LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Every word of every travel article ("Travel Dreams," Sept. 28) was read by my husband and me. What a splendid issue, I think the best one I have ever read — perhaps because I traveled to far-off places between the ages of 35 and 70. The focus on this issue brought back wonderful memories of our own travels.

It was a healthy departure from all the houses usually featured and which most of us don't even dream of ever owning. Yet I am certain that most people will identify with these travel essays and our own experiences when the world was a safer place.

Thank you for the compilation of these wonderful stories. Hopefully, this trend will be repeated time and time again so that once again I can open my travel memories and relive those enchanting days and evenings. That is just about what we can now do at ages 82 and 93, respectively.

— Shirley and William Rose
Seattle

Words for thought

Thank you for your article "Playing for Keeps" (Aug. 10). Hopefully it will provoke more thought than derision. I am glad that there are some in the media who believe that development and progress are not synonymous with growth. We are part of the minority who believe that more is not better, but better is better.

You may be pleasantly surprised to learn there were two Diogeneses. The one you know was Greek. An earlier and, to me, more important Diogenes was Turkish (from Sinop). He lived his life in a barrel and talked about living with the dogs in order to better know life. He is the father of cynic philosophy and, according to J.D. Crossan in "Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography," was the model of the Christ.

I especially like your idea of modeling Seattle as an eco-center. The strength of a city should lie in promoting its predominant resource. Seattle has a special environment: forests, water, mountains and climate, and the preservation and promotion of those resources should be our focus. I believe it is and that we need to find more leaders, as Brian Derdowski, who helps us recognize and build on our strengths.