The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

PRETTY NICE--We had a very toasty Monday and if the forecast holds true, we've got another batch of hot days as well, so I hope you're all staying well hydrated and as cool as possible. However, our Tuesday morning "drizzle" was definitely a surprise, but probably not for those in the midst of making hay. Let's hope it's just a brief amount and it dries out in no time and the hay makers and beachcombers are happy once again by the time you read this.

BE RESPONSIBLE--This is also the time that we hear many, many horror stories of animals and children being left in hot cars and wind up dying and I simply cannot fathom how in the world this keeps happening! Let's not hear any tragic stories about the deaths of children or animals around here, as there just isn't any justification for it happening.

FIRE DANGER--As I write this, some folks are still talking about "burning" and I have to say, whether there is a burn ban or not, do you really think it would be a wise thing to do? Would hurrying to beat the restrictions cause your house or your neighbor's house to go up in flames because that loose bit of trash set the surrounding area on fire? With our usual windy afternoons, it would only take minutes to have a real disaster on your hands, so when in doubt, please err on the side of caution and just wait.

If you're new here, you need to have a "burn permit" to do any burning, which is obtained at the courthouse in Cathlamet, and then one must call in to the Sheriff's office prior to burning, so that you're put on the list of "legal burns." So, be smart and think twice before striking that match! We don't need to have any of our local, volunteer firefighters injured in a fire started by someone who was just flat out careless or was wanting to bend the rules; it's not worth it!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays June 24-30 are Lance Britt, Cliff Garrison, Don Speranza, Larry Horman, Joel Moore, Jonathan Hauff, Scott Tomlinson, James Anderson, Judy Marsyla, Austin Luthi, Rick Watkins, Tanya Cleveland, Justin Norris, Kris Bergseng, Bruce Datchler, Clara Olson, Kathi West, McKenna Spieth MacIntosh and Tim Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs. Maury Mooers, Mr. and Mrs. Brett Freeman, Mr. and Mrs. Tim Batt, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Hendrickson, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Wesner, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Pedersen and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Sechler. May you all enjoy your special days to the absolute fullest!

Belated anniversary wishes go out to Karen and Scott Greenup who celebrated their special day June 15.

NEW ADDITIONS--I saw a really sweet and happy person on Facebook recently, and this former Island girl and neighbor, Lori Wika, was holding her new grandson, Alban Benjamin, and he is sure a cutie alright, so no wonder she looked so proud! This new baby boy belongs to her daughter, Alicia Boldt Benjamin and her hubby, and came into this world on June 4, weighing seven pounds, five ounces and was 21 inches long. We offer our congratulations to the proud parents and grandparents as well!

THIS IS IT--The annual Puget Island Garage & Yard Sale (PIGYS) is this weekend so shop your little hearts out. The weather looks to be good and we hope you have a blast as you go all around the Island on those treasure hunts. Have fun Friday, Saturday and Sunday and be sure to be careful as you drive in and out of people's driveways or on the roadways as it's bound to be busier than usual!

NORSE HALL--The Sons of Norway members are putting on their usual "food sale" at the Norse Hall during a couple of days of the big Puget Island sale, so stop by and refuel with one of their delicious pulled pork sandwiches or a hot dog! Pres. Jan Silvestri and Cheryl Nelson tell me they'll be serving from 11- 2 on Friday and Saturday, so come by and support the S.O.N!

MARKETS--The Farmer's Market at the Elochoman Marina will be held again this Friday, June 25 from 3 to 6 and they hope to see you there. Plus, the folks at the Farmer's Market in Skamokawa at the fairgrounds hope to see you on Tuesdays, from 4 to 7. Please pass along the info as there are lots of new folks around here and they may not have heard about them just yet.

NEW FOLKS--We'd like to welcome a couple of new folks to the area. Welcome to West Valley to Rob and Alisa Josephsen and their daughter, who recently moved here and we hope they enjoy it here.

Also, I saw where CJ Harris and wife Emilie have moved into the county and he's hoping to have folks contact him on Facebook about his willingness to do escavating in the area, and they also want to grow flowers and such, so we will wish them well. CJ has a Youtube presentation entitled: Mojave Desert Driveway Rescue if you're into checking out his work that way. Again, welcome to the area, folks!

FATHER'S DAY OUTINGS--How did you spend your Father's Day? I know one Dad who spent the day with all four of his kids and his wife in sunny California this past week, so my son, Pete Sechler had a pretty good time. This was a bonus to the weekend, as there were others with them as they joined Blake Sechler for his bachelor party, which included his brother, Kyle, who flew out from Atlanta to share the special time with Blake and the rest of his close friends. Considering it was sunny and nice, it was a good time to be in the ocean with "boogie boards" and all those sorts of things, so they had a fantastic time. Pete and wife, Katie got to stay a few days longer after the "gang" was gone and did a little pre-celebrating as Katie's birthday was coming up as well as their anniversary, so they got to enjoy some more time on the beach as well as traveling to some other areas nearby for some fabulous food and views.

RETURNED--Beings the Sechler family was gone for several days, they were in need of a "critter sitter" so, yours truly got to spend a few days in the big city, where I had not been for a couple of years. When you live out here in the sticks, where there is no such thing as food delivery, it's always amazing to me to have such a variety of so many things at one's beck and call. While we have to drive a long ways to get many things here, everything seems close at hand there, and if you don't want to go and get it, a quick phone call will have it delivered to you in no time, so while the hustle and bustle of the city wouldn't ever become my thing, I have to admit, it has its perks; and the Cheesecake Factory is one of them!

SAD NEWS--I learned Tuesday morning that my former father-in-law, Arnold "Arnie" Good passed away on Monday evening from cancer. He had just celebrated his 90th birthday on May 28 at his home in Lexington. Earlier this year, he had a nice visit from his daughter Gwen who had come over from her home in Norway, and the gathering also included his daughter, Kari and grandson Brian and other family members, so they were very happy to have gotten to see him when they did. Our deepest sympathies to all of Arnie's family members, as he left behind his wife, two daughters, many grandchildren and great grandchildren and nieces and nephews as well. RIP Arnie.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1946, it was wet, misty, rainy and windy and pretty nasty except for one day at the end of the month!

The Dyrland family added a baby boy to the family that week, while sadly, the Risk family lost one. The tragic news of a very popular young man, George Risk, a 1938 WHS graduate, sent the whole of Wahkiakum County into shock. He was a member of the Spokane League baseball team and he and eight others were killed when their chartered bus was involved in a terrible accident on Snoqualimie Pass. The week was pretty much consumed with visits to his wife, Marjorie, his Mother, Mary Anne and with other family members, which included his sister, Mrs. Alex French and four brothers: William John, Ferguson, James and Robert.

Mr. and Mrs. Dick Cuddy announced that they would be selling their barber shop after a 12 year stint in Cathlamet, and Paul Aharns from Longview would soon be the new owner of the business. The Jack Martins made the purchase of the Fred Boylan property in "Athens" and would be busy making some home improvements.

The month ended with the "greatest experiment in history" when an atom bomb was dropped on Bikini Island -- Operation CrossRoads. It was a day met with mixed emotions for many.

Locally, Mickey and Mary Ann Risk stopped by the Everests and shared a chicken dinner with them, and then later on, the movie, "Anchors Aweigh" was playing and the Everests attended that. They thought it was a good show. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's 1946 diary.