Bugnoir on the Alaskan Way Viaduct

I attended Activerain.com's Raincamp event last week (June 20 & 21, 2011). A great event by the way and I got to see many of my online real estate friends.

Todd Clark    Debe Maxwell    Steve Shatsky    Lori Cofer    Brad Andersohn 
Charles Buell    Glenn Roberts    Phil Leng    Renee Burrows    Rich Jacobson
and many more...

After working in the city for about a year and a half again I've been thinking about selling my beloved 2007 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer and getting something smaller.

I love my Explorer and I bought it 'one year old used'  back in late 2008. It was the perfect vehicle to travel my territory, Washington and Oregon. It was great for driving mostly freeways and the open road and I could pickup clients and staff to easily taxi to events. Freeway driving was cool and on average I got @ 27 miles to the gallon. Often driving to Portland, Salem, Albany, St Helens, Scappoose, Beaverton, Corvallis, Astoria, Seaside, and on occasion down to Coos Bay, Bandon, Grants Pass, Medford and Ashland, I really enjoyed the comfort and the feeling of security being up a little higher than most cars with the ability to see what's going on around me.

Now I drive mostly around town in my neck of the woods (Seattle Metro) and mostly commute between home and my office on Eastlake Ave E in Seattle. I love the city yet the lanes are narrow, parking is always a challenge (and expensive) and it's mostly for compact cars. I've gotten more dings front back and both sides this past year parking in pay lots never intended for my truck (or were they?) then I did in the 3 years I drove to Oregon.



Anyway, one of my favorite cars from forever ago was my 1966 Beetle. I did a little looking around and just casually thinking about... maybe that's what I need now, a newer Beetle. Small footprint, better in-city gas mileage, and way easier parking in the city.

It was just a passing thought. I wasn't on a mission or obsessed about it (like I can get about some things). It was just a thought, hardly registered, then synchronicity takes over and I see Beetle's everywhere over the last couple of weeks.

I was leaving Raincamp on Tuesday, June 21st and entered onto the Alaskan Way Viaduct from the Bell Harbor Conference Center on the Seattle waterfront for home in Renton. I saw about 5 Beetle's then pulled up behind this one.

BUGNOIR... I cracked up! I'm thinking the universe is talking to me now! You think?

The Blackberry Chronicles
© ARFCO MEDIA 2011

Shrubbery Cats and other Creatures

I was at Tacoma General the other day to see my sister in law Kathy. Another cancer operation. My brother Terry looked tired. He was hungry and wanted to get something from his car. He needed a brake so we went for a walk. On the campus is Mary Bridge Children's Hospital.

It was a gray afternoon with a little rain but the sun was peaking through the clouds. There's a wonderful little garden courtyard area and everything was in bloom. This is where I met the shrubbery cats and other creatures...

Going to the hospital is rarely ever fun. The only exception I can think of at the moment is coming to see a newborn and mom when you know everything is okay. As we walked through the garden area I noticed my mood shift and I had to acknowledge the power that brought a smile to my face. 

We count our blessings. Life is such a succession of fleeting moments and we really never know what the next one will bring. I find it ironic I'm trying to remember something from the past, especially when life seemed to be standing still for just a minute.

Thank you my funny little shrubs. You were a good distraction. You helped me to stop for a moment and contemplate the miracle.

The Blackberry Chronicles
ARFCO Media ©2011

Mom's Kitchen

One of my favorite places for breakfast food is Mom’s Kitchen. It’s tucked away in an older industrial area of south Kent warehouses on Central Ave. It’s easy to drive by without knowing it’s there if you don’t catch the one roadside sign. It wasn’t scientifically located by experts from a national big box chain for maximum street exposure to a targeted demographic. I don’t think they’ve ever advertised because I’ve never seen it. Yet, locals know exactly where Mom’s is and are willing to make the trip to get here. 

Make good no nonsense real comfort food and they will come.

By and large we clean up pretty good around here in the Pacific Northwest and we’re usually quite respectful of our appearance. Yet, from time to time and being from the motherland of grunge, we do love our places where we can just show up as is because we’ve been out working in the yard or taking a truckload to the dump and we’re hungry and must have coffee.

As it turns out, this is usually when I come here. Out on the weekend running errands, call my good friend Dave, “Let’s hook up for coffee and breakfast.” I love the plastic red & white checkered tablecloths and the fact that most furniture doesn’t match. It kind of makes me think the interior design team did a quick shopping spree at the Goodwill or as my cousin Susan once said; “Our decor is primarily early attic.” Don’t get me wrong, to me that is the real authentic charm of the place and I love it!

photo credit: Josh R

A typical Sunday morning you’ll find families dressed up and stopping by after church while others are in the midst of a major weekend project. They all have something in common. They want good food, skip the frills, great service, and comfort. Well, they came to the right place.

photo credit: Bert W

Mom’s is one of the few places left where you have to surrender; “Please no more coffee refills.” I’m grinding my teeth and I think my jaws locked. All kidding aside, it’s a great low-keyed eatery and I cherish the fact we still have places like this in the Northwest.

The Blackberry Chronicles

ARFCO Media ©2011

Empire Builders

Once upon a time trains were the Empire Builders. They connected us long before the Interstate Highways.

Work ended in Bellevue the other day so heading for home was down Interstate 405 to Renton. I wanted to make a few stops downtown so I took the old Sunset Highway (SR 900) exit to Bronson Way. We had to stop for a train, a rare occasion these days.

Trains still move a lot of freight up and down the valley between Seattle and Tacoma and points beyond, yet few come through Renton.

Growing up, I remember hearing the loud blast of the train horns pierce the early morning silence as they made their way up and down the Green River Valley. Even though they were miles away you could follow the echo for a long time as it bounced off the surrounding hills.

There was a spur not far from our Earlington home. Another favorite was listening to those big diesel engines torch up followed by an accelerating bang bang bang bang bang a 100 times as they assembled box cars in lengths of a half mile long or more.

Mom (not one to look back into the past much) told us stories once in a while about life in Spokane during the depression. My grandfather, Harvey Larson, was a carpenter and worked for the Great Northern Railroad as a cabinet maker doing finish work in the rail cars. They considered themselves fortunate because he was one of the few employed during those lean years. He did receive that coveted gold watch at retirement yet not long after that he was called back to work as we entered into World War II.

We traveled a few times by train to visit Harvey & Edna Larson in Spokane in the late 50's and early 60's. It seems so quaint now, yet I still remember being impressed by the restaurant car. There was just something awesome about sitting down to eat at a table with linen, being waited on, and watching the world whiz by just outside your window as you enjoyed a meal. I loved the soundtrack, that constant rhythm of click-clack click-clack steel on steel was mesmerising.

Of course we rode the Great Northern Railway, The Empire Builder. There was no other according to Grandpa Harvey. While I was thinking about this post I did a little looking into railroad history. I was reminded of how many former railroads were merged into BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railway Company or the CN (Canadian National Railway Company), not unlike the many corporate mergers we see today.

Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffett) purchased the remaining 78% of  the shares he didn't own in the BNSF in 2009 for $26 billion. Including his previous investment in BNSF, this brought his total investment to about $44 billion. With that, I’m thinking railroads will remain important to our national infrastructure.

The Blackberry Chronicles
© ARFCO MEDIA 2011

Frogs in Bathing Suits

Stopping by Safeway in Renton on the way home yesterday. The sun came out and tada!, frogs in bathing suits. You know what that means... It's official, summer can't be far away now...

Community Transit - The Double Tall

The Double Tall Enviro 500 buses are perking up the Community Transit fleet.


Although the first two Double Tall buses were added to the fleet on March 31, 2011, I've just encountered them on Interstate 5 in Seattle this past week. You can't miss them, they're taller than anything on the road and really standout.


The new double decker buses are shorter than the old articulated buses, 42 feet long instead of 60 feet. They burn less fuel, have a smaller footprint, and seat 77 passengers (28 on the top deck and 28 on the lower deck) with designated standing room areas.



Alexander Dennis Limited, the same Scotland-based company that builds those iconic double decker buses in London. At 14 feet tall they look very top heavy to me, yet 70% of the weight is within 4 feet of the ground. The Community Transit website says they're going to add 23 of them to the fleet and they'll be used primarily on commuter routes from Snohomish County to downtown Seattle.



Heading for the underpass at The Washington State Convention Center I had a moment of deep concern hoping they weren't too tall to make clearance.

The Blackberry Chronicles
ARFCO Media ©2011