Walking through Costco with an empty buggy on my exercise walkathon, I nearly collided with a lady driver at an intersection of Vitamin Pills and Aspirin.

Elsbeth had preceded me with her own cart so she did not witness my near collision.

The senior lady had the right of way, so I waved her on through. She smiled and said, "Thank you. Age before beauty."

The lady turned out to be Martha Miller, who lives in Burien, and she knew who I was because she has seen my picture in the paper or on the post office wall.

“And that is Elsbeth," she said, pointing at my diminutive bride waiting patiently for me to stop yakking.

I sent my bride on ahead and I would catch up alongside Taste A Sample and Save Your Lunch Money Row.

Martha wanted to know what I thought about Burien annexing White Center. I told her that if I lived there I would vote for it. The whole North Highline area should have been included in the original incorporation vote.

Then she asked what I thought of the city's plan for a Town Square.

I told her I was excited about it. It is our best chance to avoid what happened to White Center. I had watched White Center deteriorate from 1950, when it had three furniture stores, four drug stores, four women's stores, three shoe stores, six good restaurants (including the famous Epicure where I med my wonderful Elsbeth), a movie house and, yes, five taverns.

Two department stores, four supermarkets and four appliance stores. And one bank.

But it had a lot of property owners who resisted any changes and as Burien started to blossom in 1956, White Center began to fade. From a lively versatile shopping center, the business district lost luster.

There are lots of businesses thriving there. My roots are still there, but it is a long stretch from what it was. The county does not want it, Seattle would take it but would likely ignore it.

Burien city leaders have shown they have vision and courage and are most likely to rise to the challenge of bringing back some of its former vitality.

When Martha said she didn't want to lose MealMakers I told her neither did I. Kevin Fitz and I go back 40 years to when he was our best paper carrier for The News; that I felt he would do quite well in a new location.

I knew Elsbeth was gorging herself on samples without my restraining hand so I said good by to Martha Miller with one last line.

“I think the proposed Town Square is our best hope for Burien to keep moving forward. Southcenter is not standing still. Burien better not either.”