News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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The past few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for my family, and after talking to a few other people, they too have been going through some trials and tribulations. Then after the big wind storm that swept through the area, followed by an inspirational coffee lid, I started to think about some things. Picture this. We are traveling along our life paths. Some paths could be pristine with not even the slightest crack in the surface. Some could be a wooden planked path with aged wood and even some warped edges from time to time. But most of u... Full story
Remember the fort. Ours was in the middle of a bunch of sagebrush out by the bird hills. OK, some of you are saying, where the heck is the bird hills? Well, we locals know that out along the shoreline in Electric City is a slightly hidden place named after the many birds that make their nests in the clay cliffs. Many a dirt clod fight was had there, and a few injuries as well, but I am here to write about the fort today. The fort was dug out by someone before my brothers and me, but we accepted... Full story
With everything going on in the world right now — Ferguson, Missouri and other places — with the attack on law enforcement officers, I thought I should share my perspective on things. Not that my perspective is the right or wrong one, I just try and see things the way they are supposed to be, in my mind anyway. When an officer puts on the badge, he takes an oath. The words in the oath can say many different things but the bottom line is always to protect and to serve the people of their area. The other thing that others may not tell you is tha... Full story
When we were kids, we had dreams of being a firefighter, police officer or other things. Those dreams were influenced by a bunch of different things, including parents, grandparents, neighbors and books and TV. Somewhere along the line, as we are trying to figure out what direction we want to go, a significant event affects our decision making. It could be a counselor talking to us about career choices, or it could just be a strong desire to do better for ourselves to get out of a poverty situation. Sometimes it even could be the realization... Full story
A coach once told me that a bad loss is sometimes the best thing for a team. It lets you know that there are still things to work on and that it exposes our weaknesses. That statement can be applied to our everyday life as well. Sometimes we are going through our delicately balanced life, doing all the things we want to and are required to do; everything is going along just peachy when something happens that disrupts everything. It could be a major life event or a small road bump, but we take notice and realize things were not as good as we tho... Full story
Our kids need us. That part we can all agree on, but it is the how that can sometimes get overwhelming, causing some of us to drag our feet and hope someone else will take up the cause. The other barrier is sometimes we let the “Bad” kid or the troubled youth color our blank page for all kids, leaving us with an unfair representation of all kids in our area. Words like spoiled, undisciplined and out of control are common phrases and ideas that can sometimes bring down whole generations as we use our small example to classify the whole group. Gr... Full story
I recently had the honor of being invited to a party for a man that has strong roots in our community. This column could have easily been called “Past Gems in the Coulee” or “Where are these Gems now” but this man is much more than a part of our past around here. Gary Kuiper is still as relevant today as he was years ago. It became apparent very quickly listening to the people from all generations and parts of Gary’s life that he has influenced a lot of folks all around this big country of ours. His seven kids told stories of their adventure... Full story
OK, this is not a best bands list. This is a list of the most influential bands in my life. Bands that my parents infused onto me, bands that I chose for myself and bands that were just there at the right time. Second disclaimer: remember I am only barely over 40. So bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Elvis Presley are not on this list, but if I was making an all-time great list they would be. So here we go … 3 Dog Night. Although I have very little recognition of this memory, only a few pictures passed down over time, I am told when I w... Full story
Anyone who knows anything at all about our history in the Coulee area knows that volunteerism is what made the heart start beating and thriving in this area. Sure, the great Grand Coulee Dam brought thousands into the area but if not for the local volunteer the towns would never have grown. Business men and farmers and workers on their days off put in time building schools, moving businesses, graveling roads and helping others homestead. It was a time where if you saw someone or somebody that needed help, you jumped right in. That sense of... Full story
Sometimes I can go a whole day without having any personable contact with anyone. Just ask my wife, she will confirm this. But on other days I can have contact with hundreds of people, missing out on an opportunity to influence, lift up or otherwise socialize with these citizens. On the other hand, I may even push them in negative directions. How? Well, by blowing them off, by not listening or just thinking my time is more important than theirs. I know I have done the latter probably more than the positive. I do know that I have made good... Full story
This is a story of a real account that happened in the Coulee recently. I will change some of the names to protect the innocent. A husband and wife ride together to work every day. Except today the wife will be going alone because her husband is home sick. She made the trip to work with little trouble but her day at work was horrible. She was mad, sad and overwhelmed as she left work after putting in even more time at the end of the day. It was dark out already as she made her way to her car. She was not looking forward to the drive home but... Full story
“I don’t wanna go back to school!” This statement was heard echoing from home to home on Monday as kids struggled to get up and get out the door following the two-week winter break. It was also heard at my house with the same whine as the adolescents were using except this time it was coming from me. A lot of fellow school employees said it was too long, but I say I needed about two more weeks and one other teacher said a few months would suit him fine. The worst part was when we were calcu... Full story
The time of year has come that we must reflect back on the previous year and prepare for the New Year ahead. Resolutions will be made, promises promised and goals set. Reflecting back can be heart breaking and inspiring but it is part of what makes us who we are today. So what changed you? What inspired you? That can make a difference. The big change for me, looking back, is the move out of the area. It is not a bad change either, it has been a blessing so far. We had a great holidays with friends and family coming and going as they needed. The... Full story
Was I that bad? Was I a spoiled brat? Sometimes in this world of selfishness and entitlement, I see it in our youth and I wonder those very questions. I see kids daily believing that they have a right to everything, no matter if they deserve it or not. The “What about me?” and “I will do what I want” generation seems to be in full force and living adult lives as 12- and 13-year-olds. We can sometimes give up on trying to teach humility, grace and patience to this group of young adults, but recently I saw a glimpse of a few things that melted... Full story
Sometimes during the hustle and bustle of this time of year we must pause. (OK, let’s pretend there is a dramatic 20-second silence right here) Sit back, relax, take a breath and let it soak in a second. That happened to me this weekend. Let me fill you in. As some of you know, we recently moved. And, as most of you know, that leaves you in a hectic state for a while. Boxes filled with your necessity items fill your every space, and you just can’t find that one thing you need. Now, that is hectic in its own right but add Christmas nearly two we... Full story
By now most of you have climbed into the attic or sunk into the depths of the basement to haul out those boxes of treasured relics. No, I am not talking about the 1965 baseball card set you inherited or the prom dress from your first prom. I am talking about the most treasured set of boxes in the storage area of your choice. The Christmas stuff. Some of you just went “Ahhh,” like when you see the baby for the first time, and some of you went “Egghh,” like when the flashing red and blue lights show up in your rearview mirror. Neverth... Full story
Not to steal from the weather man, but it has been cold. Colder than Hans Solo in a Carbonite freeze. It might even be colder than a Hobbit in Melkor. OK, now that that is out of my system and movie buffs are happy, let's move right along. Since I have spent a fair share of time outside lately in the frigid air, I have let my mind drift a bit back to the days of horse and buggy or, more appropriately, horse and sled. I remember reading in "Pioneers to Power" that the young adults in the pioneer days would go to dances in sleighs. They would... Full story
Last week I gave you a (try and make you smile) column about making a rough draft of what you are thankful for. Well, after the week I had, the true Thanksgiving list is here and ready for your approval. So here we go. Cardboard boxes can be hard to come by. I have heard from people all over the world that have a difficult time finding the hard paper storage units without paying for them. This is not the case in Coulee Country. An overwhelming outpouring of boxes came our way. Dave, at the school, supplied us with a stack of boxes a day. Ed... Full story
With all that is going on in the world and the holidays right around the corner, I thought maybe I would start the preparation for being thankful. Just like a professional baseball player has to go to spring training before the season, and just like a soldier must go through boot camp before serving, all of us must take the proper preparations before we celebrate all we are thankful for. I mean, serious injuries can occur if we start the season without stretching or watching the game tape of last season’s highs and lows. So let’s begin the sea... Full story
I was standing at the Veterans Assembly last week at the high school during the National Anthem and found myself thinking of not only the 30-plus veterans on hand for the event that we were honoring but of other vets that lost their lives giving the ultimate sacrifice. I then thought of my grandfathers who served and how proud they both were to be Americans. I then thought of my uncles and some of the horrible things they had to go through in Vietnam and their return. I had to fight back the tears as I looked up at old glory and studied the red... Full story
In the movie “Pay It Forward,” Haley Joel Osment creates an idea to make the world a better place. Help someone, just because they need it, and expect nothing in return. Just tell them to pay it forward. This movie is a family favorite of ours and a saying we have said to others. And we have been on the receiving end of this philosophy. Even recently at a local store when our debit card was not working and my wife was preparing to decide what items to put back when a stranger stepped up and pai... Full story
I have had the privilege the past few months to have had a couple of chats that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Sometimes in a world of fast paced mayhem and “gotta go” attitudes, a quick chat with someone you know or with a stranger can be a highlight to a day. So this week I want to share with you two of the chats. I mentioned in a column awhile back about going to the ghost town of Liberty, WA to take care of my wife’s family property. Well, we ventured back again a few weeks ago a... Full story
If you have been around the high school the last few years you know why this lady is a “gem.” If you have not, well let me throw some names at you: Rose Butterfly, Rebecca Hunt, Tiffany Peone, Leland Wellons, Craig Nissen, Kacey Palmer Ankney, Kassandra Norton, Meghan Francis, Amelia McClung, Matthew Timentwa, Charlie Knight, Johnny McCraigie, Kendall Piccolo, Brandin Smith, Daniel Campobasso and Chyenne Kelly-Marconi. What do they all have in common? They are Lake Roosevelt graduates and Gates Millennium Scholarship winners. Seventeen win... Full story
It is a rare occurrence that four family members can go on an expedition in the sage brush that surrounds us and come out with smiles. Yes, it was opening day for rifle deer season and I was out there once again. The difference this year was that instead of just Cousin Cory, two boys tagged along. But it did not start out that way. As all you hunters out there know, you can’t just jump in the truck and go hunting; you got to have a plan. Levi and I thought we had one, too. Dave Finch had g... Full story
OK, most of the time I would veer away from politics here in my column, but I think, (No, I know) that this election coming in November is important. There are a lot of offices and issues on the ballot and the voice of the people needs to be heard loud and clear. I also know that some of you out there can be overwhelmed by the varying information out there and even sometimes discouraged because you don’t like any of the candidates, which inevitably causes you not to vote at all. I don’t know if the information I put here will help you or dis... Full story