The Return of the Old Koot

I started this blog a couple years ago.  It was part autobiography and part (illustrated) history lesson, but it turned into part political rant.  I was so irritated by the McEuen issue (still don't agree with either side) I went off with too many blogs about it.  I'm still pissed about parts of it but have come to the conclusion that I'm better off if I quit caring about it.  Not like I go there now anyway.  So, I've yanked all six McEuen blogs.  Twenty years of angst, don't ask me about it.

But I am making a commitment to return where I began herer, with stories about growing up in CdA, local history and family and friends.  My way-early new year resolution will be write here at least a couple times a week.  Hopefully I can still entertain and enlighten with my 57 years of memories.  Some of my best stuff is already 2-3 years old.  If you haven't read them, I invite you to take a look back to the start of this blog/series.

I sorta disconnected with the (cyber-) world this last year.  Some of you may recall that I made recycled fish art, RainBrew Trout, using beer bottle caps and cans.  In the fall of 2011 I was bummed that while I had been featured in a national magazine (American Angler), had a website (don't look) and hundreds of "fans" on Facebook, I was giving more fish away than I was selling.  Even setting up at the Downtown CdA Sunday Markets with my old friend and fellow folk artist Jerry Moss netted me no sales. 

Not that I begrudge giving fish to worthy causes, if I can't write checks at least there's an item that can be auctioned off.  I have given them to Children's Village, The EXCEL Foundation, the Hydromaniacs, the MS Octobrewfest and others and am happy that each was able to get some bucks from them.

I recently got an order and sitting at the workbench over a beer I am also committing myself to start creating these colorful fish.  That means I need to get the website back up and am even considering returning to Facebook.  Jeez, I can't believe I just wrote that.  I'm opposed to a concept where one man becomes a billionaire with no product other than the vanity of mankind.  If I do jump back on it will be to promote RainBrew Trout and keep Dave Walker a minimal presence. 

OK, with all this I guess I'm off and running.  Watch for more gems and junk here on a regular basis.  

Did I mention I can be bought?  I'm a certificate holding Reverend and preform a damn good wedding if I say so myself.  I still love to MC & DJ at car shows and if you're looking for someone to speak for you, the golden tones fit for radio (maybe that was face fit for radio) is always ready.

Christmas Memories

Ho Ho Ohhhhhhh........

I must admit first off that I am The Grinch. And Scrooge. I wasn't always and indeed loved Christmas as a kid (what kid doesn't?). My childhood joys of opening Xmas gifts were surpassed only in the summertime when the hydroplanes came to race in the Diamond Cup on Lake Coeur d'Alene. But Christmas was fun and gifts, aka TOYS!, were wonderful. For the most part. Like everyone, I got some awesome, and some not-so-awesome, gifts over the years.

As a tyke I got the usual late-1950's and early-1960's assortment of trains, cars, airplanes and tractors. Oh how I wish I still had them all (in mint condition, hello Ebay!).



Some of my best gifts came from Uncle Ray and Aunt Mary in Montana. Over the years I got cool stuff like an astronaut helmet and a secret agent attache case for Xmas and birthdays. But my All Time Number One Greatest Xmas Gift of All was an Aurora Thunderjet 500 HO Slot Car Set. It wasn't a big set but that small track and the skinny-tire Fords started a love affair that grew and lasted until I was in high school.

In time, all my buddies got slot car sets and we'd combine our track to create huge layouts. I had control of half an unfinished basement that was hobby central. The wall was covered with center spreads pulled from Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines, a desk was dedicated to slot car tune-ups and model car building, and the radio was always tuned into the original KVNI at "1240 on your dial". What we now refer to as Man Caves was, back in the day, Boy's Club.


Other memorable Xmas gifts included a 20 gauge shotgun (pheasant hunting!), a trip to Hawaii (4th grade, didn't mean much then but was my first big vacation) and a trip to the 1995 Indy 500 from my wonderful wife, Sue.

One year I had my eye set on a wonderful plastic Army set from JC Penny and let know that that box of little green men and vehicles was what I desired. Come Xmas morn I didn't get it. After everything was opened and breakfast was over, Dad broke the news that they got the Army set but couldn't find it. We went through Mom's office (Ace Travel, 3rd & Sherman, 2nd floor) and Dad's (CdA Chamber of Commerce attached to the Desert Hotel) to no avail. Such is life, Xmas was still great.

In the summer, for some reason, I was yanking my way through an 8 foot long basement closet with only a walk in door. As I pushed my way to one end I heard something. Crawling back I discovered a box. Hello Xmas. We spent the summer setting up all the soldiers, cannons, jeeps and tanks only to bombard them with dirt clods. Now that was a great Xmas present and well worth waiting for.


Then there's the presents that didn't go over so well. As a high school freshman I got a typewriter. Sure, I was in typing class, but a typewriter as a present?! (This may have been a turning point in my perception of Christmas.) Not too many years ago I got a "brew beer at home" kit (which was promptly returned, if I'm going to be a home brewer I'm sure not going to do it in a plastic jug from Spencer Gifts). No complaints on socks and underwear, they may not be fun but are everyday useful.

But the all time worst Xmas gift was from my dear Aunt Mary. After Uncle Ray had passed, which suggests that he was the "fun" guy in the pair.

My family was a Christmas morning family, but on Christmas Eve I was allowed to open ONE gift as long as it was from someone other than them. Knowing that Ray & Mary always sent cool stuff, I plucked a small box from under the tree. From the size it could have been a wallet, maybe with money. Excitedly I opened it only to discover the most gawd awful ornate gold maltese cross on an equally awful gold chain. (And this was the days before wearing crap like alarm clocks around your neck was cool.) The one time I wore it was the one time I also wore a funky white turtleneck just long enough for Dad to take a photo. I need to find it, you'd get a great laugh. Out of respect I stashed the cross somewhere and one day re-gifted it in some manner.

FYI North Idaho Blogs

When I was unemployed I took a small, part time gig working the websites for FYI North Idaho, your best guide to the 5 northern counties. Part of my job was posting to the FYI blog. This is pretty much when I quit writing much on my own blog here. I wrote mostly about Idaho history, trivia and legends, much of it from my rememberances. I was talking about a topic covered in those blogs and it made me go back and read it. I don't know how many people ever saw/read any of that (nor will they here), but most of the posts I made are linked here. Read the title for a clue on what the it's about.

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2009/12/north-idaho-urban-legends-underground.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2009/12/december-15-in-idaho-history-shoshone.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2009/12/gravity-hill.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2009/12/this-day-in-history-dec-18-1975.html

Playland Pier burns

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2009/12/december-22-in-idaho-history.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2009/12/playland-pier-follow-up.html

http://spokanecarrousel.org/OtherCarousels.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2009/12/28-december-in-idaho-history.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-winter-was-winter.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/this-day-in-idaho-history-5-january.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/this-day-in-north-idaho-history-january.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/this-day-in-north-idaho-history-jan-12.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/on-this-day-in-idaho-history-18-jan.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/native-american-connection-to-past.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/huddy-and-beer.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-winter-was-winter.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/ski-great-potato.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/ski-great-potato-part-2.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/this-day-in-history-february-3.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/on-this-day-in-history-5-february.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/on-this-day-in-idaho-history-feb-8.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/4-seasons-sing-idaho.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/military-connection-to-north-idaho.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/02/great-seal-of-idaho.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-day-in-idaho-history-feb-27-28.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-day-in-idaho-history-march-4-1863.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/03/great-seal-of-state-of-idaho-part-2.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-day-in-history-march-9.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-day-in-idaho-history-18-march-1859.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/03/born-in-iron-horse-parking-lot.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/04/this-day-in-history-april-7.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/04/empty-building-at-5th-lakeside.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/04/devil-worshipers-hook-man.html

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/04/north-idaho-parks-part-1.html

Cataldo

http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com/2010/04/north-idaho-parks-part-2.html

CdA City

The Diamond Cup "Riots", Fact & Fiction

There's a riot goin' on!

Looking back to the days of the Diamond Cup, there are countless smiles and stories. As we babysat the Miss Budweiser in front of the Museum of North Idaho the weekend of July 4th, many people stopped to look, question, admire, have their pictures taken and talk about hydroplanes and the Diamond Cup. It was fun listening to stories of hanging out in the pits, the sound of the mighty V-12's, family outings to watch the races, hydro parades down Sherman, the boat boom on the lake, the concerts and dances, national entertainers performing, the Diamond Cup Room at the Desert Hotel and the Hydromaniacs. Only a couple people mentioned the riots. That's right, riots.

If there is any local story that has grown with age, it's the Diamond Cup "riots". They weren't anything near the "We won the World Series, let's burn the city down" type riot as some would have you believe. There are an number people who were smack dab in the middle of these disturbances and all I've talked with are amused at how the "hydro riot legend" has morphed over the years. I'll post some first hand reports down the road but let's start with the facts as reported in the Coeur d'Alene Press.

The first Diamond Cup "riot" was in 1961. In later years it was claimed to have been the worst as authorities were caught flat footed when the crowd got unruly. Hard to say what happened, the Monday edition after the race is missing from the Coeur d'Alene Press archives. It must not have been much as the Coeur d'Alene Press didn't mention it again.

The following year the cops were prepared. The Diamond Cup was a 2-day race, and Saturday night saw crowds fired up from the first day and excited for the next. The Press wrote about the weekend on Monday, July 23.

A "disturbance" was reported Saturday night around 11:00pm and took less than 2 hours for authorities to control. Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Reine Schmidt was quoted, "Last year's trouble was termed a riot. I don't believe this one was but it could have turned into a riot unless it had been contained." The story went on to say an "estimated 500 youths, more than in 1961" were gathered on Sherman. The police had prepared to "get tougher quicker" and they did just that. Sherman was blocked off from 1st to 6th Streets and the crowd was given a "ten minute warning to disburse." Firetrucks then sprayed water and "tear gas bombs" were used on the remaining crowd. The "result was several were injured and were given hospital treatment and care."

In the end, less than 50 people were taken into custody, 14 charged with failure to disburse. The rest were minor in possession, open containers, disturbing the peace, public drunkenness, drunk and disorderly and other similar charges. The majority of those charged were not from Coeur d'Alene. Damage was reported to windows at the Diamond Cup headquarters (Desert Hotel) and Merritt's service station and some police cars were dented.

The 1963 Diamond Cup was run the weekend of July 27-28, another two day race which meant a crowd from the first day was gathered again on Saturday night. Some people had no doubt been drinking (Sherman had no shortage of bars) and drinking age was nineteen at the time. The Monday, July 29 Press carried the stories of the Diamond Cup weekend.

The headline reads "Crowd Unruly, 80 Arrested" and goes on to say an estimated 1,000 "young people" were involved. The article cites previous Saturday night Diamond Cup years noting 1961 "reached riot stage when it caught the officers unprepared" and 1962 where the disturbance was "brought under control more quickly." It also stated that Police Chief Reine Schmidt and Sheriff John Bender agreed that the 1963 ruckus never exceeded the "unruly crowd stage."

Helmeted officers used tear gas, "wielded their nightsticks several times" and fire hoses were used between 3rd and 5th on Sherman. The only damage reported were 2 broken windows and as the crowd moved into City Park, "trees, benches and garbage cans were broken up." A total of 41 people (including 7 juveniles) were charged with failure to disburse, 14 were charged with minor in possession and "several" were charged with disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, drunkenness and like offenses.

If you ask any person at the 1963 Diamond Cup what their standout memory is, they won't say a riot. They'll talk about the wreck of the Miss Exide that put pilot Mira Slovak in the hospital with 27 stitches in his face, a couple lost teeth and a broken ankle. While The Press didn't follow up on the arrest story, it did report on Slovak's recovery daily until he left the hospital and Coeur d'Alene on July 31. That's what people remember, not the riots.

In 1964, the August 4 Coeur d'Alene Press reported on the weekend's Diamond Cup activity with one article stating "Saturday night's riots also proved to be successful for law enforcement but not for some of the 300-400 young people who tried to start something." Police Chief George Lenz said "Our small riot was under control almost immediately." About 60 were taken into custody, one Spokane teen was charged with inciting a riot, 17 with failure to disburse and "perhaps a dozen" high school and college kids were in jail. Again, most were not locals.

The 1965 Diamond Cup was termed a "most successful affair" by both event organizers and law enforcement officials. While police said it could have been the largest Diamond Cup crowd yet and Chief Lenz was quoted "At no time was there any indication of major trouble," and "Disturbances were practically non-existent." Credit was given to a large showing of law enforcement including Civil Defense and National Guard members. Around 50 people were arrested for open container, disorderly conduct, drunkenness and traffic infractions.

The 1966 Diamond Cup was one of the best but the Monday after Press on August 15 made no mention of any crowd activity at all.

There was no funding and therefore no Diamond Cup in 1967 but returned in 1968. The August 12 CdA Press quoted Chief Lenz that this was possibly "the largest crowd ever" and that the total of 69 arrests from Friday to Monday wasn't out of the ordinary. Sheriff John Bender said "What few disturbances we had were normal for the size of the crowd." Even the marine patrol noted the highest number ever of boats tied to the booms but they were well behaved.

And that's story of the Great Diamond Cup Hydroplane Riots. But legend grows, especially when cultivated by someone with no first hand knowledge but a hostility towards the memory of the Diamond Cup.

The inflation of this tale has also led to the incorrect accusation that riots are what ended the Diamond Cup races. I have never understood how riots could be used as the reason to shut down the Diamond Cup five to nine years after the fact.

So, what ended the Diamond Cup? In a word, money. The last possibility was dashed when in the spring of 1969 it was announced there was no funding for the Diamond cup. Overall, in the ten years of the Diamond Cup Regatta, the best year turned a profit of around $500, a couple years broke even at best and others ended in red ink.

In 1968, a "ticket" to the Diamond Cup was a Booster Button that cost $1.00. A lousy buck. But people would walk 100 yards and round the fence rather than shell out a couple dollars. Even at the age of 13, I thought that was a pretty lowdown cheat. How could an event be funded when you can't even get people to buy a ticket. There was no money and there were no more Diamond Cup races.

But back to those riots. Four decades after the last Diamond Cup Regatta, some people are still eager to bash the memory of the Diamond Cup with skewed and inflated tales of those horrible hydroplane riots. Looting, tear gas, fire hoses, destruction, oh my! They paint it to be wilder than the end of Animal House.

Interestingly, the man who has propagated this yarn for years did not live in North Idaho between 1958-68, never attended a Diamond Cup Regatta and didn't move to the area until 15 years after the last Diamond Cup and 20 years after the last "riot". He's not a reporter, he just writes editorials for an out of state newspaper. Take his word for what it is, an inflammatory narrative warped by his own hostility.

Also part of the riot story is that our writer claims the riots were the reason Coeur d'Alene residents voted 3-1 in 1996 to ban unlimited hydroplane racing within city limits. This is probably, but sadly, true. But sadder yet, it was also a case of yellow journalism.

When word of someone exploring the possibility of holding another Diamond Cup in the mid-1990s, a local group banded to stop that from ever happening. Petitioners were stationed at the post office and the issue was eventually placed on that year's City ballot. In efforts to build opposition leading up to the election, our writer led the parade with exaggerated stories and riot hyperbole. His gullible readers rallied and the riot legend took off. "They'll destroy downtown!" "They'll burn down Tubbs Hill!" (No, if that ever happens it'll be the 4th of July so let's end the fireworks show.) The threat of the Hell's Angels was even tossed in for shock factor.

So, yes, riots, or more specifically, fear of riots drove the outcome of an election. Banned were unlimited hydroplanes racing on City of Coeur d'Alene waters and unlimited hydroplane launching from City of Coeur d'Alene property. I find it a despicable statement on how easy it is to get people to vote out of fear rather than bother them with the facts. And the writer continues to pat himself on the back over it.

Why my rant on this fellow? When word of the vintage hydros coming to Coeur d'Alene was made public, his first words were of negativity and accusation. This historical event is a celebration of a period in local history that is still very near and dear to many, many people who lived here at that time. Worst of all, this is hoped to be the first of an annual event benefitting the Museum of North Idaho. To taint a charitable effort for a worthy cause is the work of a lowlife.

I was bold/stupid enough to call a spade a spade and became his personal whipping boy because of it. That's OK, I'm a big boy, I can take it. I just sat back and let him prove his negativity with his own poinson pen. And he did.

Thanks for taking time to read the real story. If you were involved with any of these "riots", please feel free to add your thoughts.

Politics in Action

Tonight I took part in a focus group. A call last week was a survey asking a few broad political questions and if I was open to discussing my take on politics, which I of course said yes to. So I qualified to be on said focus group. And there was some money in it for me as well. A couple hours. Talk politics. Sure.

So tonight I went to the CdA Inn at 6pm. It was a pro moderator from a research firm near DCA, didn't know himself who the buyer was, "But you may have a good guess by the time it's over."

There were 7 people (1 no-show), 2 lifers, 1 here less than three years, locals, varied backgrounds, I didn't recognize a one. We sat in conference table style and everything was well organized, great cookies and even Cherry Coke.

Everything was opinion based questioning starting with the State of Idaho, basic list of topics, education, health, economy, general feel of where we are and where we're going. This led into politics in general, then to the Governor's office and Butch Otter, the usual pros, cons, rep and rap. At this time I, and I'd guess most if not all, figured this was a Butch survey.

Then he tossed out 8-10 photos of a man in various poses and situations. Our first guess was "candidate" but as his face wasn't familiar, it could just as well have been stock photos in every political photo op pose. I said he looked like the guy who was at the 4th of July parade in the motorhome, the others had no clue. Turns out it was candidate and motorhome driver Keith Allred. In the end I believe this was on his tab.

We then read 2 background/bio/"here's your guy" statement pages and processed the likes and dislikes and influential importance. Next we watched 6 short videos broken from the same speech and discussed and rated each segment. From there we compared a couple pages of puffery and mudslinging as pertained to both candidates, which statements would sway you vote kind of stuff. Finally we "wrote a letter" to the candidates telling them what we felt was important about Idaho and Idaho Politics. Then I was handed an envelope with cash in it.

I really enjoyed being a part of this small cog tooth in the machine of American Politics. The moderator was excellent and kept us on track, just a hair over the advertised 2 hours. But it was our own fault. Each person was able to express their opinions and perceptions pertaining to how our government runs and we did. And it was interesting to hear other people's thoughts.

We all see things from a different place using different reference points. But even with this diverse group I got a general feeling that, to varying degrees, everyone is disgusted with politics as we now know it. That we believe in of the people, by the people and for the people. That we're all sick of the polarization of the Parties, the special interests and how our leaders have become so detached to the Average American. Wow, what if we all voted what we truly felt and wanted rather than vote for a political party out of fear/hate of the other party.

I like to think back to Howard Beale in the movie Network. When is America going to stand up to our own government? When will the voter turnout not only be huge but be filled with everyone who is sick of the status quo? And all it takes is people to get out and vote.

Shout it from your window.

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

Two Blogs Are Better Than One (sometimes)

That's what I've got going, two blogs about Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho. I work part time for Kagey Company that, among other things, publishes the annual Guide to North Idaho. My tasks include gathering information on what's happening in North Idaho and updating not only the accompanying website, www.fyinorthidaho.com, but also the companion blogs, Facebok and Twitter accounts.


Yes, I've slacked off here, but I've been covering lots of stuff at the FYI North Idaho blog. So check that out as well to keep up with all the stuff I write about. We're going to have a lot of fun with all this. Not only will I cover my personal memories and thoughts about growing up and living in Coeur d'Alene here, but I'll also cover North Idaho history, tidbits, factoids and even fun and crazy "urban legends" of this wonderful area.

I love feedback, input and even corrections. Please chime in with what you know and feel free to ask questions or suggest topics to cover.

Yes, it's a dream job, writing about my lifelong stomping grounds. Easy to do for a local boy who loves North Idaho and the wonderful people that live here. Stay tuned, won't ya?

dw

Merry Christmas

Can you imagine how much that stuff would be worth on eBay now?

Playland Pier

Last Friday marked the 34th anniversary of Playland Pier burning down. I wrote about the history of Playland Pier in this blog at FYI North Idaho but had more memories of what a great place it was as a kid.

If you had a dollar, you had a whole day ahead of you. Ten cent ice cream cones, most arcade games were a penny, nickel or dime and for two cents you could get a souvenir postcard postcards from one of two machines, one with movie and singing stars, the other with mostly custom cars like those of George Barris. Like so much stuff we all had when we were kids, I curse myself for not keeping all those cards, like James Dean. Sheesh.

My all time favorite arcade game was an early version of foosball. It was a freestanding metal and glass case that cost a penny a ball to play, and believe me, I put a LOT of pennies into that machine. The playing surface was a lumpy soccer field covered with players fixed in place. Because it was enclosed the ball would eventually roll in front of a soccer player. On the front were two handles, each activating one team (you could even play by yourself). When the handles were flipped it would move a goalie back and forth and make all the players "kick". The harder you flipped that handle the harder the kicks. The back panel was painted like a full stadium and the front and sides were glass. For old glass it was damn tough. When we played we always tried to kick that little steel ball as hard as possible and although it may have been the loudest game in the arcade, that glass never even cracked.

The bumper cars were great except by the time I was old (and tall) enough to drive them, they were usually broke down or not in operation. I left dejected more often than I actually got to drive them.

Everybody's favorite was the swings. Like a sort of suspended merry-go-round, each swing seat swung out with centrifugal force and actually put you out over the lake. We always wondered how fun it would be to have one break shooting a rider out into the waters.

The merry-go-round still exists and about ten years ago there was even talk about bringing it back to Coeur d'Alene. I can't remember all the details but it was (probably still is) owned by a guy who collects, maintains and operated old carousels around the country. And his mother actually worked at Playland Pier once upon a time. Last I heard it was back east somewhere and it still has paintings that represent Coeur d'Alene and the lake.

The Empire Builder stops at Stryker, Montana

Uncle Ray was 20 years older than my Dad. He worked for the railroad and moved west from Virginia in the 30's. In the late 40's he was the Station Master at Naples, Idaho. Up until the mid 60's he was SM in Stryker, Montana, along the route of Great Northern Railroad's Empire Builder between Whitefish and Eureka.

When I was young we'd go visit, riding that train from Sandpoint. On rare occasion I'd even get to sit up in the Vista-Dome car, which felt like it was going to roll going around every corner. Such beautiful country. Too bad you go through it in the dark. AMTRAK still runs that same schedule.

Passengers looked wide eyed wondering where it the heck they were when the train stopped to let us off. Stryker consisted of about six houses at a junction. Uncle Ray and Aunt Mary lived in a small log cabin between the main road and the so-called station. They had a guest log cabin that we'd stay in. First place I ever used a chamber pot. Ray was a hunter and bear rugs were plenty.

The little station was fascinating for me as a little kid and loved the place. I got to sit at the main desk with the front window and make Uncle Ray or Aunt Mary translate the Morse Code from the telegraph. They also had a teletype machine and would relay messages to trains.

They'd tie the paper with a string then tie it to ends of a Y shaped pole sticking up the height of the train's window. A Conductor would reach out and snag the message as the train went past. I used to try and see the guy but it went by with such commotion all I ever saw was one second it was there and the next it wasn't. Standing on the platform maybe 15 feet from where the trains went by full speed was pretty impressive for a little kid.

Years ago we were in California seeing my brother, Ron. One day we went to the California State Railway Museum. One of the best museums I've ever been to. One of the displays is a mail car from the Empire Builder that you can walk through. Fun reading all the drop boxes, each and every little place on the line. Including Stryker, Montana.

The Hole Story

Wednesday before Thanksgiving I found a message from the City Water Department on my recorder. Said 68,000 gallons had passed through our system in the last 2 weeks. We had work to do that started with a hole to dig.

Thankfully my son dug 80% of the hole and I had neighbors that also pitched in. Travis next door helped on Sunday by capping off the sprinkler pipe and providing some good advice. Monday morning we found the hole full of water and about the time a City Water guy came to tuen the water off Bob across the street brought over a small sump pump to clear the hole. Herb on the other side loaned me a breaking bar as we had broke my old one the day before trying to pull out a bush. Seriously, we broke a steel breaking bar.

The job was made much easier with the help of the great guys at the CdA Water Department. They were so wonderful I wrote the mayor the following letter.

Dear Sandi,

I was recently informed by the City Water Department that I had a leaky valve that needed replacement, and I must commend Jim Markley's crew for the excellent service I experienced during this predicament.

Rob Stark called me last Wednesday and was very helpful in explaining the entire situation and the job I had ahead. We dug yesterday and this morning I called to shut our water off. Josh Mayne arrived right on time and answered all my questions and made helpful suggestions.

As we excavated, I kept having questions and turned into Rob's #1 caller today. Rob dropped by to check the job and, seeing we were at the critical part, jumped in the hole, pulled out the part, drove me down the street to Consolidated Plumbing then followed up with the install. Rob didn't like the PVC job the sprinkler guys had used, so he zipped to the shop and returned with a short piece of pipe that was much improved. Rob put this back together, tested everything and we got the thumbs up to start the refill. Rob and Josh retuned later and replaced the top vault on the water meter as the old one was cracked.

My son, Aaron, and I can shovel dirt. The whole pipe thing was my worry. We had everything exposed and Rob just whipped the plumb job out in less time than I would have spent pondering how I was going to do it.

Like I have discovered so many times before with so many different people of the City of Coeur d'Alene, the Water Department has proven they are not only on the top of their game (I would never have discovered this leak) but have the skills to expertly and efficiently perform their job and with a "can do" attitude to boot. Kudos to them for this excellent customer service.

Respectfully,
dw

Not bad for what could have been a much bigger problem.

The 12 Ales of Christmas

I'm all excited for the 13th Annual 12 Ales of Christmas is at Capone's CdA this Saturday night. My (actually Sue's) favorite cousins from Montana are coming over and this is looking like a grand time.

I was at Capone's tonight and the tap count for the list of winter warmers is up to nine. A new entry this year is Dick's Brewing seasonal. I had a taste and found it less malty than many darker winter brews, but it had a nice floral spice to it.

My wonderful daughter, Tia, has bought my 12 Ales ticket for the last 4 years. And to prove how good a gifter she is to me, I've also over the years gotten a DVD 2-pack with Raising Arizona and Fargo (yippee, the Coen Brothers!) and my own version of the Christmas Story leg lamp.

A tip to 12 Ales newbies: drink accordingly. Your ticket gets you at least 12 fills of a 4 ounce glass, sampling at least a dozen high powered brews. You'll be drinking 3-4+ pints not counting the pints of the ones that you really like. Make sure you can still appreciate #12 as much as #1.

For the 2nd year, a taxi ride in CdA proper is included. Take it or call your Mom. You won't be driving home from this.

See ya there!

Read The Press, Made Me Go "Hmmmmm...."

I started the morning like any other, with breakfast while I read the CdA Press. Say what you will about The Press but it is KootCo's best source of local news and info. But while I turned the pages I saw three items that made me go "Hmmmmmmm..."


1. Editorial recommending more parks be named after distinguished locals, citing a Post Falls Park named after Hilde Kellogg.

Nothing against Hilde, heck, I've known her since I was a little kid and she has done much for North Idaho & KootCo. BUT, I always have to wonder about naming parks after people. Here are two good examples here in CdA.
Person Field on 15th. I've lived here all my life and am still a little fuzzy on who "Person" was. And over the years it has been erroneously called everything from Persons to Piersons Field. I'm betting that only a handful of locals could tell me about Mr/Ms Person.
GO Phippeny Park on 7th St. I remember that Mr. Phippeny was a long time educator and the park sits on the one time site of CdA High and Jr. High Schools. But I can't give many more details.
Fifty years from now will anyone remember Hilde and what she did?


2. Letters to the Editor regarding the reversal of suspensions for CHS Viking football players.
First question I had to ponder was, who took the photos of beer swilling, minor students? Could it possibly be an LCHS minor student at the same party in a proverbial calling the kettle black situation?
Just because I was a Viking doesn't mean I'd look the other way. But looking the other way when high school students misbehave is nothing new. Remember when the first LCHS graduating class pulled their senior pranks which accounted for literally thousands of dollars of damage to a brand new school paid for with taxpayer dollars? You don't? I guess we looked the other way that time, too.


3. Yet another news article where Fort Hood killer Nidal Hasan is referred to as a "suspect". Suspect? Alleged? Does anyone actually think he's innocent until proven guilty in a court of law? The guy KILLED people, no if's and's or but's about it. Are we so politically correct that we can't call a spade a spade?


Dunno about you, but stuff like this always makes me go "Hmmmmmm...."

The Old Neighborhood

When I was born my parents lived in a little house at 1220 N. 5th St in Coeur d'Alene. I have no recollection of that house at all. The house is still there, and is currently for sale, right behind the Goodwill store.

After that we moved to 1310 Ash, just a block from Sanders Beach. This house was where my first memories are from. I remember playing in the sand and all the chunks of bark from the sawmill that washed onto the beach. I also remember my babysitter who would lay in the summer sun, a perfect job if it wasn't for the tyke.

Then my parents bought the above house in 1959. It was (is) at 11th & Homestead in what was then the new (first) Monte Vista addition. The house is about 200 yards north of I-90 which was just being finished at the time. I remember laying in bed and hearing the noise from the heavy equipment that would officially bring an end to Hwy10.

The house faced west and the backside living room window looked towards Best Mountain. The trees weren't that tall and you could not only see the big clearing where CHS students would put a big 'C' for all the town to see, but the red light blinking atop the KVNI (1240 on your dial) radio transmitter tower that sat in the low flat just north of the foot of Best on the east side of 15th Street.

The neighborhood was roughly defined in the triangle of 11th, Homestead and Syringa. It may have been the greatest place in the world to grow up. There were over 60 kids of all ages; from college age to tykes. There were families with one kid (like mine) and some with up to a half dozen.

We went to Borah School, just 3 blocks away. I remember days when I actually came home for lunch. I have a hundred stories about the friends I grew up with and the crazy things we did to entertain ourselves in the 60's and 70's. Stay tuned.

Cowboy Duds

If you wanted to look cowboy, the best place in North Idaho to go shopping was the Bar-B-Q- Ranch. Jack and Hilde Kellogg ran the Bar-B-Q and it was here that my folks bought most of my blue jeans, at least a couple sets of boots, a hat and the obligatory western cut shirts.

The Bar-B-Q sat where USBank is in Post Falls now, northwest corner of Idaho and Seltice. It was, as you can see, a great place to pull in tourists with the original giant cowboy. an assortment of wooden Indians out front and animals ranging from dinosaur to chicken on the roof.

Jack never failed to hand me some Bazooka bubble gum every time we went. I was always amazed with the wide selection of colors of boots and shirts, the hats, Stetson and others, and a gift shop full of all sorts of western/wooden novelties.

Jack passed long ago but Hilde went on to elected office, her claim to fame being helping get the greyhound track approved and having the mechanical rabbit named for her. Is it really 25 years ago when each race started with the announcer's call of "Here comes Hilde!"?

Time goes on but so do the memories and the photos to go with them.

1909 Land Rush

This is the last of a 32 page pamphlet put out by the Coeur d'Alene Commercial Club titled The Panhandle of Idaho. There is no date but this advertises the great land lotto of 1909 so I'd guess late 1908 or early 1909. I'll scan and post more of my tattered copy of this 100 year old publication later, but this one page always fascinated me most. I learned more about this amazing era in the book Steamboats in the Timber by Ruby El Hult, published 1952.


The U.S. Government decided they had given the Tribes too good of a deal and wanting to expand development in this part of America rich in natural resources, opened 700,000 acres of Flathead, Spokane and Coeur d'Alene Reservation lands. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over America spent 3 million dollars on railroad tickets to travel here and take a chance in this great land lottery. The odds were as high as 500 to 1 in Spokane and 100 to 1 in Coeur d'Alene.


At midnight on July 14th, sixteen Notaries opened the doors in Coeur d'Alene to register people, 500 names were taken in the first hour. In four days that jumped to 34,730 and by the time of the drawing, 264,883 names had been registered for the three blocks of reservation lands.


Every inbound train was full and the lake steamers were filled to capacity and then some. Coeur d'Alene was packed with people and not all were land speculators, bunco artists, thieves and pickpockets were also on hand to profit where they could. In two weeks the post office sold over $4,000 worth of stamps to send cards home from the land seekers. Notaries had over two tons of completed registrations.


While people had to register in Spokane for the Spokane land, Kalispell for Flathead and Coeur d'Alene for Coeur d'Alene, it was Coeur d'Alene where James W. Whitten conducted the drawings for all. At noon on August 9th, Miss Helen Hamilton stood on a platform in front of the Hotel Idaho (Desert Hotel) and drew the first envelope from the 105,000 Coeur d'Alene entries strewn over the stage.

Isador Selig was number one and had the first pick of land in the Coeur d'Alenes, choosing a spot along the St. Joe River. A power company claimed to have a prior rights to the land and by the time Mr. Selig got to pick a 2nd choice there was little good land left.

In the end, most of the land was too dense with timber to farm and too hard to clear. Settlers found the deer ate most of their gardens and most weren't farmers anyway. Some of the winners sold out to timber companies. Few of the thousands who came west with the dream of carving out a happy life found anything but sorrows.

Pick up Steamboats in the Timber to read more about the wild times of early Coeur d'Alene country.

Road Construction Season

Now that 4th Street through Midtown is almost finished, I suppose we're near the end of the 2009 road construction season. To celebrate, here are a couple photos from the building of the first version of I-90 along the lake. This was early to mid 1950's.

The upper photo is the construction of the Blue Creek Bay bridge. It was built with help from the Army Corps of Engineers. The problem was the bottom of the lake was deep muck and they had a hard time setting footings. Using new technology, they pumped concrete down to the bedrock.

The lower photo shows some of the earth moving efforts to provide a roadbed along the lakeshore.

Just a short one today. Hope it'll be a short winter as well.

Hunting Season is Open

This photo holds a few memories. Yup, that's me with my brother Ron, 1968. I was an 8th grader at CdA Jr. High. It was Ron's near annual visit to go hunting and he talked me into skipping school to go with him one day.

We drove up the St. Joe headed for Slate Creek. We parked and right off Ron has me walk through knee deep water. I'm wearing crappy cowboy boots that filled with water, thanks for not suggesting I bring a dry pair of socks. Then he tells me we're going straight up a steep mountain, in those oh so comfy wet boots. Halfway up, I'm dragging ass. We take a break and he gives me a couple cookies and a cup of black coffee, my first taste of that bitter brew. I mash my cookies into the coffee, trying to make it palletable. The caffine didn't get me up that mountain any faster and I remember being blamed for the lack of coffee at lunch later in the day.

Up high on the ridge we're hiking along when we see a huge bull elk. Ron drops him with one shot. We approach the beast with head bobbing in his dying throes. Ron pumps 3-4 more shots into his head to finally put him down and we started to field dress the carcass. Up to my elbows in elk intestines made me realize that I was not cut from the same outdoor hunting cloth as my father.

Dad was an outdoorsman's outdoorsman. He had countless hunting and fishing tales and artifacts to back up even the most incredible. He, as a freelance writer and photographer, submitted numerous stories to sporting magazines and for some years was the Idaho State Editor for the now long gone Western Outdoors publication. I enjoyed going fishing and pheasant hunting with him and his oldtimer pals.

But as a clumsy gomer I never liked humping the how brush (how the hell do you get through it?) when out for deer and elk. One year I kept skirting the thickets which would have led me back to the ranch, I ended up way off track. I had an idea of where I was but no clue exactly where to go (and still avoid the brush). I found a road, walked to a 4-finger saddle and sat down against a tree. It eventually got dark and I dozed off. Then I heard a shot and knew it was for me. I shot my old 30.06 and waited. Lloyd Jones, who's ranch we hunted from, knew exactly where I was and they pulled the truck right up where I was. I believe that was also my first taste of Elderberry wine that night.

Back at Slate Creek we finally got the elk dressed out and started the walk back. No way could we carry the elk and that night Dad called Lloyd who they met with his horses and packed out the elk and the amazing rack you see above. I was back at school and was shocked to discover that even in North Idaho, skipping school to go hunting was considered an unexcused absense. "But we got a big elk!" didn't sway the Principal.

Even though I didn't pull the trigger, I was proud to have my photo taken with that big rack. The picture even made the CdA Press.

One last note about the Willy's Jeep we're sitting on. Dad bought that from my Uncle Ray. It was the first car I ever drove, somewhere on the backroads coming home from a fly fishing trip. Dad told me I better know how to drive in case something ever happened to him in the back country. He told me I was a hell of a good driver for my first time, I hit every pothole in the road.

Beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene

Here's a photo Dad took from the point of Tubbs Hill in the early 60's. Didn't it look like a sleepy, laid back lake? Not many houses and hills were covered with trees, not dotted with the homes of affluent transients like today. And sailboats were quiet and graceful as they navigated the blue waters, now wake strewn from countless ski boats and jet skis on any given summer day.

Is Coeur d'Alene one of the seven most beautiful lakes in the world? Supposedly attributed to National Geographic, some years ago I wrote them and was informed that they had never ranked "beautiful lakes". Dad used the line promoting the area in the 50's and 60's but I'd guess he never tracked down the validity of the declaration. Some things are best left alone.

The claim was actually early tourism hype first pushed by the railroads and steamboat lines that served the thousands upon thousands they served in the early years of the 1900's. There was big money in transporting tourists to and around lake Coeur d'Alene. If you think Lake Coeur d'Alene is beautiful now, imagine how people viewed it then, with its crystal clear waters, mountains densely covered with stands of timber and abundant fish and wildlife.

The Red Collar Line and White Star Navigation Company were rivals for these passengers and boasted beautiful steamboats that could carry hundreds of passengers. The sidewheeler Idaho could board up to a thousand. Hauling equipment, supplies, settlers and loggers most days, Sundays found trainloads of people coming from Spokane and the Palouse to spend the day on the steamers as they cruised the lake, sometimes to visit the Old Mission (prior to being moved to it's present elevated location). Round trip tickets were $1.25 to St. Maries and $1.75 to St, Joe, a one time bustling and roughneck city that doesn't even exist today.

Red Collar owned the main dock where the Electric Line brought trainloads of people right up to the boats. The shenanigans between Red Collar and White Star seem humorous now but dangerous and cutthroat back in the day. Stories of "stealing" passengers were common as were dock scuffles, boats being driven into shallow water on the St. Joe, races between boats filled with cheering passengers across the lake and even one boat "accidentally" (on purpose?) ramming and sinking a rival boat. The Red Collar Line won the war and during it's heydays between 1908 and 1913 they had near 50 boats of various sizes plying the waters.

Next time you're in Hudson's, take pause to really look at the old photos on the wall. And if you want to know more about this amazing history of our area, seek out Steamboats in the Timber by Ruby El Hult. Written in 1952, I found this one of the most interesting books I've ever read.

Let's Go Boating

For a guy who's lived in CdA all his life, I haven't really been on the lake that much. We never had a boat so I'll always jump at an opportunity to go along with friends who do.

I look maybe 3 years old in this photo so we'll say 1958. Dad's holding onto a boat that I think belonged to a Canadian friend, Norm Hendricks. One of the ladies is Norm's wife, Mary Templin's in the middle and I have no clue after that. (Note to self, put names on the backs of photos for future reference)

We're standing on the Templin's Motor Inn dock, pretty much where the west entry of the Resort Boardwalk is now.

Memoirs of a Seahawk Fan

The above photo was taken on Dec. 26, 1999. The last regular season game in the Kingdome. These were our seats for 16 years. The first year the seats cost $8 a game. Now $8 hardly buys you a beer at a game. Standing behind us are 3 of our Seahawk "family". The guy in the vest was the sideline cameraman. He was from Spokane and always passed out Tootsie Pops to us before the game. We got on the big screen regularly. In the middle is Bennie, what a wonderful lady. We know where her seats at Quest are and always make sure to seek her out if we go to a game. Bennie split the pair of season tickets with Chester, on the right.


I miss the Kingdome, its destruction was the first signal for my fading dedication. They are still my team but I don't bleed blue anymore. Posted below is a review of my life with the Seahawks, originally written a few days before the Seahawks played the Steelers in Super Bowl XL.

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It has been XXXVIII years since MY team was in the Super Bowl. When I was a kid, I was a Packer fan. And how could I not love Idaho boy Jerry Kramer throwing the block to let Bart Star sneak in for the TD in the Ice Bowl against the Cowboys? I was 11 at the time. After Lombardi left I went for years without a real favorite team.


Then the Seahawks came along and I’ve bled blue ever since. I’ve suffered through a lot of losses, a lot of disappointments and a lot of mediocre seasons. Not that there hasn’t been a number of memorable moments over the years.


Oct. 21, 1979. It was my first visit to the Kingdome. The Oilers, featuring Earl Campbell, were in town. I’d come to watch him as much as the Hawks. I should have known a fickle love/hate relationship with the NFL in Seattle lie ahead of me. Earl hardly played and our ‘Hi Mom” banner never made it on TV. The Jim Zorn led Seahawks won 34-14.


Nov. 8, 1981. Pittsburgh’s Terrible Towels waved in the Kingdome but the Seahawks and fans were up to the call. We sat 300 level, dead square between the goal posts. Late in the 4th quarter, I watched the Hawks hold Pittsburgh on a 4th and goal then march the ball back to our endzone. I had a bird’s eye view on a Seahawk 4th and goal. Touchdown Seahawks! Seahawks win, 24-21.


New Years Eve day, 1983. This was as close as got for decades. The Hawks go 9-7 and beat Denver at home in the Wild Card. This day we sat in our living room and watched as Idaho Alum “Super” Sam Merriman fell on a fumble in a rain soaked 4th quarter to beat the Dolphins 27-20 in Miami. The Hawks went on to lose to the would-be Super Bowl Champion Raiders the next week.


Oct. 6, 1986. It’s a month before my son, Aaron, turns six and we take him to see his favorite player and first sports hero, Steve Largent, make a catch in an NFL record-breaking 128th consecutive game. We win 33-7. On the way out, Aaron stumbles on the steps and a seat-arm on the aisle leaves a third eyeball dead center on his forehead. We watch the highlights in the ER of Swedish Hospital. He still has the souvenir, er, scar.


Nov. 16, 1986. Cincinnati wins 34-7 giving the Hawks 4 straight losses and a 2-7 record. We refuse to not have fun at the game. After the second Bengal TD, we put sacks on our heads, each with a letter spelling out K-N-O-X. We’re in the newspaper the next morning. At least we got our money’s worth and laughed all the way home.


Nov. 30, 1987. Monday Night Football. The Raiders. Bo Jackson. Bozworth. A 37-14 butt-kicking. Bo runs over the Boz right in front of us. A couple long faced fans, Aaron and I, make the Tuesday newspaper. We have to chain up on Snoqualmie and it takes 12 hours for our charter bus to make it home.


December 23, 1989. Steve Largent’s last game. Many former Seahawks are on hand to honor him. Pre-game ceremonies are moving and there’s hardly a dry eye in the house. By halftime we were really crying as the Redskins are cleaning up on their way to a 29-0 victory. It was an emotional halftime, the Blue Angel was retiring. We didn’t stay for the second half.


Through the 80’s and 90’s, we were as good a mediocre team as you’d ever want. We had highs of home victories over archenemies Denver and Oakland/LA. We saw Steve Largent flat-can a Denver defensive back after an interception (the same player that put him out earlier in the season). We had the Wave. We wore Raider-Buster shirts. We retired the number 12 (bite me, Aggies!). We loudly proved the NFL’s new ‘noise rule’ would never work by repeatedly pegging the decibel meter on national television. We cheered names like Efren, Doornink, Krieg, John L, Easley, Brown, Yarno, Nash, Tuiasosopo, Cortez, Warner, Skansi and Paul Johns. We jeered names like Elway (Elllllll-waaaaaaaaay!) and cussed those of Flores, Behring and Erickson. We went home hoarse and happy; we went home spent and sullen. We were Seahawk fans.


December 26, 1999. The last regular season game in the Kingdome, we beat Kansas City 23-14. Two weeks later, the Hawks lose the Wild Card at home to Miami, but this was the official farewell game. The sidelines were packed with a who’s who of Seahawk history, pre-game and halftime shows are moving. Post game, every player was introduced and the top 10 all-time Kingdome highlights are shown on the big screen. Laser lights and pyrotechnics make this wake a spectacular party.


We had sat in the same seats for 16 years, aisle 110, row 1, seats 1-4. Nearby season ticket holders watched our children grow, we became friends with sideline cameramen and security people. Once our reluctant daughter Tia was recruited to pull camera cable and stood just out of the endzone for a Seahawk touchdown, forever locking her into Seahawk Blue. These people were our family.


Our seats were at one of the few entries to the playing field and longtime security lady, Mary, looked at me as we packed to leave and asked “You guys want to go on the field?” Sue, the kids and I walked among our team, Aaron finally getting his photo taken with Largent. I miss those seats and I miss those friends.


Then came the UW years. Husky Stadium is in one of the greatest settings in sports. But it is an awful stadium. Seats are uncomfortable and far removed from the field, the aisles are woefully inadequate. The football wasn’t much better.


The new stadium brought new excitement but also higher prices. After 20 years, we finally gave up our season tickets. We’ve since gone to some games, but (typically me or typically Seahawks), of the three regular season losses Seattle has had at Quest Field, I’ve been to two of them.


This is the first year since 1979 that I haven’t attended at least one game. Now they’re XL bound. Perhaps the albatross hanging around one’s neck isn’t the Seahawks on me but me on the Seahawks. Go figure.



Epilogue

Well, the Seahawks lost the Big One. Yes, some calls went against them but they just didn’t play well enough to win. So much for me getting rich selling my years of collectibles on eBay. I’ll just pack it all away for another year/decade/millennium.

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The story continues...

October 22, 2006

Mostly because my wife wanted to go, we attended the game against the Minnesota Vikings. Along for the trip were my daughter and her friend, I should have known going with three women wasn’t going to be like the Boy’s Trips of the old days.


The good news is Gordie is still bartending at the Athenian in Pike Place Market and they still serve Snowcap in frosty mugs, Mee Sum pastry still has the best sidewalk potstickers and you can still buy cheddar cheese rolls from the Russian bakery. And it was a sunny weekend.


Sunday morning rolled around. Parking five (city) blocks away was an affordable $30 (compared to the $50 near the stadium). Football mornings are always fun in the Pioneer Square area and breakfast at The Central was good, including the numerous Viking fans in attendance.


Almost half of the Seahawks total game yardage came in the first quarter, and damn near half that was in one play. Turned out it was one of the few highlights of the actual game. Seahawk highlights anyway, the Vikings had plenty.


Now I have been to three of the four regular season losses in Quest Field. Maybe I should just stay away from now on.



November 27, 2006

Nope, Sue got tickets for the Monday Night Game against the Packers and after going to over 120 games in over 25 years, I have to say this was in my Top Ten. Of course, spending the pre-game at Pyramid Brewing, walking into a snow storm for the game (we had our boots, gloves and CHS Viking stadium blanket and kept toasty), seeing a great game and then closing the Elysian Brewery after the game, it had to be a fun time.



October 14, 2007

My son, Aaron, and I make a one day trip over and back to see the Sunday night game against the Saints. Early in the game it’s so loud I almost wish I had earplugs. Then the Saints start looking great while the Hawks start looking bad. With Seattle down 28-10, we leave with six minutes left in the game. Yet another loss I attend.


December 9, 2007

Another Seattle trip and now I just look at it as a beer weekend. Saturday we visit Pyramid Brewing, Pike Place Brewing, The Athenian and The Taproom. Gordie’s still at The Athenian but tells me he’s retiring and moving to Arizona. I guess everything changes in time. The Seahawks win, big. But even with a 42-21 shellacking of the Cardinals, well, it’s still just the lowly Cardinals. Lucky we’re in the worst division in the NFC.


January 12, 2008
In what will go down in history as a great Green Bay Packer win, in epic Lambeau Field weather, the Seahawks see their season come to a close.


2008 Season
The Hawks stink and Holmgren can't be run out of town fast enough for my liking. We go to one game but I don't even remember who we played or if we won. I do remember Saturday night at the Taproom.


2009 Season
This year's season ticket is in my living room. Free parking, better beer, no drive home and, if the game sucks, a nice place for a nap.