News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Well class, the time has come. The time to become an adult, to make your own decisions and time to be on your own. You have been awaiting and dreaming a long time for this and it is now here. It seems like only yesterday that you were sitting in Mrs. Gilman’s ISS for chewing gum and it WAS only yesterday that you sat in Mrs. Nichols’ for, um, chewing gum. Some lessons are hard to learn. Lessons. It seems like your entire career has been a life of lessons so far. Stand in a straight line. Don’t talk in class. Don’t stick things in your mouth a...
Do you ever wonder how all those shopping carts outside a store find their way back inside for the next customer to use? Kind of an amazing process when you think about it. Some shopper leaves the cart to aimlessly fend for itself, and then, as if an actual modern-day miracle happens, they are right there, waiting for them, in the store the next time they come shopping. A shopping cart vortex that rounds up all the lost and forgotten shopping wagons and returns them home for you. All joking aside, I have noticed a trend lately. Maybe this...
Every once in a while someone from the community approaches me with an idea for this column. I usually write down the idea and add it to my topic list. Other times their idea spurs something in me to write about something similar. But recently a community member got ahold of me, and I am truly inspired by what he told me. I am honored to write this column right after Memorial Day and think it is truly appropriate right now. As a side note, some of these ideas and thoughts belong to the community member, but I am right on board with him. As...
If you don’t know by now, we moved last year to the country, to a beautiful setting looking down the Columbia and up the San Poil. We enjoyed the winter with many a deer, birds of many kinds and the occasional coyote. The spring brought the colors. Wildflowers, luscious green grasses and blooming trees sprang to life everywhere. We truly enjoy the peaceful daily atmosphere. Then we heard the rattle. Before we get too far along, I must admit my one fear. Snakes. The slithering devils of all makes and sizes still give me the occasional n...
First off, I would like to wish every teacher past and present a Happy Teachers Week. I have talked about my favorite teachers in the past and how they influenced my life. Even when I did not know or understand at the time, I came to realize that from pre-school to my senior year — and even including those who instructed me as a firefighter, EMT and any other course I took — have all taken time out of their lives and passed on knowledge that they had amassed and shared it with me. But tea...
I can’t help but think back sometimes in our country’s past and our great grandparents’ time and wonder if that time was harder or easier. I mean, obviously there was the great depression and that was very hard. Also when the pilgrims first arrived, that time must have been a scary time at first but they soon developed their groove and figured things out. It would also be justified to mention our country during war torn times and the torment our families went through daily. There are, of course, things today that we battle that they did not h...
Over the past month, a few funny things have happened. Well, to be honest, at the time it was not funny at all. Remember when our parents used to say, “Someday you will look back at this moment and laugh.” Well they were right, like they mostly always were. My wife and I needed new shoes. We had put off the purchase as long as we could. We both have been trying to eat healthier and exercise more. So during a recent trip to a not-to-be named department store, we found the running shoes we liked at a really good price. We made the purchase and...
First of all, I am so sorry. Sorry I never came to try and fix our relationship. I will carry that burden now for the rest of my life. But most of all, I am sorry that we did not get to say goodbye to each other. Know this if nothing else: I still loved you through it all. There are a few things that will always remind me of you. The toy, “Light Bright.” You would get down on the floor with me and we would put the colored pegs in together, making a colorful picture of twinkling lights. Christmas will also always remind me of you. You see...
This past weekend and the week leading up to Easter was a revealing week for me. My wife and I took part in some long lasting traditions that have been around for thousands of years. All were eye opening and shined a spotlight on my past mistakes, my current situation and my future. No I was not sitting in front of a crystal ball, nor was I having some kind of Scrooge moment. I was just listening and seeing what was right in front of me. Let me explain. First, I must tell you that not everyone will understand these events that I will briefly...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
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...
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...