They started out as a novelty, but many question if they have become a nuisance. Granted, they are fun to watch as they waddle across the road, and during mating season the tom’s displays and antics are quite impressive and humorous. But the wild turkeys, it seems, have become the most abundant bird sightings these […]
VALLEY LIFE
Labor Day exodus: How fast do they drive?
By Gerald Smith Anyone living within earshot of Highway 20 through the valley has to wonder sometime about the nearly constant traffic flow on busy weekends and holidays. In his classic columns (Off the Wall), Bob Spiwak chronicled his traffic counts at West Boesel between Winthrop and Mazama. In his last Labor day count of […]
Twisp: October 2, 2019
Acronyms in government work are ubiquitous. In an average day at my job I will encounter SMP, SEPA, JARPA, HPA, DNS, DOA, NIMBY and the list goes on. Like any industry, there’s a language that goes with it and with a little time, you catch on. I always wonder how non-native speakers navigate the American […]
Winthrop: October 2, 2019
On Sunday morning, 14 intrepid survivors of breast cancer spent the morning at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery, learning the art of fly fishing from seven members of the Methow Valley Fly Fishers (MVFF). The event was coordinated with the hatchery and MVFF by Casting for Recovery (CfR), which is a national organization dedicated to […]
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 […]
Lower Valley: September 25, 2019
Elderberry Canyon, located in the Libby Creek drainage, has no elderberries. At least, from what I observed on a recent foray. I could be wrong. My attention was oft distracted by views of silvery granite peaks of the Sawtooth range, adorned by seasonal colors of golden larches. If you are looking for a short and […]
Twisp: September 25, 2019
It was dirty business for few valley residents this past weekend who traveled over to the muddy side of the state and participated in the Tough Mudder in Black Diamond. The Tough Mudder is an international event and racecourse that ranges from 5-12 kilometers with up to 25 obstacles of dirty challenges. Less of a […]
Winthrop: September 25, 2019
I was recently at a memorial service for a longtime family friend — an occasion that is happening with altogether too much regularity in recent years. I’m at an age where my parents’ generation is failing, and these past few years have brought a steady stream of passings and, consequently, memorials, celebrations of life, and other opportunities […]
Twisp: September 18, 2019
Be it the smell of pines, the grit of the soil or the jagged sunsets, those who are lucky enough to be imprinted with the Methow as their childhood landscape will carry it with them. Place is powerful force. When people leave their childhood world to embark upon new territory, their frame of reference is […]
