Mazama

More than 20 years ago, a 70-year-old gentleman reiterated his familiar advice to his son and daughter-in-law: you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to. That had always been his motto in life, and he had accomplished a great deal. In 1948, he and his brother founded Pacific Window Cleaning in Seattle. The Kessler […]

“Of making many books, there is no end.” So wrote the author of Ecclesiastes 12:12 in the Bible, always thought to be wise King Solomon. But, maybe not, say some scholars of the scriptures. At any rate, whoever wrote it, the statement is certainly true: There are indeed many books being made. Amazon currently lists […]

The big snowmobile pulling a Ginzugroomer comes to a halt on Jack’s Trail. It must be 3 a.m. and time for the cross-country trail groomer to sip a hot drink and eat a few snacks. It’s pitch black, no moonlight dancing across the snow. Switching on her headlamp, Donni Reddington swivels 360 degrees to see […]

It’s a dark, lonely road from Mazama to Winthrop at 6:30 a.m. — an occasional car driving west and, of course, the dependable yellow school bus headed to pick up sleepy students at such an early hour. I admire all the Kiwanians who honor their commitment to meet every Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. at the Winthrop […]

My most memorable Fourth of July was in 2001. My good friend Kathy and I took kayaks out on Murtaugh Lake west of Twin Falls, Idaho. It must have been over 100 degrees that day — that dry desert heat that makes you feel like you are in an oven. We paddled around the cool lake, inching […]

If there’s one picture of Christmas that we have all seen over time, it’s that Thomas Kinkade Christmas Cottage — a movie was even made about it. You know, the “painter of light” whose cottages, lighthouses, gardens and gazebos always had an almost too saccharine an air about them in their portrayal of the idealistic, picture-perfect settings? […]

It’s been said that the opening of the North Cascades Highway on Sept. 2, 1972, forever changed the culture of what had truly been a rural valley at the end of the road. However, it wasn’t the first time the culture had changed in this environmental jewel of mountains, rivers and valleys. Thousands of years […]

We live in the land of the wild, and it is always thrilling to spot the great creatures. The majestic eagles are back in their perches by the river. Crafty coyotes have been spotted trotting across the fields between Winthrop and Mazama nearly every day. Leaving tracks in the valley snow, cougars are known to […]

There are times when I think we are walking wounded around here. Recreational activities and inherent repetitive motion, sprains and strains can be tough on the body. Not to mention falls, bike wrecks, ski wrecks, horse wrecks. Then there are the surgeries: back, neck, arms and hands. Bionic bodies with new knees and hips, plates […]

Every November, Splendid Table on NPR talks turkey. On one of my many trips between Mazama and Winthrop this past week with NPR playing in the background, a few words of the interview that was taking place caught my ear. Turning up the volume, I pieced together the story of Ann Kim, a Korean immigrant […]