FOS wine tasting and auction Saturday night

LOOKING SOGGY--We may have slipped into some Fall like weather a bit early, as our week began cooler and wetter this past Sunday, with a couple of really good "gutter testers," as I call them. It looks like more of that kind of weather may be happening this week, so it's definitely time to drag out the water-proof jackets, boots and umbrellas. The big story this past Saturday was the huge lightning show up North of us, which even caused a huge, hours long, delay of a Husky game and even the evacuation of the crowd from the stands. I heard there were over 2000 lightning strikes in the area that day, so for those storm lovers, it was a dream come true!

However, for one of our former Eagle employees, Sunny Manary, it was a big bust, as the storm loving Sunny lives too far to the SW to get in on that fantastic lightning show, so she didn't get to see a thing; sorry Sunny!

WHAT NEXT?--From burning cars, to fallen trees to downed power lines, the troubles on SR 4 seem to have been non-stop this week, so here's hoping we have a bit of a calmer week ahead along our busy highway. Plus, there was a scary incident when a motorcycle opted to pass a line of cars when he shouldn't have, and luckily for him, the oncoming car slowed way down and pulled over, or there would have been a horrendous accident. So maybe one needs to be reminded that rather than arriving someplace two minutes faster, you could wind up not arriving at all. Please slow down and stay safe, travelers!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Sept. 12-18 are Frank Bosch, Rex Gilbertsen, Conner Parker, Sarah Phelps, Dick Snyder, Lori Bergseng, Gerry Brennan, Jim Spitzer, Penny Paulsen, Paige Nielson, Aiden Fletcher, Korina Hoven, Mandy Giesler, Jason Montgomery, Linda Roseberry, Rudy Lopez, Michelle Smith, Wade Cothren, Cindy Riley-Baldwin, Roger Reed, Naomi Pedersen, Samantha Pedersen, Adam Pedersen, Susan Peterson Shook and Suzy Ekstrom-Sechler.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Quin and Christeena Bassi, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Bergseng, Mike and Samantha Wright, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Vik, Mr. and Mrs. John Vik and Gwen and Arve Ronninghaug. Happy days to one and all!

BUY RAFFLE TICKETS ASAP--It won't be long and the beautiful quilt made by our local group, the "River City Strippers" will be given away, so if you'd like a chance to win it and support a good cause, now's the time to act! The group donated this quilt so that those who are trying to raise money for the Pioneer Center Restoration Project, could raise a little more. Tickets are just $5 and can be purchased at the Bank of the Pacific, with the drawing expected to take place on Sept. 26. The winner will be notified by telephone.

Kudos to the quilters for once again helping others, as they have donated quilts before to help raise funds for organizations, as well as making and giving a quilt to those who are going through tough times and would take comfort in such a labor of love.

MOVIE TIME--Sept. 13, the community center at 101 Main Street in Cathlamet, will once again show a free movie beginning at 7 p.m. This time it is a PG-13 drama. As always, you are free to bring in your own snacks but there is free popcorn to go along with that free movie.

SATURDAY MORNING--If you're looking for another good deal or you'd like to sell some of your extras, why not consider the Flea Market at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds? They hold them on the second Saturday of each month from 9 to 3, and it's only $10 to rent a table if you'd like to declutter your home, or head that way to see if you can't find something you need for a bargain. There's usually a few there that are selling their handmade items as well, so it's like one stop shopping and that's a great deal in itself.

SERVICE REMINDER--Just one last quick reminder that the celebration of life service for Puget Islander, and 1964 WHS graduate, Robert Fritzie, will be held this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., at the Bridge Church on SR 409. Again, our sympathies to his son, Robby and daughter, Judy and their families.

TIME TO WINE!--The Friends of Skamokawa will hold their annual wine tasting/auction, "A Cornucopia of Wines" at the Skamokawa Grange Hall this Saturday evening. The event will last from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and you're all welcome to come and take part in this event of fun bidding and good foods and tasty wines (or coffee/water) and help out a good cause at the same time. They hope to see you there. Need more info? Call 360-795-3007.

BINGO TIME--If auctions and wines aren't your thing, maybe you'd rather head to the Norse Hall on Puget Island and play some bingo. The Sons of Norway lodge members would love to have you join them and win some of their cash prizes and have a good time while you're doing it. The doors open at 5:30 and all the bingo action starts at 6 p.m.

NEXT WEEK--Don't forget that the Fall Kite Festival at Skamokawa Vista Park is next Saturday, Sept. 21, and having the sky full of kites is always a beautiful sight. Let's hope we get some decent weather returning so we can get out there and enjoy them.

GOOD TIME--Congratulations to Steve and Lorie (Webb) Smith as they recently moved into their new home, built and furnished to their liking, which is always a dream come true moment. They recently held an Open House for their family and friends and it looked like they not only had a nice day for it but a nice turn out as well. Here's to enjoying your wonderful new home for many years to come!

THINKING OF THEM--We've still got some folks who could use a good thought or two, and one of those is a former classmate, Rich West. He fell off a ladder some time ago and has been awaiting surgery, which should happen soon in order to repair his hip and an arm, so we truly hope his surgeries will be successful and he gets to come home soon. As I type this up, he's spending his birthday in bed, so we truly hope he's out and about on his next birthday!

Also, Dave Heiner was back to the hospital once again, and we hope that this latest set back is just a brief one, as he's definitely been through the ringer the last few years, which means his family could certainly use a break as well.

GOOD IDEA?--I recently saw where a bus driver had placed a bag of books in their bus, so that when kids got on the bus, they could grab a book and read it along the way to or from school. What do you think of this idea? Do you think maybe this might be a good thing to try in our area? Maybe the bus drivers could get together and mull this over and if they want to give it a try, I'm sure if they let us know they'd be willing to do it, that we could all find a book or two to donate to the book baskets; thoughts? Give me a call!

OUR MUSEUM STILL OPEN--I saw in the Daily News where the Stella Museum has closed for the season, as they had their last open day on Sept. 7. But rest assured, if you're looking to view some "old things" and learn about your local history, you can still come down to our local museum in Cathlamet at 65 River Street and check it all out as it has lots of visual items of those days long ago. Hours of operation are Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. There is a fee to get in, but seniors get a discount and as always, any donations you make, would truly be appreciated by the Wahkiakum County Historical Society.

LOTS OF TRAVELING--A big thank you has to be sent out to a few of my relatives as well as my friends, as I've gotten to tour all over Spain, the Republic of Congo, France, Norway and Greenland and beyond lately, so that's been awesome. Of course, these "tours" were taken via all their pictures and videos online or Facebook, so, I didn't really get to travel along, but they did such a great job of posting, that it felt like I was right there! I didn't mind missing the parts where they had to deal with some very long waits, lost luggage and unscheduled layovers though, but they weathered it all just fine it seems.

My cousin Donna Healy Palmer was treated to 22 days of traveling about Spain by her son, Larri and they truly had some wonderful adventures. Places like Barcelona, Andalucia, Los Remedios, Seville and more were captivating and the sites along the way via car or trains and the theaters and the flamenco dancers and more were just breathtaking, so it was a wonderful trip for mother and son!

Samantha Pedersen was enjoying some fantastic sites and foods in the Republic of Congo but they also showed the extreme differences between what most of us enjoy here and the stark reality of their world in comparison. When one travels to certain areas, one becomes quite grateful for what we enjoy at home. Getting to see a real close up view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris was certainly exciting.

Cindi Pedersen and Jeff Nicol have been posting awesome pictures of Germany and cruising up the Rhine and visiting a ton of places along the way. Not to mention, eating all the local foods and enjoying their wines and famous beers! They also headed to Prague recently, where there was more great scenery, historic buildings and more great food and drink to be had, so it looked like the couple was truly enjoying themselves.

Local Mark Whitaker has taken some awesome pictures of some of his travels, as his work allows him to travel quite a bit, and he's been able to add a couple of added stops just for his enjoyment, so they have been an added bonus. His recent trip to Norway presented some stunning views of the landscapes there, and it made me want to hop on a plane, so if he ever opts to become a photographer, I think he's got a real eye for the job! His latest trip meant that he too had some lost luggage "fun" and it seemed he would just be getting a notice that it was "here" as he was on board another plane and leaving for "there." Mark had another successful trip to Greenland where he was able to graduate more recruits from his WFR courses. There's nothing like teaching some medical techniques to those who like to go out in the wilderness and might not have all the city conveniences at hand.

I have to say, from all the pictures and video clips I've seen of all the great eats and drinks in all these places, I am pretty sure I've gained 20 pounds just from looking at them all, and I'm exhausted as well, as these folks are really doing some heavy duty traveling. Good for them!