Shelley Smith Jones

As a wise teacher, ancient King Solomon once admonished young people, “Of making books there is no end, and much study is a weariness to the flesh.” I often think of that statement when I walk into one of the ubiquitous bookstores that house thousands of books. When I was given an opportunity to sell […]

There was nary a word of disappointment spoken in the valley when the skies darkened, thunder roared, and raindrops fell this past week. Except for the ever-present worry of lightning strikes causing fire, the cooldown and soaking were most welcome. Rain, like sunshine, is one of those natural mood influencers. In our present state of […]

Before I begin my real column, I have to say that I saw a mama moose and her calf crossing Highway 20 on the Mazama side of the Weeman Bridge on my way to see Friday Feels. That was an amazing sight! Now the rest of the story. Whether you are still in the working […]

Almost 20 years ago, a friend said that we should do one thing a year that expands our comfort zone. He called it taking one risk, though he now questions whether he said such a thing. That year, a bunch of us high school classmates, including the risk taker, entrusted our lives to the oarsmen […]

The wildfire smoke is laying a heavy blanket across a wide swath of the Pacific Northwest. Last week I made a quick trip to the west side for a medical appointment and thought perhaps there would be a reprieve from the smoke in the usually refreshing marine air of the Puget Sound. Not so. I […]

“One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.” (From “The Ants & the Grasshopper.”) In four […]

The Cascade Loop National Scenic Byway is considered Washington state’s ultimate road trip. The 440-mile loop is a popular summer destination for travelers of all sorts. The loop is divided into nine distinct regions — two of which are in our backyard — North Cascades Scenic Byway and the Methow Valley from stem to stern. […]

This is column number 360 since I began writing in September 2019 — just before COVID-19 and all that hullabaloo. I wondered since I’ve now done a complete 360 whether I can start repeating topics and maybe no one would notice.  I had a friend tell me that he told his church minister that it […]

Mazama’s early history is full of interesting facts and colorful people. Shafer Historical Museum volunteers Sharon Sumpter and Doug Swoish have been diligently studying the photos, documents, and items that have survived the test of time to tell the story of the upper valley from its earliest days in the late 1800s. Together Sumpter and […]