There is a web site that is probably national, maybe even international, called Nextdoor.  I think of it more accurately as KarensNextdoor, or something along those lines, because it is certainly chockful of posts from worried citizens warning their neighbors about suspicious cars in the area, or suspicious people, and missing or wandering dogs or cats.  And, of course, it is already dominated by paid advertising, so you have to click a lot of links to actually see your neighbors’ posts. Lately, I have seen a number of posts bemoaning or reporting stolen cars or personal posse ..read more

  We then drove around the neighborhood looking for the thief, but saw nothing.  Later that morning, we learned that some neighbors – who had also been burglarized – did chase him down, and beat him up before letting him go.  They did recover their stolen items, but we never did see the missing car stereo.  The police speculated that he had someone waiting nearby with a car, and they likely got away clean, albeit the one guy had to take his lumps. During these years, we still struggled, but we had a good time.  I learned/taught myself how to work on cars, as I had to d ..read more

We did buy our first home on North 36thStreet, in what was known as the Fremont area, in early 1969.  Here is what that house looked like in approximately 20111 (Thanks, Google Maps):     And, here is what it looked like in 1937, according to the Fremont Historical Society:   I have no idea who Denny + Hoyt’s refers to, but I did see that caption on some other photos located on the web site for the Fremont Area Historical Organisation.  And, finally, this is the only photo of it from our time there.  That is Blanca standing on the little porch (you can see the ..read more

 (Note: This article was originally posted on Monday, May 10, 2010, and was edited for one previous update). "If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony". (Fernand Point – (1897–1955) was a French restaurateur and is considered to be the father of modern French cuisine). I have mentioned my favorite restaurant in the world, on other websites. Years ago, like at least five, maybe more, I remember posting a report on the guest list for Pura Vida Hotel, in Alajuela, about thi ..read more

  I just got this email this morning, and have made some comments about it: Dear EP Electric Customer, You may have heard that El Paso Electric (EPE) has filed a "rate case" that may result in rate increases for certain EPE customers. We have received many questions about what a rate case is and our reason for filing it. We hope this information helps answer those questions. A rate case is a regulatory proceeding during which a utility requests a review of its expenses and an adjustment to customer rates in order to recover costs on investments that have already been made to serve ..read more

  Part IX, Tacoma was just about done….. The end result?  Two totaled cars, the Chevy and the Chrysler.  A pretty hefty fine for brother Mike.  I was ordered to get a driver’s license, or more correctly, my parents were ordered to make sure that I get one.  There was a certain irony in this, as I had taken driver’s ed at school (in those days it was offered at no cost, as a elective course and part of the high school curriculum, believe it or not), but had not been able to go for my license exam, since there was either no money, or the old man wasn’t available to take ..read more

  Part VII….We’re still on Cushman Ave……… Early in my Senior year, or maybe late in my Junior year, JFK came to town, so they closed all the schools, with the idea that students from all over town were to go to a big rally at Tacoma’s Ben Cheney Stadium (home of the Tacoma Giants, an affiliate of the SF Giants, and a very nice little ball park).  Ben Cheney, incidentally, was some sort of pioneer lumber man, which means a very big deal in that part of the country.  A large group of us decided to go to the beach, instead of the rally, so we spent the day at a State park (possibly ..read more

  Part VI, wherein we pick up again in Tacoma.  Patty remembers this period in this way: From there we moved back to Tacoma.  We lived in a series of houses, Dad had a series of jobs, I finally graduated from high school and attempted to do college.  Oh yes, in order to make the move there we had to live with Grandad and Margaret for a summer.  He was a tyrant and Mom and I did lots of cooking and cleanup and Mom had to bake her great homemade bread once or twice a week.  But just imagine them being able to take all of us in?  I met Mike [her husband] the sum ..read more

  More in Goldendale……… Another kid I spent time with was Paul Nehmi (I think that was the spelling).  He was rich, by my standards, because his father was the manager of the local Penny’s store (as in, J. C. Penny), and he lived some blocks away in a modern house.  Not only did they have indoor plumbing, but his mother cooked on an electric stove!  One interesting side note about Goldendale comes to mind:  Basketball was big stuff in this little town, with a population of around 2500.  The coach at the high school was worshipped, and his program encompassed the e ..read more

  My little saga continues. It was while we lived in Goldendale that Mike had a huge paper route (really bigger than his resources could handle) for a time, and so did Dennis (a more modest enterprise, one that could be walked).  I used to help Dennis with his route, and one year, for having signed up a certain number of new subscriptions, he managed to accumulate enough points that he and I both got to go on a chartered Greyhound bus, all the way down the river to Portland, Oregon (the newspaper in question was probably the Portland Oregonian, but it might well have been the Oregon ..read more