News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Sorted by date Results 1602 - 1626 of 3686
I am a lousy fisherman, getting boxed out, except one time. That was out of Kodiak, Alaska, fishing for halibut. I was on a charter boat that had twin engines and a lot of speed. We were 50 miles out, where the skipper said that the area had a good halibut bed. I was in Alaska to assist the owner of the Kodiak newspaper in preparing her property for sale, and every weekend she set me up with a new experience. The skipper of this experience had a boatload of people and had prepared all the poles for each of us. He explained that landing a...
As every young man already knows, poop is a regular subject matter in conversation. All chats with friends eventually turn to the poop subject. It happens with daddies too. Insert clever pun here: “That’s a crappy conversation,” or “That’s a lot of crap.” There, we got that out of the way, now we can get serious about the subject. In nature, all living things poop. Plain and simple. Pretty much anything that eats, must get rid of it somehow. That’s the way we were all designed from the whale to...
You can only milk a cow, or an asset, for so long before you have to put something back in. Cities and towns, whose elected officials feel the pain of their tax- and rate-payers, eventually get forced to deal with that problem. Local cities are no different. Currently, Coulee Dam has had its share of struggles with an added historical burden that makes the pain seem worse. A case in point came to the fore briefly at last Wednesday’s city council meeting. The Community Building, that concrete edifice which houses the Melody Restaurant, R...
It seems we are stumbling along with a mix of Spring and Summer weather. Cloudy days, spats of rain and temperatures going up and down. We’ll get to the June weather data later. Many scientists said one could not extract centuries-old El Niño weather events from Tropical Pacific Coral Reefs – it just couldn’t be done. Well, for some scientists when a problem is posed, they move ahead with innovative techniques and find an answer to the problem. Down Australia way, a group of scientists have p...
On Friday, a very special lady will celebrate her ??th birthday. I am smart enough to not put the actual digits in the paper for everyone to see. That would lead to me never having another birthday myself. As we come to the big day, I dream of what I would do for her if money were no object. So here is what I would do for my lovely bride if the keys to the treasure room were ours. Easy enough to start with the basics: new car, dream home and trips, but those would be boring. So let’s assume s...
One of Congress’ most important Constitutional responsibilities is providing for our military and national defense. For the past 58 years, this has been a bipartisan affair. Members of the House and Senate from both sides of the aisle have come together to pass a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that provides for our military and troops who fight to protect and defend us. Last week, instead of voting on a bill that would ensure our troops have the resources they need and deserve, the House of Representatives voted on the D...
Nice editorial, Rog, excellent in fact! The Wilbur Geezer letter too. Is anyone forwarding/sending these to Newhouse and our Senators? Are any of the Geezers writing our reps in Congress? If not, maybe you should post their addresses in your next editorial, and suggest all affected and interested folks drop our reps a line. Ken McDowell Editor’s response: The man behind the petition drive earlier said he has sent all his information to Reps. Newhouse and McMorris Rogers of Washington’s 4th and 5th Congressional Districts. But here is their con...
Sometimes new friends can result in strange gifts. I was in Vietnam just after the Tet offensive in 1968, partially to pry about the war and to visit parents of students I had met at the University of Washington. I had visited one set of parents two days earlier, only to have them come to the hotel I was staying in to ask me to come to their house that evening. They said they had someone they wanted me to meet. I went to their house and met a medical doctor who had been held captive by the Viet Cong for four years. He was finally able to...
I like to take pictures. A lot of you know that, and I don’t get out as much as I like to. I especially like to take pictures of birds, second, only recently, to taking pictures of my granddaughter. Karrie and I have been traveling a lot back and forth to different places depending on where our creator calls us and during these trips we are always looking for a photo opportunity from our feathered or furry friends. I also am addicted to bird cams on YouTube. I have been watching the nesting proc...
What happens in China, doesn’t always stay in China. In fact, when it comes to tough new garbage and recycling restrictions, they may migrate elsewhere sooner than you might think. For example, Shanghai is one of the world’s largest cities with 26.9 million people. It is suffocating under mountains of trash its residents generate daily. It lacks an effective recycling and disposal system. “Instead, it has trash pickers to sift through the waste, plucking out whatever can be reused,” The Economi...
The next time you tee up your ball at Banks Lake Golf Course, take a second and say a word of thanks to the three Port District commissioners who made it possible. The three, Jim Keene, Gary Haag and Leonard Sanders, deserve some kind of award for how they see the Port District’s obligation to serve the public. Commission President Jim Keene said it nicely when he stated: “The golf course is an important part of our community.” The commissioners have run the course for the past several years, the last two profitably. The Port District poure...
The action at Geezer Beach might be viewed as a deliberate provocation. Tyranny should be opposed at any level. The incremental erosion of personal freedom extends to every citizen. The apparent disregard for public opinion by the bureau creates an adversarial climate. Consider the childlike argument put forth in recent press releases. It begs the question, how many adults occupy positions at the bureau? At some level of authority someone should be able to effect a compromise or rescind the decision. At the very least, somebody should attempt...
Sometimes you just must get in the car and go. Well, if I’m honest, we had business to tend to in Vancouver, Washington, but Karrie had not been since she was a kid and I had never been. As we traveled down the road, we soon were seeing country we had never seen, and it was beautiful and breathtaking, especially along the Oregon and Washington border as we traveled along the Columbia River. A thought popped through my head once that this water had once seen the Grand Coulee Dam and was now h...
This Fourth of July, America will celebrate its 243rdbirthday. Our country has come a long way since 1776, and there is still more progress to be made. Our independence and our patriotism are what set the United States apart from the rest of the world, and we have a lot to be thankful for. As we gather with our family and friends to celebrate our freedom, we should also celebrate some of our nation’s finest treasures: our national parks and public lands. Washington state is fortunate to be home to 15 National Park Service (NPS) parks, which g...
Did you listen to Smokey the Bear? He wasn’t just talking to children; he was talking to you there, mister, flicking your cigarette ashes out of the car, lighting fireworks to enjoy their exploding lights and sounds, mowing the lawn because it needs mowing. I think many Americans have a bit of fire-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the fires in recent years. Has anyone else been on evacuation notice recently? Has anyone else had a vacation marred by smoke? Decided not to go out on the boat because you couldn’t breath? Felt like lockin...
The stated reasons for banning vehicles from geezer beach seem devoid of logic and common sense. The implication is that geezers and geezeretts are hopeless, bumbling, incompetents who need to be protected from themselves. Geezers typically didn’t require government supervision to acquire longevity. They don’t need or want some faceless bureaucrat to be their defacto mommy. Most elderly citizens are well-defined individuals who have successfully navigated through obstacles and adversity for many decades. They have demonstrated sel...
Hopefully, when American and Chinese leaders meet to resolve trade differences, talks won’t break down and result in a new round of tariffs or product restrictions. It is in both nations’ interests for presidents Trump and Xi Jinping to find common ground. Our state has lots riding on those negotiations. The Brookings Institute points out that Washington would be “the worst off” of any state, because 154,000 people are employed in industries that would be affected by new Chinese counter...
This is a different kind of summer for Karrie and me. We have a summer job. It consists of a little 4-month-old that I call granddaughter. But there is more, much more. We start our mornings with cuddles, followed by a bottle and kids’ songs in the background. Of course, the old time favorite “This little light of mine” is on the playlist. After eating time is play time and lots of laughs and giggles. But that song stays in your head all day. And that song got me thinking. This song is talking a...
Why did “the Powers that Be” waste our time by pretending that they wanted to be collaborative members of this community, requesting our input? No one familiar with the situation at Geezer Beach believes for an instant that this decision had anything at all to do with “safety.” Why not tell us what the actual agenda is, so that we may address it through appropriate channels? Friends say, ”It’s done … get over it.” It’s not “done;” it was never “started.” I have to feel that the request for public input was a complete sham. Disappointed, Frank...
Gentlemen, I am writing to express my gratitude for your removal of one of the last remaining recreation sites for the elderly in this area. I am sure all of the incapacitated and handicapped people will appreciate this as well. Incidentally, I would like to compare the safety incidences reported at Geezer Beach versus USBR safety records. Thank you again from one of the original geezers! Bob Poch Resident of Coulee Dam...
Why not hassle the locals? It’s been a while since the last time, and it seems we need a lame excuse to get back at the people for welcoming us here. Sound familiar? It should, if you have lived in the Grand Coulee Dam area for any length of time, you’ll recall some of the more memorable acts by this capricious organization. There have been many arbitrary moves by the Bureau, but I want to select a few as a reminder as to how those in control could give a rip about the people who live here. First, going back to the 1960s, in order to raise the...
A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture examines the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in rural America. Widely viewed as a program that helps combat urban poverty and food insecurity, SNAP has seen a greater percentage of utilization in rural areas since the late 1990s. SNAP participation grew exponentially, quadrupling between 2001 and 2013. This growth coincided with the Great Recession and its aftermath. Participation peaked in 2013, when more than 47 million Americans received assistance, but has...
If anyone recently had to be stopped in the construction zone, as new electrical is being installed on the bridge in Coulee Dam, you might have noticed a certain flagger. You already know the one I am talking about. Her name is Lylah and she is the one that gives us the parade wave and million-dollar smile every time we go through. I do mean every time. Her positive energy instantly makes my day a better day. I have also heard others saying she makes an impact in their day. We all know that her...
One of the least threatening places you can go is a beach in late afternoon where a couple of old anglers are quietly staring at the water, waiting for a line to move. If anybody understands the unwritten rule, the need for common courtesy, the paramount importance of everyone doing his or her part to maintain the norm, it’s people who like to sit quietly and fish. That could have something to do with why no instances of unsafe or uncivil behavior come to mind, over the last several decades, at the place that has come to be known as Geezer B...
Thank you, Grand Coulee area and beyond, for coming to my scream for help, to try and help me locate my best, four-legged, friend, Love Bug, at the lower North Dam area. My heart is still broken knowing that she became a feast for a predator, but I pray that whatever happened was quick and painless. But my heart swells with love and appreciation for all the wonderful people who came out and spent hours helping me look for her. People in my life know how important my dogs are to me, and for so many who came out to help look, both those I know...