An invitation

As many of you might know, I make my living as a firefighter. Until recently, I was part of the Spokane firefighters union's leadership. My friend Don Waller is now president of the union and he is going to give a presentation on "The Status of Fire and Life Safety Services in Spokane" at The Woman's Club this Wednesday. You are invited. Don is a numbers guy, but he is also a very good public speaker. If you are interested in Spokane and its future (you probably wouldn't read this blog if you weren't) please come to this meeting.

How does Spokane's emergency responses stack up next to our neighbors' and other cities'? What is the funding like in comparison? What ever happened to the fire bond vote? What effect does an adequately-staffed/funded department have on your insurance premiums? What gives the biggest bang for the buck for taxpayers? I am just guessing that this will be some of the subjects covered. Knowing Don, there will be a lot of graphs and charts - all vetted with sources.

If you think you can know what is going on in the city by just reading the paper, you might want to think again. For example, recently, there was a lot of press about funding being restored to reopen Engine 9 on the South Hill. What wasn't mentioned is that when Engine 9 was shut down last year, two-person Rescue 1 moved up from Downtown and became Rescue 9. Now by having one person added to Station 9's roster each shift, Engine 9 is now reopened by jumping these three people off the rescue truck when needed. In other words, there used to be five firefighters - three on the engine and two on the rescue - fully staffing both. Now, there are three that move between the two vehicles for a loss of two firefighters. Perhaps this is a small point, or perhaps not, but it was not one that was even mentioned in the press coverage.

Maybe you've heard about the new Alternative Response Units - the one-person units that now operate on most weekdays and keep the big trucks in the station most of the time on non-life-threatening calls. This was an idea that came from the firefighters' union. Likewise, this was not mentioned in the press coverage.

Please, if you are able to attend this meeting, you will get to hear an unfiltered, unadulterated account of what's really happening and what the future may hold, perhaps making your voice louder in the process. I know Don would be happy to answer any questions you might have or hear your ideas and listen to your experiences.

We who do the work of caring for people on one of the worst days of their lives don't quit caring about them when we hang up our helmets at the end of the shift. I think that will come through loud and clear when you hear Don.

Thanks!

Sunset

Due to all the smoke, we've had some real interesting skies lately. Two days ago, the sun coming up looked like a red traffic light. That evening I suggested to Sarah that we have some ice cream at The Scoop and then watch the sunset from High Drive. So we did. Things were looking good. Then as the sun approached the horizon, it slide behind a high wall of smoke and that was it. Gone. No color. No nothing. Total bust except for the ice cream and the company.

Here's a picture before the anticlimactic sunset.

Obligatory Garden Post

Well, you are probably not wondering how grows my garden, but that has never stopped me before.

Everything was grown from seed here at headquarters, except 5 of the 20 something eggplant. I was worried that my eggplant had too late of a start. I panicked and bought the 5 starts. The little ones that I started from seed now have just as many blossoms on them as the purchased ones.

We also have the usual tomatoes, raspberries, lettuce, zucchini, kale, collards, beets, cucumbers, peas, beans, peppers, basil and winter squash.


The vertical hydroponic tomato garden (VHTG) is in a new sunnier spot this year and is doing pretty well too. Still no ripe tomatoes from hydroponic or traditional methods yet.


Working in the garden is always great. People stop to say that things are looking good (thank you) and also want to tell me about how their garden is faring. It's a nice way to get to know people in the neighborhood. Sarah has been a neighborhood supplier of raspberries, thanks to her finely honed skills as a child laborer.

The bees have been really going to town, burrowing deep into the poppies, sometimes 5 or 6 to a flower to imbibe in poppy nectar. Someone must have some hives close by, there are so many of them. Poppy honey sounds addictive. I think the bees' activity is a little compressed too, in that once it gets above 80 degrees, they have headed off to a cooler place, or maybe to cool the hive down. Pretty smart them bees.

Bellingham Bells

Sarah asks me last week if I want to do an overnighter in Bellingham and get back before I work on Sunday. Great idea! So we headed out on Friday to visit our son who is not coming home for the summer from WWU.

Bellingham is a good six hour drive from Spokane, and when there are two of you making the trip and sharing the driving duties, it's not bad. I have done the solo Bellingham and back trip. Not as much fun.

We got into town a little before noon and then headed over to visit Ike and his girlfriend Kalli where they were working at a Bellingham Bells baseball game. I am probably not the biggest fan of baseball. Yet, I had one of the best times at this game.

Bellingham was playing the Cowlitz Black Bears. Entering the gate, we encountered a ticket taker who wanted to get the attention of some media people there, so we arranged for this photobomb.


Who/what is the Bell's mascot? Why "Dinger" the Belling Hamster, of course. The fellow handing out the programs was a retired Bellingham firefighter, and it's always great to make that connection and talk fire stuff.

We bought our bratwursts from Ike (actually you buy the buns and then take the buns over to the grilling dude and he completes the transaction).


The brats are huge and locally made. Another Western student was there to show us to our seats in the stands. The stadium is probably half the size of the Spokane Indians Ballpark. They had a little problem with three seagulls that had made their way in through a hole in the netting that covered the grandstand. The seagulls were unable to make their way out. Our usher and others were looking for a way to set them free. Sarah suggested putting one of the aforementioned buns by the hole in the net and they might figure it out. This attracted one more seagull.


Before the game started I went to the beer stand. $5 pints of locally-brewed Boundary Bay beer. On Tuesdays beer is $2. Wow. Great beer.

A young man, who was in the process of learning how to play the electric guitar, did his version of Jimi's Star-Spangled Banner. Then the owner came out to the field. He let everyone know that today was the guitar player's birthday and that the kid was named after Lou Gehrig, and coincidentally (or not) today was the anniversary of the day that Lou Gehrig retired from baseball because of the ravages of the disease ALS. He then introduced a man sitting on a stool between home and the mound. This was a friend of his, a man who he had gone to Stanford with and who was also a very successful businessman. This friend had ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease. When this man spoke he told a story of how he came to the USA as a young boy and was grateful for his education and the success that America provided him. He also said that what he wanted more than anything was to eradicate ALS so Lou Gehrig would be remembered only for being a fantastic baseball player, not for a disease. He threw out the opening pitch, but the pitch was not to his liking, so he threw it again - this time right over the plate.

Maybe it was because he looked like a friend of mine who died from ALS, maybe it was seeing my son whom I hadn't seen in months, maybe it was the beer. For whatever reason, I really got choked up. Very moving.

In the meantime, the seagulls were bouncing off the nets behind home plate. Each time one was hustled out, the fans erupted in cheers. This cheering often occurred at a bad time for the Bellingham team, which made them all swivel their heads to the stands at each outburst - "Has the entire home stadium turned against us?" Kalli got the last one out, right at the hole with the hotdog bun stuck in the netting. And the fans went crazy!



The best baseball game ever. Bellingham won and has continued to win. I think a baseball game needs a moving story from the diamond and drama in the stands to make it great. Cheap local beer and big brats doesn't hurt either.

Great deal on lump charcoal!

OK. Really, I just want to brag that I rode 40 pounds of charcoal up the hill from the hardware store (which is probably not even a half mile away). But, it was hooooootttt (said whiningly).

When Ace has lump charcoal on sale, it is time to buy, Usually, it's $15. On sale - $10. And it's been years since I have found any dimensional lumber charcoal in the bag. Although the t and g charcoal always made for a very neat fire.

I will not admit that I am getting old, but I have started dipping into the smallest sprocket up front when carrying loads up hills. Can an electric assist motor be far behind?

A new approach

For anyone who has read my blog, you already know about my pet peeve. Namely, when I am at a stop sign on my bicycle, I hate when cars stop, when they don't have a stop sign, and try to wave me across. I always point to my stop sign and say "You have the right away."

Usually, I will smile and wave them on. I get it. They are trying to be nice and most don't know the law that says bicycles are vehicles too, when it comes to right-of-way laws. It's frustratingly comical as I wave on that first stopped driver and then the one behind him now breaks for me, and on and on. Or the old "I have a break in traffic soon as this car passes. Oh, he's slowing down. He's stopping. F@$k, there goes my break." For some reason bikes really confuse people. But, there's a new approach. This idea was Sarah's. And it simplifies everything while upping the ante.

Next time, when traffic keeps stopping, wanting you to ride across on your bike, there is a way to make their actions legal. Namely get off your bicycle. Doff your helmet. Now you are a pedestrian. Carefully walk across the street. Don your helmet. Climb aboard your metallurgic steed and become a bicyclist again! If there is a crosswalk nearby, do the same thing after carefully walking to the crosswalk. Very satisfying, very legal, very educational. Bicycles are vehicles. If they have a stop sign and you don't, you don't stop. Pedestrians are not vehicles. Every street corner is a de facto crosswalk. You must stop for pedestrians. Which is funny because when I am not on my bicycle and am a pedestrian, cars rarely stop. This is what makes this new approach so great.

Migration

Over the years, I've documented the shopping cart as a symbol of Spokane pride and gumption. Most of my best sightings were in the west central neighborhood and downtown. Yesterday morning I spotted this at The Park Bench in Manito Park. Maybe a product of global climate change or maybe an omen. Regardless, welcome to the neighborhood old friend, welcome.

Goldfinch pests!

A blurry iphone picture. But, make no mistake - goldfinch are nibbling on the beets! Our fault for not having their feeder out yet.






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Iron Goat anniversary party

Rode down to the party on Saturday. Folkinception moved me to swaying and what not. Iron Goat beer was great. Stopped by Ramblin' Road on the way home for beer and food. Kind of a tough bike ride up the hill. I have the beginnings of a cold, I think. Hoping for healing after receiving the vision of the three alien kings.

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Captain Doyle video

The Captain Doyle

The memorial was great. Very moving. I had a drink recipe ready to go for the Volstead Act to use in making a "Captain Doyle." The Volstead Act was way ahead of me, and had their own concoction. It was much better than the one I had come up. I am not sure of all that was in it. It starts out with a rosemary twig ignited in a splash of absinthe. There was Jamison whiskey and a little bit of tomato too. Really good! Order one or two today!

Celebrating the life of Captain Doyle

The Spokane Firefighters Memorial Project will be dedicating its first memorial plaque at 6 pm on June 2nd, 2014 for Captain Leonard Doyle at the site of his death - the Peyton Building at 10 North Post.

“Leonard Doyle was the Captain at Station 4. At age 37, he had 15 years on the department. He and his wife, Freda, lived with their four children at 2333 South Grand Boulevard.



On June 2, 1956, Captain Doyle was called to a fire in the shoe store on the street level of the Peyton Building that eventually went to a third alarm, working fifteen engines and eighty firefighters. Captain Doyle and six other firefighters were advancing a hose lead into the fire when the floor collapsed from beneath them, plunging them all into the basement. Some of the firefighters already in the basement were trapped and injured by the falling debris. Captain Doyle was crushed under a falling safe. Seventeen firefighters were sent to the hospital and twenty-five others were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.



Many were injured trying to free Captain Doyle. Many of the men said it was the worst fire they had ever been to.”



The Spokane Firefighters Memorial Project will be placing permanent memorial plaques at the site of each Spokane firefighter’s line-of-duty death. Captain Doyle’s will be the first installment.  For more information on this project call Greg Borg at (509)998-3617 or visit https://www.facebook.com/spokanefirefightersmemorialproject. The dedication time and place for each memorial follows:   

West Medical Lake Fishing

A great morning of fishing, including this two-pounder that Sarah pulled out. She out-fished me 4 to 3.  Kayak fishing is the best. You have a lot of things to do at the same time and when you aren't busy it's amazing sitting right at the point where the sky shakes hands with the water. Having Sarah with me out there makes it even more outstanding! I think it's time to fire up the smoker.

Hydroponic garden up and running

I moved the hydroponic setup to a sunnier spot this year. I have a few things to fix on it. Would still like to switch over to solar for the pump, get a bigger tank and incorporate some fish.

Last year, the roots really wound up clogging the lines by the end of the season. I have some plans to remedy this.

My garden will never look as good as the Robinson's, I suspect. Looks like they ate a lot of space cacti. Never noticed that before.

Coffee time

I have some green coffee beans still on hand, that I kind of forgot about. Running out of roasted coffee beans jogged my memory and the roasting commenced. Really tasty coffee but the caffeine was almost too much (almost).

Looks like the party is over.

More Fish Lake fishing at the lake.

I don't know why, but I have been having really good luck fishing lately, while those who have been fishing with me have not. This is usually not the case. I am enjoying the ride.

The audio has been removed from this video for obvious reasons.

Fish on!

Bloomsday family photo

Garden

All the vegetables started in February in my basement are now moved outside. And in their place downstairs, I'm now sprouting squash and cucumbers. Going to expand the garden a little bit this year too.

The little two-person garden patio has already seen some prime afternoon sipping and contemplating action this spring. Once these starts are in the ground, I should be well-camouflaged and less likely to bring neighborhood property values down.

Cashing in.

Perhaps you have heard that the ponderosa pine is now Spokane's official tree. Shortly after this announcement, several of my neighbors began cutting theirs down. Perhaps to make commemorative plaques.



Our old house on the north side of town was 840 square feet. It was on a very busy street. But, in the front yard were two towering trees. One was a cedar. The other was a fir. These trees made the house look like a little cabin. A couple of years ago they were taken out. Now, it's a bleak little house. I really like trees. I also understand that sometimes they have to go.

We've taken a lot of trees out of our current yard, mostly maple. The arborists who have done the work have also trimmed up our remaining trees so there is less chance of them crashing into our home during a windstorm.

When I see a bunch of trees on several properties getting cut down at the same time, I wonder if the homeowners were scared into doing this by the tree trimmers. I've never had this happen, but have you ever been approached by a company who told you your trees were likely to fall into your home and should be removed? I often wonder if this was what happened to the trees at our old house.

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