Aloha Dog Park

Well here I am at the dog park tryin to wear the dog out. I don't know how effective it will be,but Molly is running around.

Molly playing at the dog park

Ruth Turns....I'm not telling :-)

Ruth's birthday was the first of this month. Alex picked out this cake for her mom. Boy, it was great tasting.

Fishing on the Clackamas River

This was posted from my phone! I finally got it working.

Well, the salmon on the Lower Clackamas is probably done, this particular morning there was at least a hundred guys trying to catch fish, I saw only 3 big salmon taken around 7:30 am and a few jacks here and there.

A Little Bit More

I started with my blog when we moved to Portland in 1974. So, I thought that I would fill in some of the story before I moved to Portland. My earliest memory is that of me crying and chasing after my mom down the street when she left me with my grandmother, Laura Grace Kennedy (DOB unknown) she was from Deming New Mexico the Daughter of Laura Bell Kennedy and John Littleberry Kennedy, her maiden name was Richardson. I will be getting more information from my sister Laura who has done research on our family history. So, back the story. In my memory I remember crying a lot when I was left behind. Hum... I wonder how that affects me today. This all happened in Sacramento, were I spent my pre-high school years growing up. Another memory was about seeing a kid squirting water from a hose onto my grandmother's porch because it was on fire. I believe after talking with my grandma years later, that she thought the guy next door was playing with matches and lit it on fire. It didn’t really burn much, and the porch was not burned down.

My mom didn't have much money, but she cared and loved for me so I never really knew we were poor. I remember that we lived in public assisted housing or the projects as some would call it. I was about 7 years old, and I remember going to kindergarten there. My best friends name was Johnny Rodriguez I liked him so much I got to name my little brother after him, John but of course we called him Johnny for ever. These days my sisters and I will call him Johnny just to irritate him. He was born (1966) while we lived there. My grandfather, Joseph Winifred Bates (born 1915 somewhere in Oklahoma), he came and stayed with my sister Laura and I while our mom went to the hospital to give birth to Johnny he hates being called that now, but we don't care it’s really our term of endearment for him. Our project housing was heated by gas because, I remember looking into the end of the heater and seeing the rows of flames. This fascinated me because when you looked in there you would see long rows of flames. Though were really only about 3 feet long. I think that was my first experience with an optical illusion.

One of my mischievous behaviors was to replicate the needle on the record player with a straight pin. I must of wrecked my moms record of Luis Armstrong, I loved to listen to him. I believe to this day, that is one of the reasons why I like jazz music. Another memory I remember was waking up, going downstairs of our house and seeing what I thought was who knows what. My grandmother I think cleaned it up. After years of recalling that memory I (my best guess) figured what it was, shrimp cocktail or something to that effect. I guess my mom had partied it up the night before (explains why Grandma was there that morning) and puked it up.

There was a store close by and I remember getting lime candy out of the candy machine. they were alot like skittles. I loved that stuff and still do but because of being diabetic I try not to eat candy too much any more. I just remembered how I would get money to buy candy. I would go to the housing grounds keepers building and check out a push lawnmower. I would go around and ask my neighbors if they wanted their grass mowed. I would charge 10 cents. I chuckle when I think about it, a 7 year old out hustling for cash to feed his sugar addiction. I did get one job, I can't remember if I did much more than the one. I was worn out by the time I was done with one yard. However, I do remember getting a shiny dime to hold in my hand.

Working on the Computer

I Spent most of the evening trying to get my remote access working with my laptop computer. I was able to get the Sonic Wall client working but I still can not access remote computers only the server. I WILL GET IT FIGURED OUT!

A Little Bit About Me

I was born February 16th 1961 at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento, California, the son of Laura Joan Bates and James Smyth Yamamoto. (My parents were never married)

My family moved to Portland, Oregon in 1974 and I attended Adams H.S. in NE Portland. I eventually I transferred to Jefferson H.S. in North Portland, the school I like to call, "Where the minority is the majority." I graduated from Portland Night School because I got myself in trouble and was kicked out of Jefferson my senior year of school.

While at Jefferson I studied music and television. Both of which I find useful to this day. I learned to play the saxophone and performed with the stage band and was a roadie for the Sounds of Jefferson Band. In 1974 we traveled to Reno, Nevada to compete in the International Jazz Festival where we won 3^rd place in our class (AA). Television was a passion I had. I learned about production and was able to procure a job at the ABC affiliate in Portland right out of high school.

During my senior year of high school I also emancipated myself; I wasn’t getting along very well with my mother (but who really does?). I worked at Radio Shack as a salesman and living with my ex-girlfriend’s mom. I soon found my own place and then landed the job at KATU Television (more to come on that).

Some Memories About Sacramento Ca.

When I was a kid in Sacramento, California one of my hobbies was raising pigeons. It was an interesting hobby, especially trying to keep my dog from eating them. Blackie was her name and she was a poodle mix. I don’t really know why she would break into the coop and eat a pigeon, but she would. Needless to say I didn’t continue raising birds but I believe it what sparked my interest in flying.

Growing up in South Sacramento was not boring, I would sit on the back-yard fence and watch the California State Patrol Academy practice riding and driving their bikes and cars. Sometimes they would play cops and robbers that is when things would get interesting, it was also the first real memory of adults cussing J. Some of the other things I would do during the summer would go and explore the fields of wheat grown at the end of my street. When I said I lived in South Sacramento I meant South, there was no more city beyond my street; just fields and fields of wheat.

There was also a creek that flowed through the fields. There I would play in the water and find crawdads. If I collected enough of them I would have a crawdad cocktail, they were very tasty. My neighbor down the street had a Honda motorcycle that he would let me ride it in the fields. If memory serves me right I think it was a 125cc motor bike. While my friends were riding their mini-bikes I would be on the motorcycle. Now that was fun!

First Blog Ever

Well, I do have to admit that this is my first blog ever. So if it seems a bit slow please just bear with me. There is alot in my life that I need to organize and find a way to get it down in words. Plus, I need to learn how to use this tool. I am currently at work where we work for a Major Entertainment Corporation that offers an online MMO. I will be editing this blog as I learn to use it. Please feel free to offer any suggestions for content and subjects.