My apologies to those of you who have been leaving comments and then finding that they seem to disappear.

The good news is that I am seeing them, and I will plan on posting them. However, since some of them are controversial (my favorite kind), I want to get the problem fixed so that everyone has a fair chance to respond.

I have spent hours trying to fix the problem in Livejournal, my blogging host, and I can not seem to resolve it. All the settings suggest that your comments should be displayed the moment you submit them. Note that I had not changed anything in recent months that would have changed the comment feature. About six months ago I selected the CAPTCHA spam filter for anonymous comments, to slow down the spam, but your comments were still getting posted just fine after making that change.

I made my first posts on Livejournal exactly five years ago today. I was prolific that day, making these three entries on a busy Monday, June 12, 2006.

I’m planning many more years of blogging, but I’m going to switch my blogging host to wordpress. For those of you who get access to my journal via my website www.randycorman.com, the change will be fairly transparent. For those of you who read my blog via livejournal, I want to encourage you to find me at my www.randycorman.com website.

The switchover may take a few days. Fortunately, my son Andy is brilliant at things like this, and he will help me get it set up.

I have several topics I want to blog about, so please keep checking back to my website. This promises to be an interesting election season, and there are lots of interesting things going on in government right now.

I’ll write again soon!

Thanks, Randy

My Mom died peacefully today after a three year battle with Alzheimer’s. She has been surrounded by family in her final days, and I got to hold her as she passed. She was a fantastic Mom, Grandma, and Great-grandma and it’s been very difficult to say goodbye to her.

Here is some more information about her, and some recent photos of her.

Mary Ellen Corman May 7, 1936- May 26, 2011

Livermore resident Mary Corman died peacefully 26, 2011, at the age of 75. Mary was born and grew up in rural Kansas. She graduated from University of Kansas, where she met and married her husband Gary Corman in 1957. They moved to Livermore in 1960, and she has lived in Livermore for the past 51 years. Her husband of 38 years, Gary Corman, worked at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory.
Mary was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Livermore since 1960, and served as a church deacon as well as in many other volunteer roles. She was active in the Livermore arts community during the 1960s and 70s, and her creative works included paintings, illustrations and photography. She worked many years as an illustrator for religious and educational publications.
Mary turned to computers for her artwork beginning in 1983, and was active in online communities for over two decades until she was diagnosed with lewy body dementia in 2008.
While raising her children, her home was always teeming with neighborhood kids and pets.
Mary is survived by four children: Roger Corman, of Santa Rosa, CA; Brenda Gallardo, of Livermore; Randy Corman of Renton, WA; and Sharon McLeod of Livermore. Mary is survived by her two brothers Ken Roger, of Renton, WA and Jerry Roger of Tulsa, OK. She is also survived by her two sons-in-law and two daughters-in-law, 12 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her husband Gary Corman.

Here is a little more information about my Mom and Dad.

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April 17, 2011

For more information contact:
Renton Police Department Front Counter, 425-430-7500

Suspect vehicle involved in collision after abduction call

At 12:43 PM on April 17, Renton Police were sent to the 600 block of Monster Road SW, in response to a possible abduction. A witness reported that two men had forced a woman into a car, which then drove away. The witness was able to keep sight of the car until Renton Police caught up to it. When the arriving Officers attempted to stop the suspect vehicle, a silver 1997 Saturn, the driver refused to stop. The driver led Police on a two minute pursuit into Tukwila, where he entered the northbound lanes of I-5. Immediately on entering the highway, the driver turned the vehicle 180 degrees, causing the Officers to terminate their pursuit. Now traveling southbound in the northbound lanes, the suspect driver struck a northbound vehicle head-on. All three occupants of the suspect car, two men and a woman, were transported to Harborview Hospital. Due to their conditions, none have been identified, and their relationship and the circumstances leading up to the apparent abduction are unknown. Washington State Patrol and Renton Police Traffic Division are investigating the collision. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to call the Renton Police at 425-430-7500, reference case number 11-3802.

Several of us Cormans pose with Nazime, owner of the Landing’s new “Mucho Burrito” fresh Mexican food restaurant. The restaurant officially opens on Monday April 4th.

Mucho Burrito is opening tomorrow at the Landing. The new Mexican Food restaurant is a part of a successful Canadian chain, known for using 100 percent fresh ingredients.

I had the opportunity to sample some food on Saturday as the restaurant was training their staff with an informal “soft-opening”. (Some of my kids and I were walking by after shopping at the new Dick’s Sporting Goods which opened Friday) The food at Mucho Burrito was fresh and delicious, and the portions were very filling.

I also enjoyed the restaurant layout and the large number of tables. This will be a popular spot for large groups of hungry diners. And with a mix of meaty dishes to salads, everyone can find something that suits their taste and diet.

The West Seattle Herald just published this great story about the success and planned second location of Renton’s “A Terrible Beauty”. This outstanding downtown pub has been drawing larger and larger crowds of diners and minglers, as the venue has become increasingly widely known for their great food, engaging staff, frequent live-music, and entertaining vibe. They are open to people of all ages during dining hours, and they become an over-21 popular nightspot in the evening hours.

For those who have wondered, they take their unusual name “A Terrible Beauty” from that “other person” that can steal your heart away. (As in “a terrible beauty stole my husband”)

Cathy and I dine here often, and it is a favorite among many of our friends. Below is a snap-shot from one of our visits.

Congratulations to owners Jenna Shannon Garvey-O’Brien and Paddy O’Brien for their tremendous success. They deserve our gratitude for bringing additional fun to downtown and stimulation our economy. They also deserve sincere thanks for their strong commitment to the community– they are frequent fundraisers for those in need.

My Mother as a graduate student in college, around 1957.

My loving Mom, a beautiful artist, teacher and Master of history who nurtured four of us Corman kids in a home overflowing with joy and laughter, is nearing the end of her battle with Alzheimer’s.

I’ve been having dreams about Mom lately; in the latest one she was standing at an easel painting while I was on the floor building with blocks and Lincoln logs. This was a pretty common scene in our home in Livermore California in the 1960s.

My family and I are not ready to say goodbye to Mom, but we know we will have to soon. She has been having difficulty eating and drinking. Please keep us in your prayers.

Here is a little more information about my Mom and Dad. (Dad passed 15 years ago).

Kenny and Anastasia Corman pose in front of an old-growth stump near May Creek in Renton
Virtually all the evidence of Renton’s old-growth forests has disappeared over the last hundred years. Logging was a big part of our city’s history, and around a century ago all of Renton’s big trees were cut for lumber. It’s easy to forget that the big trees we see in Renton now, such as the 80-year old firs that tower over my backyard, are really just juveniles. Douglas Fir trees and Western Red Cedars can keep growing for 800 years or more.

There is at least one ancient Cedar stump about a half mile from Kennydale Hall, which reminds us how big our native forests were. This stump is located at the confluence of Honey Creek and May Creek.

Hikers can get there by parking near Kennydale Memorial Hall and following NE 27th St eastward to the closed “Devils Elbow Road”. Walk Devils Elbow road down to the point it crosses Honey Creek, and then follow it about 50 feet up the other side. There is a rough foot-trail which will allow hikers to generally track Honey Creek down to May Creek (the trail is on Renton-owned public land.) As you get near May Creek, the main trail turns westward; at this point look for a smaller path to the right that heads north directly towards May Creek. The stump can be found where this smaller trail intersects May Creek.

Here are a couple historic pictures of logging in our area: The top one is near Panther Lake, and the bottom one is in Kennydale. Both show how large the native trees were.

The sources for the pictures are here and here.