http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large Owen at Large RSS Feed http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-02-09_dog_research_in_a_warm_climate The editors of The Beacon spared no expense to resolve one of the great issues of our community, dwarfing the debates surrounding five story condos, round-a-bouts at Five Corners, and never-ending street repairs that somehow never succeed in repairing the streets. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-02-09_dog_research_in_a_warm_climate http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-02-03_the_george_raveling_formula Recruiting out-of-state athletes to WSU is not an easy task, but it was one at which George Raveling excelled. I once asked the former Cougar hoops coach how he managed to overcome the handicaps of wintry weather and isolation when he made a recruiting raid on a city like Chicago. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-02-03_the_george_raveling_formula http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-01-12_one_nutty_guy Rick Steves is a former Edmonds piano teacher, an enormously successful travel writer, lecturer and tour leader but if you mention his name in a crowd of 10 or more somebody will comment: "Isn't he 'The Pot Guy?" http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-01-12_one_nutty_guy http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-01-05_judging_the_fairs I don't hang around the Edmonds Municipal Court, but if I did I would probably never hear Judge Douglas Fair tell a defendant: "They didn't put me up here because I'm young and gorgeous. I'm here because I'm smart." http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2012-01-05_judging_the_fairs http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-29_awestruck_by_newman Spend a career in the newspaper business and you meet the rich and the poor, semi-saints and incorrigible crooks, the famous and the infamous. I was allowed to converse briefly with Eleanor Roosevelt. I was lectured endlessly by Muhammad Ali. I had a quick chat with Henry Kissinger and lengthy conversations with Ted Williams, Jesse Owens, Bear Bryant, Joe DiMaggio and Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-29_awestruck_by_newman http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-22_the_place_to_go Eric Kaminetzky is still relatively new to this area, installed and ordained as minister of Edmonds Unitarian Church less than a year ago. But he knows how to follow traffic and that's what he was doing early in the Christmas shopping season. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-22_the_place_to_go http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-15_a_look_forward_to_good_food_and_drink I swear I can smell a pot roast from two blocks away. I can also discern when there is not a pot roast cooking two blocks away. I've been sniffing the air up and down Main Street and I think I detect the essence of Irish whiskey, which is no duplicate for pot roast but could satisfactorily round out the meal. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-15_a_look_forward_to_good_food_and_drink http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-08_gleanings_from_archie_satterfield "Some newcomers to the area like to compare Edmonds with one of the more pleasant small coastal towns in California like La Jolla, Carmel, Sausalito among them. Similarities exist there, but Edmonds thus far has been able to resist an overdose of cuteness that has plagued other popular Northwest towns and small cities whose charm is as much a problem as a blessing because it attracts so many people who want to "change" or "improve" it. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-08_gleanings_from_archie_satterfield http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-01__washington__fried_chicken_just_doesn_t_sound_as_good Longtime residents of Edmonds and environs will recall that when they drove to Seattle in the pre-freeway era, they almost always passed a landmark that evoked an exclamation from everybody in the car. "Hey, there are the Twin Tepees." http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-12-01__washington__fried_chicken_just_doesn_t_sound_as_good http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-22_husky_stadium_might_be__too_much_ If you believe what you read in the daily newspapers, Husky football fans are misty eyed over the demolition of Husky Stadium. Take another look at those eyes. They're not misty, they're bloodshot. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-22_husky_stadium_might_be__too_much_ http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-17_get_rid_of_the_leaf_blowers Has it come and gone? Did I miss the election completely? Dang me. I wanted to introduce an initiative or referendum that would have shaken the foundations of our society. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-17_get_rid_of_the_leaf_blowers http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-10_to_portland_on_the_train We probably looked "quaint" or "quirky" or "peculiar." We would probably prefer "practical" or "parsimonious" to describe the sight of my wife and me marching down Main Street in mid-morning, pulling our roll-on overnight bags. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-10_to_portland_on_the_train http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-03_the_butcher_of_edmonds Remember that fellow draped in a large sheet, wearing a hockey mask. Bet he almost scared you out of your wits on Halloween night near the fountain. It could have been Bill the Butcher, a mythical figure who reportedly haunts the corner of Fourth and Main. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-11-03_the_butcher_of_edmonds http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-27_a_need_for_food_at_old_milltown_park "While the city needs to spend more wisely it also needs to get serious about economic development to create the tax revenue needed to fund the services our citizens expect," mayoral candidate Dave Earling recently commented. "For example while Dick's Drive-In coming to Edmonds is great, a fast food restaurant on Highway 99 is not an economic development policy." I hope he's not overlooking the french fries. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-27_a_need_for_food_at_old_milltown_park http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-20_digging_to_china_for_the_cable It was one of the great disappointments of my early childhood. I was digging industriously in my backyard when my big sister decided I needed extra inspiration. " If you dig far enough, you'll come out in China," she revealed. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-20_digging_to_china_for_the_cable http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-13_a_big_day_for_dogs I think I'm suffering from withdrawal. There will be no Saturday market in Edmonds. I'll miss the berry displays, the Yukon gold potatoes, the cage-free eggs and the late summer greens. And I'll admit it. I will miss the dogs. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-13_a_big_day_for_dogs http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-06_fact_finding_at_haines_wharf You can admire a dozen or more multi-storied houses with million-dollar views above the intersection of 162nd St. SW and 75th Place West. Below that intersection you'll spot a construction site with $3 million views. You own that or at least a part of it if you are an Edmonds taxpayer. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-10-06_fact_finding_at_haines_wharf http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-09-29_life__on_the_beach_ It might have been an offshoot of Obama's Jobs Plan. Or it might have been a mere coincidence. All I can tell you is that I was offered employment without any initiative on my part. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-09-29_life__on_the_beach_ http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-09-22_lots_going_on_north_of_5th_st_ There are a lot of things going on in Edmonds, particularly between Fifth and Sixth on Main Street. You can take home a painting, or appreciate the brilliant murals on both sides of the street. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-09-22_lots_going_on_north_of_5th_st_ http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-09-15_the_edmonds_politician_test Political promises are easily made and soon forgotten. But the litmus test I recommend to Edmonds voters before the fall election would be significant, graphic and dramatic. The image of a heroine tied to a railroad track guaranteed box office success in the early days of silent films. http://edmondsbeacon.com/columns/owen-at-large/article.exm/2011-09-15_the_edmonds_politician_test