Kar

I’m going to admit something that I rarely let slip out of my mouth or in this case, type with my cracked and dry fingers. You might want to sit down. Ready? I don’t Nordic ski. Sure, I’ve tried and have even gone out a few times here and there. I’ve had a lesson from […]

There are some things in life that we really just owe to other people. Things that enhance our way of living or provide a measure of comfort, practicality or beauty. For instance, without the Wright brothers figuring out how to fly, we may still be traveling by ship or train. If Alva Fisher had not […]

My inbox has been blown up with all kinds of questions, inquiries and requests for follow-ups on things that I have written about in the past. So, this column (which oddly coincides with a week without much Mazama news) will be a hodge-podge of answers to all of those pressing questions. First, I was asked […]

Don Davidson is a beast. And a pretty cool beast, at that. Since selling the garbage business and completely retiring, he has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and now has rafted the Grand Canyon. I visited with Don intending to hear all about his raft trip, but first got to learn about his time guiding […]

There are some things that are pretty Methowesque. One night at a dinner with friends, we discussed what a Methow Starter Pack (MSP) would look like. First would be a Subaru. Yes, we know that Washington in particular is loaded with Subies, but seriously, the Methow has got to have the highest per-capita rates of […]

I first met Shelley Smith Jones back in October. She and her husband, Rick, live in Mazama with their two horses. Shelley contacted me, as the writer of this column, and asked if I would like to read her book in order to write about it in a future column. I eagerly agreed and met […]

A haggis crisis was narrowly averted in Mazama on Friday night. Yes, you read that right. You see, a fun and lively party was hosted by Louise Stevens and Midge Cross in honor of Robert (Robbie) Burns on Friday at the Mazama Community Club. The theme, due to Robert’s heritage, was Scottish. And what foods […]

By Erika Kar I first noticed him on the computer speaker. He thought he was camouflaged. And this is how we met. I laughed at him because I could see him. The speaker is black, but he was just a shade browner than true black. When I laughed at him, his funny little telescopic eyes looked […]

By Erika Kar It is always a treat when I see an email from my neighbor, Eric Burr, in my inbox. These emails always include a look into the natural world that is teeming with action all around us. While I love nature and am fairly aware, I don’t have the knowledge that he has. His […]

By Erika Kar By the time you read this, Christmas will be over. This is weird because I am sitting here writing it almost a week before Christmas. So, while I’d like to write some heartwarming holiday prose, it would come off as a little strange and perhaps confusing. Instead, let’s skip ahead to the New […]