The grave of Charles and Florence Harper was observed at Mountain View Cemetery in Connell, Washington on 15-June-2010
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON - After attending the reunion of the descendants of Charles and Florence Harper last weekend, it seemed only appropriate that I would also visit their grave site, located at Mountain View Cemetery above Connell, Washington. Their gravestone sits prominently above town, along with that of many of other family members including my grandfather.
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Eastern Washington state, besides being the home of many of my relatives, is the realm of rural radio. Paul Harvey once reigned supreme across the AM dial at noon, but with his passing, ABC is now distributing Mike Huckabee. This trip was my first chance to check out the short-form news and commentary broadcast, airing in Harvey's old time slot on KONA-AM in the Tri-Cities, and I have to say I just didn't find it interesting. Where Harvey kept me tuned in for the rest of the story or the humorous story on "page five," Huckabee didn't have any hooks that I noticed, and if I want conservative commentary, there are plenty of other sources for that.
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Another radio voice that I heard for the first time this week on his new assignment made a much more positive impression. The five-minute Future Tense from American Public Media is now hosted by John Moe. Moe distinguished himself in a variety of assignments at KUOW in Seattle, most notably the business show "The Works," before moving to St. Paul to join the national network, including a stint as host of "Weekend America." Future Tense has long been a technology show hosted by Jon Gordon, and Gordon finally got a promotion, leaving the slot open for Moe, who brings a Generation X sensibility to the show--exactly the kind of technology show for which I had been searching! (Goodbye, Natali Del Conte--I'm sure you'll keep getting Loaded.)
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A ground hog watched me carefully from his secure position in Schlagel Park in Pasco, Washington on 17-June-2010
I didn't have to search to find wildlife in Pasco, Washington's Schlagel Park last week. In addition to quite a variety of water fowl, I encountered a large Garter Snake and the ground hog shown above kept a close watch on my activities near the shore of the Columbia River.
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Former Amtrak SDP40F #644 showed off its restored Amtrak light package in Portland, Oregon on 20-June-2010
My return trip to western Washington was routed through Portland, Oregon so I could check in on progress at the Brooklyn Roundhouse as the various groups that make up the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation prepare to move to a new home. In addition to seeing plans for the new facility, there was quite a bit of progress to see on the Alco PA and, dearest to me, the restored Amtrak lighting package on SDP40F diesel locomotive #644 seen above.
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