July 12th 2008

What a wonderful day here in Seattle. the weather is clear and sunny. The sailboats and powerboats are on the lake and I can see the seaplanes landing from my balcony. The move here last month from Florida was very tough but I am glad I have set up shop here in the Capitol Hill area. I am exrtremely happy that I can now start to live a green life here in the Emerold city. One of the reall great things is that I had to drive my car once in the past two weeks. The people here are also very earth concious and recycle almost everything. When I started really putting an effort into recycling realized how much stuff we actually waste. To tell you that waste is not good especially when trying to live with the high costs of everything! I can not believe how expensive food and gas has become. I think it will still only go higher. Maybe this is what it is going to take to get us americans to change our habits. The news today said that for the first time in history the US consumption of oil will go down this year. (REMEBER WHEN?)

Monday July 14th 2008

Shakespear actors were performing in the nearby park. They did a fabulous job of "Romeo and Juliet" The actor I liked best was the part of Mercutio, I fine charasmatic actor. Juliets maid was also very good. The weather was fantastic and people and families were all on blankets or in chairs with picnic baskets full of all kinds of tastey treats. They had setup a small PA sytstem so that you could hear every single line of dialog clearly.

v

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday July 14th 2008

Last night I went on an adventure into a local bar here in Seattle called the King Cobra. Yes the name says it all. It was "punkporn and pabst blue ribbon" night. They were playing old Betty Page movies on the big screen. Can you imagin that people used to think that was obscene to look at. Now iBetty Page movies are like a JC Penny catlog. One of my biggest fears happened to me as soon as I got a drink from a very cute bartender. . A really pretty, but very drunk girl came up to adjacent bar stool and started hitting on me. you know like bumping into me and "oops excusse me". Well...I didn't know what to do. This was a Punk bar and I was fearful that if I said I was gay that I would be outcast or beat up. I gathered the courage and told her anyway that I was gay and she said "you mean you are happy?" I replied no, gay like two males together gay". She said it was ok that we are all gay anyway.and went back to her friend, and as it turns out everyguy sitting at the bar at that time was gay too.!!!! very funny. The bar was definaltey a mixture of straight and gay and everyone was getting along fine. Very interesting night. I really loved the artistic creativity they put into their clothes, tattoos and hair styles

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday July 16th 2008

Played tennis at another local park yesterday called Cal Anderson. Named after a local politician who was the first openly
gay congressman of Washington. The park was beautiful with many people laying on the hills getting the sun rays. There was a beautiful fountain that the locals come to get out of the heat. On a political note. The New Yorker magazine did a cover of Barrack Obama and Michelle Obama that portrayed them as radicals and muslim. I know it was satire and I thought it was funny, but some many people in the Obama camp were offended. Talk about raw feelings. jeeze... they should lighten up. Thier candidate is leading by double digits!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday July 17th 2008

I got a call early this morning that was terrible. It was about a great dog named Beeper that I used to take care of and really loved. He had died last night falling into a pool. He was very old and mostly blind, but was a terrific being. He brought many, many people lots of joy, especially Joe his master and Larry his friend. he will be missed very, very much. BEEPER where-ever you are in DOGGY HEAVEN, we love you and you will be missed.

I am getting excited about Obama's overseas trip. It is going to really be BIG!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday July 18th 2008

I am riding the Cascade 509 to Portland from Seattle watching the beautiful scenery go by. It is about a four hour ride. With the price of fuel and the headaches of getting out of Seattle on a Friday afternoon makes the train ride all the more pleasent. Went to the lounge car earlier for a quick snack and a diet pepsi and now I have some time to write about whatever come to mind. I could do some reading, but I want to get this entry completed while I have the time on the train and feeeling inspired. . Enjoy the two pics from the station and the train window.

It seems to me that the public is getting sidetracked with the decided troop relocating to Afganistan from Iraq, and now Obama is meeting with the generals overseas and of course they are going to say to him that the troops are needed in Afganistan now, and that we must keep the same amount of troops deployed either in Iraq or other plaes in the Middle East. What they really want is to make sure thre military budget will be secure. That is really what it is all about! Keeping the money and contracts coming in for the war profiteers. I hope Obama can really be a different leader AND SAY NO to the generals and chart a new peaceful role for America. Put Kucinch in charge of the new Department of Peace. I also agreed with Al Gore's warning and challenge to the country to be off of all fosil fuels in 10years. Now that IS leadership. The same goes with Hillary when she took on the Republicans and Obama by pushing for manditory health care. We shall soon see or get a good idea of how what kind of leader Barrack intends to be by this trip overseas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday July 20, 2008
Yesterday we traveled back up to Seattle on the am track.  We were on the northbound train and found out later that the southbound train hit a Centralia boy riding his bike.   I feel terrible for the boys' friend who was with him, the train operator, and especially the family of the victim.  Went to the park to listen to some music and that had some dinner at a Thai restaurant in Capitol Hill.  Watched some karaoke at the Crescent, a local bar that mom and I love, and after an hour walked back home around 11pm after a long day of traveling .Going out again today to the  “Taste of Seattle” at City Center at the Space Needle.
Don’t really have an opinion of the politics of the day because I missed the morning talk shows that usually come on TV every Sunday. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday July 29th 2008

What a great event I attended last weekend. It was the Capitol Hill Block Party. Many very good bands and great food.