SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Don’s first edition of ‘Trail Thoughts’

May 25, 2018, 7:52 AM | Updated: 10:52 am

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Joe Kenny and Don O’Neill racing on Cougar Mountain.

I’m filling in for Ron on “What are We Talking About Here.” So every week during our radio show, Ron shares his musings from his daily shower. He calls it “Shower Thoughts.”

Honestly, that makes me a bit uncomfortable and I secretly think it’s kind of weird and kind of awesome all at the same time, but I don’t take showers. I’ll let you figure the rest out.

Recently, I started running trails throughout Western Washington. Here are some of the things that bounce around in my head while I am running. Let’s call them “Trail Thoughts.”

Just before that cougar attacked those two mountain bikers last week, I ran in the same area just days before. So what would I do if a cougar jumped out and attacked me on one of my runs? I would run like hell, but I’m already running like hell and the cougar is attacking me, so it seems I am going to have to come up with a better strategy.

My son’s principal informed me last week that he is a target for bullies at his elementary school. She also told me he is one of the sweetest boys she has ever had at her school. I hope those bullies understand his sweetness won’t last forever. There is a reason he has gone to Martial Arts for the past two years and his favorite wrestling move is the “banana splits.” We practice it nightly, so bullies, look out.

Seahawks present $20K to Cleveland High School football team

It was awesome to see the Seattle Seahawks show up for the kids at Cleveland High School this week and honor them with new equipment. That new equipment is suppose to be used on a field. A field that has been designed and paid for by Seattle’s taxpayers six years ago, but the field was never built. Our radio show was told last year that there would be shovels in the ground by now. We saw Larry the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools at the event the other night. I asked Larry when the field would be built. He said he has no idea. “Ask Flip from my office,” he said. We have. Flip doesn’t return our calls anymore. Ron and I went and paid the field a visit Thursday night. It’s horrendous. Now it’s time to pay another visit to Seattle Public Schools. You forget a field, you forget those kids. And I am not being flip about this. It’s time for some dogged determination on all our our parts.

What’s wrong with kneeling at a sporting event? How is that disrespectful? The first thing I was taught growing up was to kneel when I went to church out of respect and reverence. We did so much kneeling in the Catholic Church. I was an alter boy so there was even more kneeling; three services every Sunday! I wish we could have just gotten away with standing with our hats off.

Doug Baldwin on President Trump: ‘He’s an idiot, plain and simple’

A new study says 70 percent of all Americans are overweight or obese. If you saw fans take a knee at a football game, there might be a large percentage that would be unable to stand back up. Ever think of that?

Speaking of football games, the NFL should put their cameras on the fans just once and not the players during the national anthem. What some people do in my section at a football game is astonishing and surely not respectful.

Can we put a tax on Seattle politicians and call it the “Nincom Poop Tax?”

The pickle is under-appreciated. I hope it gets the respect it deserves at your holiday table this weekend.

Speaking of the holiday. It’s Memorial Day weekend. I’ll be thinking of my friend Jason, who never came home, and a man named Gunner, who my son is named after.

Freedom is never free.

“Some gave all, and all gave some”.

“Driver move out, and Gunner move over.”

“RANGERS LEAD THE WAY”

So there are some of my “TRAIL THOUGHTS. Have a great safe weekend.

I’ll see you on the trails,

~ don

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Don’s first edition of ‘Trail Thoughts’