Dog Updates

After Don's article on Sadie appeared in the U.B. he received cards and E-Mails as far away as Singapore. One of the nicest letters came from neighboring College Place and was printed in the Sunday U.B.:

Fond farewell to good friend Sadie

I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears today, when I read the paper. A friend of mine had passed away.

It shouldn't have surprised me since she was getting up in years and hints had been dropped that she was dealing with health Issues. Still, expectation and reality are very different things.

It was an unusual friendship. I never saw, spoke, or touched this friend. But, in a special way, she shared her life with me in her column about her travels and adventures. It was kind of the human she owned to transcribe her stories so she could share them with readers like me.

Being owned by a pack of similar family members, it was easy to relate to her stories. I love the outdoors, but I don't hunt or fish so I seldom read the column if pictures of her weren't included or if her name wasn't prominently displayed in the title.

I hope my friend is now bounding through the endless expanses of meadows, forests, rivers and mountains in heaven. I bet she is getting to know the "lay of the land" so when her human joins her they can go romping through eternity, one adventure after another.

Farewell Sadie, I'm going to miss you. Thank you, Mr. Davis for sharing your "best friend" with us these many years.

Please Accept our condolences. I hope you will soon be owned by another "best friend and that we will learn to love that friend as we did Sadie. God Bless.

Guillermo F. Garcia


As news of Sadie's passing spread, several people offered to give Don and Darlene a new dog. They ended up getting a very cute schnauzer puppy. They named her Nora and they seem to be extremely happy with her.

Since we rescued Zorro from the drain pipe under the 4th avenue bridge we have been providing him with lots of exercise, discipline and affection. Today Dawn Took Zoro around as she ran errands and he did well. She also let him run in the park with out his leash...and he came back. He is making progress everyday. He is very smart and sweet dog. I along with Dawn Marie and Buddy will continue to help Zorro become a calmer more stable poodle. Then, hopefully we will find him a nice home.

An Amazing Dog Story!!

The last Week and a half has been a K-9 roller coaster ride.

We new Sadie the dalmatian didn't have much time left. Dawn was on a mission to find her parents the perfect dog. On December 17th Dawn, Buddy and I interviewed two dogs. One was an 85lb labradoodle the the other was a pure bred poodle. The lab mix was to big, but Dawn thought the poodle was perfect. I had reservations about the poodle because he was very frightened when we held him.

Tuesday the 18th was the sad day that we put Sadie down(union bulletin obit/story with my name in it is "HERE" ).
After we got through with that trauma I was hoping we would put the dog search off utill after Christmas.

Wednesday Dawn called me at work. She bought the poodle and one of the vets at the clinic offered to neuter it for free. Dawn left the poodle "Zoro" at the clinic Wednesday night.

Thursday Dawn called me and told me that when she opened the dogs cage it bolted out and then ran into the break room and hid under the couch. We decided it would be best to take the dog over to our house and let it adjust for a few days. But, Dawn parents begged her to bring the poodle over right away(they couldn't stand not having a dog in the house). Against Dawns better judgment she took the poodle over to her parents house on Thursday the 20th.

Early Friday morning Dawn called to inform me that the poodle had escaped from her parents back yard. The 12 pound poodle found a hole in the fence and it was no where to be found.

We went door to door we combed the neighborhood and we put an add in the paper.
We had no luck. Monday we got a report of a found poodle, but it wasn't the right one.

Christmas came and went and still no Zoro. I had lost all hope. It had been five days and it had been below freezing in Walla Walla.

This morning I went back to work after Christmas thinking sadly that the poodle was probably dead by now.

This afternoon Dawn called me at work and told me that the poodle Zoro was in the Mill creek channel. When I arrived Dawn was already their by the corp of engineers bldg looking down at zoro. Dawn wanted to go down at get him but, the firemen would not let her go down. Zoro was near fourth street and started sprinting up the channel
towards ninth I sprinted five blocks as well. When I got to ninth street Zoro was still in the channel and a couple of fire engines and a ambulance arrived on the scene. I watched as the firemen slowly closed the distance on Zoro. It looked like our six days of stress were over. Then Zoro jumped in the creek. One of the firemen
fished him out with a net, but once Zoro was clear of the water he jumped out of the net, then another firemen had him for a moment but he wiggled away. Zoro the did some Walter payton like moves and was off to the races.

Then the firemen were unable to find Zoro. They gave up, packed up their equipment and went home.

I had to go back to work. I pleaded with Dawn not to go down in the channel and look for the dog(it's dangerous and it's a $1,ooo fine). I also new that Dawn would go looking no matter what I said.

Two hours latter I got off work worried about Dawn and hoping against hope that she had found the poodle.


When I first got home no Dawn. I was concerned. I started to drive around and look for her car. Then I decide I would go back home and catch my breath. When I got home Dawn's car was parked out front, I was relieved. then I walk in the house and saw Zoro. I celebrated like a Red Sox fan after they had broke the curse of the Bambino.

I first met Zoro nine days ago. I saw a little gray poodle that seem to love it's family (which consisted of several kids from toddlers to elementary school age). The kids as well as the parents seemed to love Zoro, but for some reason the parents had decided they needed to sell off all their pets. The image of the happy little poodle
playing with his family has been stuck in my head along with an image of the same poodle hiding under a porch in freezing temperatures and dying of exposure.

Right now Zoro is sleeping in our bed with Dawn and Buddy. We are all very relieved

P.S. Amongst all the commotion today Dawn said to me "If we find this dog were keeping it". I said "you're darn right". Well in the future will have a decision to make. For now were just happy Zoro is safe and sound.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

 

Whoooooo!

It's hard to say goodbye

 

Have you met Sadie? Whats Sadie like?
I would often get these question when people found out I was dating Don Davis's daughter.

Sadie was allot of things.

Beautiful Dalmatian
A local celebrity due to Don's outdoors column in the Union Bulletin
A high strung nervous nellie
Don's best friend and traveling partner
Beloved member of the family

Sadly Tuesday we had to put Sadie down.
It was time.
But, it was still hard to say goodbye

TEAL TUESDAY

Earlier this year we saw the movie Magnolia. Dawn really enjoyed the soundtrack so we purchased the CD. It' been a regular fixture in our CD player. The most popular song being Aimee Mann's Save Me.

Every Monday evening Dawn exclaims that tomorrow is Teal Tuesday at the clinic. Being the goof ball I am I automatically translate Teal Tuesday to Til' Tuesday which causes me to have the 80's song Voices Carry by Til' Tuesday stuck in my brain for an entire day.

What I was wasn't aware of until today was that Aimee Mann And the spikee haired singer of Til' Tuesday are the same person.

At least I learned something today.

Laugh Or Cry?

I'm Just A Bill On Capitol Hill

What A Difference 39 Years Makes

Last year on ESPN I watched freestyle Motor cross star Mike Metzger jump the fountain at Caesars palace with a back flip thrown in for style points.

I found two clips on you tube that chronicled the quest to jump the fountain at Caesars. The attempts span 39 years and demonstrate tremendous progress in technology.

I also find these clips interesting in terms of comparing the charisma and presence of the the men who attempted the jumps.

Gary Wells and Robbie Knievel were charismatically challenged.
Mike Metzger has charisma and makes some money in endorsements,but their was not a Mike Metzger action figure in every kids stocking last holiday season. Evel Knievel had a larger than life aura, his type of fame is becoming rare in a world where their are so many different entertainment options.

Talking heads

I listened to talking heads all week tell me that Pitsburg had no chance of beating West Virginia. They were wrong.

I am developing an aversion to talking heads. I don't need a college or pro football "expert" to tell me what to think.

Please inform me of some thing I don't already know. For instance when a team leads the league in run defense then gives up 300 hundred yards rushing maybe you could use some of your "expertise" to explain what happened.

I don't watch the pre and post game shows to have my opinions validated I watch hoping I can learn something.

What I am reading

Celebrity Endorsements: Could Ric Flair and Chuck Norris be wrong?.....A Yes

The 92 Apple Cup

Keith Jackson: "We understand there having a little bit of snow in Pullman"

In November of 1992 it had been unseasonably warm in Pullman. For a week I had been walking up to class without a jacket. On the day of the Apple Cup I woke up and turned on the T.V. Keith Jackson was broadcasting a Big Ten game and mentioned snow in Pullman, I figured Keith was mistaken. Then I opened our front door to get the morning newspaper, we weren't just having a little snow, we were having a fricken blizzard.

I had planned on attending the game with my roommates as well as a contingent from Walla Walla who had travled up to see the game. As game timed approached WE ALL decided that we didn't want to sit in Martin stadium for 3-1/2 hours in a blizzard. So we had a nice apple cup party in our townhouse.

The game is considered one of the greatest moments in Apple Cup history. The cougars played like kids in a candy store while the Huskies looked like they didn't want to be their. Drew Blesdoe Bledsoe had the best performance of his career throwing 4 touchdown passes in the third quarter. The cougars ended up winning in a blowout.

By the next morning the all the snow in Pullman was completely gone. It was almost like the previous day was a dream.

The Thanksgiving song

The entire Walla Walla Barer family

Steve, Dawn, Buddy ,Puff and Spider wish everyone a Very Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday night at the theater

Dawn and I attended the play Out Of Sight out Of Murder last night at the Walla Walla Little Theater .

One of the Vets at Dawn's clinic performed in the production and a contingent from the clinic was their to support her. Everyone seemed to enjoy the show.

KARATE

I practiced karate consistently for seven years from 1998-05. In the summer of '03 in Spokane I earned a black belt from sensei Teruo Chinen. Here is a very nice T.V. profile on Mr. Chinen.

That's incredible ! Cathy Lee Crosby has an injury

More silliness from battle of the network stars.

Sir, I am not looking for Jesus ....I am looking for Jimmy Snuka.

I remember hearing two addresses on T.V. in my childhood. One was for Maryland public T.V. Every week Wall Street Week host Louis Rukeyser would invite viewers to send letters to
"11767 Owings Mills Blvd. Owings Mills, Maryland 21117...Now before we me tonights special guest"

The other address was 8725 N Chautauqua.

As a sports fan I've been to some cool places and done some cool things.

When Portland had a pro football team in the USFL during the 80's I was able to sneak into civic stadium and frolic in the very end zone I had seen Hershel Walker dive into weeks before.

I have seen legends like Steve Largent, Reggie Jackson and Michael Jordan perform at the old Seattle Kingdome.

I've seen the Sonics and Blazers play at their respective coliseums.

I've gone to Boston's Fenway Park to see the Red Sox and I've been to Chavez Ravine
to see the LA Dodgers.

Yet, I never got to go to the greatest venue of them all.
The Portland Sports Arena.

Last weekend Dawn, Buddy the Poodle and myself spent the weekend in Portland Oregon(we originally thought we were going to Seattle, but that a story for a different time). Dawn had a conference that lasted all day on Sunday, while I new I was going to have to entertain myself and Buddy.

Right before we left for Portland something occurred to me. Dawn's conference was at the North Portland Veterinary hospital. I remembered something else being in North Portland. So the night before we left I went to Map Quest and typed in the clinics address 3000 N Lombard and 8725 N Chautauqua. To my glee they were less then a mile apart. Half a mile down Lombard, right turn, half a mile down Chautauqua and wallah your their.

While the wrestlers on Big Time wrestling captured my imagination like nothing else the arena was also a source of curiosity. They only used one camera that would show the interviews in the "crows nest" then swing around and show the matches. You would only see the bleachers immediately behind the ring and the first five rows on either side. What did the rest of the arena look like? Maybe, I was going to find out.

I woke up on Sunday morning with hopes that I would be able to conjure up the ghosts of Andre the Giant and Lou Thez, that I would be able to feel the aura of legends like Jack Briscoe, Harley Race, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka all of whom had performed at the Portland sports arena in the 70's and 80's.

I also new the reality that the promotion went out if business 15 years ago and the building was sold a couple years latter.

I dropped Dawn off at 9:00 at the vet hospital and headed down Lombard to Chautauqua.
Then I saw the huge Baptist church and a smaller building next to it.... 8725 N Chautauqua.

As I sat in the car I thought about all those Saturday afternoons watching wrestling with my grandfather. I also thought about the DVD's I purchased earlier this year. Almost all of the matches on the discs are out of chronological order, for me, this gives the arena a field of dreams quality as all these magical characters from my childhood appear out of the background like the ball player walking out of Ray Kinsella's wheat field.

I finally got out of the car and headed to the front door. It looked like they were having a meeting so I didn't go in. I walk around the exterior of the building and let my imagination wander. Then a man came up behind me.

unidentified man: "can I help you with something"

me: "no I am just looking"

I looked around some more and headed back to my car. I then realized the man was still glaring at me. I got in my car and droves up to where the man was.

"what can I help you with"

me: "Sir is this where they use to have the wrestling matches"

man: chuckling "your right this was the old Portland sports arena"

The man went on to explain the history of the Mount Olivet Baptist church and it's mission. I told the man I watched wrestling growing up and wanted to see the arena.
I asked whether I would be able to recognizes any of the interior? He said no, it had been completely remodeled

I thank him for is time, then Buddy and I drove off.

More fun with you tube....Ever wanted to see David Letterman swim?

The Sonics In 1979

Steak, Lobster And Premature Jocularity

R.C. is one of my favorite customers. He comes in every year and tries to sell us steak and lobster tickets. The tickets are a fund raiser for a 4-h group. I have gone a couple of time over the last 12 years. This year I figured it would be nice to take Dawn since she loves lobster.

When R.C. came in with my tickets he was also trying to sell one of my co workers Kenny "the spider" a pair of tickets which led to the following conversation.

Ken: The two best things in life are lobsters and sex.

ME: YEA! and they both go extremely well with butter.

And then we laughed... and...laughed

Dawn and I did attend the Valley Chapel 4-h steak and lobster feed last Sunday. Dawn said the lobster was cooked perfectly. She ended up with two pieces because I have an aversion to seafood. In turn I received her steak so we both got very full.

Write young man write

Last Friday I found myself in a room with several very talented writers. I was hoping maybe I picked up some talent via osmosis. Probably not.... but I was flattered that they read this blog and it has inspired me to continue writing. After two months of in activity I finally completed a new entry on my T.V. Time Limit blog. And I had fun writing it!

Eternal Love

"Dorthy Barer always thought her husband would outlive her. She would often kid him, Don't bring a date to my funeral, but make sure to pick one up on the way home, because you don't know how to take care of yourself."
Rabbi at Dorthy Barer's funeral.

David and Dorthy Barer were married for fifty years. Sadly, Aunt Dorthy had to live the last 22 years with out the love of her life. Today, on a beautiful fall day in Walla Walla with their three children and seven of their grandchildren in attendance they were reunited.

The Mongolian Stomper

Tonight I went out to dinner with Dawn and her mother Darlene. Dawn's dad Don was off covering a Wa-Hi football game for the Union Bulletin.
We had a very nice dinner at the Hua's Monolian and we all got to take home leftovers.

Rosh Hashanah

Dawn And I attended Rosh Hashanah services at Temple Beth Israel this evening. I counted around sixty people in attendance. Richard Kaplan made the trip to Walla Walla to be our lay leader this evening. We had a nice service

Fennel Crusted Pork Chop With Apple Fennel Salad & Sultana Raisin Emulsion

One of Dawn's favorite shows is Top chef on Bravo. We decided that maybe we should try one of the winning recipes.

So early Saturday morning we went to Super 1 in Walla Walla and purchased our ingredients. We then went home and put together our marinade. Latter in the evening we put everything together and had a wonderful meal.

Ingredients:

4 7oz Pork Chops
4oz Fennel seed toasted and roughly ground
2oz Dijon Style Mustard
2oz White Grain Mustard
4oz Olive Oil
2 large shallots
4 large Cloves of Garlic
4 Sprigs of Rosemary Picked
4 Sprigs of Thyme Picked
Salt & Pepper to taste

Apple Cider Reduction:
1qt Apple Cider
4oz Peeled, Sliced ginger
5 Garlic Cloves
1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
2pcs Star Anise
2pcs cinnamon stick
1 small bunch thyme
4 Shallots peeled and halved
1 Bay Leaf

3 Apple Fennel Salad
2 Granny Smith Apples – Julianned
2 Golden Delicious Apples – Julianned
2 Breaburn Apples – Julianned
2 Head Fennel – Julianned
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Cumin
1 Cup Golden Raisins
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup blended Olive Oil (70/30)
1/4 Cup Water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except pork and 1 half fennel seed, in blender and puree. Pour puree over pork in shallow dish and allow to marinate over night.

For the Apple Cider Reduction:
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Reduce slowly over medium heat. When sauce has reduced to rich, glossy constituency, strain and set aside. Adjust seasoning with Kosher salt and black pepper.

For the 3 Apple Fennel Salad:
Combine all ingredients (except apples & fennel) in a blender and puree. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Reserve for later use.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove pork chops from marinade and wipe off excess. Season generously with salt, pepper, and remaining ground fennel. Grill to desired doneness (8-10 minutes for medium) Set aside to rest.

Combine apples, fennel, and raisin vinaigrette in a mixing bowl, toss to combine, season with salt & pepper.

Slice pork thinly, arrange on warm plates, top with fennel salad, drizzle cider reduction around pork, serve immediately.

As we ate our dinner we watched UFC 74 on ppv. Once again the amazing 44 year old Randy "the natural" Couture put on an awe inspiring performance. Dominating a much larger and heavily favored challenger. Giving all us old guys motivation to go work out.

For more on the ppv see my other blog here

Vue 22

This has to be seen to be believed!

The location that for years was known as the B.Barer @ Sons scale yard is now becoming luxury town homes.

They are currently working on the fourth floor of the outer structure.

I am not joking.

click here

Barry Bonds:

Anybody remember the story line on LA Law where Douglas is having an affair with his sex therapist and then gets bored with her? He then informs her that he is "overwrought with ambivalence".

Barry Bonds is a second generation major league baseball player who is one of the greatest of this era. Bonds would have been one of the greats even if he had never taken steroids, heck he would have been considered one of the all time greats even if he had never touched a weight.

Unfortunately Bonds watched Sammy Sosa and Mark Maguire captivate the country with their pursuit of the single season home run record.
This caused Bonds to become jealous. Which led to Bonds ending one season looking like Bill Bixby and returning the following spring looking like Lou Ferrigno's stunt double(are gama rays on the band substance list?).

Bonds supporters argue your innocent until proven guilty and Bonds has never been proven guilty and their is no disputing that he has stepped up to the plate 750+ time and hit the ball out of the park.
Bonds detractors say it's obvious he has taken a short cuts.

In the end it is up to each individual fan to interpret Bond's Achievements.

How do I feel about Barry Bond's record?

I am sorry Barry But I am "ovewrought with ambivalence"

If it's Friday It's Waitsburg

Tonight Dawn and I were treated to dinner by Dawn's parents Darleene and Don Davis
We had a great meal at the Whoopemup Hollow Cafe in Waitsburg . My Dad had a series of articles on his blog a while back about our families history in Waitsburg. Whoo'd of thunk Waitsburg would be able to offer casually elegant Cajun cuisine?

50 Is Nifty For Brother Mike

Saturday evening Dawn and I attended an awesome surprise 50th birthday party for Mike Barer.

Sister in law Debra did a wonderful job putting the party together. The festivities took place at Doc Maynard's in Pioneer square (we had the entire bar to ourselves). We got to listen to a band made up entirely of Boeing engineers who managed to keep the festivities hopping.

Luminaries in attendence included: cousins Sam and Lisa Barer, Carol and Arnie Barer, Stan and Alta Barer, dad and Jean, Debra's mom and Dad, Debra Sister. Cousins C and K
as well as several of Mike and Debra'a friends. A great time was had by all.

Mike turns fifty on July 19th.

The 4th of july

We had a very nice 4th of July picnic at wild wood park with Dawn's family. While pioneer park down the street was filled with people, we had Wild wood park all to ourselves.

The Benoit tragedy

Pro Wrestler Chris Benoit murdered his wife and seven year old son and then killed himself. This horrfic tragedy is hard for anyone to wrap their brain around. It's almost impossible if you're a wrestling fan.

I have been a pro wrestling fan since I was a preschooler spending weekends at my grandparents house(I will be 36 this month). I have watched a genre that I love to follow evolve (or devolve) into a T.V. product that I find virtually unwatchable.

Dawn Marie enjoys watching a show call Top Chef. I often see challenges where they ask the competitors to take a traditional dish, reinterpret it, put a modern spin on it and make it even better. This is how I viewed Chris Benoit. Benoit captured the essence of the pro wrestling I watched as a kid while at the same time performing the
"nifty" modern high flying, high impact moves that are prevalent today. Benoit could do it all in a ring and he did it with an intensity and authenticity that no one else could match. Benoit was the best in ring performer I have seen in all my years of watching pro wrestling.

What caused one of the most respected men in the industry to snap?

I believe The drive that led Benoit to be a pro wrestling virtuoso also led to his downfall. Years of taking prescription drugs to enhance his physique and to reduce pain along with multiple head injuries, deaths to many of his close friends a deteriorating marriage and numerous other factors caused Benoit to drift into insanity. I am not absolving Chris Benoit, because ultimately he is responsible for what happened. I do think that the pro wrestling lifestyle helped create the perfect storm that led Chris Benoit to commit these heinous acts.

Can anything good come of this?

I do believe that the WWE cares. I just don't think they get it. They have done some good things adding drug testing and a wellness program as well as reduced the number of days on the road. Yet, in the last week I have tuned into their programming and I've seen that the most hyped performer is a body builder that has virtually no ability in the ring or behind a microphone. This send a dangerous message and shows to me they truly don't get it.

A couple of days after the tragedy Vince McMahon was on the today show. Meridith Vierra asked him about the high mortality rate (she mentioned 40 deaths If I remember correctly) of pro wrestlers before the age of 45 in the last 25 years. McMahon said he could only talk about those that died while under contract to him (which was 5) and that Vierra's numbers might have been excessive (in reality her numbers were low). McMahon went on to say that these events were so far remove from what the WWE was about which was "putting smiles on peoples faces".

My reaction?

Over the years I have acquired over 50 hours of classic Portland Wrestling 1977-85 If I am sad or mad I put in those DVD's and they instantly put a smile on my face. If I need something to put a smile on my face in the future I will reach for my Portland collection and I will stay away from WWE programming. From this point forward I will not spend another minute or dollar on the WWE. As far as my blogs Walla Walla Barer and TV Time Limit I will no longer have WWE content.

Vincent K. McMahon as far as I am concerned,,,,You're Fired!

Silly Pictures

1.Dawn offers Buddy to the space aliens at little stone henge on the Washington side of the Columbia river.

2. Our cats Puff Monster and Spider hone their grappling skills.

Seaside and Canon Beach

Dawn and Buddy

Buddy

Buddy

Seaside

Dawn and I along with our poodle Buddy made the trip to Seaside Last weekend.
We fed the seals at the aquarium we hit the arcade (they still have many of the same video games they had back in 1984) and we visited numerous shops oh yea we also hit the beach.We had a lot of fun. And I was very proud of our poodle who was on his best behavior the entire trip.

If It's Sunday it's Meet the Depressed

Saturday We walked Downtown to browse at the farmers market. Dawn, Buddy and I all had a great time although it was quite hot. Along the way we stopped at the Whitman college campus and let Buddy Run. We were all tired when we got home.

This morning I watched Meet the depressed with Time Russert. While Dawn does not like watching the show she said she had fun watching me watch the show (if that makes any sense). Today they had on political Strategists James Carraville his wife Mary Magdelin
along with republican operative Mike Murphy and democrat Squeeky Fromm.

This presidential campaign is going to be alot of fun to watch.

Maple Valley Barer's Invade Walla Walla

Late Saturday evening Mike and Debra Barer arrived in Walla Walla along with dogs Rusty and Cora.

Mike and Debra met up with Dawn and I (along with our dog Buddy) at the downtown market.After perusing the market for a while we walked downtown looking for a place to eat brunch. We settled on Coffee Connections. Where we had and excellent meal.

Sunday evening we met up at 26 brix. We had and terrific dinner.

Monday we went to the cemetery then we went to Weston and picked up Minnie and had lunch at Hongs Chinese in Milton Freewater.

All and all it was a great weekend, we had a nice visit and ate a lot of great food.

update:

Their were two Apollo Anton ono books left at the dollar store and Dawn purchased one for me.

Apollo Anton Ono

Four months ago I was in the Dollar Store and saw a huuuuuuuuge stack of books. Upon closer inspection the entire stack was Apollo Anton ono's biography. Last night The olympic speed skater won on Dancing With The Stars. I wonder if Apollo's biography will be reprinted with a new chapter and sell for 29.95.

Wa-Hi Film Festival

Dawn called me monday afternoon at work and asked if I would go to the Wa-Hi film festival with her. Her coworker Linda has a son who directed a movie in the festival.
I agreed to go. We had a good time. A couple of years after I graduated they built a new auditorium/theater at the high school. As I walked in I thought it's was cool to see the new auditorium then I stopped and thought about it and realized the building was 15 years old. Anyway it was enjoyable evening and we got to appreciate the work of some talented kids.

A Nice Walk

Saturday morning after breakfast Dawn and I walked over to Temple Beth Israel. I was hoping the Dogwoods would still be blooming in grandfather's garden. Unfortunately they were done blooming. We did take some nice pictures of the garden which I will post when I figure out how to load them on this computer. After that we walked over to Dawn's parents house where Dawn, Buddy and I had a nice visit with Don And Darlene. Then we walked home.

Quick Trip To The Tri Cities

Dawn and I made a quick trip to the trip cities Sunday to take her brother Michael to lunch.
We went to grannies buffet and we all got very full.

Separate worlds intersect in Pendleton

For months Dawn had been looking froward to the 5th annual Wildlife Rehabilitation Seminar in Pendleton . We had been planning on leaving Walla Walla early in the morning Saturday and returning to town latter in the evening . Then we saw a poster for mixed martial arts fights at the Pendleton convention center on the same day as the seminar. Dawn said we should do both.
So that's what we did. We attended the seminar all day, then we ate dinner and headed to the convention center for the fights. After the fights we spent the night at the Oxford Inns and Suites in Pendleton.

Thats where the separate worlds collided. As we walked into the restaurant for breakfast I realized we were surrounded by martial arts people and animal rehabilitation people. George Castanza popped into my head screaming separate worlds. It would be like my two brothers walking into a restaurant and Ivanka Trump and Sumi Shimamoto were hanging out at the next table.

Anyway we had a great time in Pendleton. Here's a couple of links that discuss our activities on Saturday.


Lynn's blog at Blue mountain wildlife: here

Rumble in Roundup City II in the East Oregonian: here

You do not need to sign up to read the article in the Oregonian. Type "rumble" in the search and then click on the article "region scores knockout".

The Herb Garden

Over the weekend we replanted our herb garden. We planted Rosemary , Thyme and Basil.
We also added Dawn's favorite the habanero pepper.

I am also currently reading two books. What a party by Terry McAulifffe and Clemente by Dave Maraniss.

Dawn had updated her blog. You can read about the fighting ear mites of Utah St here.

Congratulations Mark and Claudia

My childhood friend and college roommate Mark got married on Saturday.
Dawn and I attended the wedding at central Christian church. We had a great time.
It was great to see everybody.

I hope everyone had a great weekend

We went over to Dawn's parents house this afternoon and had a very nice dinner. It was an absolutely beautiful day in Walla Walla today!

Buddy Jumps into the drink

Late yesterday afternoon I decided I would enjoy the beautiful day by walking our poodle Buddy to the park. I tried to get Dawn to walk with us but she was to cozy on the couch.So Buddy and I were on our own, or so we thought. when we got to pioneer park we circled the big duck pond then I looked up and their was Dawn on her bike, Dawn was about 40 yards away Buddy was so excited I let go of his leash and he sprinted over to Dawn. Then he ran back and forth like a nut. then he saw a duck and chased it, when the duck jumped into the water Buddy dove in after it.I don't know if he had ever swam before but he finally decided to turn around and get out of the pond. Needless to say he got a bath when he got home.

Getting Educated

I spent Tuesday in Spokane learning about the newest in welding technologies.
Dawn Marie the R.V.T has been in Pullman for the last two days at the Washington st vet conference.

The irony of the flat world: A story of love, chicken poo and mixed martial arts

I recently read Thomas L. Friedman's book the world is flat.

Yesterday I had a flat world moment.

I am a big fan of the sport of mixed martial arts. I am an expert on all things UFC I also follow the goings on in Japan, Brazil and Canada : I am pretty hip to the global fight industry in general. One problem I didn't realize their was a show last night in........Walla Walla Wa. Yes. according to the Union bulletin (these days I only read the Sunday U.B. so I missed this article on Wednesday) they were expecting 1,500 to 2,000 people at the dome at WWCC for an MMA show and I new nothing about it tell Saturday afternoon.

How did I find out? Well Dawn and I have traveled out of town to two shows one was sportfight in 04 at mount hood cc in Gresham OR(it was awesome) the other was the international fight league at the Portland memorial coliseum last fall. While we were at the IFL show last fall I bought Dawn a t-shirt. Dawn was wearing her t-shirt yesterday afternoon when she went to the store. The guy in the check outline saw her shirt and asked her if she was going to the big fights at cc tonight. She said nooo and then he talked about the article in the U.B. Dawn then came home and told me all about it.

What was the problem you ask? Well I had made a commitment To Dawn earlier in the week to attend a potluck/charity Chicken drop in Waitsburg(Waitsburg seems to be a popular topic this week). A chicken drop at the town hall in Waitsburg an event where you put a wager on where a particular chicken will poo. If the chick poos on your number you win a prize and the rest of the money goes to charity.

First I wanted to cry then I had to laugh. Imagine your favorite baned is playing around the corner from your house and you could sit in the front row and get a back stage pass, but instead your driving 22 mile to see barnyard animals defecate. It also caused me to flash back to when I was eight and grandfather was going to take me to CC to see Buddy Rose vs Roddy Piper but I got the flew and couldn't go(something that still annoys me due to the fact I haven't missed a day of work due to illness in 12 years) but I digress.

Anyway the potluck was good and the chickens took care of business.

But the Topper offer and the coup de garcie is that Dawn told me this morning she thinks she would have had more fun at the fights.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

Just a lazy weekend

Dawn and I went to Dr. Millgards retirement gathering yesterday.
After that we took Buddy to the park , while buddy chased his little supper ball Dawn
and I enjoyed the sunshine.

Today we are just relaxing and watching the basketball tournament and contemplating a bike ride.

Dawn Marie's New Blog

Dawn Marie has started a new blog Walla Walla Dawn.
wallawalladawn.blogspot.com

Vet Techs in high demand

I read in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin this evening that Vet Techs are in short supply in the state of Washington and it was number one on the hotlist of potential careers. So I figure all quit my job and let Dawn support me. Just kidding.

DR. MILGARD RETIRES

I got a letter in the mail yesterday informing me that my dentist has retired. I'm bummed. I have had the same dentist my entire life. I have always been comfortable going to Dr. Millgard. When I think about how much pop I have drank in the last 20+ years.... and my teeth are still in fairly good condition I owe a big thank you to Dr. Millgard.

I have been working on my T.V. Time Limit blog. I have added entries on UFC pioneer Royce
Gracie and the new heavyweight champion 43 year old Randy Couture. Couture's performance last night in Columbus Ohio was one of the most compelling sports stories I have seen in the last several years.

Minnie turns 90

My grandfathers former girlfriend Minnie Klein turned 90 today. A very nice celebration took place at the Long Branch in Weston Oregon. Dawn and I were able to attend along with my cousin and her husband who were visiting . We all had a great time at the party.

A New Cat a New Dog and a New Blog

I have a new dog named Buddy. Buddy is a black poodle that loves to play with his tennis ball.

We also have a new black cat named spider who loves to wrestle with are other cat Puff.
Spider also likes to play with the Budster.

I also have a new blog tvtimelimit.blogspot.com/

The presidential election

As Jesse Ventura proved electoral politics and Pro wrestling are much more similar then most would like to admit.

The problem with pro wrestling these days is that the writers all seem to have A.D.D.
they don't give the story lines enough time to build and develop. The 2008 presidential election will not have that problem as the story lines are thick and will have plenty of time to grow. The result will be record participation in the process and huge ratings for the news networks.

Both professions require good public speaking skills. Success is determined in politics by vote count in wrestling it is determined by ticket sales, To get people vote for you or to pay to watch you perform you need to give people a reason to support you. One need to inspire people to get off their couch and get involved.

As this election goes forward it will be really interesting to see who connects with the people. Their is such a wide variety of Characters it will be fascinating to see who breaks out of the pack and who gets lost in the shuffle.

Here are some other question I have about the 08 election.

1. When will the media turn on Barrack Obama
2. How will Obama react when things get tough?
3. Will Hillary change Peoples perception of her? (I have herd at least six
democrats tell me they would vote Republican if Hillary was nominated)
4. Do people really believe Hillary has a chance?
5. Will Hillary vulnerability in a general election make a difference in the
primary?
6. Will six straight years of campaigning pay off for John Edwards?
7. Can Edwards position himself as the most electable of the three?
8. How many times will Joe Biden stick his foot in his mouth?
9. Will Govenor Richardson give a good account of himself?
10.When will Christopher Dodd drop out od the race?
11. Will John Mcain sink due to his support of the Iraq war?
12.Will Rudy Gulliani gain any traction in the primaries?
13.How will the religous right accept Mormon Mitt Romny?
14.Witch one of the right wingers will emerge from the pack Brownback, Huckabee?
15.Will the republican monimee in 08 campaign with with president Bush?

RIP Eddie Feigner

The Superbowl tree

Today we finally took down the super bowl tree.
we've decided it's not a Chanukah tree or a Christmas tree it's the super bowl tree.
It goes up the day before Christmas and comes down after the super bowl.

You tube

I have been working on a second blog. I wanted to use alot of you tube on the new blog.
I tried and tried to get the you tube to appear on new blog and it did not work. So I figured I would try my main blog and sure enough it work on the first try. That Is why i posted the Piper clips.

James Cagney does Judo

This clip is from 1945 and is far better then most of the fight scened i've seen.

One Saturday morning at my grandparents Right after my fruit bowl and just befor my bagel and scrambled eggs ...

Roddy Piper the beer bottle smash

Roddy Piper in the spring of 1980
I saw this when it originally aired on Vancouver All Star Wrestling 27 years ago.
I never thought I would see this again.
when I was 8 years old I thought this was really cool.
At 35 it makes me a little queasy.
While the storyline and the match are a work(preditermined) , the blood and the bottle of Miller high life are very real.

pipers pit- super fly snuka attacked by roddy piper

Roddy Piper in the WWF 1984.
My two childhood heroes from Portland wrestling are envolved in one of the most famous segments in pro wrestling history. AS Piper goes nuts and breaks a coconut over Jimmy Snuka's head

Roddy Piper in 1988 starring in They Live

I'm here to chew bubblegum...

The Pink Hard Hat

Over the past several years we have kept a pink hard hat in stock at our store.
Intrestingly we have have sold quite a few of them. We have had even more fun joking about it. Here's the best one.

Are delivery driver Steve H is required to where that pink hard hat when he delivers bottles to the Washington State Pen.

REALLY!

It's true. The only problem is that all the cons keep giving him their cell #.

Hello

I have a new computer

I have he new residence.

I have have been very busy over the last several months.

I have not been very good about updating my blog.

Believe or not I not only plan to keep up this blog I have plans to start a second blog.

HELLO MICHAEL!