Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Allow me to preface this week's missive with a note. I'm not trying to be argumentative here, for I do believe that opinions, like elbows, are possessed by damn near everyone. That said, I read with interest the gentleman's heartfelt 'Letter to the Editor' in the October 16 issue of The Eagle expressing his dismay with hunters shooting geese on Puget Island. For the record, I believe his heart's in the proper position; however, there IS a couple of items I'd like to discuss. Yes, Puget Island...
As I write this, the thermometer over the kitchen sink reads 41 degrees outside and a 'balmy' 53 inside this little house. Understandably, all three cats are sitting in front of the Quadrafire, waiting, and rather impatiently, for their human to get off his dead rump, get the coffee brewing, and build them a fire. I'll get right on that, felines. Fall's here; the colors, the cool. Every day, I'm greeted to the sound of migrating Canada geese, the annual travelers having left their Alaskan...
Is it just me, or is fall coming fast? I don't know where muzzleloader deer season went, but here we are in the midst of muzzleloader elk season. Waterfowl and rifle deer seasons open on Saturday, Oct. 11. The first run of clam tides opened on Oct. 6 and continue through Sunday, Oct. 12. To top it off, we're three weeks away from the best holiday of the year: Halloween. Not so sure on that ranking? When else can I dress like the March Hare from "Alice in Wonderland," roam the streets of Cathlame...
As a boy growing up in the northeast corner of Ohio in the 70s, I loved everything about October. I loved the way the pin oaks, hickories, beech, and maples changed colors, quietly donning their seasonal hues of red and orange and yellow. I loved the crisp chilly mornings delivered with the promise of mid-afternoon warmth. I loved the frequent flights of restless Canada geese and the flurry of stockpiling activity among the neighborhood fox squirrels. Growing up in the Midwest was wonderful,...
Can you feel it? Fall's here. She's not only in the air, which this morning is a chilly 49 degrees, but in our little red house, too. First fire, albeit a small one, in the Quadrafire this morning for the cats and myself. Still, by the time this issue hits the newsstands, it will have warmed back up to the high 70s and early 80s. This is typical for this most fickle time of year. Per usual, there's quite a bit happening in the Great Outdoors now that September is winding down. Elk archery...
Well, I'm back from northeast Ohio, and I must say it was a wonderful trip. The weather was perfect. The leaves were just beginning to turn. My folks are doing fine for folks who are 84 and 85. A glitch here and there - Mom's Parkinson's and Dad's COPD - but they're muddling through and doing well. I had a chance to share a meal with some high school buddies (class of 1982), met some new Newton Falls residents, played with a couple dozen dogs, generally sat for a spell, and relived the late 70s...
For the love of...porches Porches come in all types; open air, screened in, wrap around, front, back, covered, multi-season, etc. Porches are what I'd been missing all along. They were right there in front of me, and I simply wasn't seeing them. Perhaps I was overlooking them or looking past them. Have I lost you? If you'll indulge me for just a minute, I can explain. Every year since we moved back to Washington in 2015, I fly back to northeast Ohio to see my folks, now 84 and 85 and in fine...
There are times, believe it or not, when I ask myself just what constitutes "the outdoors." I am, after all, supposedly an outdoor writer. Not an outdoor "rider," a pursuit of which I've been accused on more than one occasion. I do, from time to time, ride through the outdoors. For the past 33 years, I've made my living, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, writing about the outdoors. To some, I was a 'hook and bullet' guy; a scribe of the consumptive order. A fisherman. A hunter. The hook and the...
It's coming, good people. Yes, I know it's warm. Hot, even, with Portland hitting the century mark this past weekend. You know what, though? We're not in Portland. True, I had a young man tell me that further up the Elochoman Valley, the thermometer nudged 93 degrees. That's warm enough, I reckon. The point is fall is coming. I'm not trying to speed-read the calendar, but there's no getting around the fact that August is almost over and September's seasons (dove, archery, deer and elk, muzzleloa...
Why do you hunt? Over the past 53 years, during which time I've called myself a hunter, I've answered that question a thousand times; or, I've at least attempted to answer it. To me, to an extent, it's akin to 'why do you prefer blue' or 'why do you put your left shoe on before your right?' It's this, that, and the other thing, but we'll get to that soon enough. First, I'll give this disclaimer. I'm not trying to convince you that hunting is something you should do, something you should...
It's true. September - and with it, the official start of yet another hunting season - is right around the proverbial corner. However, that's not to say there isn't much to do outdoors during the final two weeks of August. That said, my thoughts as we wind down month eight of 2025: Buoy 10 / North Jetty The Fort Canby boat launch was a busy, busy place on Sunday, Aug. 10, when we had the grandkids. In talking with several different anglers, it appears the bite has moved into the river proper,...
Yes, it is August already. It is said "time flies when you're having fun." Though I believe I am, I'm not sure I'm actually having fun, as the squares on the calendar sure seem to be getting X'd out at speeds upwards of mach one these days. Per usual, there's a lot going on in the great outdoors during the eighth month of the year. Bear season takes place in mid-August, fishing, Salmon Derby, street market, farmers markets, and the Toto/Men at Work/Christopher Cross concert (for which we have ti...
It's funny the things that make me smile. Just this morning, I'm sitting on the back porch, coffee in one hand, dog at my feet. I'm listening to the rooster down the valley greet the day and my girl-chickens waking up for another; when, from stage right, a tiny rufous hummingbird makes his jet-like appearance. As they often do, he makes the rounds of the many blossoms on the porch. A sip from the impatiens, a drink from the Albutilon, a split second to check out the early mums; the geraniums....
First rattle out of the proverbial box, I'd like to thank everyone for two things. One, for a fantastic Bald Eagle Days. The crowd was great. The parade was excellent, and I got plenty of candy. The breakfast burritos from Patty Cakes were top-notch. And the weather? Outstanding. All in all, a most wonderful day. And two, thank you all for keeping Fire Districts 1 through 4, along with the Cathlamet FD, inactive throughout the whole of the weekend. No one, to the best of my knowledge, set the...
Summer is typically a 'down time' for much of the outdoors. Too early and not enough rain for mushrooms. A month away from the opening day of bear season; six weeks for archery deer. Summer steelhead are winding down, and it will be mid-August before the silvers start slipping by the North Jetty. But the garden's going gangbusters, and that keeps many outdoors people occupied as we wander our way toward the end of yet another month. Where's the time going? With that all said, once I sat down...
Friday afternoon, July 4, and the call comes out to the county of a brush fire just east of Nassa Point. The Cathlamet Fire Department (CFD) arrives on-scene with an engine and a brush truck, along with Battalion Chief Will Lutz, who will serve as Incident Command (IC). Skamokawa arrives. District 4. Local law enforcement, with the Washington State Patrol (WSP), close State Route 4. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is contacted, arrives on-scene and, within the hour, takes...
I'll be honest, but I'm sad. Not under the covers and sleep the day away sad, but almost. Why so blue? PIGYS is over for another year. No more Smash burgers and homemade bread pudding. No more S'mores cookies, popcorn, and hot dogs. PIGYS 2025 is over and, while there were fewer sales this year - not to mention the rain on Friday - I'd still call it an overall success. Fish poles, self-inflating air mattresses, spin-glos for steelhead, which, by the way, are already in a box marked "Julie's," so...
If y'all haven't noticed, it's a busy, bustling, vibrant time of year. Julie's strawberries are going plum wild. Truthfully, we've never seen the plants quite as full as they are this year; the cherries, Lapine and Royal Ann, too. However, the robins, jays, and crows appear to be getting their fair share from those particular trees. Still, I'm okay with sharing, and I find it comical to see a robin so full of "my" cherries as to make full flight darn near impossible. We have a pair of yearling b...
Once again, folks, there's a lot going on courtesy of Mother Nature, so we'll dive right into it this week. I'm writing this on Father's Day, so a Happy Father's Day - albeit belated by the time this article publishes - goes out to all the dads out there, including my very own, Captain Michael E. Johnson (U.S. Army, Vietnam 1965-66). Trump administration pulls out of PNW salmon restoration agreement Given the significance of salmon to the people, the culture, the history, and the wallets of...
It’s no secret that college or, for that matter, any post-high school education, is expensive for some. I use the term “expensive” because for some, this next step in the learning process is pricey to the point of being cost-prohibitive. What happens then? The individual in question - and I’ve known many over the past 40 years - doesn’t continue down the road to learning and then wonders, “What if?” Last Friday, I had the opportunity to sit with a group of people whose mission, in large part, is to erase this so-called “What if” and replaci...
Has it really been a week? Time goes fast, it's said, when one's having fun; and, if by "fun," that means trenching the yard, construction projects, mowing, more mowing, and having to have Julie's black Ford trailered back to the Elochoman from Bunker Hill due to a mechanical malfunction, well then I've been full up with 'fun.' Thank you, Randy Coleman for the lift and the assistance. Porcupines in June? I know. Anyone having anything to do with trees, i.e. loggers, tree farmers, and the like,...
June already? Where, if you don't mind me asking, did May go? There's a lot to go over this week. June 6, 1944 – Operation Overlord Gold. Sword. Juno. Omaha. Utah. As most of you read this, the calendar page will soon turn to June 6, 2025. That being the case, it was 81 years ago that history's greatest armada crossed The English Channel and began the liberation of Europe from the clutches of Adolph Hitler and his Third Reich. The statistics of this day, known in the annuals of Time as O...
It's Memorial Day and I, like millions of Americans, are giving thanks and praise to the men and women who serve, those who proudly served, and those who gave their lives in the name of democracy and the people of this great nation. Thank you, one and all, for your dedication, commitment, and sacrifice. Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer. The fact is summer technically begins on June 20 this year; but hey, it's warm, it's nice, the garden's growing, and Julie and I caught...
I'm sitting on the back porch this morning with my black dog, Abigail at my feet. Both of us listen to the boats leave the Elochoman Marina for another day of trolling back and forth. Dropping something magical, colorful, and wrapped in or containing a small piece of Bumblebee product damn near to the bottom. Easing back in the captain's chair with the cap to the old school Stanley thermos filled to the brim and a hunk of fresh-made pumpkin bread at the ready. It's a nice morning, albeit a bit...
The Wonders of Garage Sale Gear I know it's early, but in honor of that most monumental event, the annual Puget Island Garage (and) Yard Sale, or PIGYS, which will be held June 27 – 29 and, owing to the fact it is indeed and has been for some time, garage sale season, I write this week on the finer points of what I call 'garage sale etiquette.' But garage sales and the outdoors? Garage sales can be great places to find outdoor gear at ridiculously low prices; however, not every $2 sleeping b...
