Twisp

By Sally Gracie As members enjoyed a gourmet soup and bread supper, Methow Valley Community Center Association (MVCCA) President Bob Elk Belgard called the annual membership meeting to order on Monday evening (Nov. 4). Then, board secretary Donna Schulz, who attended high school in the building, warmed up the audience with a Twisp School trivia […]

By Sally Gracie Bill Wehmeyer says that he doubts “anyone came back the same person” now that he and other parishioners of St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church on Burgar Street have returned from their Italian pilgrimage. Bill’s wife, Julie Wehmeyer, and Nancy Stitt, both of Twisp, Nancy Kirner, Sarah Salmon and Colleen Henry of Winthrop, and […]

By Sally Gracie Sheree Stoothoff set out on Sunday, the final day of the (modern firearms) deer season, before daybreak. She hiked to a spot where she rested to “watch the day begin.” It was beautiful and very still as the sun rose. Half an hour later, Sheree saw her buck feeding in the field […]

By Sally Gracie I arrived at the 27th Methow Valley Farmers Market of the season near closing but in time to visit with the vendors, to return a couple of vases to Bonny Stephens and to buy some peach jam from Lenore and goat cheese from Sunny Pine. Sadly, fresh flowers and tomatoes are finished […]

By Sally Gracie Though just one hummingbird stopped by during last week’s cold spell, the ants continue their march across the railing to the feeder. They emptied two-thirds of the sugar water meant for the hummers. On his way south, my pink flamingo intends to make a stopover in Bend, Ore., to visit Mary Thompson. […]

By Sally Gracie If it’s true that great minds think alike, how come I disagree with Aristotle, who said “change in all things is sweet.” It’s not so sweet that all of Smallwood Farms’ peaches are finished or that we’ll soon have to buy plastic tomatoes and organic lettuce in plastic tubs. It’s not sweet […]

By Sally Gracie My down-the-hill neighbor Tom Doran spent seven weeks – until Sept. 14 – cruising the Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte) Islands off the north coast of British Columbia on a 120-foot motor yacht that once belonged to John Barrymore.  Tom visited the heritage sites of the Haida people and learned lots about their […]

By Sally Gracie Swedish crime novels have made me put Sweden at the top of my bucket list and, besides the ants, have been my summer’s entertainment. The settings for the novels – the Swedish towns in all parts of the country – have captivated me. The crime genre doesn’t always get respect, but these […]

By Sally Gracie As was the case when I was a teacher, summer seems fleeting. When the next-door kids board their school bus each morning, I still feel the tug, and wonder how it could possibly be 16 years since I’ve been in my own classroom. Inside each old teacher’s mind is a September calendar […]

By Sally Gracie Members of the Buttermilk Book Club met last night (Sept. 2) at the home of Sarah and Mike Salmon to discuss the100th book they’ve shared since the club formed 10 years ago. Sarah Salmon, an early member of the club, chose the book for September 2013: Alice Hoffman’s 2011 novel, The Dovekeepers. […]