University which is in nearby Parkland, Washington. I grew up with his younger brother Gary who was an outstanding basketball player and led the Seamount League while we were at Peninsula High School in scoring. He played basketball at local community college and at PLU as well. Though he did not play football at Peninsula High School he did play some semi-pro football and had a tryout as a tight end with the Seattle Seahawks. Anyway, you can stop by Eddon Boat usually on a Saturday where people are working on their own sailboats.

If you continue to walk for another five minutes going north you will find another park called Donkey Creek. Yes this is the second creek on the north end of the harbor down from the Crescent Creek Park I attended as a youth so many times. While I was growing up there was a hardware store located at that site. In fact I did not even know that there was a creek there until the hardware store was no longer standing. Recently on north Harborview where Donkey Creek is they built a bridge and the road goes only one way for a block where it goes back to two lanes. I found out to that they had a bridge at that location back in the 1940s as well.

There is so much history in Gig Harbor that I think about each time I walk along the waterfront, however, the Gig Harbor city council talks about how to continue expansion the waterfront along with the rest of the city at the same time being a small town for tourists to see.

Gig Harbor is not the only city that is working on their waterfront so I will continue on the subject next time. Have a great weekend.  

Veterans Day

Today November 11 is Veterans Day in the USA while the rest of the world it is called Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. Armistice Day went into effect with the end of World War 1 on November 11, 1918.

Here in USA it became Veterans Day in 1954 where we  not only honor all military men from World 1 but all those in the military ever since. Of course, no one new or thought we would have another world war so it was known as the Great War. Of course, I was not around at the time just like World War 2 which most of us today know more about.

I figure what I will do now is to learn more about World War 1. When I took U.S. history in school we learned very little about World War 1. We were taught more about World War 2 because of Hitler, Germany, Normandy, Japan, and Pearl Harbor.

I found frustrating in each history class that we were taught about U.S. that started with the pilgrims and we usually ended with the 19^th century. Of course, it was important part of history of our country but you would think we would learn some about the wars that happened during the 20^th century. I am not sure what the education system thought at least in my school district why we were not more about this period of time.

It was important to learn about the founding of our country; however, you would think when we were to learn more U.S. history in the second and third years they would at some point talk about 20^th century history. I learned more about this part of history through my parents than at school. My grandparents lived through World War 1 while my parents went through the depression and World War 2. I have to say now that I will need to learn the rest of history on my own. I just hope that the children growing up now are learning the full amount of U.S. history.

The most important aspect of U.S. history besides knowing specific dates and wars is how these mighty men and women allow us now to live in freedom. We go back only fourteen years to Sept. 11, 2001 with the downing of the twin towers that these wonderful military men and women continue to keep us in freedom. We are thankful for the job they continue to do every single day of our lives. We know that the war of terrorism is not over; however, the military is working every day to be sure that terrorism will end someday in our lives. We must remember those people in the Middle East, and Africa especially that our military is working to give them freedom. We must continue to work in Eastern Europe and Asia to be sure people’s lives become free as well.

I know that some of you are living in these areas where freedom still needs to be realized. I am not here to speak politics or the work of freedom but that the people of United States continue to think of you always as we honor all the military men and women today.

The United States is not a perfect country; however, I have to say I am proud to be an American and that I live the freest country in the world. I will pray continually for those in the countries that are not free that in the near future they will have the same freedoms that I get to enjoy each and every day. What is wonderful is that I am able to write this blog with my views and to encourage others with true freedom. Today I not only want to salute the military of the United States but also those in other countries who are fighting for freedom. Thank you all.

When it Rains It Pours

Here in Western Washington when it rains it pours; however, most of the time it drizzles.

Depend where you are the amount of rain can differ from one city to another. With some research I was surprised how much more annual rainfall we have in Gig Harbor than Seattle. The difference isn’t just an inch or two the average rainfall in Gig Harbor is six inches more per year than Seattle. I am surprised by that number because I figured we got about the same amount of rain.

Seattle’s rainfall average is about the same as the national average which thirty-seven inches per year while Gig Harbor is forty-three inches per year. The rainfall in November is about the same in both places around six and half inches. The amount of rain in December is about the same in both Gig Harbor around five and half inches but January is higher in Gig Harbor than Seattle. Seattle’s rainfall is the same in January as December while Gig Harbor is an inch and half more rain at around seven inches. These three months make up about half the years rainfall. The difference of rainfall between Gig Harbor and Seattle are in February, March, and April where Gig Harbor has just over an inch more rain each of those months. So we can say here in Gig Harbor when it rains it pours but not necessarily in Seattle. What makes it all interesting we are only thirty miles south and west of Seattle.

Doing a little more research I found that Tacoma which is only four or five miles east of Gig Harbor has two inches more of average rainfall than Seattle but is still getting four inches less than Gig Harbor.

I am really sure you find this all very interesting; however, I did a little more research and found that Bremerton which is twenty miles north of Gig Harbor so it is closer than Seattle has thirteen more inches of rain than Gig Harbor. Other words they are in rain belt for sure. The thing about Bremerton is that they are closer to the Olympic Rain Forest than we are in Gig Harbor.

When I was growing up our family frequently drove a lot to Bellingham and Vancouver, British Columbia. I thought it always rained in Everett; however, they have an average rainfall one inch less than Seattle. So you see we have more rain Gig Harbor which boggles my mind. Bellingham has about the same average as Everett; however, Darrington which is north and then east of Everett so it is in the Cascade Mountains has more than twice as much rain as Everett. Being near the mountains it makes a lot sense. I found other cities in the state that have less rain then I thought they would; however, they have more snow then rainfall. Here in Gig Harbor we don’t get a lot of snow. Actually Port Orchard which is about half way between Gig Harbor and Bremerton gets a lot more snow then we do.

So I see that when Seattle is drizzling we may be pouring and when we drizzle Seattle may not be having any rain at all. This all brings me back to when I was a kid waiting for the school bus. I had to wear quite the rain jacket otherwise I would get soaked. In elementary school our bus would go past our house, my brother Jack and I would look out the window to see when to catch the bus on its return. When the bus would go by the first time we would start out to catch it as the return was about ten minutes. This was very important so we would not get so wet and not stand outside so long. There were days we didn’t take the bus to school because our dad would drive us to school that was on his route to work in Tacoma. In seventh and eighth grade my mother would leave me off at the junior high on her way to her school in Tacoma. In those two years I walked home from school because the bus took a longer route so I get home a lot sooner walking. High School though I had to ride the bus all the time because it was not on the route for either my parents. I had to walk about a quarter mile to catch the bus so I really had to have a good rain jacket. When I got my driver’s license though I was able to drive to school sometimes; I usually drove when it rain because I had to pay for my own gas. Nice days I still took the bus primarily because of the pretty girls. I never thought about asking one of them if they wanted a ride to school. What was wrong with me? Actually I was shy around girls was the problem.

So what I found though it pours when it rains in Gig Harbor; most likely not doing the same in Seattle. Also, depending where you are in Western Washington the amount of rain can be different.

One thing I can count on the rest of November is that we will be getting more pouring rain. You can count to that I will not be going out with an umbrella. You see most people don’t use umbrellas here. Those who do are those dressed in business attire, and not native to Western Washington. Whether you have rain or not stay safe.

Looking at Time Change

On Sunday November 1^st our clocks went back an hour. I am sure how everyone reacts about the time change can be different.

I know for me though we gained an extra hour to either enjoy awake or sleep another hour it was quite strange. I woke up about the same time so I slept an extra hour I felt tired all day and the day seemed even longer. I am not sure the time change really made the day longer it was more likely because I had to take my sister to the airport for her return home after spending time with my mother and I. I always find when I do something different than my usual routine the day feels so much longer. I can’t recall in previous years with time change that I felt this way before so I am sure it has to do with taking my sister to the airport. I have found the same thing when I have travelled somewhere myself whether by plan or by car.

I wonder how other people feel about time change go either back or forward. The change here in the fall where we gain an hour I feel has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that light comes earlier in the morning and disadvantage darkness comes earlier in the evening. I am sure after a while when we are on this we won’t know the difference. Of course, until Dec.21 the days get shorter and the nights longer so early mornings are fine with light but the dark nights not so fine.

What I think though is that we should stay on one time all year long; which one I do not really care at all. I know that the change originally happen had to do with farming; however, we are not so concerned about that any more. I am sure the concern is more with children getting up for school and catching the bus. If this is the case I would stay on the time that keeps it lighter the longest. The change of time here in USA anyway should be decided state by state. Actually I am sure it is that way already so I am favor that the state of Washington would decide to stay on the time all year long. So what time would I recommend I stay the time we are on now since it is lighter in the morning for the kids. I am sure the farmers can adjust. Another concern would be the animals so should ask for their opinion as well. It is possible they like one time change over another. I know I am being silly but is this whole time change a bit silly you see neither Arizona or Hawaii change their time. What we could do is hire someone to see what affect no time change is compared to time change. How people and animals feel about time change could revolutionize our world like we have never known before. I know again I am being silly. You may feel that I am wasting our way writing about this which could be true as well. At least I enjoyed this if you didn’t. The positive side if you do not like this I won’t be writing about it again. A very positive thing to say the least so I end here please enjoy your week with additional hour. Oh wait a minute that was last week wasn’t it. Anyway enjoy your normal week.

Hello November

I know we all say it a lot it is amazing and unbelievable that we are in November already. Another year is about to finish and we will be moving to 2016.

This time of the year we look forward to the holidays. We began with Halloween to end October and Thanksgiving in November and finish off with Christmas or Hanukah in December.

Here in Gig Harbor there are several bazaars happening where you can buy presents throughout the month.  I like bazaars because the makers of the gifts make them like they are homemade. I know that not everyone has the time to make them, or like me has no talent. I always like getting gifts like that instead of what you find in a store.

Christmas season always seems to come earlier each year. The stores I found this year they not only had Halloween candy but decorations for Christmas. Personally I wish they would wait until Thanksgiving were open; however, I do understand for many businesses it the busiest time of the year and the most profitable.

I look forward to hearing music as well this time of the year. The one thing though just like stores beginning early shopping sales Christmas music seems to start earlier each year. I know some people like it that way because they can get into the spirit. Personally I prefer waiting until the last two weeks of December. I am sure some will say humbug Herb. I would not mind so much if the same songs were not repeated over and over again.

When I was growing up I always look forward to Thanksgiving. Our cousins from Seattle would come along with my father’s business partner. Later on when my sister got married than her in-laws would come for Thanksgiving. We would go to their place for Christmas.

What made Thanksgiving interesting because of the amount of adults they would eat at the big table and we would eat in our entertaining room for dinner. Every year I could not wait until I was old enough to be invited to the big table. I was so excited when that day finally arrived. I really felt all grown up. Eventually everyone was at the big table. It was not long after my first year because they couldn’t leave my younger brother at the little peoples table by himself. He was the youngest even among the cousins.

What we welcome in November is a lot of rain and winds. This year it started with Halloween having over an inch of rain and winds up to around 35 miles an hour. Fortunately though some tree limbs came down the electricity did not go out. Where I live the power lines are underground so less chance of power failure now unless a transformer goes out. I am not sure what year it was but I do remember there was a Thanksgiving where the power went out. It was such a power outage that Vancouver, British Columbia was out as well. My sister was living there at the time and my older brother Dick was spending Thanksgiving with them. He was not a very happy camper because they did not have Thanksgiving Dinner. We had the dinner that night though it was delayed because of power outage. We have had some other close calls over the years at Thanksgiving as well.

Another tradition for us who like professional football is having the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions having home games each year. Also, the National Basketball Association has some games played that day too. I remember the Seattle Supersonics had a big game against the Boston Celtics on Thanksgiving in 1967 the very first year of the Sonics existence. I don’t remember the final score though I am sure I find it by searching on line but I do remember the Sonics were leading by a very large margin. I was so excited that I had to tell others who were over for Thanksgiving what the Sonics were doing to the Celtics that day. I am not sure any of them really believed me since the Sonics were an expansion team and the Celtics were the World Champions. What a great day for young fan like me. I listen to every word and action that day.

Now that most of those adults back in those days are gone I find it so sad. I am though happy to have the memories of Thanksgiving. Since my sister and younger brother are living on the east coast Thanksgiving certainly is not the same as back then though I am thankful for all of our blessings.

I am sure we will continue with a lot of raining days and winds in November it will be joyful when the sun comes out as well. Right now we are three weeks away from Thanksgiving we can look forward to the turkey and stuffing although I have to watch what I eat these days. Welcome November we are glad you are here and we can think about the memories of the past and making new ones. Happy Holidays everyone.

Seeing Seattle

When I was growing up going to Seattle was a really big deal because Gig Harbor was a small town and Seattle was the big city where my Uncle Bill, Aunt Patty, Cousins Lorna, Bronwen, Jennifer, and another cousin Judy who lived with them. Judy spent her high schools living in Seattle while her parents were in Los Angeles.

Last week when my sister Barb was visiting along with our mother, and I decided we wanted to go see Jennifer. Actually we were also hoping to see Lorna as well but she was sick. Bronwen lives in Lakewood which is actually closer to Gig Harbor but I expected that she was working so we decided it would be Jennifer.

In August when my brother Jack was visiting we took the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle which takes about an hour and half including the time get to Bremerton. We could have met Jennifer at the Pike Place Market but decided better to go see her place instead in the Greenwood area of Seattle. So we drove to Seattle directly from Gig Harbor going over the Tacoma Narrow Bridge on Highway 16 and then north on Interstate 5. The traffic was a little heavy however it took still only about an hour to arrive at Jennifer’s place. Greenwood is a little north and west of the University of Washington. I find it a wonderful neighborhood to live in Seattle. Jennifer and her husband Holt have lived there I would guess about twenty-five years. They are now looking to move to the Oregon coast so likely the last time I will be there. I visited them about two years ago by myself just before Christmas. On that trip they took me around Greenwood as well as Magnolia where Jennifer grew up and Ballard. I remember both places as very nice as well. We even drove by the house that Jennifer had grown up in, and brought back so many found memories for me. Most years we visited Jennifer’s family at Christmas time along with some other times during the year. There was some change happening over the years in Magnolia along with Ballard but the change is not nearly as much as Gig Harbor.

On this trip last week we spent several minutes at Jennifer’s home then we walked to a Greek deli in the neighborhood for lunch. It is only four blocks away, and mother who is ninety-five was fine in walking. It had been raining some on our way to Seattle but the sun was out for a little while. Our walk back to Jennifer’s it did start raining again about half way. I really enjoyed walking the neighborhood of Greenwood.

After lunch we had headed back to Gig Harbor because Jennifer had to get back to work. It was a real fun time catching up with Jennifer, and what was happening in all of our lives. Like us all she was amazed the shape my mother is in for a woman ninety-five years old. Though mother walks slowly she is able to make it without any trouble. I think she is like Every Ready bunny where she keeps going on though not real fast she can get there without a problem.

Another great things about mom is that her mind is still intact pretty good so we are able to hear some pretty good stories from the past which she talked a little about as well. It is always nice to hear about growing up in the depression and especially as a young woman living in Canada during World War 2.

Though the trip to Seattle was for only two and half hours it will be a treasure to remember always. It brings back those memories of the past as well. There were times where we drove north of Seattle to either Bellingham, Washington which is near the Canadian border or going to Vancouver, British Columbia. In both cases we went to visit other relatives.

What I remember especially is returning home going through Seattle at night. In my mind Seattle is the most beautiful city in the world at night seeing the bright lights, Puget Sound, and the Space Needle. If I ever had to live in a city instead of a small town like Gig Harbor I believe I would choose Seattle. I am sure Paris, France would be a close second.

Real Nice Visit With My Sister

 

I have said before there is nothing better than spending time with your family. There are friends that we spend more time with than family; however, still there really nothing better than family.

My sister Barb came to town from Quebec this week. She actually a day late on Tuesday because the plane she was taking from Calgary, Alberta had technical difficulties so the flight on Monday was cancelled. She actually lives in Quebec over the river from Ottawa, Ontario so she took a flight to Toronto then to Calgary. Going back home she went to Vancouver then onto Quebec. Though it doesn’t happen often the chances are greater that a flight could be cancelled. On Tuesday she was quite lucky because a flight three hours earlier in Calgary to Seattle was delayed to fly as well because of technical problems and they were waiting for parts to come in for the plane to go onto Seattle. Don’t really know if the flight actually made it to Seattle or it was cancelled. The passengers were OK; however, they had their patience on trial. I know with my experience always a trial to work with your patience.

Actually quite some time back my parents and I took a vacation to visit Barb and her family in Quebec at Christmas time; however, the flight was cancelled because of fog. We actually spent three days at Sea-Tac airport. I can say not a good experience to live through.

Anyway back to this visit with Barb she arrived on Tuesday at around 2 pm so when we got to Gig Harbor it was after 3 pm. The drive time on a good day is 45 minutes; however, this day is more normal these days so with heavy traffic before Federal Way and again around Fife took longer than one hour. Actually that is not that bad it could easily been a longer trip for us. Arriving at my place in Gig Harbor we relaxed for a couple hours along with our mother than went out to dinner at a local restaurant.

On Wednesday we started the morning going out for breakfast because our cleaning woman arrived at 8 am and we wanted to be out of her hair. After breakfast we did some errands and then home for a short time before heading out to see our old neighborhood along with other spots.

On Thursday we out to the Mall in Tacoma for some shopping and lunch. On Friday we went to Seattle and had lunch with our cousin Jennifer.  We had a nice meal at a local Greek restaurant before returning back to Gig Harbor.

Saturday was more of a relaxing day before going to a Halloween party in early evening. The weather was a lot of rain during her visit so we didn’t get out to as many places as we would have liked. The most important thing though was spending time with Barb. It is the best thing to spend time with family and not what you actually do with them. Good conversation is important thing to do as well. We talk about the past including the time as children. Also, we talked about her two sons and what they have been doing as well.

See Barb is almost eight and half years older than me so her childhood time was before mine so her experiences was much different than mine. I grew up mostly with my two brothers Dick and Jack. She was there for almost the first half of my childhood; however, some of that time I do not remember very well.

Barb talked about her early years that she remembers anyway before I was born. See Barb is actually half-sister and so she had another father who she never saw again after the age of three. Anyway she spent some time with my mother’s parents in the early years before my mother and father met. At that time our grandparents were living in Edmonton, Alberta so she actually spent half a year there in first grade before finishing school year in Tacoma. After that with my parents married at that point she went to school in Gig Harbor. Just like myself school was not a happy place for Barb a good part of the time. She had some but not a lot of friends. She spent most of the years in public schools; however, her last two years of high school she went Annie Wright school for girls in Tacoma. When she finished high school she then went on to college at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. When she finish school in Oregon she then went onto to graduate school at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma where she met her husband.

Most of her adult life including raising two sons was in Canada. She has always enjoyed living in Canada including the early years of childhood. She has lived in Quebec for almost thirty years. She will be looking to retire in a couple years; however, her plan is to stay in Quebec where her two sons live nearby.

I look forward to in the future to travel back to Quebec. If you have never been there it is a lovely place to visit though the winters get some snow and gets quite cold.

Though I do not see Barb as often as I like it is always enjoyable to see her and I look forward to our next visit. Though our childhoods didn’t come together at the same time it still good to call her my sister and family; I have seen friends more often than Barb there still nothing like the closeness of family.

A Scary End to October

I know this could be an unusual title depending on where you live and whether you celebrate Halloween.

This is where the title comes from is Halloween being celebrating on Saturday Oct. 31. It is a holiday like only a few others where you don’t get a day off from work. In fact, if you are working it is good time to wear a costume to work. I am sure many work places allow wearing a costume for Halloween. I have a feeling since this year lands on a Saturday most work places will celebrate today on Friday. I know where I previously worked they gave out prizes for the best costume, most creative costume, and the scariest costume; If you win all three than you have one great costume.

Here in Gig Harbor, Washington some of the kids still trick or treat in their neighborhoods; however the kids gather downtown to show off their costumes and have a very good time along with getting treats. This did not happen when I was growing up but it is a really good idea. I enjoyed wearing my costume to school as well. There is nothing better than showing your costume off. I am sure with a new Star Wars movie coming out this will a popular year for Darth Vader and Princess Leia costumes. We can say once again “The force be with you”.

We do find out that almost every year the costumes usually are based on whom or what is popular that year. I know when I was a kid I wore a cowboys outfit one year. It was the time of Bonanza and the Lone Ranger among the shows on TV. Of course, every young boy wanted to be a cowboy unless you are Native American that is.

I know that some people care to not celebrate Halloween at all because they feel it is evil. We do know that many costumes over the years have represented evil like witches and goblins; however, Halloween in itself is not a holiday that is supposed to be celebrating evil. In the beginning when Halloween was celebrating it was called “All Hallows Eve”. It was a celebration by the Christians to remember those who had died especially those who were martyred for the cause of Christ. Like most of the holidays of today it is no longer celebrating in its original form.

I know that there are some will say it is too commercialized, pagan, and it is for the satanic to bring out their agenda. This could be true; however, I see that we should all celebrate Halloween in the spirit of the holiday. Let the children enjoy their time, and if you must celebrate in the original manner if you are a Christian for those were martyred for Christ. Most of all be happy.  

Enjoy the One You’re With

I guess you could say I am sort of on the same theme lately. Be happy, have the good times, and enjoy the one your with. I would say that all work hand in hand as well.

This week my sister is in town for a visit with me and my mother so I know I will be enjoying the ones I am with. This is truer today I believe than ever before. This month of October I am finding this more important than ever. I went to two memorial services of guys I grew up with, and then I heard about three others dying this month as well. I knew each one to one degree or another. One I knew better than the other two; however, I had not seen any of them since high school.

The one I knew the most we used to hang out in the library a lot during study hall and in the hallways between classes. Also, I enjoyed having good times during lunch in the cafeteria. We were not in the same grade so we never had any classes together.

One of the other guys was the same grade with the guy I knew the best of the three of them. I know I saw him occasionally around school but did not know him that well. He did seem to be a real nice guy though. The third guy was a senior when I was a freshman. He was on the varsity basketball team, and since I played some basketball myself I knew him in that manner. We played some pickup games with and against each other on occasions. His younger sister was in my grade so I knew him also as her older brother. I recall she had a younger brother too. I just heard about his passing on line through an old classmate that I graduated from high school with. She let us know that she lived next door for twenty years, and so she knew him pretty good along with his family.

So you see how important I feel it is to enjoy the ones you’re with because we do not really know how long they will be around. Of course, on the other hand we do not know how long we will be around either.

I do really enjoy the people I spend time with whether I see them almost every day, once a week, once a month, once a year, or I run into them at the grocery store, coffee shop, or library every so often. The memorial services I attended many of them I had not seen for many years either at reunion or in high school was the last time I had seen them. Many of them I know what is going in their lives because we are friends on social media; however, seeing these old classmates or friends it is much better in person. They have so much meaning to my life that I want to see them so many more times though they are not in my life on a daily basis. I especially like the fact they have thought of me over the years as much as I have them.

My sister and my brother I do not see as often as I really like because they live on the east coast but they are in my heart everyday just like my old friends, and cousins. Also, I enjoy those of you I have met on social media, and read my blog whether you do so a lot or once in a while. Though we have never met in person I still enjoy calling you friend. I do hope someday we will meet in person and enjoy being with.

Having Good Times

I really enjoy writing about growing up along with encouraging everyone. It is so nice to remember all the good times of the past and looking forward to making new ones. I believe everyone should write down all their experiences through life like I have been doing whether they publish on line like I do or for themselves. It is really nice for your children and their children to know what you have gone through in your life.

I have been trying to have my mother write down so many things in her life especially the early years before any of my siblings and I was born along with before meeting my father. I have written somethings about her life and I will continue to do so.

The important thing is what our parents and grandparents went through can shape our lives very much so. I know that many of them went through some hardships as well as having good times in the same way we have. In many cases they went much harder times than we have, and can really help us when we go through some ourselves. This really will really help our children and grandchildren too.

My parents grew up in the 20s and 30s so they through the depression which was hard on most. My mother grew up in Edmonton, Alberta Canada while my dad grew up in Tacoma, Washington USA. I get a different perspective from both them. My mother’s father was a banker who had to deal with people trouble making payments, and he had to foreclose on many of them. Also, because of the family finances he had to work into his 70s before retiring. He died in his late 70s so he wasn’t able to enjoy retirement as long as I am sure he wished he could.

 My dad’s father worked for Tacoma Power Company, and he helped build Cushman Dam. He grew up in England, and he came to United States after finishing college. He first worked at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard before going to Tacoma Power. He had a successful career before he retired. Also, he died in his late 70s. He lived with my family when I was born until his death. His wife though died when I was thirteen months old so I didn’t get to know her at all.

Having parents from two different sides of the track as I would call it; my mother from Canada and my father from United States gives me a different perspective from other kids. I am sure the same goes for everyone else to some extent.

Here in Gig Harbor some of the kids I grew up with their fathers were fisherman and they had grown up in Gig Harbor themselves. In many cases their mothers were from Gig Harbor as well. They knew each other since they were children. There were others that families moved in from nearby Tacoma or came from other parts of the country. So we had mixed of families; however, there were no blacks and only a few other minorities like Native Americans, Mexicans, and Asians. Most of the blacks, and other minorities lived in Tacoma. Now there are more minorities; however, whites are still the majority by a long ways in Gig Harbor. I am not sure that will change any time soon.

Anyway back to having good times. I know growing up it was not always easy because kids always like picking on other ones. I know I certainly was picked on plenty of times. I am sure everyone has at one time or another even if they are the ones does the picking most of time. I am sure it has been going on since the beginning of time and will continue to the end of time.

My conclusion here is that we are influenced by our parents, siblings, and those we were our friends or maybe enemies when growing up we have to choose to have good times despite the circumstances that may come into our lives. We especially have to remember when things are not going so well for us.

I hope that I don’t sound like I am preaching at you I want to be encouraging. So have a good week and decide to have some good times as well.

Does It Really Rain in Western Washington?

I know it is a funny question to ask if it really rains in Western Washington. Most people think that it rains here almost all the time which is actually far from the truth; however, everyone here like that people really think that way so people won’t move here.

Recently I saw a survey that showed that in Seattle had about the same amount of people moving into it as people moving out. So other words the population hasn’t changed a lot; however, I would not the same for other cities or towns in the area. For instance, Gig Harbor where I live has doubled at least since I was a kid but I would still consider it a small town. The most recent population increase is in North Gig Harbor. I am not really sure whether it is in the city limits of Gig Harbor; however, it is becoming larger than Gig Harbor itself. I would say there was little population in that area ten years ago but now quite a few homes are being built along with a retirement community. I don’t visit there often except doing some shopping; however, each time I do visit there is more growth all the time. There are a couple grocery stores in North Gig Harbor, and another expected to be built as well. It is a nice area except that there is not real good view like in downtown Gig Harbor. You can’t see water or Mount Rainier there; but if you willing to see when you are out driving than it is OK.

I get amazed sometimes what I write when I begin this blog. So I now I get back to the rain. In August since we had very little rain I decided to do a search to find out how much rain we average every year especially I figured it was down this year. I found interesting that the average rain fall in Washington State is 36 inches a year while the national average is 38 inches. Seattle is a little higher being slightly above the state average but below the national average being at 37 inches of rain a year. So you see we don’t get as much rain as people think though I am sure it seems a lot depending on where you live. Of course, there are other places that rain a lot more.

Another look at rain fall that I found interesting is the Olympic Rain Forest which is north and then west of Gig Harbor. It takes about two hours to drive to the Olympic Rain Forest. I found that it rains over two hundred inches a year so it is a rain forest for sure, and gives an indication how much less rain we have.

Here we only get a downpour once in a while unlike Miami, Florida. Looking at their average rainfall it is over sixty inches a year so much higher than here. So why do people think it rains here all the time and not in Miami. The difference is that we do not have the sun coming out as often as Miami. Here the rain drizzles a lot and we have a lot of cloudy days unlike Miami.

Most of our rainfall will be happening over the next three months in November, December, and January so gives us an idea that we have more rain than we actually do. Another interesting fact is that Los Angeles has more umbrellas sales than Seattle even though they average less than 15 inches of rain a year. Something else interesting Seattle has more sunglasses sales than Los Angeles though they have more sunny days. I believe the reason is that we are accustomed to the rain while Los Angeles is accustomed to sunlight.

Many of the retired people here will be heading to Southern California and Arizona for the winter to stay out of the cold, rain, and the cloudiness. It is understanding because by January it is really easy to get depressed because of the rain and the cloudy days. I really enjoy the rain; however, it is even better when the sun comes out once in a while during the winter. The temperatures usually is in the 30s and 40s during the winter, and on some rear occasions will dip into the 20s or jump into the 50s. Last several years we haven’t had a lot of snow so generally you have to the mountains for snow. I enjoy when the snow comes even if it is only for a couple days or so most of the time. A lot of people here though don’t like snow because they find it hard to drive in it. I figure they should just stay home, and let people like me drive in it. We have a lot of hills as well so that makes it difficult to drive in it. I live where it is more level and near the highway. In downtown Gig Harbor there is three hills that are very difficult to drive in the snow so I pretty well stay away from that area.

We have had some rain this month of October after having little since February. I and may others finding it a very welcome change though the days of sun have been nice as well. Now though I can say let the rain begin, and the sun we will see you around once in a while and for sure in February.