Month: November 2022

For the first time in several years, our family’s Thanksgiving gathering will be larger! We’ve been looking forward to returning to something that resembles a typical holiday. With some wise precautions, this is the year. My sister and brother-in-law will be flying in from the East Coast.  They’re the parents of the cross-country Olympic skiers I wrote about last winter. My brother is quite the foodie and always prepares an amazing meal!  As for me, my talents shine after dinner, as the “dishwasher in chief.”  It will be wonderful to be with my siblings, and many of our children and grandchildren! For me, the holiday is not just about a great feast with those I love.  There are many other things that make this time of year special. We just…

Recently, I joined a group of County employees at the Environmental Services Building to welcome them to a very important training session.  This was my third time welcoming folks to this particular class this Fall and we hosted the class several times before COVID. The class is called “Government to Government” and the goal is to teach our colleagues about Indian Tribes and how to effectively interact with the leaders, members, and employees of our local tribal partners.  We are very fortunate to have Pam and Gordon James lead the class.  Gordon was a former tribal leader with the Skokomish tribe and Pam is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.  They do a great job presenting the information and engaging the students! When I welcome the…

This is an early edition of the blog since tomorrow is Veterans Day. I had the honor of speaking at the Puyallup American Legion’s annual Veterans Day event last weekend and I’d like to share a portion of my remarks that day with you. Back on September 2nd, I attended the opening ceremonies of the 43rd Annual Puyallup Tribe of Indians Pow Wow.  The Pow Wow is an amazing celebration of Native culture.  Nearly 100 dance groups and drummers from tribes across the country assembled to preserve and elevate their heritage. The Pow Wow begins with a processional to welcome every dance group.  As they enter the huge event tent, they dance in a circle, coiling like a snake, until everyone is dancing together.  However, leading the procession was a…

It was quite a celebration on Wednesday night at the McGavick Center!  A room full of our Pierce County colleagues and some family members gathered to recognize long-time employees with anniversary milestones and cheer the winners of this year’s Standing Ovation Awards.  Enthusiastic smiles, hugs and handshakes abounded at the first in-person banquet we’ve held in several years. As the group settled in for dinner and dessert, the stars of the evening began to shine. In a profile that touched the heart of every animal lover in the room, we learned about how Josh Drye in the Prosecutor’s Office is an advocate for animals – including those who have been abandoned by the very people who were supposed to protect and take care of them.  Thank you, Josh, for supporting…