I spent a few days in Seattle last week. To my delight, flowering rhododendrons reminded me of the best part of a Seattle spring. The season is all too short — delightful blossoms replaced by green foliage by summer. But while they bloom, rhododendrons are nothing short of spectacular.

As I strolled through a small, landscaped garden space, Nanki-Poo’s song from The Mikado ran through my head.

The flowers that bloom in the spring,
Tra la,
Breathe promise of merry sunshine —
As we merrily dance and we sing,
Tra la,
We welcome the hope that they bring,
Tra la,
Of a summer of roses and wine,
Of a summer of roses and wine.
And that’s what we mean when we say that a thing
Is welcome as flowers that bloom in the spring.
Tra la la la la,
Tra la la la la,
The flowers that bloom in the spring.

I “tra-la-ed” all over the lawn as I trapped spring in my iPhone, and hummed Sullivan’s catchy tune. You can hum it too, or sing along with the posted lyrics in the privacy of your office supply closet.

Factoid:

The Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) is a deciduous shrub native to the Pacific North West. It’s my favorite kind of plant, because it requires almost no attention, remains green all year, and heralds the end of winter in a frenzy of colorful delight.

I had a pot of tropical rhododendron once. Maybe I should trying growing them again.

???

Featured Image and Pictures: All Photos by Author.

The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan. First performed in 1885.

Hansen’s Northwest Native Plant Data Base.

Rhododendron macrophyllum. Washington Native Plant Society.

The post RHODODENDRONS BLOOM IN THE SPRING — Tra-La first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Last week I visited the magical Land of Oz. Sitting in Seattle’s Paramount Theater auditorium, I traveled via the musical notes and flashing lighting displayed in Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. And I wondered, what is it about Oz that brings us back to the story generation after generation?

Oz is a peculiar place. Most Americans started visiting in 1939 when MGM released Wizard of Oz.

STARRING:

Judy Garland as Dorothy, the girl who wanted to go back to Kansas,

Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow who wanted a brain,

Jack Haley, the Tin Man who wanted a heart, and

Bert Lahr, the Cowardly Lion who wanted courage.

The motley crew believed if they could just visit the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City, their wishes would come true.

Glinda the Good Witch with her tiara, star topped magic wand, and glistening white dress advised Dorothy to put on the dead witch’s ruby red slippers. Then, “all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road.”

[Sidebar: One of the remaining pairs sold for $666,000 in 2000. More recently, a Los Angeles auction house valued the slippers at $2-3 million.]

THE BEGINNING OF OZ

L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1899. His protagonist Dorothy lived in Kansas with her dog Toto. Tornados were common and one particular storm picked up Dorothy’s entire house and dropped it in the Land of Oz . . . on top of the Wicked Witch of the East. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, told Dorothy to wear the dead witch’s SILVER shoes and hotfoot it down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City.

Dorothy and Toto start the trek, adding Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion to their entourage. [Sidebar: Have you ever wondered why Lion is stuck with “Cowardly” as a first name? It’s not Brainless Scarecrow or Heartless Tin Man. But I digress.]

The Wizard said he would help after Dorothy and Company defeated the Wicked Witch of the West. I’m guessing Wizard didn’t expect to make good on the deal.

The witch sent a pack of wolves to tear her motley enemies apart. Tin Man killed them with his axe. She sent wild crows to peck out her attackers’ eyes. Scarecrow broke their necks. [Can you believe this is a children’s story?] The witch sent a swarm of black bees. Scarecrow used his straw to hide everyone except Tin Man. The bees stung Tin Man and died. The witch sent soldiers. Cowardly Lion repelled them. Finally, the witch sent her Winged Monkeys to capture everyone. They grabbed Dorothy, Toto, and Cowardly Lion. They also unstuffed Scarecrow and dented Tin Man. Could things get worse?

Yes! The dastardly witch wanted Dorothy’s silver shoes and managed to get one. Dorothy was so angry she threw a bucket of water on the witch, who immediately melted. Hence the famous phrase: “I’m meeeeeeltiiiing!”

In the end, Wizard turned out to be a man from Omaha who arrived in Oz via hot air balloon. To keep his end of the bargain, Wizard gave Scarecrow a head full of bran, pins, and needles. In short, Scarecrow received “a lot of bran-new brains.”  Wizard presented Tin Man with a red silk heart stuffed with sawdust. I suppose Tin Man hadn’t specified what he meant by the word “heart.” As for Cowardly Lion, he’s given a magic potion of courage, which he drinks.

What did Dorothy get? Well, after her dog exposed the wizard as a fraud, he suggested they go home together in a hot air balloon. But the dog chased a cat; Dorothy chased her dog, and the balloon left without her. Fortunately the Glinda the Good Witch reappeared. She’s the one who told Dorothy she had to follow the Yellow Brick Road. Now she says all Dorothy has to do is click her shoes three times and she’ll be able to go home. I think it would have been kinder to tell Dorothy the secret in the first place. But then, the book would have been too short.

I submit the Good Witch was a bit devious with her information. One could argue she sent Dorothy to the Emerald City because she knew Wizard would enlist the child to remove the Wicked Witch of the West.

The same thought may have occurred to Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Unlike Frank Baum, Maguire didn’t write a children’s book. Maguire wanted to explore the eternal questions of good and evil. Stephen Schwartz thought Maguire’s adult fairy tale had potential as a family-friendly musical. He was right.

Events in Maguire’s book happen before Dorothy shows up in Oz. It’s the story of Elphaba, a child despised by her parents in part because she’s green. [As Kermit the Frog has observed, “It’s not easy being green.”]

Elphaba has a sister named Nessarose. It seems an appropriate name since this child came out pink in the book, though not in the play. In the book, Nessa is born without arms. Schwartz and his partner Winnie Holzman changed Nessa’s character by giving her arms. Instead, they confined Nessa to a wheelchair. Elphaba’s alterego is Galinda (later shortened to Glinda) who is everything Elphaba is not. Beautiful, popular, self-centered. But, of course, the two eventually become friends . . . sort of.

Elphaba has supernatural powers and a book of spells. When she discovers the Wizard wants to remove the power of speech from the animals, Elphaba becomes an animal rights activist. Elphaba’s apparent power and unpopular politics lead to fantastical rumors of her wicked intent. And so a Wicked Witch is born. But the audience knows the truth. Elphaba isn’t really wicked. The evidence is purely circumstantial.

Like the 1939 MGM movie, Wicked has is enormously popular. Since it’s premier on Broadway in 2003, Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz has grossed over $3 billion worldwide. By the end of 2013, Wicked had been performed in thirteen countries and translated into Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish and Korean.

AND THE MORAL TO THE STORY . . . 

If there’s any lesson to be found in these three stories about Oz, it’s that we all experience exclusion. We all wish a wizard would solve our problems. But, in the end, the wizard doesn’t exist. We have to face our fears alone and become the intelligent, courageous, compassionate people we wish to be.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: I’m standing outside the Paramount Theater, Seattle.

Interesting Factoid: Stephen Schwartz used L. Frank Baum’s initials L-F-B to create the name Elphaba.

Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers. Here.

“Wizard of Oz” ruby slippers find home at film academy.” Reuters. February 22, 2012. Here.

David Steward. “10 things You Didn’t Know About Wicked.” October 21, 2013. Here.

The post ONCE UPON A TIME IN OZ first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

World War II brought a steady influx of men from nearby Ft. Lewis and McChord Field, so it’s not surprising that when Nellie Curtis decided to sell the LaSalle Hotel, she found her new home in Aberdeen. In 1952 Look Magazine identified Aberdeen as one of America’s hotspots in the “Battle Against Sin.” Nellie invested $25,000 to purchase the Cass Hotel and another $10,000 to remodel it. Nellie changed the hotel’s name to Curtis Hotel. Business was good. On weekdays, Nellie employed six employees; she added another five on the weekends and military paydays.

In 1958 Mayor Ed Lundgren encouraged city employees to support his bid for re-election. Two police officers refused to participate. After the election, they were arrested in a brothel and suspended for thirty days without pay.

Police Captain Nick Yantsin accepted the generally tolerant view the city took towards prostitution. But he balked when he perceived the use of whorehouses as political weapons. On the night of January 31, 1959 Yantsin wearing plain clothes and a secret tape recorder arrived at the Curtis Hotel. With him were two witnesses. Reverend Lloyd Auchard was a young Presbyterian minister. Jack Mecak was a carpenter and a friend of one of the framed policemen.

In his report, Yantsin said that a hefty woman at the top of the stairs called out, “Come in fellas! These are nice girls; you can hear them better with their clothes off.”

Yantsin asked if there were lots of girls. “We have plenty to take care of you.” The woman introduced Yantsin to Lora Summers.

Lora grabbed her client’s wrist and led the way down the hall, shouting “Coming through.” Once in her cubicle, Lora suggested they slip into something more comfortable. She went over her menu of services. The ‘old-fashioned way’ cost $5.00 Yantsin took out his money. Lora started to unzip his trousers. Yantsin pulled out his badge.

“You’re under arrest.”

“Nellie,” Lora shouted.

Nellie Curtis burst into the room reportedly wearing dark glasses, diamonds on her fingers, pearls, and what Yantsin later referred to as a ‘Bella Abzug hat.’

 “What do you think you’re doing?” Nellie demanded.

“You’re pinched,” Yantsin announced.

Yantsin arrested eighteen men, several women and Nellie herself.

The next morning Police Chief A. M. “Pat” Gallagher arrived at the police station to discovered a lobby filled with indignant women and embarrassed men. On the phone an angry Mayor Lundgren wanted to know what happened.

Yantsin’s bust was front page news. It was also the end of his career. Gallagher gave Yantsin a full time Special Assignment as a beat cop from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Nellie filed charges. Yantsin, she said, entered her hotel illegally and seized evidence without a warrant. He had invaded the “privacy of her home.”

The case of Curtis v. Yantsin was heard at the County Courthouse on March 3, 1959. The prosecutor asked how many rooms Nellie rented. Nellie counted on her fingers. “eight . . . nine. . . ten.”

The defense attorney asked if Nellie had ever been a prostitute.

“I never was.”

“A madam?”

Nellie took the Fifth.

Did she employ prostitutes?

No answer.

Case dismissed.

Yantsin sued Nellie. This time the judge found her guilty of running a house of prostitution and fined Nellie $500. Astute businesswoman that she was, Nellie decided to retire. In 1964, she deeded her hotel to the City of Aberdeen in exchange for $8000 and moved to Alki Point in West Seattle.

There was one final drama in Nellie’s colorful life. The Internal Revenue Service pressed charges against Nellie for cheating the government out of $172,807.87. With penalties, she owed $251,000. In 1971 Nellie reached a settlement and paid $120,000.

Nellie died in 1976 at the age of 75. In 1948 Nellie wrote her nephew a letter pertaining to the Seattle mayoral election. It seems a fitting epitaph.

 “I have been at the same deal, with tougher ones and mean ones

and I am still in the same place doing the same,

and I took my ups and downs, worse than at present and come out on top

so it doesn’t matter to me who gets in.

I will always find my own outs, and go as I am.”

 Acknowledgements:

Featured Image Ad for Naughty Nellie’s Ale at the Pike Brewing Co. Photo by Author.

Information on Nellie’s career in Aberdeen from

John C. Hughes and Ryan Teague Beckwith. On the Harbor: From Black Friday to Nirvana. Stevens Press LLC. 2001.

The post Naughty Nellie and the Honest Cop first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Nellie was Nellie Curtis except when she was Zella Nightingale or Yetta Solomon or Nellie Gray. Mostly, she seems to have been Nellie Curtis. I couldn’t find any pictures of the real Nellie, but the opening image is probably true to life. Nellie was a businesswoman who knew how to give men what they perceived as a good time.

As luck would have it, we sat at a table where Nellie has a permanent reservation. The label read “Nellie’s Table — Nellie Nightingale Curtis was small of stature with a big appetite. Always dressed to a T, she was often seen dining around town with local politicians and businessmen who shared her passion for the finer things in life.”

 Nellie arrived in Seattle and opened for business in 1933 at the Camp Hotel on First Avenue and Virginia. In 1942 Nellie took advantage of the post Pearl Harbor relocation of Japanese-Americans. She bought the lease to the Outlook Hotel located at First and Pike from the Kodama family, and renamed it LaSalle. One source suggests the name was a reference to General Motors LaSalle luxury car.

Nellie remodeled the 1909 four-story, fifty-seven room hotel with new wiring and plumbing, fresh cream paint, and classy furniture. Nellie’s girls dropped off calling cards for sailors coming into town for shore leave. The cards offered an enticing slogan: LaSalle Hotel, Friends Made Easily. Apparently the sailors needed friends and several hundred crowded around the entrance. The military declared the LaSalle Hotel off limits.

The LaSalle Hotel had seventeen permanent guests. Nellie once said, “If they stayed a week, I called them permanent.” Other guests were less rooted. Some rooms changed hands three times a night. Nellie said she didn’t know why guests left so quickly. “I never asked any personal questions.”

Nellie kept two rooms for her own use. She kept her collection of hats in one and her collection of money in the other. In 1951 Nellie sold the hotel to George and Sodeko Ikeda. Sodeko watched Nellie look for the key, and recalled “she couldn’t find the key…I saw a lot of money in every drawer she pulled out…she had a vanity and a dresser. She pulled out the lampstand drawers too. And in every drawer she pulled out she had a lot of cash.”

The Ikedas had a hard time convincing Nellie’s “clients” the new hotel was respectable. Finally they posted signs saying NO GIRLS.

 Nellie left Seattle and settled in Aberdeen, a small town near Gray’s Harbor, where she bought the Cass Hotel for $25,000 and invested another $10,000 in renovations. Nellie called the establishment Curtis Hotel.

Nellie’s life in Aberdeen became even more colorful than her Seattle reputation. More to come next week.

Acknowledgements:

Photos Taken by Author at Pike Brewing Company

Pike Brewing Company. Here.

Walt Crowley and Paul Dorpant. National Trust Guide: Seattle. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1998.

William Dietrich. “A Century at the Pike Place Market.” Pacific Northwest Sunday Magazine. Seattle Times. June 3, 2007. Here. 

David Hearn. “Move Over Heidi Fleiss . . . It’s Nellie Time.” Seattle PI. Jan. 14, 2008. Here.

John C. Hughes and Ryan Teague Beckwith. On the Harbor: From Black Friday to Nirvana. Stevens Press LLC. 2001.

“Seattle’s Long History with Prostitution” iwantrest.com March 20, 2013. Here. 

The post NAUGHTY NELLIE – “a madam of legendary proportion” first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

It’s not the first time Pompeian artifacts have toured the U.S. Premier Exhibitions organized this particular tour which was apparently concurrent with the 2013 Year of Italian Culture.

What strikes me when considering the abrupt stoppage of Pompeian life on August 25, AD 79 is the event’s suddenness. There had been plenty of earthquakes, some estimated to have been as high as a seven on the Richter scale. But earthquakes were a fact of life. An unsettling inconvenience. Mount Vesuvius was five miles away, but nothing to worry about.

Life was good in this prosperous city of approximately twenty thousand people. People enjoyed themselves. We know this from their artwork and material remains. The Three Graces of Beauty, Mirth and Abundance in the featured image bestowed all society could desire. Fertility of the Fields. Beauty in the Arts. Harmony in Society.

Citizens paid proper respect to the household gods. From left to right in the above picture. Genius with his companion snake bestowed procreative strength to the head of household. Jupiter protected the state. Mercury, the god of merchants, Ascelepius the god of medicine, Hercules, the god of strength, and Fortuna the goddess of luck kept everyone safe while Lares protected their homes.

Small dogs were popular pets. This sculpture of four small dogs is from a single piece of marble.

Jewelry like this gold bracelet with a serpent’s head above its tail adorned the wives and daughters of wealthy merchants.

Idealized gardens were an important aspect of the household. This fresco encapsulates the concept of paradise with its pigeon and peach tree.

The useful could also be beautiful. A pottery vessel shaped like a chicken. Jugs and bowls made from blue glass sourced in the Po Valley.

Pompeii was a trading center, exporting wine and a product known as garum throughout the empire. Garum was a sauce made from the crushed intestines of raw tuna and Moray eels. It added a sharp, salty taste to otherwise bland foods and was mass produced at the Sarno River. The mosaic below bears the inscription: Flower of Scaurus. Mackerel garm from the factory of Scaurus.

And then, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and life stopped in mid stride.

Twelve feet of volcanic rock and ash poured over the city. The heat – up to 570ºF killed at least two thousand people and solidified their bodies as they fell. The body casts are made by pouring resin into the body cavities. [Sidebar: Originally excavators poured plaster into the cavities.]

There is a special poignancy in these preserved remains. More than viewing mummies or photos of skeletal remains, these people are as they fell rather than how they were arranged after death. These were people minding their own business, killed without warning.

History is a neutral example of stories, exploits, and tragedies. Pompeii’s history reminds us that life is brief and people are seldom ready to leave it.

Factoid:

The Pacific Science Center was constructed by the federal government as part of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, and became a private, not-for-profit entity after the fair closed. Today it is an official City of Seattle Landmark.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: The Three Graces

Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

Explanation of the Three Graces taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Here. 

Pacific Science Center – Seattle. Here.

Thuc Nhi Nguyen. ‘Pompeii: The Exhibition” unearths buried world of wonders. The Seattle Times. Feb 7, 2015. Here.

Doug Stewart. “Resurrecting Pompeii.” Smithsonian Magazine. Feb 2006. Here. 

Premier Exhibitions Inc. Announces New Pompeii Exhibition, Oct 2, 2013. Here.

The post POMPEII — MORE THAN A HISTORY LESSON first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Mr. Welker, who’d kept the ducks on his property since March, disagrees with the charge. His ducks aren’t farm animals. They’re therapy ducks. When you think about it, ducks have as much right to be animal companions as any other creature. Mr. Welker returned from Iraq with PTSD and a major back injury. The VA paid for back surgery, but not the recommended follow-up physical therapy or counseling. Enter the ducks. Mr. Welker says the ducks motivate him to get out of the house and move, because he has to feed and look after them.

The local paper, Coshocton Tribune, reported the story and interviewed Mr. Welker. The Associated Press spread the news, which explains why Mr. Welker’s plight was in the Seattle Times.  Papers across the country picked up the story. People called to express sympathy and several offered to pay the $140 fine, but Mr. Welker wants his day in court. He may not get it, because Mr. Welker’s fine and court costs were paid online by someone in Newtown, Pennsylvania. The court views payment of a fine as an admission of guilt. The court may have to change its procedure. Mr. Welker disputes the charge, and didn’t pay the fine or authorize someone else to do so.

Therapy animals aren’t restricted to dogs. The job description also fits horses, llamas, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, rats, miniature pigs, alpacas, donkeys, and mini-horses or donkeys.

CONSIDER THE AFLAC DUCK – A THERAPY DUCK FOR ALL AMERICA

Since Aflac Group Insurance launched the first campaign in 2000, the Aflac Duck has become a “duck for all seasons.” A duck who, in his most recent advertisement, is not good with tools, but is an ever ready source of help when accidents happen.

The Aflac Duck is a White Pekin Duck, the most common domestic duck in America, easily found in park lakes throughout the country. The duck’s acting ability was first spotted by an art director at the Kaplan Thaler Group as he brainstormed a campaign for Aflac Group Insurance. Legend has it, he was in New York’s Central Park muttering “Aflac. Aflac.” when a duck waddled up and quacked at him. Quack-Aflac. A star was born.

One of the first ads featured two men sitting on a park bench being approached by an insistent white duck. You can see it here.  Magic. In 2004, the Aflac Duck was inducted into the Advertising Walk of Fame. Six years later, he joined the PR News Public Relations Hall of Fame. But the true measure of his success came in November 2011, when the Aflac Duck joined Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. The Aflac Duck has a Facebook page with 456,798 “Likes” and sports the Twitter handle @aflacduck with almost 28 thousand followers.

If 28,000 people want to know what the Aflac Duck is up to, then I say Mr. Welker should be allowed to keep his therapy ducks.

For More Information:

Featured Image: Pekin Duck by Agam Hay. Creative Commons Attribution. Wikimedia Commons.

Information on therapy animals can be found at Pet Partners. http://www.petpartners.org/

Publicis Kaplan Thaler. http://www.kaplanthaler.com

Aflac Group Insurance. www.aflacgroupinsurance.com

Information on Pekin Ducks can be found at Metzer Farms.

http://www.metzerfarms.com/BirdInformation.cfm?Breed=Pekin&BirdType=Duck&ID=P

News Stories on Mr. Welker

“Iraq vet in Ohio cited for owning 14 pet ducks” Seattle Times.com.  July 21, 2014. http://seattletimes.com/html/pets/2024128816_duckvetsxml.html

“Stranger Pays Veteran’s Duck Fine Without His OK. ” Coshocton Tribune.com. July 22, 2014.

http://www.coshoctontribune.com/article/20140721/NEWS01/307210011/Stranger-pays-veteran-s-duck-fine-without-his-OK

“Iraq Veteran Fights to Keep Therapy Ducks.” NBCnews.com. July 24, 2014.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iraq-war-vet-fights-keep-therapy-ducks-n164131

The post WHITE DUCK TALES first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

So, what do you call it when 400 or so writers congregate in the same place? A Writers’ Conference. These events occur across the country this time of year, and, as social events, they’re distinctly odd. People clutching bags or briefcases line up alphabetically to retrieve their registration packets. Most keep their eyes straight ahead, trying to remember why they wanted to come to the conference. Which is why today I’m sharing my version of the Top Ten Reasons Writers Go to Conferences.

Top Ten Reasons Writers Go to Conferences:

10. To attend autograph parties filled with people gushing around a successful author hoping the fairy dust will rub off. – Wow! So that’s what success looks like.

9. To eat catered meals with people uncomfortable talking to each other, but trying to be pleasant. – Are you going to eat your dessert?

8. To learn how to self-publish a book in 18 excruciating steps. – What do you mean by “upload the manuscript”? Up to where?

7. To learn how to write a successful novel. – Noooo. Don’t make me take out the prologue.

6. To find out how to use social media. – I don’t want to and you can’t make me.

5. To find out what a “platform” is and how to build it – My book is my platform.

4. To learn about tax write-offs. – The trip to Paris should be tax deductible. It was research.

3. To find out why editors are so critical – I’m not cutting the scene and you can’t make me.

2. To learn how to sell a book – Honestly, it’s so fabulous it’ll sell itself.

1. And the Number One reason writers emerge from their caves: To meet an agent who will fall in love with my book and get me a six-figure advance. – Please, please, please like me.

I’ll be attending the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Conference at the end of the week. Once again held at the Sea-Tac Airport Hilton. I’ll let you know what happens.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Photo – a Portrait of Jean Mielot by Jean Le Tavernier, 15th Century, US Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

The post TEN REASONS TO GO TO A WRITERS’ CONFERENCE first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Baseball has teams of nine players. The playing field has a diamond shape. There are nine innings and numerous time outs, but no maximum time. Baseball players don’t wear spandex. In comparison to other athletes, they appear modest. The game itself is straightforward.

And yet, baseball is more than a game. It’s been called “America’s pastime.” A slow game symbolizing long summer days.

The Handsome Bloke monitors baseball teams, particularly the Seattle Mariners, closely. He often has colorful comments to make to the team manager and various players. When the Mariners win, he is up. When they lose – well, that’s just plain depressing. That’s how I knew I’d finally found the perfect Christmas present – one week watching the Mariners play Spring Training Games in Arizona.

We went last week. Here are some of the highlights.

The Cactus League

There are fifteen teams in the Cactus League, founded in 1947 by the Cleveland Indians and New York Giants. Together they’ve created what’s said to be the greatest concentration of professional baseball facilities in the U.S. We followed the Mariners for five games.

Game 1

LA Angels vs. Seattle Mariners at the Peoria Sports Complex Stadium

Peoria Sports Complex is the oldest facility, built in 1994. The Mariners share the venue with the San Diego Padres, alternating their playing days. It’s a comfortable and appealing complex. Sitting behind third base, I was struck by how lush the grass looked – when everything outside was drab and dry. The Mariners won 5:3.

Game 2

Seattle Mariners against the Cleveland Indians at the Goodyear Ball Park.

The Goodyear Ball Park has 8,000 stadium seats, 1500 lawn seats, 6 luxury suites, terrance seating on the third level behind home plate, and 500 seats in the Right Field Pavilion. They also have palm trees, which for some reason I found disconcerting.

The Cleveland Indians share facilities with the Cincinnati Reds. Both teams transferred to the Cactus League from their Florida training venues in 2009.

Mariners lost 3:6.

Game 3

Seattle Mariners against the Cincinnati Reds, also at Goodyear Ball Park.

This time the Mariners prevailed 6:5

Game 4

Seattle Mariners against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Glendale Camelback Ranch. This was a nostalgic game for me. My grandfather was a great Dodgers fan, and took me to a few games. I think that’s when I concluded that baseball was synonymous with a good time – and perhaps too much cotton candy.

The Dodgers share Camelback with the Chicago White Sox. The stadium has 10,500 seats with an additional 3,000 lawn seats. It’s also unique, because the diamond is opposite to the layout of the other diamonds. Some said this was why there was so much less shade than at the other venues.

In this game, the Mariners prevailed 4:1.

 Game 5

Mariners versus the Cleveland Indians back at the Peoria Sports Complex.  This time our seats were behind home plate, hence the netting.

Netting, of course, is no guarantee of safety. Foul balls go where they will. Hence the warning signs placed throughout all the stadiums.

I couldn’t help but wonder why the sign advised us to beware of “objects” leaving the playing field. What, other than foul balls, should we watch for? Splintered bats, perhaps? Could be.

Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

For more information:

The Cactus League  http://cactusleague.com

Camelback Ranch Baseball  http://web.camelbackranchbaseball.com/

Goodyear Ball Park  http://goodyearbp.com

Peoria Sports Complex http://peoriasportscomplex.com

Seattle Mariners http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/ 

The post BASEBALL – Symbol of Summer first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

But that’s not today’s story. This is a personal story about a man, a dog, a wife, a daughter, and a Bucket List. The adventure began when Seattle Seahawks won the playoffs. The Handsome Bloke and I were in Honolulu at the time, enjoying a glass of wine.

The Handsome Bloke looked at me seductively. “Would you like to go to Seattle for a few days?”

“Why? It’s winter. Everyone in Seattle wants to be here.”

Handsome Bloke changed tactics. “Did you know the Seahawks won the playoffs?”

This was like asking if I knew the sun appears to rise in the East. Handsome Bloke has followed the Seattle Seahawks since before we were married. The first time the team made it to the Super Bowl (and lost), we had a Super Bowl party.

“I may have heard something about it. Wait, do you want to go to the Super Bowl?”

“The team organization put together this really cool package, and I thought you might want to stay in Seattle, and I could go to the game.”

Well, there’s not much I could say to that. “You do know the game is in New Jersey?”

“Yes – it’s at MetLife Field.”

“You realize it’s an outside stadium, and it’s really, really cold in New Jersey?”

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“Ah,” I thought, “a Bucket List item.” Out loud I said, “I’ll stay home where it’s warm. Why don’t you take our Seattle daughter with you?”

Did I mention she attends every – and I mean every – home game at Qwest Field?

“Can you get time off work?” we asked.
“Definitely. No problems.”

And so the Handsome Bloke flew to Seattle, connected with our daughter, and off they went for an amazing Super Bowl weekend.

Game day began with a “Tail Gate” party held on the top floor of a hotel in New York City. The party started at 10:30 and went until 2:30. Open bar. According to Handsome Bloke, a number of the group members took full advantage. At 2:30 the group was off to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The game didn’t start until 6:30. Don’t know where the other folks went, but my guy took a nap. He’s sensible that way.

Game on. Twelve seconds in, Seattle scored, and pretty much controlled the game after that. By the time I turned on the television after half time, the score was 22-0. It looked like Seattle would win. I only say that because in the past the Seahawks have been able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. But not this time.

Then there was the Half Time Show – which Seattle Daughter said was amazing. Bruno Mars, Fireworks. Well, you probably saw it.

The game ended in disappointment for Bronco fans. But Seattle folks were flying high. A few in the Handsome Bloke’s group flew so high, they apparently forgot where the bus was. The group did not leave any stragglers. Their bus was the last to leave the MetLife parking lot at 11:30. This event was made worse, because next day pick up for Newark Airport was 6:30 a.m. for an 8:00 flight.

But wait, there’s more. While everyone slept, a snowstorm dropped enough snow to delay the flight by about four hours. Then, a couple group members were not present for boarding, and the flight couldn’t leave without them. So, passengers remained on board . . .waiting. And then when the people arrived, there was an altercation between them, the gate agent, and the flight crew. Finally everyone fastened their seatbelts and the plane took off, not nonstop to Seattle as originally scheduled, but to Chicago because they had to refuel. [This was probably a good idea. Flying on an empty tank is no fun.]

Among the passengers was a person who used an oxygen tank. The delays meant that by the time the plane got to Chicago, this passenger was almost out of oxygen. There were oxygen tanks on the plane, but no one knew how to use them. So, at Chicago the paramedics came and took the traveler to the hospital. Another passenger needed to use an aisle wheelchair to get to the lavatories. The crew contacted the ground personnel to bring a wheelchair. It took an hour to arrive at the gate.

The Handsome Bloke was holding up OK.  But, he had a unique problem. He’s a blind person traveling with a certified seeing-eye guide dog, (a beautiful black Labrador). The dog hadn’t been outside since he left the hotel. Could someone toilet the dog? Eventually, the captain took the dog off the plane. I’m told the dog was considerably more relaxed when he returned.

The flight from Chicago to Seattle was otherwise uneventful. Only 19 hours after leaving the hotel, the Handsome Bloke picked up his luggage at SeaTac Airport.

“So,” I asked this morning. “Was it worth it?”

“Absolutely. I’d never do it again, but it was totally worth it. Best of all, we won.”

I hear Phoenix, site of the NFL Super Bowl XLIX, has pretty good weather in January.

Game Photos by Cassandra Cabaong. All Rights Reserved.

Photo of Guide Dog Legend by Author. All Rights Reserved.

The post HANDSOME BLOKE CHECKS SUPER BOWL OFF BUCKET LIST first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Back to visiting Seattle.

Seattle is known for being a rainy, damp, and gloomy place – which it is for much of the year. But when the sun shines, the city glistens and beckons everyone outside. We had a family reunion this year, and on July 23 we decided to “play tourist.” The weather was perfect; the company was delightful, and the day was totally fun. You may want to do some or all of these activities on your own visit to the “Emerald City.”

RIDE THE DUCKS

The large rooftop inflatable duck, not to mention the “ducks in a row,” makes it difficult to miss the Duck location near Seattle Center.  http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com  

Our particular vehicle was built in 1946 – I’m surprised they can get parts any more.

Because we would be spending half the tour in Lake Union, Capt. “Chip A-Hoy” began  with a safety briefing.  Chip was a jolly soul leading his guests in silly songs while he pointed out the sights.

We cruised the shoreline, drove through Pioneer Square, and then approached the boat slip into Lake Union, a fresh water lake within the Seattle city limits – perhaps best known as the site of Tom Hank’s houseboat in Sleepless in Seattle.

Canadian geese were on hand to supervise our entry – the feathered chap in front providing visual instruction.  So, in we went.

Informational Factoid – the wheels keep spinning underwater. Presumably, this is what propels the vessel.   It was a perfect day to be on the water.

And then it was back to Seattle Center and the iconic Space Needle.

SPACE NEEDLE

Seattlites built the Space Needle in 1962 as part of the World’s Fair.  It is 605 feet tall and weighs 9,550 tons.  The elevators take 41 seconds to reach the top, and you can stay on the Observation Deck as long as you like. The rotating SkyCity Restaurant has clean windows and decent food.  The complete rotation takes 47 minutes, and the view was amazing. http://www.spaceneedle.com

MONORAIL  

Another popular attraction built for the 1962 World’s Fair is the Monorail. By now you may have figured out the fair’s theme was futuristic – with a strong dose of The Jetsons.  The monorail runs between Seattle Center and Westlake in downtown Seattle, and it’s been running continuously since the fair closed.  For years, it wasn’t take seriously, but now cities all over the world are turning to elevated fixed rail systems as a way to provide public transportation.

PIKE PLACE MARKET

When we got to Westlake we walked down to yet another Seattle icon.  Pike Place Market.  http://pikeplacemarket.org

This is a truly fascinating place.  Pike Place Market opened in 1907 and is one of the oldest continuously operating markets in the U.S.  But the years were not entirely kind – the neighborhood changed. People’s shopping habits changed, and by the 1960’s the market had become a bit of an eyesore, slated for urban renewal demolition until citizens realized how much history would be lost if the market disappeared.  In 1971 voters approved a 17-acre historic district.

The market features crafts, flowers, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and just about anything else you might want. All vendors are local. The original Starbucks Coffee Shop is inside.

But perhaps the most famous shop in the market is the Pike Place Fish Co. http://pikeplacefish.com

Famous because this is the place where the vendors toss fish, crab, and squid from iced display cabinets to the guys in the back who prepare the fish to go home today – fresh or frozen. And no fishy smell.

Pike Place Market was the last stop on our Tourist Day.  We split up – some for shopping, some for relaxing at the hotel.  It was a great day, and we’re already thinking about other things to do on our next Seattle reunion.

Photos by Author.  All Rights Reserved

The post DAY TOUR IN SEATTLE first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.