Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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One misty, moisty morning, when cloudy was the weather, I chanced to meet an old man dressed all in leather. Anyone remember this old nursery rhyme? I used to recite it to my kids when it was raining as they readied themselves for the school bus. It was my way of saying be smart about what coat you use today. The rain sure fell last night and continues today (Monday). And I think I heard we might have thunder this afternoon. Good day to clean house and nap. Fall means watching for the local...
What a treat this morning (Monday) to wash dishes while listening to the River Writers interview on the radio. Cathlamet's Dayle Olson interviewed Skamokawa writer, Irene Martin, on KMUN, Astoria's public radio station. Irene is a prominent historian of our county, so it was great to hear her voice, and especially her thoughts on the future of salmon. I need to apologize to all my west county folks because I misspelled Salme hill in this column last week. I cannot imagine how many times I have...
From Nick Nikkila on Facebook: "Far and Wide" has now compiled a list of "America's Coolest Small Towns by State." 'For the state of Washington, it must have been a difficult decision with Deep River in the running, but Friday Harbor, established in 1909 with a population of 2,747 was selected. The town's description was given as: Washington State's best-kept secret is its San Juan Island archipelago. Waters filled with orcas, seals and sea lions surround charming islands brimming with cuteness...
The rain has arrived, it's steady and most welcome. One more way we know it's fall, I changed sheets on my bed and put on flannel ones, as well as the comforter. I wrote a commentary on the local school board meeting for The Eagle, but did not include any report on business handled. At the last board meeting, they approved hirings, policies and the purchase of a new transport van at $85,450. It looks like enrollment will be a bit over 300 students, much like last year, but the final number will...
First, we in the Grays River/Rosburg area want to send Nora Lee Sorenson our sincere condolences on the recent death of her partner, Marshall Myers. Our prayers are with you and the family. Now, from Noreen Fitts: Come meet Katherine Parker, missionary who has served in Nepal. All are welcome to hear her story and share lunch at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 2, at Gray's River United Methodist Church, "The little church on the hill," at 3624 SR 4. With the holidays coming, the area is getting...
Dear Readers: Let's start with the memory of September 11, 2001. Recruits into the service today may not have been born yet or may have been babies when it happened twenty-two years ago. How quickly history fades. Let us not forget those who climbed hundreds of stairs and headed into the fires and devastation. Let us always pause to pray for their families and those who lost so much. Let us remember our own first responders here in our rural area because they are all volunteers leaving their...
Fall has snuck in the front door seeming to follow prior seasons earlier this year. We had an early spring, an early summer and now an early fall. If winter is early, too, the big storms may well be on Thanksgiving, usually a high tide period when storms are more likely to happen. Recently, Vince Gill presented his new song on the Grand Old Opry, "The Whole World." I hope you will look for it on YouTube. Here are lyrics to the chorus: "Feels like the whole world has a broken heart, We surely...
Each school board candidate has been given an opportunity to express in their own words what they feel voters would want to know about themselves. The following is information Luke Gardner provided: "Should I be elected, here is what I will swear to when taking the oath of office as Director on the Naselle Grays River Valley School Board: I, Luke Gardner, a resident of Naselle for over forty-years, do hereby solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constit...
Tomorrow means September has arrived. This means summer is waning, fall is coming, school starts, morning showers are back and hopefully rain is coming for our fields, flowers and rivers. The first day of school is so exciting, can you remember how it felt to put on new clothes and see your old friends, then meet new ones? Life should be like that every day, don't you agree? There are several important gatherings in September. September 13 at 5:30, the Grays River Flood Control District will...
Each school board candidate has been given an opportunity to express in their own words what they feel voters would want to know about them. The following is information Aris Campbell provided: Background in education: I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Portland State University. This foundation gives me an insight into human behavior, cognition, and interpersonal relationships. As a school board director, such understanding is crucial and beneficial. It enables me to take a thoughtful approach to decisions affecting the...
Sometimes I think I'm more trouble than I'm worth. Do you ever feel like there's too much going on for your mind to organize? Then again, aging isn't for sissies. My allergy to dust is killing me this summer. So much coughing I can't sleep at night, so much sneezing I wake up the dog, too. But this morning I noticed cars coming by in front of my house from the east, coming around the bend, seeing the sun coming up on the fields across from my house and slowing down to look at how beautiful it...
Naselle Grays River Valley School Board's meeting for August was held at the Grays River Fire Hall just off SR4 on Hull Creek Road. The board has agreed to meet three times a year in Grays River to provide convenience for those who like to see the meetings held locally. The meeting was supposed to be available to all via Zoom. However, the Zoom link for the meeting was not set-up, causing anyone who wanted to attend that way to be unsuccessful. I drove over as soon as I realized the Zoom option...
It's Monday morning after a Sunday with 104 degrees as reported by Naselle folks. My back porch thermometer, in the shade, said we hit 100 in Grays River. During that heat on Sunday, around 3 p.m., there was a fire at the bottom of KM pass in Grays River. The property owner was working on putting more cedar posts in his corral. When his hammer hit metal, a spark immediately started the fire. Three Grays River Fire District trucks with firefighters came to help put out the fire, along with...
There's been a bit of rain on my .45 acre of property so it is now at least wet, if not soaked. Life is better for the roses. They love heat and need water so they are all doing well, but I simply have too many flowers and not enough energy to take care of them as I have for eighteen continuous summers. If you'd like to have any of my "movable" plants, let me know. In the Meserve files I borrowed from the Archive Center, I found an issue of the "Eagle" from June 3, 1948 with information on the P...
Finn Fest and School Projects Update The Finnish American Folk Festival scheduled for 2024 has been cancelled due to the likely unavailability of the school because of construction in the summer of 2024. As announced at the last School Board meeting, Lisa Nelson, Superintendent of the Naselle GRV School District, received a call in July confirming the $4.8 million grant for a major project in 2024. Since I just completed an interview with Lisa Nelson, Superintendent at the Naselle GRV Schools,...
At the school board meeting on July 18, the Naselle Grays River Valley School Board adopted the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year, discussed policies, board goals and the next community survey. With updates from Superintendent Lisa Nelson and Principal Justin Laine, it was a meeting full of energy and promise for the coming year. Keeping in mind that the school district carries no debt at all and with news of funding coming for an important capital project next year in the amount of a $4.88M grant, the future of the school and its...
It's almost August. How did that happen? It means the Fair, the Loggers Reunion and Labor Day weekend are all just around the bend. The older I get, the faster the days go by. There is a song that talks about now that we're older, how many more times will we see the cherry blossoms in bloom? We have time left and no real idea of how long that will be, but our time needs to be used so that we spend it with family, babies, young ones in pre-school, friends and elders, and yes, cherry trees. May...
At the School Board meeting on July 18, the Naselle Grays River Valley School Board adopted the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year, discussed policies, board goals and the next community survey. With updates from Superintendent Lisa Nelson and Principal Justin Laine, it was a meeting full of energy and promise for the coming year. Keeping in mind that the School District carries no debt at all and with news of funding coming for an important capital project next year in the amount of a $4.88 million grant, the future of the school...
The U.S. Drought Monitor released a Drought Map and Report on July 13 indicating the west end of Wahkiakum County is moving toward the “D2” category, or severe drought. Wahkiakum County has received 50% less precipitation than normal. “Normal” precipitation percentages were developed with data followed from 1991-2020. While light rain may fall at times, the water table for the Grays is very low. Predictions have been set by the National Weather Service and the U.S. Drought Monitor for August through September and possibly into October at 33% to...
Kaye Wiemer has left us. She died last week, such a loss for all of us. She was a kind person, perfect for a pastor's wife. My story about Kaye is that at the last Finn Fest, she watched me struggling to walk to my car as I left. I sometimes have a problem with balance and fatigue catches me when I've not been drinking enough water. She sent me the most beautiful card, hand written, full of sincere encouragement and love. It made such a lovely gesture and it's in my little pile of cards to treas...
The Washington State Department of Ecology issued a statewide drought advisory last Wednesday, July 12. The department said the state saw the warmest May on record and an abnormally dry spring and early summer, which resulted in an early snowmelt. The snowmelt caused an initial surge for snow-fed rivers and streams, but now most stream flows are projected to be below normal by as much as 75%. RCW 43.83B.011 states that drought conditions mean that a geographic area is expected to receive less...
Some days you wonder how the day is gonna' go, but you just get up and get going. This was one of those days. Last night felt strange. I could not sleep. The air was damp and heavy with a higher than usual temperature. Bendog was restless and barked a lot on the back porch. I tossed and turned and felt like, well you know what I mean. I am blessed that I can look from my bed right out the front windows and see what's going on outside. The strangeness of the night just continued when I looked out...
Last week's photo of Noreen Fitts showed Noreen with her new granddaughter, but Bob Jungers questioned me on that, and he's right. She is Noreen's great granddaughter. A few days ago, I talked with a really tough guy. I need trees trimmed behind my house because they've grown so much that the trail going up the hill looks like a tunnel. I had an idea of who I should ask to do it because I asked others for names of those who could do it and they always gave me the same name. I had seen him...
State Senator Jeff Wilson wrote the following after I sent him a question on the Legislature's web site: "Please note the Naselle youth camp was funded for ongoing soft closure and I was able to include in this year's operating budget a task force to be populated by area locals including the Chinook tribe. I am proud of this because the camp now will have a local say in any future potential this facility has...you will be heard!" I thanked him for this information and hope he comes to visit us o...
Lisa Nelson wrote this tribute to Francy Pentilla on Facebook: "In all my life, I never heard her speak an unkind word, never observed her fail to serve others, and I never observed her complain. She lived to be 96, so that is a lot of years of observing. She was the most kind, loving, and personable human being I ever met; a supreme role model and example for how to live. She wasn't wealthy, extreme, or extravagant. She was common folk to the core. If I can live up to half the things that she...
