RIP Neil Armstrong

First man on the moon. Ukulele player:

Pumpkin take over continues

The pumpkins continue their occupation. My response? Next year... more pumpkins.

Don't Move Jefferson?

I think they are going to move it. Which made me think. I am still seeing some "Don't Move Jefferson" signs. When the new school is finally built, effectively moved, will those signs still up in people's yards now signify that they like the new location?

Pumpkin pollen airmet issued

The bees in the garden are making emergency landings on the raspberry bush to depollen. Wonder if they race through trace and climb through rime. That is all.

Dumpster diving

That's right. Now that supermarkets are carrying liquor, they are having to throw outdated or wilted liquor into dumpsters. This Romulan Ice Ale is still pretty good.

Idaho Fishing License

You can't have blue hair apparently. Same kind of selection for eye color with the addition of "multi."

Barrier to World Peace!

You've heard about it. And it's on Hatch Road.

Garden going strong!

Raspberries have been on for a while.



I think the pumpkins are going to take over.


Basil for pesto!


Every spring, I pull up all the poppies that sprout. Those that sneak through to summer make the garden beautiful..


Hidden mini patio behind the pumpkins.



The bees bury themselves in the poppies. Poppy honey would make a very fine mead.


Bees in action.


While the garden grows in the heat, we watch Le Tour in the basement.

Fishing yesterday

Adding to the list of biking, running, swimming, ukuleling, I've really gotten back into fishing. For years, I've been fishing out of a canoe. This year, I started reading up on kayak fishing. I got a really good deal on a kayak that was pretty much all set up for fishing. Wow, so much better than the canoe!

A very relaxing ways to spend some time. You sit right on top of the water. For some reason the sky looks extremely big. And the logistics of landing a fish become a little more interesting in a kayak.

Been doing pretty well as far as catching fish from the kayak, and yesterday was no exception.

A month or so ago, I spent a day practicing falling off and getting back on the kayak. Up until yesterday, I've been wearing a wetsuit on my forays. Eventually, I would like to get comfortable enough to go on the ocean and fish. 



On second thought...

I am a grandpa!

OK, I guess more importantly, this kid was born! He tried crawling off the scale when they weighed him. I like his style. Mom and dad are great!

Great Fathers Day So Far!

Sarah's perfect poppies!

Some fishing last week.

Guesthouse in Bellingham

Was a great cheap place to stay. Plus, I really like the housekeeper's name:

Wha Happened?!?!

By Cannon Hill Park today. I think the last picture might be a clue.

Aberdeen High School Marching Band Goes By Our House!

Looking good Bobcats! You guys will look great in the parade!!!

Recruit School Graduation

 Kirk graduated from his 11 week fire recruit class yesterday. Now the real work and fun begins. He has another 9 months of probation with lots of tests and studying while working as a firefighter. Congrats to him and to the entire class. It sounds like Spokane is getting a really good bunch with these guys. Yay!

Arggghhhh!!!

A couple of issues ago, Robert Herold, wrote a compelling piece in the Inlander about how the city of Spokane should reform its lavish pension system for police and firefighters. It was a pretty convincing piece with only one major flaw - there is no City of Spokane Pension for police and firefighters.

I tried to get him to write a retraction. I really like a lot of what Herold has had to say and did not want to delegitimize  any of his further editorials by casting doubts about his credibility. He wouldn't do it, and he told me I should just write a letter to the editor. So I did. It did not appear. I think this is because they had already accepted two that took Bob to task in a fine fashion. I suspect there were many more.

I look forward to future editorials by Professor Herold in the Inlander. May I suggest these topics: Outlawing the use of dogs for unicorn hunting, Eliminating the pet deduction on income tax, Allowing full voting rights for leprechauns, and of course, Compulsory warning labels on Pop Rocks®. Poor Little Mikey.

Here is what I wrote, in all its sarcastic splendor!

As someone who usually enjoys Professor Robert Herold's editorials, I was very curious to read what he had to say about the City of Spokane reforming its pension system for firefighters and police officers. Why the curiosity? Because, interestingly, there is no City of Spokane pension system for firefighters and police officers.

It's a shame Bob wasted all that ink and paper to stridently plea for reform of something that doesn't even exist. At least he didn't waste much of his time preparing this editorial. Obviously, Professor Herold's academic forte is not research.

I am a firefighter and a member of IAFF Local 29, the city firefighters' union. The majority of my state-administered pension plan's contributions are made by me. The city does contribute some and so does the state. However, Spokane's firefighters and police officers do not contribute to Social Security, nor will they receive it. Correspondingly, the City of Spokane makes no contribution to our Social Security. The taxpayers of Spokane pay one-percent less to a firefighter's or police officer's pension than they would if they were having to, instead, pay into his or her Social Security. That's right. The City of Spokane saves money because firefighters and police officers are on this pension plan and not on Social Security.

Not satisfied with just attacking something that doesn't even exist, Bob also launches into general falsehoods about police and fire retirements.

Bob, a  firefighter or police officer has to work until at least age 53 or be penalized up to 9%. Contrary to what you wrote, there is no retirement allowed before age 50. Most will not even retire at age 53 because much of their retirement would go to pay for private medical insurance until Medicare kicks in at age 65.

Professor Herold worked for 31 years at EWU. He says he didn't have a pension plan - only a 401K. He neglected to disclose that he did have the option of joining a state pension plan, very similar to mine - except he also receives Social Security, but he declined. I suspect he may now be regretting this decision, and this may be the impetus for his editorial. If Professor Herold did as much research into choosing his stock portfolio for his 401K as he did for his article on mythical "police and fire city pensions," his investments surely have not done very well.

Should there be a conversation about public employee pensions? Absolutely. But, why don't we start with discussing pensions that actually exist - what they cost, who pays for them, etc.? Bob, Like I said, I have enjoyed your editorials in the past. Now I have to wonder if they were all just works of fiction, as well. Do your homework next time.

John Griffith
Spokane, WA

MONEY BOMB!!!

Usually not a big fan of robocalls, but this one from a day or two ago was fantastic. Some highlights - MONEY BOMB! MONEY BOMB 2 COMING AT YOU! Make a maximum investment, right here, right now! Our campaign was successful until Obama's War on Women.

In less than 60 seconds, this call left on my answering machine tells you all you need to know about who they think their base is.

Audio is on there twice because it is that good!

As seen in Seattle yesterday

In Spokane, I have seen people walking out of bars in the Zone, but in Seattle....

Shit just got real.

Bought my first polo shirt.

Vancouver Trip

Washington not BC. Was in Vancouver for an educational seminar put on by the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF). I have been to a few of these over the years, but I don't think I had been to one in Vancouver. The picture above is a WSCFF rally where we endorsed Jay Inslee for governor.

When all was said and done, those of us from Spokane had to stay not where the classes were, at the Hilton, but at the Red Lion at the Quay. This Red Lion has an Expo 74 look to the architecture. The restaurant hovers above the Columbia River. The bar and restaurant look as if a pirate ship have rammed them. I have a fondness for tiki bars, and this rekindled the flame. It was fantastic!
The classes were pretty good. During a lunch break I took a walk around Downtown Vancouver. If you were at a conference in Downtown Spokane, within a few minutes walk, you would be deep in the heart of restaurants, condos, department stores, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, museums, etc. Not so Downtown Vancouver. There are towers upon towers of condos, Downtown (a lot of people live there - no state income tax - and then travel across the bridge to work/play/shop in Portland - no sales tax). There was a movie theater, a few bars, coffee places and a Subway, as well as a very nice park. And that was pretty much it. Weird. There is a really extensive trail system by the river too.

When you walk across the bridge into Oregon and then take the light rail into Portland, you can see the population increase - more shops, more fun, more noise and you feel bad for Downtown Vancouver. Vancouver is in a great location. There were a lot of bicyclists there too - riding to Portland. It's amazing how a different tax structure and a different political mindset can really push or pull populations.

I know that this is a pretty broad statement, and I apologize to my Conservative friends in advance, but every city that I have been in that is perpetually thriving is one that is perpetually politically Progressive, environmentally-aware, justice-oriented, diverse, open-minded, taxes progressively, etc. etc. Maybe Portland and Vancouver need each other to exist.

Nice people in Vancouver and a great bunch of firefighters who hosted us. Thanks and we'll be seeing you later!