I’ve lived in the Puget Sound region my entire life — I arrived at the tail end of the Baby Boom and was born in early 1960 (you do the math). I’m old. Well, maybe it’s more like I’m old-ish. I don’t feel old. Feel about 29. Give or take twenty years.
Like the vast majority of babies born in the post-war era, I first saw the light of day on First Hill in Seattle at Swedish Hospital — Swedish was actually known as the “Baby Hospital” back in the day.
I lived in Southwest Seattle (White Center aka “Rat City”) during my earliest childhood, and then was raised on the Eastside … within a mile of what’s now Bellevue Square. Believe it or not, there used to be horse pastures between the house I grew up in and the Square back then! LOL! Now there are highrise buildings and yupster coffee shops. My modest little childhood home was torn down a number of years ago to be replaced by essentially a mansion.
My grandparents owned a house on Lake Washington out on Yarrow Point which overlooked what used to be the Lake Washington Shipyards (now the Seahawks training grounds). I grew up around boats, sea planes, commercial fishermen, Boeing engineers, lily pads, cats, dogs, ducks, geese, big game hunters, horses … and rich people. Which we weren’t particularly. But that’s another story for another day.
Anyway, on with my little personal narrative.
My family moved to Olympia, so I attended high school in the Lacey area. I attended college in Auburn, Olympia, and Tacoma. I’ve worked in downtown Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, Federal Way, Auburn, Lacey, Olympia. Before kids, I lived in Bellevue, West Seattle, Shoreline, and on Capital Hill. Over the years, I’ve worked throughout the region in restaurants, medical facilities, hotels, newspapers, antique stores, churches, and been a self-employed freelance writer, book author, and public speaker throughout much of that time, too. I raised my own family (three great kids — who aren’t really “kids” anymore!) mainly in West Seattle, Auburn, and Olympia.
I know the Puget Sound region well. Very well. And you know what?
There’s no place like this place! 
