The massive wooden door of the castle opened slowly. The young girls from the other side of the tracks – certainly in contrast to where they now stood – stared in awe with mouths agape as the ‘La vie du chateau’ (the good life) opened before them. Then – then! – they were ushered inside […]
Letter: One Interesting Catch
This is an article about one of my not-so-good ideas. My dad used to say that I was born with a fishing pole in my hand, and as a boy when I saw water I naturally grabbed one and headed out. Or in this case down. Down the embankment, sliding over the mossy and fern […]
Letter: Who – And What – Is Behind The Equity, Diversity And Inclusion Training For The Clover Park School District?
Ninety minutes into the January 11, 2021 Zoom meeting of the Clover Park School District Board (CPSD), Director Paul Wagemann asked for background information on the consultant who will provide training to the District on the subjects of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). With the exception of promising to provide a link to the consultant’s […]
Letter: A Forest Cathedral, Trout And Dad
A small wooden sign with the words “No water next sixteen miles” introduced us to a faint trail that meandered up and into the trees. This narrow and overgrown goat-like track – a harbinger of more hard hiking – suggested that others had opted for the wider, well-traveled and easier way downhill. Given that my […]
Letter: Resolution And Old Age
As the hourly chiming of the grandfather clock marked time, an old man settled into his worn, leather chair. Often on cold, late winter’s evenings – blanketed and cushioned in the comfortable confines of the crinkled leather – he’d read himself to sleep with stories about adventure. One night he read about Captain Henry Keilett […]
Letter: Questions For The Clover Park School District Board
If the Clover Park School District Board of Directors is so concerned about a three word statement by a fellow board member – which led to a special meeting being called for him to explain his alleged racist statement – then how do board members know when they see actual racism? If the board of […]
Letter: Amtrak On Track To Be Safe – This Time
“Expect to see trains going 79 mph through Tacoma, Lakewood and DuPont soon,” reads the headline in the January 7 Tacoma News Tribune. “We have demonstrated, I think, to them (Pierce County communities) and everyone else that all of the necessary safety measures that Amtrak is expected to take before this testing have been fully […]
Letter: LIVE or DIE
Love, Individualism, Vision and Effort were the four non-negotiable principles Clover Park School District Superintendent Ron Banner instilled in his adopted son, Zach Banner, an offensive tackle for the Pittsburg Steelers. In an April 19, 2010 article entitled Zach Banner – A Profile in Character, Chris Fetters wrote: “The basis of Ron’s teachings toward Zach […]
Letter: Still Hand-in-hand
The cathedral ceiling was just as beautiful as it was on the day a half-century before when – just announced as husband and wife – they had walked hand-in-hand back down the rose-petal strewn aisle. On that day, family and friends had smiled broadly, stood proudly and clapped loudly. The bride’s mother had unsuccessfully brushed […]