Articles written by roger s. lucas
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 309
Funny way to store gold
Myanmar (Burma) has its own way of storing gold. The Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the premier Buddhist temples in the world and dates back some 2,500 years. Here in the U.S. we think of things 200-300 years old as really old. Not... — Updated 9/15/2021
Little things really matter
I’ve seen a mountain of big attractions. But little things do matter, and sometimes they are embedded in your memory. A few years ago, I took on a consulting job in Kodiak, Alaska. The owner wanted to clean up some of her b... — Updated 9/8/2021
Seems like time to leave
Our daughter Kim is in the thick of Louisiana storms again. Five years ago, their home in Denham Springs was flooded, with up to four feet of water in the lower floor. They had experienced 30 inches of rain in a couple day’s t... — Updated 9/1/2021
Change is one thing you can rely on
Life is full of changes, and they hit at an early age. I was born on a farm outside Palouse, and we didn’t have indoor plumbing. Our facility was located about 25 yards from the house and alongside our parking area. It was a t... — Updated 8/25/2021
That's not the way I see it
It’s time to play the blame game. Who exactly is at fault for the rapid collapse of Afghanistan? There are those who can’t see the similarities between this collapse and the one we saw in South Vietnam. I think it is a carbon cop... — Updated 8/18/2021
There were no losers
The Olympic Games are over. I watched about enough of the competition that I was interested in — mainly track and field, basketball and volleyball. While the games register winners and losers, it is my opinion that there are no l... — Updated 8/11/2021
Accommodations make the trip
I was lucky to travel when the best hotels were still inexpensive. The Okura Hotel in Tokyo was part of the International Hotel chain. Cost for an overnight stay today would be from $400-$600. I paid $18 for a first-class room... — Updated 8/4/2021
You can't say thanks too often
Every fire season brings back a sense of apprehension and appreciation. A number of years ago my wife and I signed on with OK Cascade, a Bothell firm that provided support for firefighters. We did this for two seasons and were at... — Updated 7/28/2021
Maybe music will work
On a flight between Honolulu and Tokyo I became the third member of the International Tap Dancer’s Federation. It was a tongue-in-cheek idea that if we could get all the world’s leaders on the banks of the Yangtze River in Chi... — Updated 7/21/2021
Passing of a friend
Most people can count very close friends on one hand. That’s why it is so sad that I lost such a friend, Myron Finkbeiner. Myron and his wife, Gwen, and their family had been in and out of our lives for many years. He was a native... — Updated 7/14/2021
Everybody needs a Bob
The most popular person in my wife’s family was her brother, Bob. My wife came from a rather large family, and they all had a lot of kids, taking to heart to go out and replenish the earth. That is all except her brother Bob, who m... — Updated 6/30/2021
Snake River defines Idaho
I have spent a lot of good times along the Snake River, from its source to where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. It’s one of the longest rivers in the country and flows from one end of Idaho to the other. Its major source is a... — Updated 6/23/2021
A tale of two aunts
A person, years ago, asked me if I had a favorite relative. I had two aunts that would qualify, but I couldn’t say which one was my favorite. I would just call a tie and move on. Aunt Lorena was my dad’s youngest sister and act... — Updated 6/16/2021
Expect the unexpected
When traveling in foreign countries, always expect the unexpected. In Bothell, I met a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong who came to this country but had to leave his wife behind. He was born in Hong Kong and easily fit within the... — Updated 6/9/2021
Those public conveyances
When traveling, better have some idea of how you are going to get around in foreign countries. In the Orient, no country bests Japan. I have traveled there in taxis, subway, boat and plane. You will find that their operations are... — Updated 6/2/2021
Digging those Norwegian roots
My grandmother, Marie Rusten, was born in Norway in 1861. I have spent a lifetime trying to get information about her, while some of it was right at my fingertips all the time. I don’t have much that was my grandmother’s, only two... — Updated 5/26/2021
Gwen Hilson knows coulee people and things
While working at the Star, I learned early on just ask Gwen Hilson. She has worked at the Star for a zillion years and under three owners. When writing about people or places you always come up with questions,and it’s easier to a... — Updated 5/19/2021
A vacation that was a knockout
While our four kids were home, we always tried to take a good family vacation. One year we took a month, and in our Chevy Impala we took off for an intended trip to Houston, Texas, then over to San Diego and up the West Coast. I... — Updated 5/12/2021
A buddy in the real sense
Damon Landeros is my great grandson. He’s really more than that; he is one of my best friends. Damon is a frequent visitor to our home and has the run of the place. He has two TV locations, the computer, and of course, the r... — Updated 5/5/2021
Irritate a wrestler at your own risk
While at the Statesman Newspaper in Boise, I was assigned boxing and covered a single pro wrestling event. The promoter of both boxing and wrestling in Boise was Al Berra, who operated a tavern in the downtown area. Al was... — Updated 4/28/2021
Wrong on both scores!
When I moved here, I thought with all this water I would get some boating and fishing in. I was wrong on both ideas. First, I bought a boat, a nice little boat, 17 foot long, as I recall. Paid $2,000 for it. I had been told that... — Updated 4/21/2021
Tailor-made to fit, literally
P.Y. Yee put clothes on you that fit and were of superior quality. He was one of the infamous tailors in Hong Kong, and I got to know him visiting his tailor shop in Hong Kong during my several visits there. It was like getting... — Updated 4/14/2021
Clearing the bases
Things look pretty bad right now for the people of Burma. In my visit to Burma, I found the people of a peaceful nature, but governed by military men who at the time stayed in the background. Since that time, there was a peaceful t... — Updated 4/7/2021
The unsung heroes of World War II
If you asked someone who the heroes of World War II were, you would probably get FDR, Gen. MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Gen. Patton, and so on. And they would be correct. But what about the unsung heroes? The kids across America... — Updated 3/31/2021
You got a dog, you got a problem
It is said that a dog is man’s best friend. If this is true for you, then you have a serious problem. I’ve only had one dog that ever came close, and I will get to that in a minute. My first dog was a collie/shepherd mix, cal... — Updated 3/24/2021