Methow

Nicholas “Nick” Fitzmaurice and Sam Neitlich have been playing music together since their days at Liberty Bell High School. Graduating in 2019 as co-valedictorians, they both headed to Montana State University in Bozeman where they graduated. Their musical partnership has continued with the formation of the band Fitzmo that just released its first album, “Convictions,” […]

Last weekend was a party for William “Bill” Meadows, who had passed from this life to the next earlier in the month. As send-off parties go, Bill would have been enjoyed this assembly of his family and friends. His home was packed with people of all ages — bald babies to silver legends — filling […]

Lights out and heads up! It’s time to celebrate our beloved night view from the Methow Valley, a rare sanctuary featuring the clearest night skies in the country. The Methow Dark Sky Coalition and participating businesses have prepared a week of nightly activities to honor our night skies and celebrate our amazing views. Methow Dark […]

In 2024, Sandra Strieby wrote an article featuring local writer Marian Exall and her book, “Daughters of Riga.” This year, I finally picked up Marian’s book and read it cover-to-cover within days. Marian’s book is like a cup of strong coffee, leaving the reader abuzz with thoughts of the current rise in fascism vs. human […]

Can we talk about Methow Magic for a moment? First, let’s establish a timeline that is in no way linear. By the time you read this, I will be comfortably seated on my home couch with a tasty beverage in one hand, rubbing a dog’s ears with the other hand. However, when this column was […]

This is the longest mud season ever. The calendar may claim mid-February, but in my lived experience, today is the 42nd day of March. In the Year of our Lord 2026, there are 100 days of March. Everything feels a bit off. The ground is this weird patch work of frozen tundra and quicksand-like mud. […]

I am kicking myself for not taking a photo of Tracy Miller as we met over tea and coffee at the Methow Store this weekend. While we conversed over almond cookies, the steam from our beverages lazily rose in the sunlight streaming through the front window. Tracy noted that her dad, Jack Wood, once owned […]

We live in a rich and diverse landscape with several rivers and dozens of drainages surrounded by soft rounded hills and sharply shorn rock faces. One can gain over a thousand feet of elevation in one morning stroll, while crossing through varying ecosystems of wetlands, shrub steppe, grassland, and forest. Dr. Julian Barksdale began a […]

Wow! What a wallop of a month. Floods, high winds, and, as I’m writing this, a blizzard warning for the North Cascades. The Washington State Department of Transportation issued a travel warning for the mountain passes, noting the deep snowfall. Three of the four major east-west routes are closed for flood damage, why not add […]

With whatever is happening on the national stage at the behest of billionaires, it is more important than ever to support each other and shop local. The Methow Valley is rich with creators and producers of fine products: books, clothing, jewelry, culinary, tools, and the list goes on. If you are looking for gift ideas, […]