Fighting Fires: Now and Then
Many of the forest fires raging in the West this summer are not far from places I know—outside of Twisp and Omak and Okanogan near Lake Chelan in Washington State; Clark Fork near Lake Pend d’Oreille in the Idaho Panhandle; and other fires in Oregon. I remember fires from lightning raging across Rattlesnake Mountain when […]
The Manhattan Project at Home
I wrote a couple of months ago about how the Manhattan Project preserved the natural beauty of the Columbia Reach in eastern Washington. In addition to preserving this unique part of our nation’s landscape, the Manhattan Project also enhanced the development of my home town of Richland, Washington. 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the […]
Which Is More Awesome—Mount Rainier or the Blue Angels?
After the Cannon Beach portion of my recent trip west, my husband and I spent a few days in Seattle with our daughter. For these days also we had lovely weather, and Mount Rainier appeared on the horizon most days. I always marvel at this mountain, which looms thousands of feet above anything around it. […]
Hospitalized for Homesickness
I wrote in my last post about my son’s first experience at summer camp. When I was eleven, I went to summer camp myself for the first and last time. It was 1967, the summer after my sixth grade year. Three fellow classmates and I—girls I liked, but not close friends—signed up for a Catholic […]
Hanford Reach: History Preserved by Accident
In January 1943, the U.S. Army selected the town of Hanford, Washington, as the site for plutonium production on the Manhattan Project. Beginning in February 1943, the Army acquired vast amounts of land around Hanford pursuant to the Second War Powers Act. The three hundred residents of Hanford were evacuated and relocated. The land condemned […]
The State of Washington Lied To Me When I Was in High School
Sometime during my sophomore or junior year of high school, I was required to take the Washington Pre-College Test. This test was necessary to apply to universities in the state. I intended to apply to both Washington State University and the University of Washington, so I dutifully signed up for the test and spent a […]
Western Heads Cool As Gold Fever Begins in the East
When autumn came to 1848, San Francisco was already a boom town and coping with the influx of gold. At the same time, rumors of the gold rush were just reaching Washington, D.C. By late September, more than 6000 men were mining in California. Wealth from the gold fields flooded into San Francisco soon after nuggets […]
A Rest at Lake Chelan, Washington
In August, my husband and I were fortunate enough to take a couple of days after my mother’s funeral for a respite at Lake Chelan, Washington. There’s something so calming about staying on the lake shore, as I’ve written before (see here and here) Maybe because when I am by a lake I remember my childhood […]
A Picture I Wish I Had: A Baby and Huckleberries
A friend of mine in Washington State recently posted a picture of huckleberries she had picked. Now those of you who don’t live in the West may not even know what huckleberries are. You’ve heard of Huckleberry Finn, but did you ever wonder where the Huckleberry in his name came from? (Actually, a little research […]
A Summer Short: Sights on the Olympic Peninsula
I recently returned from another visit to see family on the Olympic Peninsula. It’s a place: Where picturesque villages line ocean inlets Where mountains vie with evergreens for majesty Where Mount Rainier can be seen from the Wal-Mart parking lot (look through the cart rack) Where wildflowers grow as profusely as gardens Where subdivision streets […]