Mazama

John Lydgate was a monk and a poet who lived from 1370 until 1451 in Suffolk, England; suffice it to say, a long time ago. He was admitted to the Benedictine monastery Burrey St. Edmonds Abbey at age 15. Abraham Lincoln made one of John Lydgate’s quotes famous: “You can please some of the people […]

A childhood in the 1950s and 1960s had its own challenges, but certainly nothing of the nature that children face in this 21st century — no pandemic, no global warming, no monstrous wildfires. Hot summer nights on the residential streets of my small Montana hometown were filled with children riding bikes, playing cowboys and Indians, going to […]

A recent Seattle transplant to Mazama expressed an observation about the hot spots where a local takes a visitor to share a flavor of the area. In Seattle, it was the obvious: Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Ballard Locks, and a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. In Mazama, the list also begins with the obvious: […]

Bite of the Methow, Winthrop Kiwanis’ major fundraiser, scheduled for March 14 was one of the first — if not the first — valley casualty of the coronavirus mayhem that will forever go down as the historical marker of 2020. Hindsight in this case should be 20/20 for all the inconsistencies, misinformation and disregard for the common good that […]

In a world of interconnectedness, two former co-workers at an international accounting firm discovered they were both property owners in the Methow. When Jill Sheley and Della Glein became reacquainted and discussed their paths since their mutual employment ended, they learned of another passion they shared — a new Winthrop library. Jill serves as executive director for […]

A bluebird day for a skier is the morning after a new snowfall when the cloudless sky is an azure dome — sunshine sparkling off the untouched runs like acres of diamonds. For a paraglider, a bluebird day is also one with beautiful blue skies and sunshine. However, the key to this sport is a day with […]

I never met my paternal grandfather, a Slavic immigrant who changed his name from Spihor to Smith, John Smith — a generic American name. He landed in Montana with myriads of other East Europeans to work in the mines. His job was to man the coke ovens up Trail Creek outside of Livingston. Coking was the process […]

Who are you going to call when your beloved pet cat is 40 feet up a pine tree barely 6 inches in diameter — chased up by a rogue neighborhood dog — and it’s 8 o’clock at night in the Methow valley? The classic picture is of a fully uniformed fireman on a ladder truck reaching high branches to […]

Hey! “Hay is for horses/Straw is cheaper/Grass is free/Be a farmer and grow all three!” My sons grew up hearing me say that — a way of reminding them to be more polite when getting someone’s attention. “Don’t holler, ‘Hey!’” Driving up the Mazama corridor during the summer offers an excellent opportunity to see the hay growing […]

There are some material possessions that are past useful life for you, but emotional detachment is necessary before being able to let go. My first custom-made road bike was like that. When I decided to become a serious road cyclist, I took to heart the advice of a wise boss I once had: “You have […]