Beautiful Easter Day: It is a beautiful morning. My coffee is fresh, my dog and the birds have been fed, and I hope all my readers are also enjoying the early hours of the day. Easter was a family day for sure out this way. I enjoy the children no matter the day. I have no grandchildren so I "borrow" kids from neighbors and friends. Valley pastures look like beautifully groomed lawns in the spring and with all the baby animals in the valleys, it's a joy to live here.

Beautiful Growing Cathlamet: I went to Cathlamet last week to order a Wahkiakum Eagle subscription for my Aunt Harriett in Phoenix, Arizona. She is in her 90's and sharp as a 25 year old with a laugh I've loved since I was a kid. At the suggestion of Rick Nelson, I drove up above the beautiful golf course to see all the nice houses that have been built since I was last up there. Oh my goodness! The houses and yards are just like the golf course, impeccably groomed and spring green. And the views from up there are gorgeous. All of us need to get out and see all the changes in our county. I will check out Puget Island next. Out here older houses are being renovated beautifully. On Parpala Road in Naselle, newly cleared land shows promise of more homes to be built.

SR 401: The state department of transportation sent out a bulletin announcing Big River Excavating out of Seaside is scheduled to start building the one-lane bypass road this week. It should be completed this month and opened in a few weeks. Our voices were heard, and now the project is going to happen. The by-pass will make travel so much easier for Peninsula visitors and all of us, too.

Photo of the Week: As many of you know, I work part-time for Torppa Construction. Last week it was fun watching Bob Torppa use the 300 log loader to lift a new dump box onto one of the dump trucks. The crew included Andy Litwin and Jesse Weatherly. If you have a photo you'd like put into the Downriver Dispatch with a short story, send it along to me at the contact info above. Oh, yes, and almost the whole Torppa family has taken Arlene Nelson to Cabo San Lucas for a week in honor of her 85th birthday.

Wahkiakum Eagle: Since the Wahkiakum Eagle did not make it into last week's chronology, I talked with Rick Nelson and learned that the Skamokawa Eagle was the beginning of the Wahkiakum Eagle. "In 1891, the weekly Skamokawa Eagle was founded by its first Editor, Samuel Grant Williams on a hand press which is still on view at the Longview Daily News office in Longview, Washington. The Eagle was and still is the official county newspaper, despite a few lapses over the years. The editor's sense of civic duty and responsibility is evident in the pages of the fledgling Eagle as there were constant calls for improved roads, schools, and other public facilities. To illustrate his dedication to the community, during one cold winter, S.G. Williams ran out of regular newsprint when the Columbia froze solid and riverboats could not dock to bring him his supply. He printed the Cold Snap Bulletin for four days on irregular sheets of paper, so the locals might not be without news." (from page 7 of book, Beach of Heaven by Irene Martin). Note: Copies of the Skamokawa Eagle can be seen at the Appelo Archives Center in Naselle, open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 to 2. Contact them at 360-484-7103

News of Naselle Clinic: In case you did not receive one, a letter went out from the Naselle Clinic and Ocean Beach Hospital last week to folks in the area announcing that "Lori Sharrow, NP-C is now the full-time provider at the Naselle Clinic located on North Valley Road. She is an experienced nurse practitioner. Lori Sharrow, NP-C, Tim Larson, LPN, and Lori Clardy, Medical Receptionist, are the staff serving your primary care needs. Services are backed up by a full range of general surgery, laboratory, radiology, cardiology, physical therapy (and soon occupational therapy), cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, and 24/7 physician staffed emergency room at your hospital's location in Ilwaco, WA. These hospital-based services can be ordered by any licensed medical services provider. Finally, we hope that sometime this year we will be moving the clinic from the present site to the new site to be created inside the former Naselle Bank of the Pacific branch site next to Okie's building. This facility will have 50% more exam rooms and dedicated phlebotomy space. You can call 360-484-7161 to make an appointment."

This information is key for anyone considering enrolling at the Naselle Clinic. Personally, over years of various physical challenges, I have been served by both the Ocean Beach Hospital and Columbia Memorial in Astoria. They are both great resources for our rural areas. We are blessed to have quality health care in two nearby locations. They work well together, too. Between them both, care for almost every need we could have is available.

Senior Lunch Club: The Senior Lunch Club gathering on March 28th was very well attended. It has been a long time since they were able to meet so it was clearly a good time for them. I will keep you updated on their next Luncheon.

Community Action Program (CAP) Lunches for Seniors: Take out lunches will be available on Thursdays at Rosburg Hall between noon and 12:15 p.m. If you wish to participate, call Diane Hollenbeck at 360-465-2991.The following meals will be served for the month of April.

April 8 – baked ham, potatoes au gratin, peas and carrots, mandarin oranges.

April 15 – roast pork w/peach mango chutney, roasted potatoes, california blend.

April 22 – chicken parmesan, cauliflower and peppers, sliced peaches.

April 29 – pulled pork sandwich, sliced carrots, baked beans, potato salad, sliced oranges.

Grange Meetings: A reminder that the Grays River Grange #124 meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at the Grange Hall beginning at 6:30 p.m. This has historically been the one place residents of Grays River and Rosburg/Altoona could come together to discuss Grays River valley wide concerns. If you would like more information on the Grange's programs and schedule, please contact Darlene Ammer, secretary of the Grange at 360-465-2613. Membership is open to everyone.

Dispatch For notices in the Downriver Dispatch: Please let me know of any events, announcements or concerns you'd like to have added to the Downriver Dispatch. You can contact me at the phone and email address at the top of the Dispatch or drop by my house at 284 Loop Road in Grays River. Now that it's coming on spring, I'm in the yard most every afternoon.

Word for the Week: Compassion