Ohs and ahs were the favorite two words uttered in the early days when visitors viewed Grand Coulee Dam. My first experience with the dam was in 1948, when a couple of buddies and I escaped the halls of our high school for the day... — Updated 4/10/2024

When I was growing up in Palouse, I always had a job, or two. One of my early jobs wasn’t one of my best. In fact, it was often dangerous. We had a small bowling alley, six lanes if I remember correctly. I set pins. We didn’t hav... — Updated 4/3/2024

One of the things we liked to do when growing up in Palouse was go to the Washington State College baseball games. We really didn’t care about the game, but we went to see baseball coach Buck Bailey kick the bucket. Buck came to WS... — Updated 3/27/2024

Answering an advertisement started my love of the railroads. I saw the ad in our hometown newspaper, The Palouse Republic. The ad was seeking people to apply for menial labor on our section of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The... — Updated 3/20/2024

This is about ice skating. I wish I could claim to be good on a pair of ice skates. But, no luck. When I was growing up in Palouse, we were able to ice skate on the Palouse River. It would nearly freeze solid so there wasn’t m... — Updated 3/6/2024

We are a Gonzaga household. Not the usual kind of specific fans. For instance, I don’t focus on the individual players. I don’t know them by number and can seldom identify any of the players while watching the games. I leave tha... — Updated 2/28/2024

Winters in Palouse were much worse when I was growing up than what they are experiencing now. I can remember when we got our first refrigerator. That was in 1938. My mother was still using it in 1971. There was an emblem on the fro... — Updated 2/21/2024

They better start making them soon because Lake Roosevelt will be winning them. Look ahead seven years or so and a new batch of wrestlers will be ready here. Victor Landeros, with the help of parents, is preparing 50-60 kids to... — Updated 2/14/2024

Box 92 was our portal to the outside world. I was fascinated with what I could do through the mail. They were the days of the Penny Postcard and the thrill of receiving mail, addressed to me. My aunt Voe was the postmaster at... — Updated 2/7/2024

I attended last Friday’s senior night at Lake Roosevelt High School. The place was packed and the Raiders won all three basketball games. I went to support my great grandson, Damon Landeros, who is a senior, and who has played f... — Updated 2/1/2024

Palouse was the easternmost team in the Whitman County basketball league. We usually ended up as one of the top teams in the league. Colfax, the county seat, and the largest city in the county, was often the leader. So when... — Updated 1/24/2024

We are finally getting an idea of what winter is all about. It was decided that the playoff game at Buffalo was important enough to play Monday, despite the weather. However, the last week was hardly a blip as far as winters go.... — Updated 1/17/2024

While traveling in Idaho, we ran into a group of wagons doing a reenactment of the Oregon Trail days. Those on the wagon train reported how much fun they were having. It was a far cry from two wagon trains that ended as massacres... — Updated 1/10/2024

How about making an effort to visit a national park this year. It’s a great way to rebuild your appreciation of our country. We have three great national parks in our own state and a couple of others within a day’s drive. One of... — Updated 1/3/2024

My love for flying in a small plane came gradually. The first small plane ride was when I lived here the first time, in 1954. I was a lumber grader at the small planer mill above the dam. There was a guy working on the crew who... — Updated 12/13/2023

America has a love affair with ghost towns. I’ve visited several, but the most memorable is Silver City, Idaho. Silver City is about 75 miles south of Boise and is probably the most significant thing in Owyhee County. This c... — Updated 12/6/2023

First Lady Rosalynn Carter died last week. She was 96 and under hospice care at her home in Plains, Georgia. Her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, 99, is also under hospice services in his home in Plains. The Carters have... — Updated 11/29/2023

Thanksgiving is about family. Without family Thanksgiving is just another holiday. This year, Kim, our youngest daughter, is coordinating the Thanksgiving dinner. She lives in Louisiana and arrived here on Monday. Each year the... — Updated 11/15/2023

I first met Mr. Sis when I took my shoes in to get them half-soled. Sims had the local shoe repair shop in Palouse. His daughter Delores was in my class at school and a close friend of mine. Not of the dating kind of friend, just... — Updated 11/8/2023

Our Scott Hunter received the Miles Turnbull award for excellence in journalism. Turnbull was the publisher of the Leavenworth paper and later executive director of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. He is deceased,... — Updated 11/1/2023

Everyone has memories and favorite places. Here are a few of mine. We were vacationing in Wyoming and had our oldest son, Paul, with us. Our plan was to stay overnight and travel to the Tetons the next day. We stopped at the Irma... — Updated 10/25/2023

We visited Grand Cayman Island back in the 1970s, before it mushroomed into a popular vacation spot. Grand Cayman is one of three islands in the chain, and about 200 miles off Cuba. My wife and I were looking for a getaway place,... — Updated 10/18/2023

My pick is the fall. It offers some relief from the heat, and everything seems to return to normal. The tourists have thinned out, school is back in session, and the football season is upon us. I also like the fall colors. We don’t... — Updated 10/11/2023

It’s football time and I am getting confused. Between time taken up by penalties and replays, plus ads, it’s getting tough to watch games. There are five- and 10-minute stretches where nothing is happening except poorly con... — Updated 10/4/2023

As a kid I remember rooting for Idaho when they played the Cougars. It was great in both 1999 and 2000 when the Vandals won. In 1999, Idaho won 28-17, and in 2000, 38-34. They had a great tradition: the losing cheer squad had to... — Updated 9/27/2023