Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

In the spirit of civil disobedience that has swept over the land, I made an illegal U-turn last weekend. This isn't a metaphor. It's also not an act of rebellion against the... — Updated 6/29/2020

There’s nothing I trust less – a random anecdote, a suspicious Abraham Lincoln quote, Donald Trump – than my own memory. This is so common among my peers that it’s hardly... — Updated 6/24/2020

I have a funny story about Father's Day and this newspaper column, although it's possible I've told it before. It's also possible it's not funny. I'm pretty sure about the holiday.... — Updated 6/15/2020

I’ve been doing some thinking, and the last person I actually hugged before we all locked ourselves in our houses was a linguist. You never know who’s going to be the last one.... — Updated 6/10/2020

I can revisit my childhood anytime I wish, dropping in at a moment's notice, connecting with my earliest memories on a whim. I lived on Google Street, just two clicks from you. That... — Updated 6/3/2020

I was thinking about Vaughn Meader the other day, so my unconscious appears to be totally in charge now. I won't tell you about my dreams. Vaughn Meader was one of the most famous... — Updated 5/27/2020

I finally saw "Contagion," which everyone seemed to be watching about six weeks ago. Or maybe it was six months ago. How long has it been? I've already forgotten the days of the wee... — Updated 5/18/2020

My shorts were right where I left them last fall, rolled up on a bottom shelf. The warm weather had sent me off on a scavenger hunt for comfortable clothes that didn’t resemble... — Updated 5/13/2020

Three things blew my mind before the age of 8. They were dumb things, in retrospect, but let's give the kid a break and the old guy his due. I've been around long enough to see... — Updated 5/5/2020

As we entered what for many of us in this region was our third week stuck at home, I happened to notice that Stephen Sondheim was having a big day. This was back in late March,... — Updated 4/27/2020

Google knows what I'm up to. This shouldn't be a surprise, although I'm always surprised. Of course, any search engine worth its salt will recognize patterns, including (and maybe... — Updated 4/22/2020

I woke up on Easter morning last week, completely unprepared for a miracle. I guess that's a little obvious. Miracles are pretty much always surprises, by definition. I was awake... — Updated 4/16/2020

I like to imagine, 20 years from now, some curious young person, maybe a child, perhaps writing an essay for school, visiting my 81-year-old self with questions about this... — Updated 4/8/2020

When it comes to garden-variety apocalypses, my daughter is the canary in this particular coal mine. She’s been preparing for this her entire life. Not that she’s a prepper, or... — Updated 3/25/2020

I was standing in line this past weekend, watching a symphony of social unease played in a minor queue. There were just a few of us in line, and we were twitchy. I could be projecti... — Updated 3/18/2020

The cat jumped into my lap this morning, as he does most mornings. This is not a random cat, although I'm pretty sure he considers it a random lap. And as he got up close and... — Updated 3/11/2020

I gave a friend a ride home the other night, traversing unfamiliar streets in the dark the old-fashioned way. That is, he told me where to turn. This was mildly embarrassing for a... — Updated 2/26/2020

I slipped in and out of the grocery store on Valentine’s Day, getting what I needed quickly and trying not to stare. It’s become an annual adventure, observing the mating ritual... — Updated 2/19/2020

A million years ago, a coworker told me about her dream. I was mildly curious, if only because we were collegial only, not really friends. And because the dream was about me.... — Updated 2/12/2020

I said goodbye to two old friends last week, although it was hardly sad, and not really goodbye anyway. A favorite television show ended, for one thing. I watched the finale and... — Updated 2/5/2020

I’ve decided that Michael Chabon is going to be my wingman for this one. I feel as though I’m on shaky ground, and I could use some credentials in my corner. Chabon is a famous... — Updated 1/29/2020

Not to be Captain Obvious here, but the world has changed, and we’ve changed with it. OK. I would accept Lt. Commander Obvious. Assessing change in real time is usually like... — Updated 1/22/2020

It’s a little cold, which is as cold as it gets where we live. To be fair, I mean. This region hasn’t seen single-digit temperatures in decades, and it’s not likely to in the... — Updated 1/15/2020

The unwelcome visitor showed up on Christmas Eve, looking for room at the inn. There were plenty of vacancies. I wasn’t paying attention. It was a pretty normal Christmas Eve,... — Updated 1/8/2020

Three years ago, I thought I was so smart. It was a bad year, that one. Not only did a presidential election roil us in 2016, unleashing spasms of disbelief and nastiness, but we... — Updated 12/31/2019