Mazama

By Bob Spiwak It’s Monday morning, 9:40 a.m. The North Cascades Highway is supposed to be open in half an hour, although according to a Washington State Department of Transportation person, this does not mean it will be fully cleared. It is estimated by WSDOT that the recent slides left about 30,000 cubic yards of […]

By Bob Spiwak It’s been an exciting time here for the past week, and certainly the talk of all the towns. Probably even Carlton, where I understand people talk about stuff. Anyhow, for three evenings the skies have lit up with essentially endless displays of sheet lightning. Sitting outside with Grizzly Mountain as a foreground, […]

By BOB SPIWAK It did not last too long here in West Boesel, but the rains finally came after a week of 90-plus degree days. The thunder began grumbling early in the evening, then came the cracking and soon after that the lightning. The air smelled like an ozone-dosed flower shop as the rain began […]

By BOB SPIWAK Here it is Monday mid-morning and already it is getting hot. Temperatures in the 90s are predicted through Wednesday, followed by cool high 80s. Whether or not there is global warming, it sure as heck is Methow warming.  We motored to Chelan to visit family yesterday, and there it was a bit […]

By BOB SPIWAK As promised, we are leading with a news report from Midge Cross about her adventures at Whistler, B.C., in the “Tough Mudder” event. This is a few weeks post-date, but interesting.  Interesting to us, not only for the content, but amazement at what drives people to do stuff like this. As Midge […]

BY BOB SPIWAK The big news in this small hamlet this morning was the rain the preceding Sunday afternoon. At least half an inch came down according to our non-scientific outdoor ashtray. The first squall, more of a dump, came about 1:30 p.m. here. We called Patty Yates at the Winthrop Gallery to check, and […]

Mazama BY BOB SPIWAK The predicted 100-degree-plus temperatures have so far failed to materialize. Still pretty warm – we recorded 91.6 late Sunday afternoon. Earlier that morning, about 9 a.m., I was helping Ms. Gloria and Patty Yates set up their booth at the Winthrop Market, when a young couple stopped to chat. They had […]

Mazama BY BOB SPIWAK Summer is here, at least according to the calendar, but some folks who have come from the coast to our vaunted sunshine have found as much rain and cloudiness as from whence they came. Likewise, for local hay ranchers the weather has not been especially kind. No pun, but the trickle-down […]

BY BOB SPIWAK Coming back from Omak on the Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road, we had a look at the paving project on Castle Avenue in Winthrop/Heckendorn. It has been something like the last Ice Age in its glacial progress, but features have been coming to view over the months. There are curbs and sidewalks visible now. […]

BY BOB SPIWAK Well, as a movie critic I have failed “Titles 101.” Last week a wonderful British flick was here erroneously given the name Titfield Cannonball.  Librarian Sally Portman read the report and sought to get it for the library, but the name never came up. Ever diligent, she discovered the correct title is […]