"If someone was to ask me what comes to mind when I think about Jim, I'd say he didn't let life slide away." -Booth Gardner, governor, State of Washington James S. Griffin, the grandson of pioneer Washington state families, recounts his life story for his grandchildren and generations to come. Beginning with his first memory as a four-year-old, his memoir blends tales of his own life with descriptions historical events and the role his families and distant relatives played in the early years of the city of Tacoma, as well as the founding of Everett, Washington. He also details their participation in a terrifying confrontation, often referred to as the Everett massacre, prior to Washington statehood. is a humorous yet tragic memoir that recounts a number of remarkable, life-threatening encounters. He heard these stories from his relatives and also by listening to bedtime stories about kin who came west to the Washington Territory in the late nineteen century to homestead to become lumber barons, mayors, judges, legislatures and entrepreneurs. Their stories and their legacy helped shape Jim Griffin's character and the direction his life has taken.