In mid July '96 I returned to Chehalis, Washington, after 25 years in Western Oregon. Returning to this area was a bit of a shock after being in enviormentally friendly Oregon for so many years. The general attitude seems to be don't step on my toes or tell me what I can do with my property. This has lead to the filling of wetland areas, major flooding, lack of an approved comprehensive plan for the county, very limited recycling program, among other things to numerous to mention. A quote from C. Tad Devlin , a movie director/producer who also recently moved here, in the local newspaper: "People here tend to be self-destructive when alternative ways of thinking are presented". I will stay here anyway. I am close to the mountains, the ocean and Puget Sound for recreation; Olympia, WN, and Portland, OR for culture.
I graduated from Chehalis High School in 1957 (my kids call me an old guy) so am not of total retirement age yet. I am retired from the City of Salem as a Building Maintenance Repairman. I work part-time now.
My interests include playing with my computer "surfing the web", paddling my kayak, and watching dirt track racing particularly sprint cars. See you race fans at Grays Harbor Raceway Park at Elma Washington for the 2000 season. Play day is April 29th with the regular Saturday night season starting May 6th. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Wild Wild Northwest tour is scheduled for August 18th and 19th. Get your tickets early for this one. They go on sale March 1st. Also check out the go-karts racing south of Chehalis at the Jackson Prairie Speedway on "old 99" (Jackson Highway to you youngsters).
Frankie was born June 20,1992 and came to us when she was just a handfull of pig. She spent her early life in our living room and was a mischievious little creature but was a lot of fun. Pot belly pigs and probably pigs in general are easy to housebreak by confining them to a relatively small area, such as a living room, and taking them outside often when you first get them. Shortly they will be "goink"ing at the door when they have to go. Pigs are very clean with very little odor and do not have fleas (not enough hair to hide in). Initially we fed Frankie Attacat cat food which along with her questionable heredity may have been the reason she weighed 180# by the time she was two years old. We changed her to Pot Belly Pig food after that amongst great protest from her. Two of her favorite things are belly rubs and graham crackers. She can do a few tricks; pigs will do tricks for goodies and can be taught to do them "if and when they want to do them". She enjoys playing with other animals although she does not like barking dogs and turns her rear end towards them which must mean something in her mind (I think I know what she is saying). I was unable to bring her to Chehalis with me so she was adopted by a fellow who has a mini-farm and she has chickens and goats to play with. I do miss her.
My kayak is a 16' touring kayak assembled from a kit supplied by Sea Bright Kayak Co., Sea Bright, New Jersey. It is constructed from 1/2" PVC pipe, with 1/2" CPVC pipe slit to fit inside for reinforcement, around PVC former bulkheads to make the shape with a foam-core plastic material covering. It took very little time to build and was quite inexpensive. This is the start of my third season with it and has been a lot of fun. I use it on lakes and on Puget Sound. No white water stuff for me. I originaly got interested in kayaking through a side trip while on an Alaskan cruise on the Princess Lines.
