The Senior Scene

Jim Valley has taught kids all over the world, but he calls Gig Harbor his home.  Born in Tacoma and raised in Seattle, Valley has a life-long love affair with the arts, music, kids and gardens.  And Jim Valley has always loved rock and roll.

He learned to play the piano by ear in the 9th grade and then taught himself to play the guitar.  One friend got a set of drums for Christmas, another buddy played the sax and another had a guitar but didn’t know how to play it. “He just sort of beat on it,” said Valley.

Valley wrote his first song “Cassandra” while in junior high school.  One night the group, called Vince Valley and his Chain Gang, was playing a gig at a junior high sock hop and, as Valley tells the story, “I’m playing the piano, this guy is up there with his acoustic guitar beating on it and the drummer and sax player were playing and I realized we were lacking something in our band; it was an electric guitar –so I bought one.”

He says now he regrets not taking advantage of the month of free lessons that came with the guitar due to his bias against country music at the time, telling the shop owner, “I’m going to learn how to play like Elvis.”

Valley bought a guitar book, taught himself how to play and the rest, as they say, is history.

Soon he moved from his spot as the piano player to playing guitar.

The band, which was by then called The Viceroys, earned $60 for their first dance. They became popular in Seattle and played a number of venues over the next four years.

In 1963, having recorded an instrumental called “Granny’s Pad,” they hit pay dirt when it became a huge Northwest hit. The Viceroys became a popular band in the Northwest, along with the Wailers, the Frantics and Little Bill and the Bluenotes.

Later Valley joined Paul Revere and the Raiders and they packed the house wherever they performed. They appeared on the Smother Brothers TV show and at age 23, Valley found he was a teen idol.

Later he began his teaching career, traveling internationally and helping kids learn more about friendships through poetry and song writing

Valley still helps kids discover their imagination, using themes focused on friendship, the environment and self-esteem. In 1983 he recorded his first children’s album “Rainbow Planet” and received the Parent’s Choice award.

Valley has settled down a bit from his rock and roll days, but he still loves music. He also loves gardens.  His home, on the water in Gig Harbor, demonstrates his love of flowers and outdoor spaces.  The gardens are extensive and beautiful with huge zinnias, larkspur, cardoon and perennial lobelia, roses and tons of trees and fragrant mock orange.

Originally built in 1898, the house was once a grocery store, with folks coming by boat to stock up on supplies.  Valley has remodeled the house, but parts of the old store and all of its rich history still live and breathe beneath new walls and roof.

The interior of Valley’s home reflects his love of music with a wall of guitars and masks from all over the world.

In June, Valley’s home was one of the stops on the Gig Harbor Garden Tour. Nine hundred visitors wandered through Valley’s lush gardens and were thrilled with all the little nooks and crannies in his garden area, with spots to sit and rest a while.

Outside Valley’s back door sits a statute of Saraswati, the goddess of music and wisdom watching over it all, blessing and guarding the beautiful home and gardens.

They call themselves “Loners on Wheels” (LoWs) and they travel far and wide—single folks who love to RV and socialize with other singles. The Pacific Northwest Chapter (Nor’West LoWs RV Club) consists of mostly Western Washington, Canada and Oregon participants.

Carol Ortiz, who lives in Olympia, owns an Airstream and is one of the rally coordinators for the group’s upcoming event from Aug. 30 to Sept. 6 at Washington Land Yacht Harbor, an RV park in Lacey, WA where Ortiz resides.
“We often say we are not a matchmaking club,” said Ortiz, “just singles who enjoy camping together.”
Campouts and rallys include trips to local attractions, opportunities to play cards and games, campfires, lots of great conversation and of course, food and fun.

The upcoming rally will offer senior driving classes, fire extinguisher seminars, RV maintenance seminars, crafts, entertainment, happy hours, games, a variety show, remote car races, a silent auction and hay ride, a pet parade and more.

April through October Nor’West LoWs try to have a campout each month. “There is a secure feeling traveling with a group,” said Ortiz who has been a member for about three years.

Ortiz enjoys exploring new places and appreciates the camaraderie of the group. She just turned 70 and said the age of members ranges from 50 to 80. “We have some inspiring older folks in their 80s who are still RVing,” said Ortiz, adding “They are my heroes!”

Chapter President Inez Hybholt, who is 84 years old and still drives her RV to events, joined in 1991. “LoW’s was formed in 1969,” she said, “as a group for single people to get together that liked to RV.” LoW’s chapters exist throughout the United States.

When asked why she joined Nor’West LoWs, Hybholt said she was in her early 60s when she realized she always wanted to travel the U.S.

“I thought it would be fun to RV so I looked in the newspaper for RVs and saw clubs listed in Seattle.” She went to a Nor’West LoWs rally in Shelton and was hooked. “I thought these are my kind of people. I went out and bought a used Class B in September of that year and was ready to hit the road in October.”
Now on her third RV, Hybholt has clocked well over 100,000 miles in her adventures.

Acknowledging that the security of traveling with a group is important, Hybholt likes the company of other folks as well. Now everyone has a cell phone, but when she first joined every member had a CB to stay in touch.

Anyone interested in joining LoW’s can call membership chair Al Cottler at 253-906-8222 or e-mail him at alinwa@earthlink.net. The website for the group is www.norwestlows.com and the national group’s website is www.lonersonwheels.com.

Loners on Wheels has 50 regional chapters in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Four years ago Tony McKennon moved to Washington state.  Intent on writing and illustrating children’s books, McKennon said he saw the Tacoma area as a “great blend of urban and natural in close proximity.”

Born in Nashville, Tenn., McKennon displayed a flair for the artistic arena early on, but was discouraged from pursing that talent.  Rising above those early negative messages, McKennon was educated in TV and film production and ran a children’s theater for three years.

He developed a variety of interesting skills.  An avid naturalist and bird watcher, McKennon was also a member of the National Ski Patrol in New England.  He has worked in all four corners of the U.S.

Saying he has been an artist all his life, McKennon has written and illustrated four books.

His book, “You’re Moving Where?” focuses on an inner city boy named Gus, whose family moves to the country.  McKennon weaves his story about Gus from the time the moving van pulls up to the happy ending with a visit from his city friends, who find the country is not really a scary place at all, but one that offers lots of good, wholesome and fun entertainment.

Currently, McKennon is looking for someone to help him produce his latest book, “Willy the Wannabe Wallaby,” into a musical production.

The two main characters in the book are Jabaroo Jack, showing values of tradition and preservation, and Khaki Man, who displays blind ambition at all costs.

The book’s focus is the message that every single living thing has value, even though it might take people a bit of time to realize that.

In addition to writing and illustrating the book, McKennon has completed the script and written poems, which have been translated to songs for the production.

A music professor from Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) read the script and said he could easily visualize the play being produced.McKennon was thrilled.

Saying that “Willy the Wannabe Wallaby” has broad appeal from youngsters to adults, McKennon said the book demonstrates the values of personal growth, friendship, community, self-acceptance, loyalty, self-realization and a strong sense of sacrifice.

He stressed that children can identify with “Willy” being on the endangered species list and enjoy the songs and colorful dances, and adults can “enjoy a little good-natured fun poking at a world that is both fascinated by nature and yet capable of destroying it at times with careless abandon.”

A music student from PLU scored the music for the play from McKennon’s poems.

McKennon said he sees a lot of opportunities for aspiring producers, actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, and costume designers if the play were to make it to the big stage.

“I am already heartened by the extraordinary contributions of the musician (who scored the music) and the encouragement of the PLU music professor to continue pursuing the production.”

Adding that he is always open to suggestions and advice that will contribute to the play’s potential, McKennon encourages anyone interested in helping with this production to call him at (253) 627-8303.