Catching up with Mr Potato

One of the perks of my radio career is I get to meet people who have some pretty cool jobs.

Got a nice email today from Tony Potato (pronounced po-tah'-toe) and family who shared a visit with me about 4 years ago. Tony (on the left) brought his clan to Orcas Island to see our church summer camp for the day. They were visiting his wife's family who live in the Seattle area, and accepted the invitation to eat some camp food and enjoy a yacht cruise around the San Juan Islands.

Tony's cool job? He was the manager of the band Delirious (Deeper, Have You Heard the Mountains Tremble, Shout To The North). At the time of his visit he was living in the UK, but has since relocated his family to the Nashville area to take on new enterprises in the music industry.

Isn't it cool to get a note from someone you haven't heard from in awhile? Just maybe... there's someone you should drop a note to today. I know I should!

Doing laundry my way - part 1

OK, I'm not a laundry expert, but I've learned a few things that seem to work for me. It's not a passion, but a necessity that I manage to attack every couple of weeks. Maybe you can learn something, and maybe I can learn something from you.

So what are my "goals" when it comes to washing clothes? 1) they actually get clean 2) the clothing doesn't become damaged (stains, tears) 3) efficient use of time and power

For me it starts with sorting by type and fabric weight. Today I did 4 loads. Shirts (lightweight permanent press); t-shirts ( cotton in various colors); jeans (blue & black); boxer briefs/socks (turn them inside out).

Similar fabrics wash and dry more evenly than mixing various fabric weights in the same load. I don't worry too much about colors bleeding, especially if a colorful item has been washed once or twice.

I also treat stained fabrics with Spray & Wash, then I may refill my spray bottle with my own solution of liquid laundry soap diluted 1 part to 5 parts water (seems to work fine).

Other pre wash activities include zipping up zippers, otherwise the metal teeth can damage other clothing in the load. Also very important to check every pocket to make sure it's empty. I hate it when a tissue goes through the wash cycle, and particles attach to everything!

More later....

So, how was your summer?

I believe it's a good idea to look back at the times you are able to share together as a family, and now is a good time to reflect on the summer. Granted, not everything may have been wonderful.... but we can also talk about how we handled or are dealing with a situation that may have been unpleasant.

My "good memories" will include the annual week I spend with my kids at Cannon Beach... we were surprised to see some friends there. Cooling off in the lake at Millersylvania State Park. Being co-pilot to my son with his driving permit..... and we didn't crash once.

How about you? Did you have any summer memory makers? You are welcome to post your comments below.

Black & white only

Some years ago I crossed paths with Jerry Gay, a guy whose work I admired on the pages of the Seattle Times. He was a news photographer, who one day claimed a Pulitzer prize for a photograph he took of some weary fire fighters in the 1970s. (above)

He shot black & white then, and still prefers to shoot that way today. He has resided in the Blaine area the past several years.

His online portfolio is pretty cool, with a number of photo essays I invite to look over. The one on signs is a favorite. Jerry Gay photo essays