There are interesting people living right in your neighborhood.

How do I know? All you have to do is ask.

Meet Barry Turnbull. Standing in line with some zucchini seeds at the checkout counter at Lowe's the other day, I saw the gentleman you see pictured here.

He had a cart full of his own gardening supplies and with my usual flip attitude, I asked him what was "growing on."

Little did I know that Mr. Turnbull was a real gardener, and not a wannabe like me.

He began by listing the crops he was raising, including peas, radishes, green beans and beets, and by the time he got through raspberries, tomatoes and Brussels sprouts, I was ready to hang up my hoe.

Barry Turnbull even grows dahlias.

I politely changed the subject, and this fellow was more than happy to tell me about his life.

Barry was born in Felling on Tyne, England, and came to this country at the age of ten, becoming a naturalized citizen at age 15.

He attended West Seattle High School and graduated in 1957.

Barry took the usual jobs young people do, and he worked at Safeway, spent time on the waterfront and worked in a steel mill.

That's when Barry's wanderlust kicked in and he traveled through South America, cruised the Panama canal and lived in Paris for a time. It was in France that Barry decided on a career. He was sitting in a park watching a young mother with her kids and he had an epiphany:

"These children speak no English and I barely speak French," he said. "Someone needs to teach them."

Barry came back stateside and attended Eastern Washington University, graduating with a BA in education and then moved to Federal Way in '73, where he got a job teaching English in the Tukwila school district.

Barry taught math, English and P.E., along with coaching football and other sports, but his favorite course to teach was American History, all in all, for 30 years until he retired in '97. (I thought this was interesting coming from a former British boy).

Along the way he met his future wife Charlene, also a teacher, and together they had two daughters, one of whom also became a teacher.

Barry must have been a good history teacher because he made such an impression on the City of Tukwila, they gave him the Honorary Keys to The City.

"The kids called me 'Mr. T'," he said, "but one little guy got Charlene's last name mixed up and called her, 'Mrs. Pitbull.'"

Now that Mr. T is retired, he and Mrs. Pitbull are enjoying their three grandchildren (including a brand spanking new one) and in between baby sitting they are also civically active in Federal Way, helping with community supper at Steel Lake Church, organizing food from Food Lifeline.

Barry is an interviewer with Operation Blessing at St. Luke's on 312th and 6th Avenue where the church helps people with food, housing and bill paying.

"It's so rewarding when people in need leave the building with smiles on their faces," he said. "It's our way of helping to get people back on their feet."

Barry said that anyone can donate to Operation Blessing at St. Luke's.

Back at the hardware store it was my turn in the checkout line, so I wished Mr. T good luck with his Brussels sprouts and I went home to my pathetic weed patch.

I'm not jealous, though. I love zucchini, but you'll never see me eat Brussels sprouts.