Submitted by Greg Alderete. The curious who dare to seek it must first endure the climb—Engineer Bluff, its presence looming over Fort Lewis like a silent sentinel. The ascent alone is enough to unsettle the mind, a steep and unrelenting road veiled in mist, the ever-present scent of pine thick in the air. But it […]
To Ponder
Let’s Talk! – The Worst Commencement Speech
Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt during dinner tonight? You want to know about my thoughts on it? Here’s my take: I have had four commencements in my life, if you will. The first one was after the traditional 13 years from my German grammar school […]
Letter: “Look Where I Am Now!”
The Facetime caller was from nearly 3,000 miles away. The very good friend from what seemed like forever wondered how she was doing. In answer she walked to the window – and later she would do so from the dock – and she turned her phone toward the view. She wanted him to see what […]
Letter: Another Road Project, Another Struggle: How Much More Can Small Businesses Take?
Submitted by Sam Ahn. Hi I’m Sam. I’m the son of the owner of the Lucky Food Store on Hipkins Rd (right next to the Jack in the Box). After everything the business endured with the Hipkins Road construction, I never imagined we’d be facing the same nightmare again so soon. But here we are—another […]
Across the Fence: Turner and Turnverein
Have you ever run into a turnverein (pronounce: ‘toorn-fuh-ine) or a turner (pronounce: toornah) over here in the U.S.? The former means gymnastic club, the latter gymnast. And both are Germanisms in the English language. I haven’t met any so far. In the U.S., the connotation has become something different from that in Germany. As […]
Letter: The last school bell
Submitted by Greg Alderete. By 2029, the traditional American school system was a relic of the past. The grand brick buildings, the morning rush of school buses, the clamor of crowded hallways—all gone. In their place, an entirely decentralized learning system had emerged, one where education was tailored to each child’s intellectual capability, interests, and […]
In the Book Nook with … Cyndi L. Stuart
Author Cyndi L. Stuart from Harstine Island in South Puget Sound, Washington, just recently sold an artisan farm in Puyallup where she and her husband ran a small nursery and pottery studio. After years spent as a garden speaker and horticultural writer, she now teaches an online continuing education class, The Journey from Idea to […]
Letter: Want better Cascades passenger train service?
Submitted by Breck Lebegue MD MPH, WA Physicians for Social Responsibility. Amtrak Cascades service in Washington just received a boost of positive new energy with House passage of ESHB 1837. Senator Nobles co-sponsored a companion bill in the Senate that did not advance, so the House bill now needs to also pass the Senate for […]
Letter: There Is a Place
Looking back down on the way I had come I knew the return would be tough. What got me here was going to be repeated. What goes up must come down. But for now, I rested. The view stretched forever. A snow-covered mountain glistened. The sky was eternally blue. A range of steep, forested hills […]