Jay invites his new college girlfriend Karla home to meet his parents in Pullman. He instructs Karla to sit in the green chair because Hooligan doesn’t like that corner where the radio is usually on. Jay cringes as he hears the click, click of Hooligan’s magnificent talons on the downstairs linoleum floor. Sure enough here […]
Mazama
Mazama: October 16, 2019
Driving from Mazama to Winthrop, no doubt many travelers have noticed the sign on Highway 20 that states: “Weeds are a Pain in the Grass.” Included on the sign are crossed flags, U.S. and Canada, with a number to call for information. It turns out there is a wealth of information about invasive plants and […]
Mazama: October 9, 2016
Many (especially newcomers to the valley) wonder why Mazama doesn’t have a post office. Even little Methow and not-so-bustling Carlton have post offices. Those who have been around for a while know that Mazama had a post office, too. In fact, in the early 1900s, there were two of them in the area — the […]
Mazama: October 2, 2019
Recently, a guest at our home asked how my oldest son had become so entrenched in Italian language and culture to the point of making a career as an Italian wine specialist. I recited the familiar story: On a trajectory to law school, he needed two years of language credits that he wasn’t so enthused […]
Mazama: September 25, 2019
Mazama could use a Pied Piper for the prolific crop of rodents this year. Imagine the legendary colorfully dressed character playing his magic pipe and all the rodents coming out of their burrows to follow him to a death plunge. Rodents, varying in size, include mice, voles, pack rats, chipmunks and squirrels, to name a […]
Mazama: September 18, 2019
It’s been said that horses have the mentality of a 4-year-old. They can be the biggest 1,000-pound babies in the world. So, what do you do when you meet them on one of the world-class Methow trails? When my husband and I first started riding our horses on the trails in Mazama, we were a […]
Mazama: September 11, 2019
Where did you go, Erika Kar? I hear you are on a beach somewhere in Mexico watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean with a margarita in your hand and the warm sea breezes blowing through your hair. Ahh, the life. The icing on the cake: teaching Advanced English Lit to 13 very lucky […]
Mazama: August 14, 2019
During the recent heat wave, another Methow-ism was discovered by yours truly. Along with the Subarus, the Cattle Dog/Australian Shepherd/Border Collie, and three varieties of kale salad at any potluck, we now can add to that (drumroll, please) the household door guard. Every home has one. The household door guard is most active in the […]
Mazama: August 7, 2019
Every time I sit at my computer to begin to write something gossip column-ish, I hit a roadblock. How can I, on this Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, write about something light, trivial, funny or even made up when my thoughts keep coming back to the shootings that happened this past week? Which shooting? Yes, how […]
Mazama: July 31, 2019
It seems as though summer has finally decided to show up. And just in time for the Mazama Garden Party, which benefitted the Methow Housing Trust. The party was held on Saturday at the Mazama Country Inn under a gorgeous blue sky. It was an idyllic summer party with kids running around in between the […]
