Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

As I was wandering around, something I find myself doing more and more simply to appreciate the day, quite a few things caught my attention. Do you ever wonder why some animals get... — Updated 3/29/2023

Last year I wrote about some of the decisions one has to make in buying a car. I covered both new cars and used cars. This week, I write about some of the things that you should... — Updated 3/15/2023

Now the title of this column might make you think that I have something against our computer-based society. In fact, it is the exact opposite. I am a 100% committed computerphile.... — Updated 3/8/2023

OK, we all dread growing older. However, there really is no alternative, at least none I’ve ever discovered. A lifelong friend sent me a photo taken when he and I were first... — Updated 3/4/2023

This is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look back at the 2020 and 2022 elections. So, in my opinion, that represented the silly season of politics. If one believes in half of what each... — Updated 2/15/2023

Just in case it hasn’t been obvious until now, I have been a lifelong capitalist. In other words, I’ve always admired the free market at work. The following are just a few... — Updated 2/8/2023

Those of us who live here in the Pacific Northwest have been spoiled by our summer weather. All of you know that our summers are simply “perfect.” Moderate temperatures, low... — Updated 2/1/2023

Unfortunately, we had another mass shooting over the weekend. Now, this particular event appears, at first look, to be directed rather than random. Further narrowing it down, it... — Updated 1/25/2023

We’ve all seen animals perform tricks. That includes just about every animal on the planet. For example, there are a number of companies that have trained animals for “rent... — Updated 1/18/2023

As the year turns again to where it is no longer as big a deal as when I was much younger, I started thinking about some of the simpler things I’m thankful for. Mostly, it’s... — Updated 1/4/2023

Way back, say in the 1800s, there were “newspapers” – but in many cases, you did not receive the paper for days, perhaps weeks, or months. Imagine you’re out on the trail... — Updated 12/28/2022

Jerry Lewis passed away in 2017. He was 91. I read about an interview he gave the year before, when he was a “young” 90. He said, “I have so much left to do and so little... — Updated 12/20/2022

I am always amazed by nature. It is so all-powerful. I actually think (if nature can think!) that it has a certain disdain for humans. Mostly because nature has been around as long... — Updated 12/14/2022

Some things make me laugh that shouldn’t. Others make others laugh but are not funny (at least to me). The word Schadenfreude, adopted in English from German – where in German d... — Updated 12/7/2022

The other day, a friend happened to mention to me that they were having a hard time putting $200 together to buy something. This got me to thinking about whether putting $200... — Updated 11/30/2022

For those of you who followed my Facebook page last year, each day you could see additional progress being made to the house we were building just down the street from our current h... — Updated 11/23/2022

I was rewatching the movie “A Social Network.” This is a great film about the founding of Facebook. As I watched, there were quite a few scenes about Mark Zuckerberg’s time... — Updated 11/17/2022

OK, like many of you, we had the displeasure of involuntarily disconnecting from society due to the windstorm that hit us a few days ago. First, we lost power for almost a full... — Updated 11/10/2022

I’ve often thought about our fixation on our professional sports teams. Locally, that includes the Seahawks, the Mariners and now the Kraken (oh yeah, there is a professional... — Updated 11/2/2022

It’s World Series Time again. Each fall, when the Fall Classic approaches, I start to think of the “old days” of Major League Baseball. Now I’m old enough to remember the ... — Updated 10/26/2022

Now with that title, my first guess is that you’re wondering if everything is OK with me? Well, let me say that as far as I know, everything with me is fine. But if you’re... — Updated 10/12/2022

I got to thinking about all the ways we are being “helped” by automation in our modern society – and how sometimes perhaps there might be “just a little too much” of it.... — Updated 10/5/2022

OK, today I’m going to “channel” that great American comedy resource, Dave Barry. He is a national treasure. From time to time, he wrote a column (his “home” newspaper is... — Updated 9/21/2022

OK, you would have to have been unconscious for the past week to not know that the Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at the age of 96. This followed the... — Updated 9/14/2022

We’re all concerned as to whether we are safe. Safe in our homes, safe going to the store, safe going out in public. Let me address this. There are almost 8 billion people in the... — Updated 9/7/2022