A Must-See in Seattle

Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park along the waterfront, that Dave and I visited yesterday, has not only a varied collection of outdoor sculptures, but a variety of native plants. The sculpture in the photo above is called Eagle. Click here for more information.

Why Walking in the Rain is Good for You

Click here to read about negative ions!

My Silent Neighbor

Yes, the one-time tallest man in the world, Bernard Coyne, was our neighbor when I was growing up. However, I never spoke to him. He was 8' 2" and wore size 25 shoes when he died in 1921 and was buried in the St. Joseph cemetery next to our Anthon, Iowa farm. The photo above is Bernard with his parents. My mom had told me about him and had evidently seen him in person. I imagine she was quite impressed. She was seven when he died. Also, another family connection is through the Dixon family. Bernard is the brother of my uncle Francis Dixon's brother-in-law! Click here for an undated newspaper article about Bernard. And believe it or not, I didn't know he was my "cemetery neighbor" until today when I found some info on the Internet.

I'm Officially a Photosynthesizer Sympathizer

After PayPaling my $15 membership fee to Plant Amnesty (Seattle's organization dedicated to proper tree pruning) I was informed that I now am a Photosynthesizer Sympathizer. Guess I need to practice pronouncing my new status. Actually, I joined so that we could give away our contorted filbert shrub whose abundant yellow catkins successfully activate Dave's spring allergies. Plant Amnesty has an Adopt-A-Plant program with the tag line "you call, you dig, you haul, thats all." So, now we're waiting for an email or phone call from another Phototsynthesizer Sympathizer who's willing to move our contorted filbert (including its spring pollen) to a new home.

Got My Name in the Paper!

...and not for a traffic citation. Click here and scroll down to near the end of the article to find my name - but don't believe the "incredibly" part!

Roadside America & Rusty People & Animals

In and near Raymond, WA, we enjoyed seeing the town's unique metal sculptures, and above is a photo Jen took near Raymond's Dairy Queen. (Oyster burgers are a specialty at this Dairy Queen according to its reader!) Online, is a fun site with info on these metal sculptures and oodles of other unique roadside tourist attractions across the US that you'll enjoy browsing: RoadsideAmerica.com