Do The Puyallup

The Waterville NCR Fair is in August.  The Chelan County Fair in Cashmere will  run in September And the big Puyallup Western Washington State fair is Sept. 11th thur 27th. The Puyallup Fair is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. I made this video when they still called it the Puyallup Fair- now it is back to the Western Washington State Fair. Jan, I and Trent then, he was home schooled so it worked out great. We had so much fun, the staff was friendly and helpful. My parents first took me to the Puyallup fair when I was 12 years old after we just moved to Tacoma from North Dakota in 1966. I remember, 46 years ago, working in two of the game booths at the fair in afternoons- a year before we moved to Coulee Dam (and back when you could take half a day off from school and work.)  In the 90's I also worked the WSDOT Booth in all three of these fairs, handing out maps, garbage bags and answering questions.  Jan is hoping to  enter some of her artwork or quilt work in the Chelan county fair. Be sure and look for it. They do not have entries for videos, do they?

This is only photo we got from the Waterville Fair; I forgot my phone and Jan's camera said memory was full after this photo. This is the email we got from Billy's mom that evening: "The kids had a lot of fun today. Billy told me that he rode a fire truck, pet a horse and ate garbage. He tells stories. Thanks for taking them to the fair."

Puyallup FairFrom Wikipedia,
Puyallup Fair
The Gold Gate entrance to the Puyallup Fair, 2006
Dates September
Location(s) Puyallup, Washington
Attendance 1,065,208 (2010)
The Puyallup Fair is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. The fair continually ranks in the top ten largest fairs in the United States.[1] The Western Washington Fair Association hosts two annual events: the 17-day Puyallup Fair every September, and the four-day Puyallup Spring Fair every April.
Situated in Puyallup, 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle and 10 miles (16 km) east of Tacoma in the shadow of Mount Rainier, the fairgrounds comprise 160 acres (0.65 km2), with buildings and land valued at more than $54 million. The facilities are available for rent during the year, making the grounds a valuable community resource. A staff of 55 works year-round. Over 7,500 employees are hired each September during the Fair.[2]
The fairgrounds were known as Camp Harmony, an internment camp for Japanese Americans, during World War II.
Until 2006, the fair was officially known as the "Western Washington Fair." At that time, the former name was dropped and changed to match the more common usage. The name of the fairgrounds was changed to "The Puyallup Fair and Events Center." It is now a facility that is opened year round covering various seasonal festivals (such as the Victorian Country Christmas), races, concerts, car shows, and sporting expositions (such as the International Sportsman's Exposition).
Attendance
Young fair attendees may participate in mutton busting.Attendance has grown significantly since the fair's October 4, 1900 opening, drawing more than one million people each year. Selected dates:
2011: 1,059,182[3]
 1993: 1,420,037 (highest attendance ever)[6]
1980-1988: Between 1,100,000 and 1,200,000[1]
Late 1930s: About 400,000[1]
1922: About 130,000[1]
1900: About 5,500 families[1]

Signs, Signs

In 1971 the Five Man Electrical Band had a hit called, "Signs, Signs, Everywhere A Sign".  I have had the opportunity to work with five different sign techs at the Wenatchee DOT.  Sometimes we fail to say thank you enough; so "Thank You" to my friends at WSDOT".

This is our current Sign Tech, Shawn (in bucket) and his helper, Dave(holding up truck).

I think the guys with White hats are supervising.

Chelan County Emergency Management

Update from WSDOT North Central Region
WILDFIRES
WSDOT's role in the past week's wildfire response is focused on keeping state highways safe for the traveling... public, manning the barricades and gates when they're closed and getting that information to as many people as we can as quickly as possible. We're especially proud of the help our maintenance crews provided the Okanogan Sheriff's office going door to door to tell residents to evacuate. We're also proud of the work of our Traffic Management Center (radio room).

A single road closure requires not only dispatching crews and equipment, but sending out the e-mail Highway Alert, posting that on our WSDOT Travel Alerts Map, on 5-1-1 and arranging for a "tweet". They also program the messaging on the Highway Advisory Radio stations (HARs) and the electronic message signs. Last Friday we had five highways close in a 45 minute period. That had never happened before. Last night (Thursday), we had three sections of SR 20 between Newhalem and Aeneas Valley closed at the same time which had never happened before either. (That's 156 miles!)

We lost over 200 guardrail posts just in the Chelan Fire last week.     

Taken last week on Hwy 97 between Orondo and Pateros


Signs, Signs, Signs....
· On a Plumbers truck: "We repair what your husband fixed."

· On the trucks of a local plumbing company in Pennsylvania: "Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."

· Pizza shop slogan: "7 days without pizza makes one weak"

· At a tire shop in Milwaukee: Invite us to your next blowout

· At a laundry shop: "How about we refund your money, send you a new one at no charge, close the store and have the manager shot. Would that be satisfactory?"

· At a towing company: "We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."

· At a military base: Restricted to unauthorized personnel.

· On a display of "I love you only" Valentine cards: Now available in multi-packs

· In the window of a Kentucky appliance store: Don't kill your wife. Let our washing machine do the dirty work.

· In a clothing store: Wonderful bargains for men with 16 and 17 necks

· In a Tacoma, Washington men's clothing store: 15 men's wool suits, $10. They won't last an hour!

· Sign on Toilet in Office; TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

· On the highway, a small automobile being pulled by a motor home displayed a sign in its rear window reading "I go where I'm towed."

· Please Do Not Smoke Near The Gas Pumps. Your Life May Not Be Worth Much, But The Gas is

-Gynecologist's Office: "Dr. Jones, at your cervix".

-In a Podiatrist's office: "Time Wounds all Heels".

-At an Optometrist's office: "If you don't see what your looking for, you've come to the right place."

-At A Tire Shop: "Invite us to your Next Blowout"

-On An Electrician's Truck: "Let us remove your shorts".

-In a Non-smoking area: "If we see you smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action".

-On A Maternity Room Door: "Push, Push, Push".

-At A car Dealership: 'The Best way to get back on your feet is to miss a car payment".

-Outside A muffler Shop: "No Appointment necessary. We hear you coming".

-In A Veterinarian's waiting Room: " Be Back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!?

-At the Electric Company: "We would be delighted if you send in your payment. However, if you don't, you will be."

-In Front of a Funeral Home: "Drive Carefully. We'll wait".

-At A propane filling station: "Thank heaven for little grills".

-at A Radiator shop: "Best Place in Town to take a Leak".

-On the back of a septic tank truck: "Caution, This truck full of Political Promises".




Do It Again (silverwood)

For years its been a tradition to go to Silverwood theme park one day each year with the grandkids. I look forward to it even though things change and some have outgrown it.  I am posting a video from Silverwood made five  years ago,  to show how  fast the grandkids are growing up. I hope you are able to build some memories this summer with a vacation somewhere, with someone special. My vacation videos may not mean to much to you, but the memories, they make me want to "Do It Again" The song was released as a single on July 8, 1968 by the Beach Boys

Those are not our grandkids, that is Jeremy and Darcie at Silverwood back in 1989?

This is Sue, Keisha, Emilee and Grace getting ready for Silverwood back in ??

This is the year Cody was just a half inch too short to ride many of rides he wanted to go on at Silverwood

Slip Sliding Away

Safety Never Takes A Vacation. I added a few accident photos to the song called Slip Sliding Away in hopes you will learn from others mistakes and that you will have a Safe Day!

Don't slip when carrying your breakfast – you’ll end up with egg on your face

If everything comes your way, you are in the wrong lane

Your Wife Will Spend Your 401K; If You Get Killed At Work Today.

While on a ladder, never step back to admire your work

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?

Jesus Loves Me

Todays video was one of my earlier videos I made. Jesus Loves Me is a Christian hymn set to words by Anna Bartlett Warner. The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of a novel called Say and Seal, written by Susan Warner and published in 1860. The tune was added in 1862 by William Batchelder  Bradbury who found the text of "Jesus Loves Me" in this book, in which the words were spoken as a comforting poem to a dying child. Along with his tune, Bradbury added his own chorus "Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus Loves me..." After publication the song became one of the most popular Christian hymns in churches around the world. Different verses, other than the first, often are substituted. The verse about illness is usually omitted, to make the hymn less disturbing to children.

I used to teach a 4th/5th grade SS class, most of my students are grown up- I hope they never forget how much Jesus Loves them and I hope they never forget this poem that I would read to them at least once a year;

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.

You're special. In all the world there's nobody like you. Since the beginning of time there has never been another person like you. Nobody has your smile, nobody has your eyes, your nose, your hair, your hands, your voice. You're special. No one can be found who has your handwriting. Nobody anywhere has your taste for food, music, or art. No one sees things just like you do. In all of time there's been no one who laughs like you, no one who cries like you, and what makes you laugh will never produce identical laughter and tears from anybody else, ever. you're the only one in all creation who has your set of abilities. Oh, there will always be someone who is better at one of the things you are good at, but no one in all the universe can reach the quality of your combination of talents, ideas, abilities, and feelings. Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel  alone, but no one can match the symphony sound when all are played together. you're a symphony. Through all eternity, no one will ever look, talk, walk, think, or do like you do. You're special...you're rare. And in all rarity there is great value. Because of your great value you need not attempt to imitate others.. you will accept, yes celebrate your differences. You're special and you're beginning to realize it's no accident that you're special. You're beginning to see that God made you special for a purpose. He must have a job for you that no one else can do as well as you. Of out of the Billions of applicants, only one is qualified, only one has the right combination of what it takes. That one is you, because ... you're special.

Puff The Magic Dragon

Puff the Magic Dragon came out in 1962 by Peter, Paul and Mary and reached #2 on the Billboard charts in 1963. Peter Yarrow has frequently explained that "Puff" is about the hardships of growing older and has no relationship to drug-taking. He has also said of the song that it "never had any meaning other than the obvious one" and is about the "loss of innocence in children". Its always been a favorite song of mine since first hearing it when I was nine years old.  I am so thankful for the great memories I have stored up for the day when my grandkids get too old and too busy for me. I figure if I have not grown up by now- I don't need to and probably won't. This video was one of our trips to Chuck E Cheese, Quality Inn, and Raptor Reef Water park.

 

Have You Ever Seen The Rain

I made this video several years ago, but I am posting it today as a reminder to pray for rain here in Central Washington. We have not had any rain since it rained to put out the Wenatchee fires in June and we have a fire burning near Chelan that has been going since June 29th and has consumed over 28,000 acres with no containment still. Never underestimate the power of God if people pray.  I also know In the winter, When it rains here. after freezing, we usually think of rocks on roadway. Most of the time rocks are pushed off with a snow blade, occasionally we will call for a loader, and sometimes we will just stop and kick the rocks off roadway. I had not seen one as big as this one below. It came down in Tumwater Canyon on SR 2 a couple years ago- no one was hurt. The estimated size was at about 25 feet long, 20 feet wide and 15 feet tall. The estimated weight was at 500,000 pounds. I am not sure where todays video was filmed, I think in another state, but I added the music and it is on youtube.com with my other  videos.

Above is the fire of over 28,000 acres that started June 29th.

"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" is a song written by John Fogerty and released as a single in 1971 from the album Pendulum (1970) by roots rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song charted highest in Canada, reaching number one on the RPM 100 national album chart in March 1971. In the U.S., it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the same year. Fogerty himself has said in interviews and prior to playing the song in concert that the song is about rising tension within CCR and the imminent departure of his brother Tom from the band.[4] In an interview, Fogerty stated that the song was written about the fact that they were on the top of the charts, and had surpassed all of their wildest expectations of fame and fortune. They were rich and famous, but somehow all members of the band at the time were depressed and unhappy. Thus the line "Have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day." The band split in October the following year after the release of the album Mardi Gras.

500,000 Pounds?

This was on Stevens Pass last year

Happy Birthday Donald DuCette

August 4th is a special Day- it is Donald DuCette's Birthday. Happy Birthday Donald. I am double blessed to have Donald as my friend and as my brother in law. I hope this birthday is a great one and you have many more. Remember, Getting old is not that bad when you consider the Alternative.

I love playing Phase 10 with Donald and Janice- he has been up here and we were just down to see him this spring as in this photo. We really enjoyed ourselves, but I forgot to include some of that trips photos in this video.

 

I thought he was joking when he said we were in California now. We visited the Lava Beds national park- very interesting and memorable trip.

I think we visited a half dozen caves that day.

I could have made a video of that trip, just could not find a song that fits with lava rocks...that was a fun trip- thanks for the memories Donald and  Cindy

Never Be Anyone Else But You

I enjoy making videos as a hobby- probably almost 200 of these blogs include videos I made out of the 799 posted.  In fact I get too busy with other hobbies at times, to work on those I think. I had to put a photo of each of my grandchildren in the video so I could post it under grandchildren- they will be easy to spot, they are the cutest ones. It is fun to be around babies, they give us renewed hope for the future and so many smiles to our face. Today, I hope this video gives you new hope and brings a smile to you face- its ok to laugh too- Enjoy Ricky Nelson in the song "Never Be Anyone Else But You"

To a small child, the perfect granddad is unafraid of big dogs and fierce storms but absolutely terrified of the word "boo."