An Oregon Get-Away

If you want a weekend get-away (and still can afford the gas) I cannot say enough good things about the Portland area. Portland itself is a vibrant, beautiful city with many districts and shops to keep one occupied for days. Powell’s Books alone could keep a bibliophile busy for an entire weekend. But if you prefer rural settings I urge tourists to get off the beaten path a bit and check out rural Oregon for it has many diversions. This past weekend I did just that.

Mt. Angel is frequently a destination for me when I head south. A sweet little town named for the Monastery of the same name, it was founded by Swiss immigrants and this tiny berg has a Bavarian feel. Friday night my oldest friend and I dined at the German restaurant Glockenspiel, so named for the giant glockenspiel in the tower above the restaurant. The new apartment/business building was built to add to the Bavarian feel of this tiny town that every fall hosts the Pacific Northwest’s largest Oktoberfest.

Each summer this part of rural Oregon also hosts one of the largest lavender festivals in the NW. This weekend I got to check out the Barn Owl Nursery. Even though the lavender is two months away from being in bloom their large gift shop of all things lavender made for lots of happy shopping for two lavender lovers. I have every intention of returning for the Yamhill festival in July.

If you want a relaxing get-away, check out the many little towns of rural Oregon. There are wineries and fruit and vegetable stands galore here in this NW bread basket. The rich soil lends itself to farming of every sort including organic diaries, free range chickens, and fruit, vegetables and nuts of every sort. In addition, rural Oregon has many crafters’ shops where one can browse antiques and creations made from new and used materials. Girls’ Back Porch is just such a crafters’ mall located at 8030 Wheatland Road North, Keizer, OR, 97303, (503) 856 -8150 in Keizer, OR. The Salem area has many businesses as well as excellent Goodwills.

The many rural towns of Oregon have farmer’s markets and art festivals during the summer. Taking a weekend to tour some of these and enjoy the fresh produce (be sure to bring your cooler with you) can make for a relaxing and valuable get-away. If you want to by-pass Portland on your way to more bucolic areas get off I-5 and on to I-205 until you reach the second Oregon City exit. When you hit Canby, Oregon you will be well on your way to being out in the country. Pull out your map and breath in the fresh air.

Tacoma Stores I Miss

I enjoyed reading Kim’s blog about the years of friendship of the ladies who worked at Rhodes Department Store in downtown Tacoma. What strong women they must have been working in an era when many women did not work and may have been frowned upon. I have so many questions for them about their jobs and their lives.

This story also makes me think of other Tacoma stores which are long gone from our streets of glitter. If I could go back in time I would shop at Lyons Department Store for the latest girl’s fashion; I would buy Swedish Fish at the candy counter at Sears; I would order a tuna fish sandwich at The Grill in Peoples Department Store; I would buy a plastic doll at Woolworth’s and while walking down Broadway Plaza I would stop for a piece of pie at the Pie Pantry. I would also buy a uniform for St. Patrick’s School at Eve’s Youngland; I would buy a greeting card at the Proctor Drug Store and I would buy a donut at Henry’s bakery. And if I could remember the name of the children’s shoe store formerly at the corner of North 26th and Proctor, I would go inside and ride on the toy train.

Missing in action

It has been over two weeks since the last post here from Lorraine Hart.

• What has become of Lorraine?


• Where is Lorraine?


• Has something happened with her daughter?


• Is Lorraine missing in action?


• Did I miss something?


• Am I the last to know?
  

Lorraine's eloquent writing style added so much to the 'Neighborhood.' Her absence and/or silence is quite noticeable.

MY OH MY!!!!----

Senator Robert Byrd... endorses Obama... what planet am I on...

Here's the text: "I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challegnging time in history. Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and a humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support."

WHOA....


Anti-woman? Spiritual Conversion? ?????
He read this poem in the Senate a year ago... Is he going through some changes...




WHAT IS GOING ON

Is It Really The End of The Road for Rhodes?

A picture of Marge Kinder and her great granddaughter, Erin at Rhodes Reunion

Thirty four years of reunions, detailed planning, rich history, tears for the lost, hugs for those left, memories, laughs, deep Tacoma love—these are the ingredients of the former Tacoma Rhodes Department Store employees who gather together annually. Rhodes, the business beacon and Tacoma icon, opened its doors in 1903 with a promise of great customer service, employee loyalty, and quality. The store delivered on those promises until its downtown doors closed at 11th and Broadway in 1974. Some employees followed the business to the Tacoma Mall under the new moniker, Liberty House (which eventually morphed into Frederick and Nelson). Others chose new paths; but one thing was clear; the Rhodes employees were committed to staying in touch with each other. My grandmother, Margaret (Marge) Kinder, believed in this commitment and served as an active member of the reunion committee since it’s inception and even chaired it for a couple of years. At 87, she still serves as the reunion luncheon “greeter,” party favor creator, membership detail, and a variety of other things. I got to see Grandma in action last year and again this year at the Elks Club in Tacoma on May 17th, where the reunion members, now in their 70’s and beyond, braved the heat wave and gathered to say hello to friends, and regrettably, goodbye to a long standing tradition.

And indeed they came. By car, taxi, long distances and short, and even one spirited lady came by motorcycle. Many ladies donned their crisp summer whites and all embraced the refreshing cool air of the interior of the Elks. I helped direct guests to the luncheon room and even personally escorted a lovely lady named Maude who reminisced with me about her Rhodes days and her upcoming 96th birthday. There were lots of hugs and good wishes with folks checking in on each other’s health and well being. The tables were cheery and like last year, the Rhodes historic photos, food menus, sales slips, and other memorabilia were carefully and lovingly displayed; yet despite that, more attention seemed to be focused on the sheer number of obituaries of former Rhodes team members who passed away over the year.

Dorothy Hayden, long time, hardworking committee chairwoman, welcomed guests and read aloud messages from those long time members who couldn’t make it due to illness or other commitments. Memories were shared from the podium: the sweet little lady who worked in the business office that got robbed and chased her assailant, the nightly toilet paper thief, Christmas whimsy, the dreaded “boss” that nobody liked (and no, that “boss” was not in attendance), wee bits of gossip, prayers, women’s successes in a male dominated business world and insightful business discussion of today’s current retail scene. A hearty lunch was served and a sweet little raffle was held that boasted ten winners. Sounds like a heartwarming and delightful event, right?

Yes and no. The reunion committee was looking for new folks to step up and take over the planning of this yearly event. This did not happen. And it may not. There were misty eyes, tearful embraces, and difficult goodbyes because the writing was on the wall. Hearts hung heavy. While Tacoma enjoys a current downtown revival, these retail pioneers and friends know that the history books are calling out their names for the final chapters.

It is with this, that I honor the Rhodes team of yesteryear. I honor them as a Tacoma citizen for the contribution to our history, our growth, and our business world. I honor them as a businesswoman, for paving the way for others and for recognizing the value in team work and quality. I honor them as a person, who respects and admires these fine generations of folks who truly care about each other and took pride in their work. Personally, I honor my grandmother for her energy and enthusiasm. While this may be the end of an era, it’s the beginning of a fine legacy that will continue to flourish for all of us.

Mount St. Helens: 28th anniversary of 'the big eruption'

Everyone who lived in the Northwest, in 1980, almost certainly has a story of their own to tell about May 18, 1980. Today is the 28th anniversary of 'the big eruption' of Mount St. Helens.

I was working for KTAC AM 850, in Tacoma, and we were regularly broadcasting wire service warnings from the National Weather Service in the days before the eruption about the potential "plume trajectory" (a previously unfamiliar term) and the repeated warnings to shovel ash off roofs as quickly as possible to prevent structural collapse.

That concept was way beyond me -- at least until May 18th.

The only 'ash' I was familiar with was the feathery, lightweight, seemingly inconsequential, virtually weightless ash that would periodically need to be removed from our fireplace. How on Earth could it be possible that 'ash' could cause structural collapse? It was baffling, incomprehensible.

Until it happened.

The mountain has gone a long way toward healing itself from the cataclysmic eruption that rocketed more than a cubic mile of pulverized rock and Earth into the sky and the pyroclastic flow that shot down the mountainside at more than 300 miles an hour, consuming everything in its path, snapping off whole forests as if they were little more than toothpicks along with the deadly mudflow that followed, clogging rivers, mangling and dismantling bridges.

• KOMO Radio's Jim Reid scrambled to higher ground on foot to save his life, but lost a news car and all of the broadcasting gear to the surging mudflow. KOMO's sister station KATU, Portland, quickly dispatched another fully-equipped news vehicle to the area for him to use, but it was also swept downstream and a total loss and the mud flow wound its way down to the lowlands decimating everything in its path.

Monitoring the volcano cams (both the standard and the more recent addition of the high-definition imagery) is something I've enjoyed for several years now ever mindful of the power and might of Mt. St. Helens.

Many years ago, when the road into the area was first reopened, my children and I drove there one day on an impromptu outing.

The scale of the blast is beyond comprehension until seeing it in person. It was sobering and humbling.

We saw the burned out hulks of vehicles mired in the mud and sand, the massive trees tossed around like Lincoln Logs, and the earliest signs of new life coming back to the area as it was being re-seeded by birds. In the years since, the growth of the lava dome with all of the lesser eruptions and long-term eruptive phase has gone quite a distance toward filling in that gaping hole in the mountain's top.

I've captured many fabulous images of the mountain in recent years. The one supplied with this post is a picture this afternoon on the 28th Anniversary of 'the big eruption.' The most magnificent viewing is typically around sunrise and sunset. The following link with take you to the U.S. Forest Service site and directly to the high-definition image that is current. The image refreshes automatically every minute.

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/views/java-highdef.php

LUCK BE A LADY DON'T DIE-- A BOOK REVIEW

What a fantasy trip I just completed! Robert J. Randisi's mystery novel, "Luck Be A Lady, Don't Die", was one nostalgic page turning, keep the midnight light burning book.
Here's a quick summary of the story:"Vegas, 1960. Gamblin', drinkin', and everybody's misbehavin'. Six months ago, whiley they were filming Ocean's 11, the Rat Pack needed Eddie Gianelli's help to track down the mugh who was sending threatening letters to Dino. Now they're back for the premiere and it's Frank who needs Eddie's help. Seems a babe he was planning to meet with in Sin City took a powder-leaving behind her luggage and a stiff in the bathtub. She's on the lam, and it's up to Eddie to find her and figure out if she's a victim or a killer."

Randisi's writing style is crisp and clear. He draws pictures quickly; he frequently used a word, phrase, or created a scene that got me chuckling. And the story's twists and turns led to a hard, inevitable conclusion.


And Eddie Gianelli, the story's hero, was neither the greatest of saints nor the worst of sinners... he was honest, courageous, self-righteous, and emotionally insecure.








Looking for some relaxing reading this summer... check out Luck Be A Lady, Don't Die!
I found this book at my wonderful Martin Luther King Library, Tacoma, Hilltop...

Joey B, Sammy D, the Chairman, Dino, and Peter L ... I love you

Enjoy the trailer from the original Ocean's Eleven Movie