News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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I was lucky to travel when the best hotels were still inexpensive. The Okura Hotel in Tokyo was part of the International Hotel chain. Cost for an overnight stay today would be from $400-$600. I paid $18 for a first-class room with all the amenities that only the Japanese can think of. When I arrived, a small army of nurserymen were building a small forest in the lobby area. By the time I left, their forestry project was done and a beautiful Japanese garden was there for patrons to enjoy. I stayed in the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan, a...
Every fire season brings back a sense of apprehension and appreciation. A number of years ago my wife and I signed on with OK Cascade, a Bothell firm that provided support for firefighters. We did this for two seasons and were at a number of fire situations in both Washington and Oregon. While the support staff was a ways from the fire, they were essential to any firefighting success. Our support staff provided food, showers, laundry, and other needed help to those facing the actual fires. We could get a sense of how difficult things were for...
On a flight between Honolulu and Tokyo I became the third member of the International Tap Dancer’s Federation. It was a tongue-in-cheek idea that if we could get all the world’s leaders on the banks of the Yangtze River in China and get them tap dancing, we could achieve world peace. Well, that didn’t happen. The other two members were the fellow I was seated next to, Tom Ungman, and a fellow working for the Hong Kong Standard newspaper, Peter Turvey. There’s a couple of reasons that didn’t work. One is that our leaders are married to the tw...
Most people can count very close friends on one hand. That’s why it is so sad that I lost such a friend, Myron Finkbeiner. Myron and his wife, Gwen, and their family had been in and out of our lives for many years. He was a native Washingtonian, with a lot of family in the central part of the state. We first met in Nampa, Idaho, and enjoyed many family outings together. Myron was a star basketball player at Northwest Nazarene College, where we both attended, although at different times. Myron went on to get his master’s degree and had been a te...
The most popular person in my wife’s family was her brother, Bob. My wife came from a rather large family, and they all had a lot of kids, taking to heart to go out and replenish the earth. That is all except her brother Bob, who married late. So, he became the uncle figure for all these kids. He was the chief farmer on the family farm, dedicating himself to the tedious task of farming. He milked about 27 cows morning and night for years on end. Each cow had a name. When I visited, I would go out to the barn and would always place a grin on his...
I have spent a lot of good times along the Snake River, from its source to where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. It’s one of the longest rivers in the country and flows from one end of Idaho to the other. Its major source is at the south end of Jackson Lake. Actually, it’s said that the original source is from two small streams near Yellowstone Park. I have white-watered a good stretch of the Snake. The first time was out of Jackson, Wyoming during the high spring runoff. We entered the float trip out of Jackson and exited well into eas...
A person, years ago, asked me if I had a favorite relative. I had two aunts that would qualify, but I couldn’t say which one was my favorite. I would just call a tie and move on. Aunt Lorena was my dad’s youngest sister and actually delivered me. We lived on a farm about four miles out of Palouse and my mother was ready to have me. So my father drove to town to get Dr. Dart. My aunt Lorena was visiting us at the time and had the duty to help in the delivery. When my dad returned with the doctor, I was already there. Of course, I didn’t know...
When traveling in foreign countries, always expect the unexpected. In Bothell, I met a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong who came to this country but had to leave his wife behind. He was born in Hong Kong and easily fit within the limits of the quota system. He had a sponsor and also a job waiting for him. His wife was born in Mainland China and suffered from a much smaller quota system. I had asked for information on quota systems so I was prepared to look into it when I arrived in Hong Kong. I met his wife, and she said that U.S. officials...
When traveling, better have some idea of how you are going to get around in foreign countries. In the Orient, no country bests Japan. I have traveled there in taxis, subway, boat and plane. You will find that their operations are on time, and you won’t find graffiti everywhere. When taking a taxi, hang on; drivers like to roll up the fares. I don’t mean cheating you, but they like to take as many trips as they can. They’re just good businessmen. I would get a business card from my hotel and take off on foot exploring. When I got suffi...
My grandmother, Marie Rusten, was born in Norway in 1861. I have spent a lifetime trying to get information about her, while some of it was right at my fingertips all the time. I don’t have much that was my grandmother’s, only two pictures of the family farm, a photo of the church they attended, pictures of her parents, and a little black booklet. I have only fleeting memories of my grandma. She came out West with my parents and lived with us until passing in 1937. I was 7 when she died. She always kept her Norwegian ways, barely learning eno...
While working at the Star, I learned early on just ask Gwen Hilson. She has worked at the Star for a zillion years and under three owners. When writing about people or places you always come up with questions,and it’s easier to ask Gwen than find a source that will provide answers. Gwen knows just about everyone and how they are connected to other people — where the skeletons are buried, so to speak. Not only is she a treasure trove of community knowledge, she can do several things at the same time and not lose a beat. She not only solves a l...
While our four kids were home, we always tried to take a good family vacation. One year we took a month, and in our Chevy Impala we took off for an intended trip to Houston, Texas, then over to San Diego and up the West Coast. I mention the Impala because there wasn’t a center console, and we had wide seats front and back. That put three in front and three in back with a rotation system so everyone had a chance to sit in front. We took off through Idaho and stopped at my wife’s folks’ and family. Then we were off to Utah, and started poppi...
Damon Landeros is my great grandson. He’s really more than that; he is one of my best friends. Damon is a frequent visitor to our home and has the run of the place. He has two TV locations, the computer, and of course, the refrigerator. He has also been a great help around the house and does things to help without being asked. He has been here for almost all of the Gonzaga games, and probably knows more than anyone about Gonzaga’s program, except for Mark Few. He knows all the players, their numbers and most of their statistics. During the gam...
While at the Statesman Newspaper in Boise, I was assigned boxing and covered a single pro wrestling event. The promoter of both boxing and wrestling in Boise was Al Berra, who operated a tavern in the downtown area. Al was constantly finding ways to build the gate for his events, and of course filling his pockets at the same time. He had built a stable of pretty good boxers, with two of them ending in the top 10 in their weight division. I was at ringside for all the boxing events and remember once getting splattered with blood, ruining a new...
When I moved here, I thought with all this water I would get some boating and fishing in. I was wrong on both ideas. First, I bought a boat, a nice little boat, 17 foot long, as I recall. Paid $2,000 for it. I had been told that the two days that stand out are the day you purchase a boat and the day you sell it. The only boat I had ever used before was a rowboat, a fishing vessel rented by several of my high school buddies and trolling by dipping the oars slightly in the water. I got a hitch put on my rig and wondered how I was going to do...
P.Y. Yee put clothes on you that fit and were of superior quality. He was one of the infamous tailors in Hong Kong, and I got to know him visiting his tailor shop in Hong Kong during my several visits there. It was like getting new skin, his coats and suits fitting so well. He had a remarkable memory, greeting me by name though my visits were a year apart. I learned of Yee through someone who had used him on an earlier occasion. His shop wasn’t fancy, and I often wondered what he thought of my store-bought clothes. He must have quickly g...
Things look pretty bad right now for the people of Burma. In my visit to Burma, I found the people of a peaceful nature, but governed by military men who at the time stayed in the background. Since that time, there was a peaceful transfer of power to an elected government. That didn’t last long. Power grabs people and doesn’t let go. We have seen the evidence of this here in our own country. While there, I observed uniformed men carrying rifles on most street corners. They weren’t threatening, but their presence was unsettling. While everything...
If you asked someone who the heroes of World War II were, you would probably get FDR, Gen. MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Gen. Patton, and so on. And they would be correct. But what about the unsung heroes? The kids across America did their part in the winning of World War II. They became a gigantic salvage yard operation in collecting aluminum, rubber and iron, and buying Savings stamps and bonds. When the country was asked to bring in salvage items to help the war effort, millions of young boys and girls really rolled up their sleeves and got...
It is said that a dog is man’s best friend. If this is true for you, then you have a serious problem. I’ve only had one dog that ever came close, and I will get to that in a minute. My first dog was a collie/shepherd mix, called “Scottie.” I remember how he would sit out on the lawn until he could see me in the distance coming home from school. He had a body clock that would tell him that I would come into view soon. He could see me drop down off North Hill when I was about an eighth of a mile away, and he would come running down the road to...
It’s on again! Here’s the good news: the Bureau of Reclamation plans on restarting its fire station project. The bad news is that no one has any confidence the bureau will ever finish the project. This project has had more starts than the fleas on a hound dog. You can tell it’s a government job because it’s going to take deep pockets to pull this out. Now the bureau is going to find another contractor for the restart. It seems the contractors are only part of the problem. The rest lies with inspecting the work that is being done. The bureau...
You could call them the formidable four. There was my mom, Mrs. Hollenback (a widow), Mabel Brantner (local tavern owner’s wife), and the preacher’s wife, Mrs. Stott. They spent a lot of time together. They attended church together and sat as a unit in one of the front rows. Their mission was to get the Rev. Stott to stop preaching on time. They set the time, 12 o’clock sharp. The four carried some soda crackers in their purses and would pull them out and start eating them. When he could contain himself, his message was over. I enjoyed the l...
Joe Emerson joined our class as a junior at Palouse High School. He became my closest friend and remained so for several years. His older brother had ties with a motorcycle group in Spokane and we soon followed him there. Our hangout was the British American Motorcycle shop on East Sprague, and the XXX Drive In. We frequently went to Spokane and stayed at one of the motorcycle houses Joe’s brother frequented. After graduation we were at the motorcycle shop one weekend and we both purchased BSA motorcycles. BSA stood for British Small Arms, a n...
I started college when I was 25, and already with a family. That required that I had to work a lot to pay my way, and of course the bills. While I had several jobs, carried a full course load, I found time for personal activity. I had a 16-gauge, single-shot shotgun and at the time enjoyed hunting. I took a couple philosophy courses from a Professor Reeves, only slightly older than myself. He was one of the best professors at the school, and his classes reflected that. Since I was older, Reeves and I were close, and during our chats he...
A few days ago, we had a new baby in the family. Actually, it was a great grandchild, the fourth for us. She joins Kaylee, Damon and Westlyn as great grand babies. I guess it is a sign of getting old. But what a joy to see them come and grow up. The mother and father are Camille and Mark Fabian. Mark is from The Philippines. Camille came into the family through adoption by our daughter, Kathy, and her husband, Will Beck. I remember clearly the day she arrived at Sea-Tac. She was accompanied by a representative from South Korea. Most of the...
When you travel, expect the unexpected. Always have money on you for the country you are visiting. My first trip to Vietnam started out as an embarrassment, and nearly was a disaster. I forgot to exchange money before leaving Hong Kong, so when I got off the plane in Saigon, I only had U. S travel checks with me. I got my bag and headed to the bus for transport to my hotel. Before I could get to the bus, a Vietnamese man grabbed my bag to carry it to the bus. It was obvious he wanted a tip. All I had with me, except for travel checks was a...
