Tag Archives: KLSY

I’ve Been Pretty Darn Lucky

I’m slowly but surely mastering the art of life and I figure, by the time I drop dead, I’ll be pretty good at it.

One of my loosely created ‘golden rules’ would have to be to appreciate and want the things you’ve already got, rather getting caught up in that nasty habit of, “Oh, I’ll be happy when I get _______.” That game never ends.

I start doing an inventory of, not just the things, but the experiences I’ve had in this life, and I’m one lucky S.O.B.. (that stands for “son of a Brandner”, my mom’s maiden name) This week, I had a series of events that reminded me that I was once lucky enough to meet a guy named Jim Unger and, while he’s no longer with us, I think he’s someone you’ll want to learn more about.

So, I’m going to get the ball rolling.

Back when I was Larry Nelson’s producer at KOMO radio, while Lar was playing the Middle of the Road hits and doing his morning show thing, my job was to come up with content. That involved getting there at 4 in the morning each day and writing up pages of stuff for him to talk about. Then, while he was on the air, I would produce things–comedy bits, or even feature pieces for use in the show.
It was kind of a unique formula. When celebrities passing through town wanted to promote something, they would come into KOMO radio, and I would be the one lucky enough to chat with each of them. Man, the list of famous folks I got to sit down and chat with one-on-one include everyone from Shari Lewis, Steve Allen, Rip Taylor, James Cocoa, Marni Nixon, Graham Kerr…names that, at the time, were a big deal!

And then, there was this cartoonist named Jim Unger. Jim had a new book out he was promoting that was a collection of his “Herman” cartoons. I was in awe, as my daily dose of Herman was something I really looked forward to. He was obviously a comedy brother from a different mother.

We sat down in the studio and bantered for my allotted half hour before he was whisked away to his next interview and while I don’t remember details, I do recall being amazed at a grown man who was able to draw funny cartoons for a living and appeared to be having the time of his life. He even signed a book for me on his way out.

Just to give you a taste of his style of comedy, here’s a collection of 900 Herman cartoons. If you are of an age, you might take a look and say, “Oh, yeah, that guy!” Maybe the Herman name didn’t stick.

I also found this news segment on Jim, from back in the day.

https://youtu.be/dbxfDr6ZFQg?si=S1UqT9Wz22Bc4zHw

Again, I’ve met all kinds, but there are those few people whose paths you cross that leave you thinking for the rest of your life, “Man, was I lucky.”

And that includes you, Mr. Unger.

Tim Hunter

I Mean, Seriously, What Else Could I Say?

A weird thing happened the other night that I thought I would share.

It was just me at home alone. I had cooked dinner, cleaned up, and was sitting down to catch another episode of a show I’ve been watching when I noticed: my wedding ring was gone!

I immediately began retracing my steps, going through the trash and the compost bin, checking every place I had been the past hour for that precious circle of gold. How could I have possibly lost it? When did I lose it? What happened?

I came up empty and so I began mentally retracing my steps through the day.

Then I remembered a weird thing that had happened earlier in the afternoon. I was working away at my computer (where I spend 80% of most workdays) and while editing a video, I leaned back and heard a “ping, ping, ping”, like I had knocked a ball bearing off my desk. I looked under the desk, under some of the drawers, used a flashlight to checks underneath everywhere in the dusty darkness and…nothing.

Now, as I saw upstairs, I began to put the pieces together. “That must have been my ring I heard!”

I went down to the office and sure enough, when I looked on the floor around 10 feet behind where I sit, there was the missing ring on the ground. I knew I had been losing weight because of the Type-2 diabetes drug I’ve been on, but I didn’t think I had lost THAT much. Apparently, I had.

The case of the missing wedding ring had been solved. All I could say was….

Oh. Oh. Oh.

Ozempic.

Tim Hunter

As Special As A Place Can Get

When asked, I’ll bet just about everyone could identify their own special place. A spot somewhere on the globe that, when they find themselves there, they wish time could stand still. A place full of memories and special meaning. That, while not possible yet, but some day, they’d love to be able to fire up an app that would magically take them there, after a bad day at work or any of the other day-to-day annoyances we face.

Maybe I’m greedy, but I have at least a half-dozen of such places in my collection. But at the top of the list is “the Quad” at the University of Washington, especially on a sunny day in late March, when those gorgeous cherry trees break out into thousands and thousands of blossoms.

It rivals the show in early April when the tulip fields of Skagit County put on their show. Man, catch that on a sunny day, and you’ll max out the memory on your phone before you know it.

Yeah, pretty stunning stuff, but I only work in a visit up to Mount Vernon every couple of years. The cherry blossoms at the U.W. have the definite edge in being one of my all-time favorite places because of its location and the history that goes along with it.

I admit, there was a long stretch of years where I didn’t bother to swing by campus. But it’s now been 50 since I wandered around there, trying to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of my life and making so many life-long friends along the way. Every time I set foot on the grounds of the University of Washington, it just takes me back.

The Quad was one of the routes I took back in those days, on my way to the Communications Building, which was my major. The odds are pretty good that, on the way there, I probably walked by the girl that I would end up marrying decades later, as she was a Husky, too.

Visit this special place on a sunny day and you’ll find a vibrant collection of people excited for what they’re looking at, posing for pictures, serious photographers trying something new or getting shots with models striking poses. People show up in formal wear, costumes, even bridal gowns. You’ll see all ages, all ethnicities, all smiling away and it makes you realize, you know, if we wanted to, we all really could get along.

But what seals the deal on the Quad being at the top of my life of special places is because during the cherry blossom season, I’m not only reminded of that school’s stunning beauty but also about a friend that left too soon 10 years ago.

I’ve written about Bill Strothman before. His tragic death a decade ago was a big-time reminder that this can all just go away in the flash of a moment. Monday, March 18th of this year marked the 10-year anniversary of the helicopter crash that claimed Bill’s life. When I was reminded of that on social media, the almost 70-degree day outside and a report on the radio saying that the cherry blossoms were at their peak pretty much locked that I was heading there in the afternoon for a quick visit.

The next thing you know, there I was. In the place I spent those incredible college years, remembering the awesome friends I made, enjoying a  flood of memories and then, when you toss in those incredible cherry blossoms, it becomes obvious why this definitely tops the list of my collection of special places.

It really is about as special as a place can get.

Tim Hunter

I Know A Place

It’s strange to see a 28-year-old in such bad shape.

But hanging in there, at 125th Street and Aurora Avenue in Seattle, is a restaurant from long, long ago. Well, OK, not that really long ago. However, every time I walk through those doors, it always takes me back.

The 125th Street Grill was born in Seattle in 1996. I had never heard of the place until one day, my former radio boss, Larry Nelson, invited me to meet him there for lunch. I would best describe it as a “divey” American diner. Glance at the menu and you’ll see what I mean.

There’s a lunch menu as well, featuring smaller portions, sandwiches, clam chowder and other standard fare and then, this page, which always cracked me up.

Salads from the Grill? So, you grill my salad?

After that lunch with Lar, the last one I got to enjoy with him, I didn’t make it back to the restaurant until years later when I got engaged and we were looking for a reasonable place to have a rehearsal dinner. Someone had suggested the 125th Street Grill and so, when we there to check it out, I remembered it from that lunch years before. They had a back room, a decent menu and so we booked it.

Over the years, it became our DeFacto destination whenever we wanted to do a family dinner somewhere. It was close by, never too busy, and had something for everyone, including “Early Bird Dinners.” On the rare occasion we actually go there in person these days, my mother-in-law will always look at the menu, and carefully weigh her decision: will it be the Early Bird turkey dinner or the prawns?

Starting during the pandemic, we moved to a “get it to go” routine, where we would order our food on the phone and then make the 5-minute trip and pick it up. Unfortunately, part of the routine has to include checking and double-checking the order and no matter how hard we try, there always seems to be something missing when we get home. (Last time, it was the cheesecake)

Last year, they had a sign outside that said something to the effect of, “Join us for our last Thanksgiving.” For the last couple of years, there have been rumors of the restaurant’s demise. We heard it was going to be sold, the building torn down and possibly returning in the lower level of a new structure. Then it, “we’ll be moving to a new location.” After a while, we quit asking because it seemed like no one really knew for sure.

On our last visit there to up pick dinner, there were several homeless folks standing outside. Inside, there may have been two people in the bar, and absolutely no one else in the restaurant. During the “hooker hey days” which were finally shut down last year, it wasn’t unusual to see a couple of the ladies inside at a booth, enjoying a break.

The only thing that has changed on their menu over the years are the prices. During the pandemic, when everyone else was jacking up their prices, items on the menu got a bump of $5 or so, and they haven’t come down yet.

You’ll definitely experience a time warp when you visit but do it soon. I’m not sure how much longer this time capsule is going to be around. The neighborhood just isn’t what it used to be. To the north, the Krispy Kreme that recently had to be evacuated due to a couple of people smoking meth in the bathroom, filling the place with smoke. To the south of the restaurant, the Les Schwab that was our go-to tire place suddenly shut down and put up signs they were moving to Edmonds.

Right next door to the Grill, there was a dilapidated Red Lion Motel which was torn down so that a tiny village could be constructed for the homeless. Graphiti pops up on the outside walls. A glass door gets shattered by someone having a bad day.

They’re putting up a good fight, but I really don’t know how much longer they’ll be able to hang in there. But for the time being, whenever we stop by to pick up our to-go dinner order, I can’t help but think about that last lunch with Lar, our rehearsal dinner, those gatherings over the years with my wife’s family, or that lunch with relatives visiting us from Florida–just a flood of memories, all happy times.

If you have memories of your own, I’d recommend one more visit and soon. However, if you’ve never been and would like to savor a thick slice of Americana while it’s still around, I know a place.

Tim Hunter

 

But Thank You Very Much

I was deep into those beginning of the year projects you have to do–you know, rounding up all the paperwork to bring into your tax guru to try and eek out some sort of refund.

That appointment is next week, so I was sorting and adding up figures and such, when I came across my receipt for last year’s state excise tax. Oh, yeah. That little annual annoyance where I usually have to aim $1400 or more down to Olympia. It’s one of the blessings of having your own business.

So, looking at last year’s receipt, it had the website on it. I headed there, began the process of filing and paying the piper when I noticed I had a couple of unread messages. Oh, great. NOW what am I forgetting?

I opened one, which was just a re-send of the previous note sent to me and it looked like this:

Wait. What?

If I made less than $125K for the year, I no longer have to pay the state excise tax? Oh, that can’t be right.

So, I called the toll-free number and was instantly connected with a woman who asked, “How may I help you?”

I explained my situation, making absolutely sure I was understanding this whole thing correctly. She began reading something she apparently had to read before, which was a condensed version of the above letter.

In other words, I didn’t need to pay anything!!

I commented to her that I’d like to take back everything I’ve been saying about those lawmakers down in Olympia, she laughed and then remarked, “Yeah, well it was long overdue.”

Eliminating a tax to try and help small business owners? That’s crazy talk! But it was true.

I’m still stunned they’re giving up that source of revenue, but I guess I’ll live with it.

But for the record, I’m not taking back everything I’ve been saying about the lawmakers in Olympia. Maybe a couple of things. OK, one.

But thank you very much.

Tim Hunter

I’m A Very Lucky Guy

Think about it–when you first meet someone and you start prying to find out more about them, right after, “How are you?” we all tend to head straight for, “So, what do you do?”

I’m glad in recent years we’ve become familiar with the phrase, “work/life balance” because the way we earn our money doesn’t necessarily reflect on who we really are, or what kind of human being we’ve become. Maybe when you find out what a person does for a living, you think to yourself, “Oh, you’re one of those.”

For example, if I learn this person I’ve just met is a teacher, I’d probably assume they’re good people. Putting in long hours for less pay than they deserve, doing something that demonstrates they care about kids, etc. But maybe they aren’t so good. Perhaps they’re someone who thought they wanted to teach, but after going to college and heading out into the workforce, they discovered that they don’t really like it, or they’re tired of the disruptive kids and now have been doing it so long, they see no way out and feel trapped.

I’ve touched on this topic once before because my goal when I get to know people is, I’d like to be remembered as being funny. I get a kick out of making someone laugh, especially when they’re least expecting it. I’ve lied down on the couch with Dr. Tim before, psychoanalyzing how I got this way, and here’s my theory.

My first six years of grade school, I went to a private Lutheran school. I’m talking small, like one classroom had grades 1-4, the other 5-8. I’ll bet there were 20 kids in the school, total. When the church decided the school was too much of a financial drain, they shut it down and I suddenly found myself being the new kid in a public school. As an easy target for the cool kids, yes, I got picked on. Over time, I discovered if I told a joke or said something funny while they were picking on me, the mean kids eventually thought I was O.K.. That instilled on me the formula, “Make ’em laugh and people will like you!”

I also have to give credit where credit is due, and that would be my mom. She is a naturally funny person who loves to laugh but grew up at a time when I’m sure women felt they weren’t supposed to be funny. Eventually, more and more women like Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Phyllis Diller and so many others made society O.K. with laughing at funny women.

But you can’t go to college and major in being funny. So, I had to go with a career path that allowed me to use that desire/gift and find a career that paid something, while allowing me to get the funny out of my system.

I’ve always had a fascination with humor. While growing up, every month, a Readers Digest would arrive in the mail and once mom and dad had read it, I’d go in and cut out the jokes I thought were the funniest and glue them into a scrapbook. I still have that around here somewhere.

When I ran for senior class president in high school, I didn’t give a speech. I gave a series of jokes and got elected. During my days at the University of Washington radio station, KCMU, I produced a daily comedy show for I don’t know how many weeks, which I hear they repeated for several years after I left.

After graduation, off I went into a radio career where I could really give that comedy a muscle a workout. I did silly bits for on the air, and also used humor in commercials I produced. I remember writing a Christmas spot for The Blossom Shop in Yakima, where Santa walked in, talking about all they offered for the holidays, and then uttered the line, “Oh, Rudolph! On their nice, clean floor!”

Years later, I did some TV spots for Western Carpet Center, showcasing a stain on the ceiling that looked like Australia. People would come into the store and the first thing they would ask would be, “So, where’s Australia?”

In fact, here it is!

Over the years, I also developed a fascination with parody songs. (Thanks, Alan Sherman) While working at KOMO radio with Larry Nelson, I got to meet Stan Boreson, who invited me over to his house several afternoons to work on some Christmas songs together. Several of them appear on this album (my name is on the inside cover)

Along the way, radio brother Matt Riedy hooked me up with a guy named Frank King, who was one of Jay Lenos’ “fax comedians.” Every day, I’d send Frank the jokes I had written, he’d fax them to Jay and if he told one in the Tonight Show monologue, I’d get $50. Eventually, that went up to $75!

Over time, I’ve been blessed with so many opportunities to “get it out of my system”, that I have no complaints. Emceeing events, being an auctioneer, event host, you name it. And you know, a good number of those aren’t necessarily for pay, they’re just things I enjoy doing. A couple of great examples are the Christmas parody songs I do with Alana Baxter every holiday season and my annual National Gullible Day broadcast.

If we don’t know each other and one day, we do meet, whatever you do, don’t ask what I do for a living. For those who insist, I tell them to hang on as I rattle off that I write radio show prep for Radio Online, I have my own marketing company, I work for an ad agency, do a slew of freelance voice, commercial and video production projects and then lots of fun stuff like auctions and events to fill in the gaps. And, by that time, I may have added a few more items to the list.

I’m doing the things I love to do at a nice, comfortable pace. I’m a very lucky guy.

Tim Hunter

So, What’s Next?

Just two weeks ago, we welcomed a brand-new year. A fresh start. We excitedly wondered how it would go and what we would remember about this new kid on the calendar, 2024.

Last week pretty much solidified this year’s theme: 2024 is going to be a year of change. Big change. Perhaps more change that we’d like or will be comfortable with.

Now, I’ve always been a fan of change. First off, we just can’t control everything going on around us and when you eventually accept that, you find that closures or layoffs or sudden shifts in your world can actually bring out something good and leave you in a better place. It’s happened to me a couple of times. It may push you towards something you didn’t believe you were capable of or hadn’t even considered.

Now, this being a Presidential Election year, we already knew 2024 was going to be a Schlitz show. So far, it hasn’t disappointed. You’ve got an unstable House, a divided Senate and a couple of great-grandparents fighting to be sworn in as our next president a year from now. I try not to think about it too much.

But last week pretty much sealed the deal that this is going to be a year of change, and some local sports teams really drove that point home hard. The Seahawks decided to go in a different direction and let go of longtime and much beloved head coach Pete Carroll. I’m pretty sure that Bubble Yum Bubble Gum stock tanked that day. And, immediately following that, we learned that after two years, Husky football coach Kalen DeBoer was going to grab that Alabama head coaching job vacated by Nick Saban. (I wonder if he’ll take over the AFLAC commercials?)

With Carroll, I understood. But the DeBoer decision left me with extremely mixed feelings. Here’s a guy who got the steering wheel of my Washington Huskies and, in just two short years, took them to the National Championship game. They didn’t win it all, but next year…yeah, that was gonna be the year. He was going to recruit the missing pieces who would want to come and play at the #2 program in the country, right? After all, he was under contract through the 2028 season.

And then he was gone, saying it was an opportunity just too big to pass up. Also fighting for the headlines, the New England Patriots decided to make a change and break up with Bill Belichick after 24 years.

Now, there are those who are probably saying right now, “Tim, that’s just sports stuff” and that’s fair. But some other change may have gotten past you.

After 54 years, the company that made Fruit Strip gum said that was going away.

One of the must-visit places along the California coast on any driving trip, Anderson’s Pea Soup in Buellton, suddenly closed after almost 100 years and that site is going to be redeveloped. They may come back, they may not.

All this on the heels of local nursery Molbak’s finding out that property redevelopers changed their mind and that nursery that has been in the heart of Woodinville since 1956 would be forced to close forever. Their last day is January 28th. I’ve already dropped by twice to say goodbye since the news broke, and I’ve definitely decided no matter what business goes in there, they won’t see a penny from me.

Nike and Tiger Woods went their separate ways after being together for 27 years. Girl Scout cookies went on sale again, but no Raspberry Rally. That flavor is not returning.

And we’re saying more goodbyes than we had planned on. The other day, the daughter of one of my old neighbors posted some pictures of my longtime friend Scott and his grandkids. What a great collection of pictures! I had to comment, “Hey, Grandpa Scott!” I was thinking, “You know, I should figure out a time to get together again with Scott. I wonder how he’s doing?”

Later that day, his daughter sent me a private message, letting me know her dad had passed away several days ago after a 2-year-fight with Alzheimer’s. He was a couple of years younger than me.

And one more big transition to deal with last week: after almost 10 years with a biotech company, my wife found out she was being downsized and no longer had a job. So, now we’re doing some scrambling in regards to those insurance and other issues you have to deal with when unemployment rears its ugly head.

A mere two weeks into January, people!

And all this following my last blog about the demise of Vito’s restaurant.

Change is apparently going to rule in 2024 and, as I mentioned, change can mean a lot of positive, good things. But it would have been nice if 2024 had gradually introduced itself and maybe, over a few months, we’d would have started noticing a pattern and wondered if change was, in fact, going to be the theme of this year.

OK, we’ve now figured that out. So, what’s next?

Tim Hunter

End of The Year Nuggets

No, they didn’t move up New Year’s Eve. But with Christmas and New Year’s Day both falling on a Monday when I traditionally post my latest blog, that takes out the next two weeks. So, see you again in 2024–but, until then, just tying up some loose ends with one of my Topic Salads.

INCIDENT AT THE POST OFFICE

I’ve learned over the years that the smart move during the holiday season is to pop into the post office at odd hours and use the automated machine. It saves a ton of time and helps you avoid those long lines. Sunday morning, 7pm on a weeknight, I just walk in, hit the machine, take care of biz and leave.

The other day I boldly went around 11am on a Sunday. Not as early as I like to go and there was the chance it could be busy, but fortunately there was only one guy using the machine. I think I startled him at first, but when he realized I was safe, he apologized for having to print out 30 different postage amounts. I said, “No worries” which he quickly followed with a question about the upcoming Seahawks game. After all, I was wearing my Hawks jersey and the game was less than two hours away. As his postage was printing, he asked, “How do you think they’re going to do today?” I went into sports radio mode and made some neutral comments, fully embracing the team’s flaws, but expressing hopeful optimism.

By the time I was done rambling, his postage had printed and he turned over the machine to me. After putting his envelopes into the mail slot, he walked towards the door. I figured I’d give him a spirited send-off and yelled out, “Go Hawks!” He turned, looked, and said slyly, “Go ‘9ers!”

I had been conversing with the enemy.

MY ASTUTE OBSERVATION

Something happened to me recently that inspired this theory.

I went to Costco to fill up my car with the lowest priced gas in our area, just like everybody else. My gas tank is on the right side of my car, so I got in line in one of the lanes on the left side of the pump. As I watched the assortment of people pulling up, getting out, filling up and driving away, I couldn’t help but notice that people who pulled in on the left side of the pump were much slower than the people on the right. The next time you’re filling up at Costco or any gas station, see if that theory holds true. Or, it could be just whatever line Tim gets in, THAT will be the slow one.

If true, that would tie in nicely with my tradition at the Brown Bear Car Wash where–no matter which of the two lanes I choose–I always get behind the guy who has trouble paying and then, figuring out how to get into the car wash without the attendant having to shut things down.

THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARODY SONG

I’ve mentioned before about my list of December things I like to do: Get the annual family Christmas letter written and get the cards out by the 15th; Assemble my annual Christmas CD (you can listen to that here) which I successfully pulled off for the 23rd consecutive holiday season; And, as part of that CD collection, an annual Christmas parody song about something topical with singer Alana Baxter. The entire collection is right here on my YouTube Channel, but I really want to brag about this year’s project.

Most people I know spend the month of November focused on Thanksgiving. However, my mind is busy thinking about this year’s song and rounding up some fresh holiday tunes for my HO HO BROTHER collection, as well as writing up some comedy bits to toss in.

In this year’s case, I was wondering what the heck we could possibly do that we haven’t done before. I attempted to come up with lyrics for a rewrite of “Last Christmas”, but it just didn’t flow. I thought, “So, what’s been in the news lately?” and there he was: George Santos.

Santos. That’s close to Santa. Hmmmmm….

The result was “Santos Baby” and I probably wrote the song in around 20 minutes. I fine-tuned a couple of lines later, but the big trick was going to be getting my singer, Alana Baxter to record it. After all, she had worked in Japan the bulk of this year and was scheduled to come home, but then she had another job offer in Japan that was too good to pass up. She was still planning a quick Seattle visit, but not until right before Christmas.

We’ve cut it close in some of those years, not getting the video out until right before Christmas. You see, this is a challenging process:

  1. First, getting her into my studio to record the song. Then,
  2. Mixing down a final audio version.
  3. We then put that final version on her phone and have her sing along with some of the lines while shooting video at various holiday locations around the area.
  4. Then, take the song, the video I shot and some holiday b-roll and mix it all together into a video.

This year, Alana did her parts in Japan with the help of a friend who held the phone for her. I created a music bed for her to sing along with, which she did, I went to YouTube to download a bunch of video with George Santos and somehow, it just all came together.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here is “Santos Baby” by Alana Baxter.

https://youtu.be/qk8GbidYmug?si=i85JZ1Pf6dJs3VqC

With Alana scheduled to also be in Japan next year as well, we’re conspiring to record and shoot video now for the 2024 video. I just have to write it over the next week or so.  Wish me luck!

SOME HOLIDAY TREATS

There are lots of versions of “A Christmas Carol.” While my favorite is the 1951 version with Alistair Sim, the 1938 treatment with Reginald Owen is fun in a different way. Scrooge’s ex-fiancé never even gets mentioned! In this version, it’s Bob Cratchit’s wife that toasts Scrooge, which in the ’51 edition, she at first, refuses! But here’s some 1938 Christmas Carol trivia: the little boy who played Tiny Tim those many years ago, Terry Kilburn, is still alive and well and celebrating the holidays with us at the age of 97. But the best part: the actor who played Bob Cratchit in the 1938 “Christmas Carol” was Gene Lockhart, who you’ll recognize as a much younger version of Judge Harper in the 1947 classic, “Miracle on 34th Street.”

And this was just too cute not to share. To prove I didn’t just make this up, I’m going to show you the text message I received over the weekend from daughter-in-law Samantha, about grand-daughter, Evelyn (best known as Evie) and what she had to say:

On that high note, I need to say “Ta-Ta” until next year and wish you a very Merry Christmas and all the best the holiday season has to offer.

Oh, and one other thing I like to do each December–create a special holiday video greeting from my company, Tim Hunter Creative Services.

https://youtu.be/Eg3S8aFHg_k

Cherish the ones you love. And peace.

Tim Hunter

ONE OF THE TRULY GREATS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving. It was definitely a busy holiday weekend, but we managed to wedge-in a lunch with some friends at Ray’s Boathouse. We won the lunch lotto as we arrived on a cold, but sun-drenched November day to a 10-minute wait and seats overlooking the way, as we celebrated living here in the Pacific Northwest.

Our conversations went all over the place. From summer vacations, to kids, to the big event coming up one week from that day: Julebord, an annual Christmas dinner at the Seattle Golf Club which yours truly emcees every year.

While I’ve got a lot of holiday traditions (crafting the family Christmas card, writing the annual family letter, putting together another Ho Ho Brother holiday collection, writing a parody song for sing Alana Baxter and then recording it and turning it into a video), my duties at Julebord are a hoot. I start out the event with a monologue, then break out into some kind of silly song, and then navigate our way through speeches, performances and door prizes.

With Julebord taking place at the Seattle Golf Club, just up the road from our house, I dropped in some S.G.C. trivia–that former KOMO TV weather guy Steve Pool was the club’s very first black member. (he had told me that once)

A few moments later, I was taking a quick peek at my Facebook feed on my phone, and what do you know: a picture of Steve Pool came up. Seriously, less than a minute after I had said his name out loud, there he was.

Dear Friends,

I am here to share the sad news that my dear husband, my love, has passed away from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. He fought this terrible disease privately for several years, and with every ounce of his being. He told me multiple times to “never count me out” and we never did. This past week it became too much and he passed away peacefully. We are so blessed to have had him in our lives. He was an extraordinary man, husband, father and good friend to many. Please know that he truly loved his job and this community and felt so privileged to be a part of your lives. You were all so good to him and thereby good to us. Our hearts are irretrievably broken. Please say a prayer for him and our family.

Wait. What?

Not a chance. Must be some sick hoax.

But as I searched Facebook, it was spreading like wildfire. Steve Pool had passed away from early onset Alzheimer’s at the young age of 70. That age gets younger the older you get. The KOMO news report confirmed it.

What made this so hard to process was that it was just four short Novembers ago that Steve announced his retirement. He had battled through prostate cancer and my thinking was, after that, he embraced the fact that life is just too darn short and it would be smart for him to spend more time with his family.

Now, to be clear, Steve and I were not best friends. While we were co-workers and acquaintances, but whenever you had a chance to talk with Steve, he made you feel like his best friend. Over a four-year period, we were both co-workers in the KOMO broadcasting empire. He was down the hall in TV, I was in radio, as Larry Nelson’s morning show producer.

To be honest, when Steve first took over the weather duties at KOMO, I was a bit resentful towards him. After all, he was brought in after the brass upstairs forced out that crazy Ray Ramsey guy. Ray and I had become good friends due to our mutual interest of insane humor.

But you can’t help but just like Steve, one of the nicest, kindest people you would have ever met.

During my days at KOMO radio, I had an indirect connection with him. He had one of those TV magazine shows called “Frontrunners” and when Ruth Warrick from “All My Children” came into the building for interviews, since I was such a HUGE AMC fan at the time, they did a segment on me rushing home each day to catch the show, and then recorded me interviewing Ruth.

However, it’s interesting to note that Steve and I were both Communications Majors at the University of Washington at the same time, but our paths never crossed. I graduated three months before him. Back then, the common thought for communications majors, you really had two choices–stick around in a major market, starting at the bottom and climb your way up or head to a smaller market where you would be doing everything, gain some experience and then return to the market of your choice. I headed to Yakima, Steve got on at KOMO and climbed quickly.

Part of what is inspiring this blog today is that we’re getting ready for the 115th annual Apple Cup football game between the University of Washington and Washington State University. Flash forward to my days at KLSY, where we started a very fun tradition. Around this time of year, we would play an “Apple Cup Edition” of our Battle of the Sexes game in the morning show, with special guests: Kathi “Cougar” Goertzen versus Steve “Husky” Pool. Here’s one of those battles I dug up.

As you can hear, they were so much fun and there was always a bet. This is us in the KOMO garage where my KLSY morning show co-host Bruce Murdock, representing the Cougars, had to wash Steve Pool’s car. (since the Huskies won)

Steve only made it to 70, but he had the accomplishments of someone who was 170. A Seattle weather guy for 40 years, for a while the go-to fill-in guy on “Good Morning, America.” Emcee, singer, goofball and a guy that loved to laugh. A complete pro.

Think about where you were and what you were doing back in November of 2019, just four short years ago. It was right before the pandemic that nobody saw coming, but it was when Steve decided to hang up his barometer and retire.

I’m getting that Steve really didn’t pay much attention to his Facebook page. The posts are rare and scattered and, of course, tapered off in recent years.

That week when I heard he was retiring, I wanted to interview him before his final show. He hadn’t responded to my Facebook requests, so I went through the proper channels at KOMO and requested an interview. The second he got the message, he contacted me and we set it up. I believe I caught him on the Thursday night before his final show and he made it sound like two old friends getting together to chat.

Here’s the interview.

And almost four years later, to the day, he was gone.

I sent him a note following our chat to say thanks for the time and for all the kind things he had to say about me.

Those were very kind words about me tonight, sir. Around the time we lost Kathi, I dug out some of those “Battle of the Sexes” we did with you two around Apple Cup time. Great seeing you again. Congrats on your success and for staying such a great guy. You guys have a special family down there. Tim

He never responded. I hope he saw it.

Since it ’tis the season and his family will be going through their first Christmas without him, I thought I’d offer up this little piece Steve put together for the holiday season back in 1984.

Rest well, Steve. You really, REALLY deserve it. But know, you are missed.

Yes, one of the truly greats has left the building.

Tim Hunter

 

Maybe This Might Be The Last One

I don’t remember much about the day, but I checked the date of the transaction: March 7th. Odds are that it was probably another gray not-quite-spring-yet day in the Pacific Northwest. I was going about my business, there was probably a notice on Facebook that said, “Hey, Lionel Richie along with Earth, Wind & Fire are coming to Climate Pledge in September!” Something inside me said, “You know, that would be a good show.” I’ve seen both before, but not together and with us all getting up there, come September, that would be a fun thing to do. So, I hopped online, found some seats that were as good as I could get for as much as I wanted to spend, and we had tickets. I was excited.

Yeah, we both pretty much look the same.

Somewhere between March 7th and September 11th, my enthusiasm has faded. Oh, not that it won’t be a great show. We’re actually meeting up with some friends, we’ll grab dinner somewhere together then scatter our separate ways. But maybe this is the part where someone creeping up on 68-years-old starts feeling his age.

For starters, there’s the cost. Ain’t cheap, McGee, for “OK” seats. By the time you add in (as my sister Debbie likes to say) all the “screw you” fees, those two seats clocked in at $327. Oh, you concert people who regularly sell your souls and lay out $500 to $1,000 for concert tickets–I will simply never get there. I still feel that $75 is a lot to go sit on the lawn at Chateau Ste. Michelle once a summer.

Because it’s not just the concert tickets. I’m bracing myself for $40 for parking, probably close to $100 for dinner somewhere and with the cost of the tickets, we’re now at a $500 night out. Basically, $100 an hour to go to a concert. And, on a Monday that will probably take me way past my 9 o’clock bedtime.

It’s at this point I would go out front and yell at kids to get off my lawn, but they’re all in school.

It’s just weird, seeing my senior citizen days rolling in like a dense fog. I’m coming up to a 50th high school reunion this weekend. Amazing how quickly do the math and then say, “Wow, you’re that old?” For you younger whipper-snappers that stumbled across this, I’m just letting you know that the whole aging process is one “Oh, they don’t do that anymore” after another.

Later this month, they’ll hold a “Fishermen’s Fall Festival” down on the Ballard waterfront as they have for years, (well, before COVID), and for most of the last 10 years, I’d be there as the emcee for their Lutefisk Eating Contest, my second one of the summer. But now, the fish market that sponsored the event has been sold, there are new owners, and that event of the festival is no longer around. (at least, with me involved)

Add to that, this week, I got the word that the pastor of our church, Our Redeemer’s Lutheran, is leaving to be closer to family back in the Midwest. She lost her dad this year, and with mom on her own and other relatives in the area, she wanted to get back there to reconnect with family while they’re still around. I totally get it. Working with her on Christmas Eve services or at the annual church auction are a couple more traditions I’ve really enjoyed over the past decade. And now, their future is uncertain. Oh, the church goes on, but it will be Pastor Gretchen-less.

Interestingly, I’m doing something along those lines this fall on a more short-term scale. I’ve got relatives I rarely see back in Minnesota and South Dakota, and so I decided it’s about time for me to go back for a one-week romp to reconnect with aunts, cousins and so. Early October in the Midwest, here I come!

Returning to the present, I’ve got Lionel and EW&F to enjoy tonight. To be honest, that “you’re an old guy now” gene has been tugging at me a lot today. Among its utterances: “Why the heck did you buy tickets for a concert on a Monday night?” and “You know, tonight is Aaron Rogers’ debut with the New York Jets. Wouldn’t it have been fun to stay home and watch that?”

Be gone, Geezer Gene!

I’ve truly seen a lot of great concerts over the years, from Frampton, Heart, Supertramp, Led Zeppelin and more during my college days, to Paul McCartney, the Stones, Don Henley and Joe Walsh in recent years. I never remember going to a concert feeling this inconvenienced before. Perhaps my concert-going days are over.

Maybe, just maybe, this might be the last one.

Tim Hunter