Cedar Creek Treehouse – a gem in the Ashford woods

Posted on May 21, 2011 by brucesmith49

 

Peering out from the canopy of Douglas firs thickly splayed across the Nisqually River valley near Ashford perches the Cedar Creek Treehouse, a unique one-room hotel that soars fifty feet above the forest floor.

The handiwork of Bill Compher and his family, the treehouse is actually part of a complex of structures built to transport guests into the high reaches of the forest.  Internationally acclaimed for its design and craftsmanship, the entire site offers a sublime vacationing experience. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Eatonville News, Environment, Mount Rainier, Remarkable men and women, Self Reliance | 4 Comments

Bethel seeks county code changes for electronic signs in Frederickson

Posted on May 20, 2011 by brucesmith49

 

The Bethel School District launched its latest effort to win approval for electronic readerboards at last Monday’s Frederickson Land Use Advisory Commission meeting (F-LUAC). Continue reading →

Posted in Bethel News, Cops and courts, Culture, Frederickson, Graham News, Politics, Spanaway | Leave a comment

Antigravity: The Holy Grail of the 21st Century

Posted on May 18, 2011 by brucesmith49

 

Nobel Laureate and UW biology professor Edmond Fischer recently asked me for a copy of the following article, “Antigravity:  The Holy Grail of the 21st Century,” so I thought I’d share it here with Mountain News readers as well. Continue reading →

Posted in Science and Technology | 11 Comments

Bethel holds forum on bullying

Posted on May 16, 2011 by brucesmith49

 

Before a lightly attended, but often impassioned audience, the Bethel School District held an evening forum on bullying, harassment and intimidation May 3.

 Held at Bethel High School, site of pronounced racial strife a few years ago, the forum was a hybrid affair, with an introductory  presentation by bullying expert Sue Eastgard offered first, and then followed by a discussion of Bethel policies and procedures – led by the BSD school board – that included several lively rounds of questioning by concerned parents. Continue reading →

Posted in Bethel News, Culture | Leave a comment

Harriott Balmer honored for scholarship work in Bethel

Posted on May 14, 2011 by brucesmith49

 

Kapowsin resident, Harriott Balmer, was honored this week by the Northwest Regional Chapter of Dollars for Scholars for her three decades of effort raising scholarship monies for college-bound students from the Bethel School District. Continue reading →

Posted in Bethel News, Business, Culture, People Profiles, Remarkable men and women | 5 Comments

Mother’s Day Tea and Jewelry, Feathers and Cats

Posted on May 13, 2011 by brucesmith49

by Judy Spiers

Mother’s Day came a day early this year – Saturday – for those who attended Karen Lucas’ annual Mother’s Day Tea at the Gallery on the Hill, in Graham. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Events, Graham News, People Profiles, Remarkable men and women | Leave a comment

Reflections on Mother’s Day – “Connections”

Posted on May 12, 2011 by brucesmith49

by Paula Morris

 

Connections

I have been reflecting lately on how it came to be that “relationships” have been supplanted in our psyche by “things.” Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Spirituality | 11 Comments

Feds, state and locals conduct disaster training in Frederickson

Posted on May 11, 2011 by brucesmith49

 

A combination of federal, state and county officials, along with a mix of local fire fighters and volunteer search and rescue organizations, encamped at the Randles Sand and Gravel plant in Frederickson last Saturday for a round of disaster training.

 The exercise was conducted by the state’s premier rescue unit, known by its FEMA designation, Washington State Task Force One (WA-TF1), which is one of twenty-eight units in FEMA’s nationwide Urban Search and Rescue Task Force (USRTF). Continue reading →

Posted in Cops and courts, Events, Frederickson, Nature, Self Reliance | Leave a comment

Report from a tornado zone

Posted on May 9, 2011 by brucesmith49

 

The following is a fascinating account of the mega-tornados that hit Alabama and much of the south recently.  This report comes to the Mountain News via NASA’s public information service:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/

Although tornados only appear infrequently in the Pacific Northwest, author Dauna Coulter’s insightful and poetic descriptions of the power of Mother Nature – and the inspiring responses of the survivors – are gems for us to savor. Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Self Reliance | Leave a comment

Celebrating Mother’s Day with a story – The Ghost of Frenchtown Creek

Posted on May 8, 2011 by brucesmith49

 Editor’s Note:  Of all the stories I have told, my mom says this is her favorite.  So, as a kind of tribute to her, Olveria Frances Smith, I’d like to share The Ghost of Frenchtown Creek with Mountain News readers.

The summer of my twentieth year, I worked on a horse farm near Baptistown, New Jersey, in what may have been the most rural area within a hundred miles of my New York City home.  I got the job through my friend Rob, who also worked there, and he and I lived on a neighboring farm rented by Rob’s brother and family.  We weren’t a hippie commune – just a big family in farm country. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Folk tales and stories, Nature, Uncategorized | 4 Comments